Page 88 of Chain Me

Sunlight streams through Erik's bedroom windows, warming my face as consciousness slowly returns. My body aches in all the right places—a delicious reminder of last night's confessions and the desperate way we claimed each other afterward.

Erik's arm tightens around my waist, pulling me closer against his chest. His breathing remains deep and even, but I can feel the tension in his muscles that tells me he's awake. Always alert, even in sleep. It's such an Erik thing that I can't help but smile.

“Good morning,” I whisper against his collarbone, pressing a soft kiss to his skin.

“Morning.” His voice carries that rough, gravelly quality it gets when he first wakes up. The sound sends heat pooling low in my belly despite everything we did last night.

I tilt my head back to study his face in the golden morning light. Dark stubble covers his jaw, and his hair stands up at odd angles from my fingers running through it. He looks younger, somehow. The harsh lines around his eyes softened in the aftermath of sleep and vulnerability.

The reality of what happened between us settles over me like a heavy blanket. I told this man I love him. More shocking—I meant it completely.

How the hell did I fall in love with a criminal?

The thought should terrify me. Should send me running from this room, from this compound, from the dangerous world Erik inhabits. But as I trace lazy patterns on his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady and strong beneath my palm, all I feel is certainty.

He's nothing like my father.

Igor Lebedev is cruel for cruelty's sake. He takes what he wants without thinking of the consequences, uses people until they break, and then discards them. Power flows through him like poison, corrupting everything he touches.

Erik's darkness runs deeper, but it's different. His violence has a purpose—protection, loyalty, and survival. When he holds me, I feel cherished. When he commands me, it's because he knows what I need, not because he wants to break me.

“Regrets?” Erik asks quietly, his fingers trailing down my spine.

I meet his dark eyes without flinching. “None.”

Something shifts in his expression—vulnerability bleeding through the careful control. “You're sure? Because now you've said you love me, there's no going back. I won't let you go.”

“I don't want to go anywhere,” I tell him honestly. “I love you, Erik. All of you. Even the parts that should scare me.”

His grip tightens on my hip. “They should scare you.”

“But they don't.” I lean up to brush my lips against his. “Maybe that makes me as twisted as you.”

His mouth crashes against mine, hungry and possessive. I melt into him, my hands fisting in his hair as he rolls us over, pinning me beneath his solid weight.

“I love you,” he murmurs against my lips.

“I love you too,” I breathe back, arching into his touch as his hands map my body like he's memorizing every curve.

Sharp knocking interrupts us, three decisive raps that make Erik's head snap up with a growl.

“Go away,” he calls out, not taking his eyes off me. His thumb traces along my jawline, gentle despite the irritation radiating from him.

“Erik, get your ass out of bed. Now.” Alexi's voice carries through the door, tinged with urgency but also unmistakable amusement. “Unless you're too busy playing house with your little princess.”

“Fuck off, Alexi,” Erik snarls, but he's already pulling back, the tension in his shoulders shifting from passion to alertness.

“Can't do that, brother. Emergency meeting in the conference room. Something about Lebedev making moves.” A pause, and then Alexi's voice turns sing-song and mocking. “Besides, we all know what you two were doing anyway. These walls aren't that thick.”

Heat floods my cheeks as Erik closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, clearly fighting for control.

“Five minutes,” he calls out.

“Two minutes, or Nikolai's coming up here himself. And he won't knock as nicely as I did.” Alexi's footsteps retreat down the hallway, but not before I hear him mutter, “Finally getting laid and suddenly thinks he runs the schedule.”

Erik looks down at me with genuine regret. “I'm sorry. I have to?—”

“Go,” I tell him, even though every part of me wants to pull him back down. “Your family needs you.”

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