Page 50 of The Tsar's Obsession
Fuck. The older I got, the less sure I became of anything. My life was like a labyrinth; take one wrong turn and you will never be able to find your way back. There was no room for mistakes.
23
On Your Knees
Mia
WhileKirillwasdoing…whateverhisbusinessrequired of him in the Bahamas, I spent the day swimming and napping.
Staff and servants abounded, ready to fulfill my every wish, which I found strange and mildly uncomfortable.
“An iced coffee, Miss Mia?” A voice startled me as I headed for the outside, and I whipped my head around to see an older woman standing at the kitchen island, her smile full and genuine.
“Um, yeah. Yes, sure, thank you.” I returned the smile, thinking she was about to get started on it, but instead, she turned and picked up a tray with an iced coffee already on it. Along with water, a mountain of fruit, and a menu.
A menu…of what she was planning to prepare for the day. This wasn’t some island getaway; Kirill had a whole team tending to his every single whim and need. And now mine.
The tray was placed in the shade of the cabana, the white linen curtain gently swaying in the warm wind. It was suffocatingly hot, and yet, security was stationed on the beach.
I wondered why Kirill felt the need to place his men on the beach. I approached one, noticing beads of sweat collecting on hisforehead. “It’s so hot; why don’t you go for a swim or something?”
As soon as the words left my lips, I knew that was a stupid proposition, and evidently so did he, by the way he slowly shook his head to say no. He was wearing all black, and the sun was beating down mercilessly.
“It’s unnecessary to stand guard over me while I swim; go inside and cool off.” I almost implored him, but his next answer shut me up for good.
“Whatever Kirill Pavlovich wants, Kirill Pavlovich gets.”
Wow. Kirill Pavlovich, huh? His security called him by his first and patronymic name—a very indisputable sign of respect in Russian culture. Clearly, Kirill Pavlovich didn’t play around with his orders if this massive hulk of a human being didn’t move an inch while I was there.
I liked that. Maybe I should use that from now on; whatever Mia wants, Mia gets. I chuckled to myself while I sipped on the iced coffee and enjoyed the view and the sounds of the ocean.
Sometime in the midafternoon, I migrated to the pool, and the soft rustling of the palm trees lulled me into a blissful and sweet sleep in the shade.
Everything was so utopian here. Kirill, the ocean, the sun. I was finally calm and had the best nap of my life in the tropical shade.
Stirring from my peaceful slumber, there I saw Kirill sitting beside me. With his elbows on his knees, he had his hands clasped together, and his head was slumped down, as if deep in thought. He looked…worried? I didn’t know he was capable of that feeling, seeing as how he presented himself—always the one leading and shaping reality to what he wanted.
We watched each other in silence, digesting our own thoughts about the situation that we found ourselves in. No, the situation he placed us both in.
It seemed that I was deeply infatuated with a man who lived his life solely outside the law. Me. A woman who’d never done anything remotely illegal, never held a firearm in her hands, and never tried drugs. And he was the one who ran the show. He set the price, collected the money, and spent it on hisown lifestyle, whisking away his latest toy to a tropical island. Although, I knew I was anything but a toy to him.
His full intentions were unclear to me, or maybe I just refused to admit it. He could fuck any woman he wanted at any time he wanted. Hell, he could fuck twenty, all at the same time. He didn’t need to ask; he didn’t need to wait. But this wasn’t about getting me into bed. This was about making me attached to him and only him. Since the moment he showed up in my life, he was diligently working on making me fall in love with him.
And, slowly but very surely, he succeeded.
“It’s time to cool off, baby.” He finally broke the silence between us and leaned in. I thought he was going to give me a kiss, but no, I was suddenly in his arms. Within a second, I was launched through the air, the cool water of the pool welcoming me.
Before I could even comprehend what happened and catch my breath from the shock of the cold tingling all my senses, I heard a splash and watched him fall in right after me, his clothes still on.
He was unpredictable and playful, and I hated to admit that I loved it. I was missing it from my life, and I wanted exactly that. I craved someone beside me who ignited a fire within me. And here was a man just being himself and filling that void.
Finally together, fuck, I was ready to submit, ready to give in, ready to do whatever he wanted. With a permanent smile on my face, I swam to the other side of the pool, but within a few strokes, he was already behind me, slipping his arms around my waist as if it were the most natural thing to happen between us. It had been a week since we’d been together, but every moment with him felt like the first time in my life.
Effortlessly, he pulled me into him, my nerves catching the air inside my lungs. Those green eyes met mine, and I understood that I never, ever,everwanted to look into anyone’s eyes again. Only his. Only him.
His large fingers on my jaw, his chest pressed up against mine, and his strong arm holding me tight, it was simultaneously silent and loud. “You look like you belong in my house, Mia. In my life. With me.” His whisper sounded like thunder, and I only managed to close my eyes at his admission, leaning in closer so as not to miss a word. “Only with me.” Hot, wet, sinful, and so desired, his lips made an imperceptible impact on my temple.
Every nerve ending that my body possessed was on fire. Looking into his eyes and feeling his large hands caressing my naked skin was like living in slow motion. Time stopped. It was just him and me, in front of each other, finally. But unlike my wild imagination, Kirill made zero effort to move forward, and my vision spun like I was about to pass out from the lack of action.
