Page 172 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

It’s been years since I slept next to someone. With Aurora, I had been a restless and selfish sleeper. I kept to my side of the bed, and she kept to hers.

But Elyssa… she’s different. Everything feels different with her. I’m still trying to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad one.

Her eyes are shut tight. Her lips flush pink against the dim sunlight filtering in through my blinds. I look at her and wonder just what the fuck she is doing here—not just in my bed but in my life. In my world.

Her blonde hair is strewn across her shoulders and down her naked back. The kind of hair that’s begging to be used. Handled. Last night, when I’d taken her from the back, I’d been itching to grab fistfuls of it, yank it backwards, use it to break her.

But I’d held back—because I could sense the surge of emotions she was drowning in. She’s meek in sex, just like she’s meek in life. There are moments, though, when she breaks through her shell. When I feel her deepest nature come out. The fight against those restraints rages in her all the time.

Apparently, someone somewhere told her that taking what you wanted just isn’t acceptable.

Who told you that, little lamb?I ponder silently.Who warped your brain to make you so afraid of what you are inside?

She sighs and nudges a little closer to me. Instinctively, I try to move out from under her. Sharing a bed with a woman after so long—it brings guilt.

Not that I spent much time wallowing in my guilt last night. No, when she was bared before me, lust was all I gave a flying fuck about. I took her again and again, and then twice more for good measure.

Once I allowed myself to acknowledge my desire for her, I couldn’t be sated. And the fire in me lit the fire in her. She let herself be consumed like it was fucking salvation.

Maybe she doesn’t realize just how dangerous that can be.

Determined to get out of here now, I push out from under her and take to my feet. She gives another sigh and turns over. I see the round peaks of her nipples and my cock springs to life once more like it didn’t get plenty of Elyssa last night.

I have the urge to get on top of her and slip my cock between her lips but I resist it. In the light of a new day, I’ve also been cursed with perspective.

I can see now that last night was inevitable. Doesn’t make it any less of a mistake, though.

The tension between us was there from the beginning. In some ways, it’s been building since the first fucking night we met. That kind of chemistry was bound to have come to a head at some point.

Now, I’ve got her out of my system, I can—

I break my resolve and look down at her again. It’s just a quick glance and the sheets are pulled up around her chest. But the material is still flimsy enough that I can make out the shapes of her breasts. The hard nubs of her nipples. The sleek lines of her collar bones.

And it all proves one thing: apparently, I haven’t gotten her out of my system at all. Not if the throbbing of my erection is anything to go by.

MaybeI’mthe one who doesn’t realize how dangerous this can be.

From here on out, I’m going to have to exhibit some willpower. Some sense of control over myself. For both our sakes.

I pick up my phone and glance at the screen. It’s glowing with notifications.

A missed call from Konstantin. Two from Alexi. Four from Matvei.

“Fuck,” I mutter.

I stride into the bathroom and change. Then I slip out of the room towards my study. When I walk in, Matvei is sitting at my desk. Apparently, he’s been waiting for me.

“Enjoyed your night?” he asks. He’s clearly annoyed but there’s a hint of disbelief combined with amusement in his tone.

“You’re in my seat, wiseass.”

He narrows his eyes at me but the smile stays on his face. “Is this your seat?” he asks, feigning innocence. “I had no idea.”

“What are you rambling on about?”

“You don’t seem that interested in the mission anymore,” Matvei shrugs. “That’s all.”

“Careful,” I warn.

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