“You’re such a bastard!” I clawed at the comforter, using all my strength to kick him, finally able to connect my foot against his stomach.

  “That’s going to cost you.” He brought his hand down several times against my bottom, only adding fuel to the ache burning deep inside.

  The pull on my hair was just as painful as the spanking. Within seconds, I was exhausted, panting, aching all over as a wave of electricity shot straight into my core. He stroked his fingers along the seam of my pussy, every move utter perfection, arousing me even more. The man knew exactly what he was doing to me. When he thrust them inside again, I realized I was bucking against his hand involuntarily, driving the long digits as deep inside as possible.

  Every inch of my body tingled as my pussy clamped around his fingers. I was lightheaded, reminding myself that this was just physical chemistry. I should be afraid of him. I should continue to fight him.

  But the hunger was real, the need to have his fingers touching me, filling me unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

  “Oh. Oh. Oh.” The guttural sounds from my throat were almost unrecognizable. This wasn’t me. This wasn’t what a good girl should crave.

  I almost laughed since I’d been the one to insist I wasn’t a good girl.

  But when I heard the bastard unzipping his expensive trousers, I sucked in and held my breath, another round of lights pulsing in front of my face.

  “I can provide extreme anguish or exquisite ecstasy. The choice is entirely up to you. If you’re a good girl and obey me, you’ll get exactly what you crave. If you fight me on any level, then the punishment you receive is going to be something you remember for a very long time. Do I make myself clear?”

  I couldn’t answer him. I had no words, no ability to make any additional sounds. I was lost in a surreal moment, a part of me wishing I’d never agreed to be Lilia’s bridesmaid. Why hadn’t I acknowledged her family was dangerous? I’d never learned anything from her about the family business, but he remained positive I’d broken some veil of secrecy.

  “Answer me, my perfect angel,” he growled.

  “Yes. I understand.” The sultry tone of my voice surprised me.

  “Excellent,” he said in a subdued voice, as if using the softer tone to try to comfort me, to sway me into thinking he wasn’t a monster.

  But I sensed what he was capable of.

  A part of him wanted to believe I’d had something to do with his friend’s murder. Why didn’t I just come clean? Because I knew that would give him ammunition and I wouldn’t be needed any longer. Was it possible the man was a killer? I had no idea, but I strongly believed escaping him was the only real chance I had of survival.

  This was unbelievable. I was worried he’d end my life, yet I was dizzy from the current, wet from his touch.

  The moment I felt his cock slicing back and forth across my bruised bottom, I stiffened, fisting the covers.

  “Relax, my angel. I’m giving you exactly what you need.” He purred the words, driving me into a state of desire unlike anything I’d ever known. I’d never been taken so forcefully, disciplined as if I was a bad little girl. The concept took my breath away, leaving me weak and anxious, yet a sickening level of excitement continued to build. The scent of my arousal created another wave of heat spilling across my face.

  Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. The words rolled in my mind over and over again, as if they had the ability to keep me sane.

  He kicked my legs apart then pressed the tip of his cock against my slickened folds. “Relax and push back for me. Take my cock like the perfect angel you were the other night. Obey me.”

  Obey him. The thought was strangely attractive, the softness of his voice enveloping every inch of my body like a blanket, soothing and enticing me into submitting.

  As he pressed his cockhead past my swollen folds, my body acted entirely on its own, pushing against him. A warm, almost dizzying series of sensations washed over me, shooting straight into my aching pussy. Nothing was going to stop him from taking what he wanted.

  He seemed larger than a few nights before, my muscles struggling to accept the thickness. I was stretched wide open, involuntary moans rushing up from my throat.

  “Uh. Uh.” My pants were primal, my starved-for-attention body and mind yanking the brazen woman from the dark catacombs of my being.

  He thrust the entire length inside, digging his fingers into my skin. His husky growls were cries of satisfaction, his breath becoming just as ragged as mine. “You’re tight. So fucking tight.”

  “Uh-huh.” My mind was a blur as the pleasure overcame the insanity of hungering for the man.

  “Did you think about me after the time we spent together? Did you crave my cock filling you, fucking you?”

  I hated this man and everything he stood for, yet my mind was fuzzy, the scent of him alone intoxicating and driving all common sense away.

  This was wrong, so very wrong. While I wanted to say no, he knew whatever I’d say would be just another lie. “Yes.”

  “Did you hunger for my lips against yours?”

  I shuddered inwardly, the truth reckless and dangerous.

  “Yes.” The word slipped from my mouth.

  Reaching around me, he caressed my breast, twisting my nipple until I cried out in the sweet release of pain. Skittering jolts shot through me, each one more intense than the one before.

  Every part of me was on fire, my hunger almost as desperate as his. I was crazed from what was happening, unable to process his actions.

  Or my body’s intense explosion of sensations.

  I could tell just how wet I was, my juice trickling down both legs. Moaning, I smacked at the bed, groaning like a crazed animal. When he pulled out, slamming into me again, I couldn’t fight the gasps coming from my throat.

  “That’s it. Take all of me. Every fucking inch.” He pummeled into me, the force used rocking the bed. He kept his hand tangled in my hair, holding me in place, as if there was any possibility of escaping. I was his prisoner.

  Yet I’d never felt so free.

  Together we rocked, both breathless.

  Sweat beaded against my back, rolling down my neck. I arched my back, panting as he filled me completely.

  Time seemed to stand still as he fucked me, the powerful man growling as he ravaged my body. I tried to resist, but it was no use. I could feel an orgasm threatening to make the final betrayal, taking me to a place of bliss.

  I gasped for air, my moans scattered. And I lost it, the climax rushing up from my toes, slamming into my system with such ferocity I could no longer see.

  “Oh. Oh. Oh!”

  The same dark chuckle sounded behind me as he fucked me long and hard, filling me completely.

  “Such a little tease,” he growled, finally releasing his hold on my hair, gripping my hips as he powered into me, yanking me back with every brutal stroke.

  I dropped my head, my body nothing but a rag doll as he thrust harder and faster. I wanted this over with. My muscles continued to clamp and release, another orgasm forcing me to throw my head back, the scream soundless, my body shaking violently.

  “Fuck. Yes. Yes,” he roared.

  As he erupted deep inside, filling me with his seed, all I could think about was how much I’d craved him and how terrified I should be of the ruthless man.

  Yet he’d stirred something inside of me that I couldn’t explain, a feeling so deep that I feared I’d lost all sense of control around the man.

  He gripped my ass, teasing my punished flesh. “Now, my perfect angel. You and I are going to have a nice, long talk.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Mikhail

  Beguiling.

  The word was one I hadn’t used in a very long time, if ever.

  However, that’s what the lovely Bristol Rork truly was. She’d awakened my senses like no other woman had.

  She’d also infuriated me with her insolence. I could tell by the look in her eyes she thought me a monster. Yes, I was, but not with a woman. Never with a woman.

  My fucking heart thudded in my chest from a raging desire that continued to captivate me. Her punishment had been as cathartic as it was electrifying.

  I usually considered myself an attentive lover, acutely aware of a woman’s needs while enjoying providing them much like I had with Bristol on the previous night of passion.

  Tonight had been different. Tonight I’d allowed the brutal man inside of me to breach the surface, the hunger so intense that nothing about sliding my cock into her sweet pussy had been gentle.

  I’d wanted to possess every inch of her.

  Not just for one night, but for much longer.

  Maybe I’d expected her to break.

  Instead of whimpering, she’d purred. Was her acquiescence nothing more than another attempt to manipulate me? Her initial distrust and basic hatred of the kind of man she’d heard I truly was had given way to the heated attraction we’d felt since sparring at the reception table. The emotions and strong desire weren’t being faked.

  Her defiance remained fascinating, which had kept me from handling her as I would any other person who had information I required.

  I’d been furious when I’d found her trying to escape me, her fear of being found something I’d been able to smell from the driver’s seat of my Ferrari. I’d caught her slinking in the darkness to her small car, scanning the parking lot of her apartment complex before tossing a duffle bag inside.

  Smart girl.

  I’d sensed immediately she’d decided to leave, to take shelter elsewhere. In a way, I’d underestimated her.

  I raked my hands through my hair and rolled the tips of two fingers down the long line of her back.

  She rolled over, staring at me with her eyes wide open. “Who are you, Mikhail?”

  “Evidently you think you know.”

  “I need for you to tell me.”

  “I’m curious. What was said on the broadcast you heard?” I asked, curious if suddenly every network was trying to frame the family and the corporation for crimes we had nothing to do with. If they were, someone was using them to satisfy a vendetta, which wouldn’t surprise me. We had our share of enemies on the right side of the law as any successful corporation did.

  We’d also been used as target practice by those who longed for revenge from the days of old. There were enough syndicate leaders from across the country who’d retired to Las Vegas to fill an entire housing development. Several over the years had made no bones about the fact that they weren’t thrilled that the Dmitriyev family had so much power. A few had made overtures they were considering getting back in the business.

  Fewer still had tried to make good on their threats.

  They hadn’t fared well.

  This blatant and very quick finger pointing sounded orchestrated.

  She studied me as if debating whether she should tell me anything. “That you’re Bratva. The reporter alluded to you being mafia, but I sensed that before and no, not because of Lilia. She and I were friends, but we’d agreed not to discuss our family lives.”

  “I’m supposed to believe that?”

  “It’s something you can easily confirm with your sister. I know that you’re dangerous. I sensed that the moment you walked into the restaurant the night before the wedding. You oozed power. You controlled the room. You can hide behind all your acts of philanthropy and pretense with your glitzy movie stars and sports legends while wearing ten-thousand-dollar suits and driving expensive vehicles, but that won’t change who you are.”

  “You give me much more credit than I deserve. However, since you seem to know more about my family than I believed, please do tell me what you think I’m hiding.”

  “That you’re a monster who doesn’t mind using exploitive methods to achieve whatever goal you desire.”

  Every cell in my body was electrified from the fire burning deep within her. “I do tend to take what I want, Bristol. You’re right about that.” I could tell my limited answer frustrated her.

  “Who was the man who was murdered?”

  “Someone who worked for me.”

  “A security consultant?”

  I chuckled. “Sergio was indeed in charge of my security team.” She’d paid very close attention to what had been said. While she’d been terrified before, not only had her defiance returned, but she was also eager to learn more about me. My instincts said it had nothing to do with her father or whatever agenda he had on the table. I’d seen her very quick look of irritation when I’d mentioned him.

  Perhaps it was possible she believed her own father had manipulated her. Everything was on the table at this point, but I still couldn’t trust her any more than she could me.

  “Why murder him? Was your organization threatened?”

  “A very good question. I won’t lie to you, Bristol. My family is steeped in power and control. That provides an ample opportunity for threats to come in every manner from emails to phone calls. Even social media posts. Most aren’t taken seriously. However, our business is entirely legal. We’re businessmen. We give to charity. We provide our employees with top notch benefits and a fantastic work atmosphere. The days of slaughtering people in the streets are long gone. You might choose to believe a reporter looking for his fifteen minutes of fame, but I have no reason to lie to you.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “My sister is very much like you are, Bristol. But if you were friends, you already know that. She believes in right versus wrong. She never knew the life my father and uncle lived, or that I experienced at an early age. My parents didn’t want that for their children, which is why they left Moscow.” I honestly wasn’t certain why I was telling her my family’s history, other than coaxing her to trust me.

  “How honorable and admirable.”

  “Yes, it was. They sacrificed significantly. Lilia had a chance to be anyone she wanted to be, which wouldn’t have been the case if we’d stayed in Russia.”

  While she frowned, I could tell she was paying close attention, processing everything I’d told her.

  I studied her in the light, her long, dark hair spilling out over the comforter. She was more diligent in her resolve to escape than I had envisioned, which kept my cock aching and my balls tight. I’d expected her to whimper, cowering like the majority of other assholes who dared to cross me. This girl was entirely different, her acts of defiance creating a spark deep within me.

  She rose onto her elbow, completely comfortable in her nakedness. I took a few seconds, brushing the tip of my finger down her arm, rolling it under her breast.

  Her smile was slight, an almost knowing look in her eyes. Perhaps she believed she knew me. She was wrong. But she did bring out a side of me so unexpected I was caught in a moment of seeking more than just answers from her.

  Yet I would temper my desires.

  For now.

  “You’re truly trying to tell me you aren’t doing anything illegal. You own half of Las Vegas. That much I do know.”

  Now I laughed. “I wish I did own half. Yes, my family owns several profitable resorts and we have interests in several other corporations, but the days of backroom decisions skirting the law are long gone. However, reporters love to push the idea we’re nothing but brutal men.”

  “You aren’t?” Her smile was sly.

  “No, we are not.” When she kept her heated gaze on me, I pinched her nipple. “At least not usually. Unless we’re pushed.”

  She shuddered from my touch, her eyes now half closed. I caressed her skin, lightly tracing the length of her arm. When she finally pulled it away, I fisted my hand.

  “You have an idea why your friend was killed. Don’t you?” The attorney inside her was asking.

  “To be honest with you, I’m uncertain. For once, I was completely caught off guard. There were no recent or pointed threats.”

  “How did you know I was at his house?” When I didn’t answer, she groaned. “He had security cameras both inside and outside his home.”

  “Yes. Sergio was very careful, a secure man, although the cameras outside were disabled and he only had a camera on the front door, but there was no sign of forced entry.” Why was I sharing the information with her? Did I think she’d suddenly place her trust in me? I doubted that.

  As her eyes darted back and forth across mine, I leaned closer until we were just inches apart. Most people in this position would pull away by instinct if nothing else. She inched closer until our lips were almost touching. “Did you see anyone else?”

  “No, but I wasn’t on the scene very long. I plan on going back. Now, I need to know the truth about this. What did Sergio say to you?”

  The single tic in the corner of her mouth indicated she would try to hold out on me.

  “He said nothing of value. Gibberish. He was dying, Mikhail. The poor man was foaming at the mouth.”

  I cupped her jaw, absently rubbing my thumb across her succulent lips. “Then what did you see once you were inside?”

  “Nothing. I heard a noise in the kitchen and knew I was in danger. That’s why I ran and called the police from the car. I refused to become another victim.”

  Exhaling, she didn’t blink when I blew hot air across her face. My instincts were almost never wrong. She was keeping something significant from me. Perhaps out of fear, lack of trust, or perhaps another reason that I’d need to explore. Right now, she believed we were equals in this game of push and pull.

  She’d soon learn otherwise.

  She studied me intently. “What now? Are you going to kill me?”

  “Is there a reason I should?”

  “I thought you said you weren’t a killer.”

  “And I thought a woman of your convictions always told the truth. I guess we’re both wrong.”

  “Maybe so.” She allowed her gaze to fall, completely confused about her attraction to me.

  Seconds ticked by. The brutal man inside of me wanted nothing more than to fuck her once again.

  “Let me explain something to you, Bristol. I want you to completely understand what we’re dealing with. I believe you didn’t kill Sergio. I also believe you were only there to deliver a pizza. However, I don’t believe that you’re telling me everything. You have a very analytical mind. You were scared, which meant the killer or killers were likely still inside the house. If I discovered there was a witness, then it’s only a matter of time before the people responsible will as well. I assure you the enemies I mentioned don’t take kindly to being spied on.”