His chest was magnificent, broad shoulders leading to perfect six-pack abs, the deep V cut fading into his trousers. I realized I was licking my lips for a second time, my hunger only increasing. He kept the same expression on his face as he unfastened his belt. When my gaze fell to the thick strap of leather, he issued another guttural sound.

  “Imagine what your luscious bottom will look like marked by my belt.”

  I loved his dirty words, the way he said them yanking at the intensity of my need. I shifted my gaze to his chest, marveling at the shadowed tattoo covering a good portion of his skin. When he kicked off his shoes, shifting slightly, I could tell there was more colorful ink crawling over one shoulder to his back. Now I longed to see every inch of him.

  As he lowered his pants over his hips, the electricity soared. I was thrown into a blissful state of mind the second his cock was freed, his shaft hard as a rock. The anticipation continued to increase, growing to the point I had difficulty taking a single breath.

  When he was fully naked, he advanced like a predator, lowering down in order to grab his tie.

  “Lie down, l’vitsa.”

  I obeyed him instantly, goosebumps popping along every inch of naked skin.

  “Hands over your head.”

  My arms were stiff as I did what he commanded, cold from the slight fear yet exploding with prickles of current from our intense connection. Everything about the experience was so damn sinful, wrong in every way, but I wanted more of the freeing feeling.

  As he rounded the bed, I took another deep breath, whimpering when he pulled my wrists together, expertly tying them within seconds. When he slipped the other end around the brackets of the bed, my body spasmed.

  Just after finishing, he lowered down, flexing his fingers open and rolling them down my face. “Now, it begins.”

  Alexei

  “Never forget that a woman is capable of treachery.” My father’s warning suddenly came to mind.

  While women were allowed within the hallowed family empire, marriage either encouraged or arranged, the stunning creatures were also considered nothing more than a necessity. I’d accepted that fact on the day I’d turned eighteen.

  I’d never wavered from the pledge I’d made to my father or the one to myself. Women were to be used for pleasure or the continuance of family. Nothing more.

  Why the thought had crossed my mind almost the moment I’d come within a few feet of Stephanie Morgan would remain a question needing answers at some point. But for now, I would indulge in the pleasures I’d refrained from indulging in for as long as I could remember.

  That would make it much easier to crumble her resolve, securing every scrap of information she held in her gorgeous head. The thought of breaking her kept my balls tight as drums.

  She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. There were decent reasons that should trouble me, including the fact my cock hadn’t ceased to ache from the minute I’d walked inside the church. My original intent no longer mattered. The moment I’d gotten within twenty yards of the stunning blonde, I’d been completely incapable of walking away.

  I’d wanted nothing more than to further punish Gregory until I’d realized she wasn’t lamenting over his change in behavior. In fact, she seemed relieved. That had intrigued me more than it should.

  While the woman was considered just another enemy due to her choice of professions, what little I’d taken the time to find out about her left no indication she was a real threat, at least in the immediate timeframe. She simply had poor taste in men. The thought gave me a smile since I was evil personified. At least that’s what I’d been told on more than one occasion. Her mouth twisted as my words settled in, a demand that she would never be allowed to ignore.

  “What does that mean?” she dared to ask, as if she didn’t have a full understanding of my intentions.

  “Quiet, my lioness.”

  I hadn’t expected her, an unassuming beauty with cornflower blue eyes that had managed to drill straight into my blackened soul. I’d stood there, watching her pretend as if the fact her fiancé had failed to show up for the most important day in her life hadn’t bothered her. The only slight indication she was troubled in the least was the way she had chewed on her lower lip, removing a portion of her rose petal pink lipstick, a color that didn’t suit her.

  After that, I’d been forced to consider the fact she’d grown weary of the pompous man who’d treated her like shit. Women were to be savored in all their glory, their greatest fantasies brought to life, if only for a few hours. I’d been surprised she’d answered my question so willingly, allowing me to catch a glimpse of the woman she’d prefer to be. The change of attire as well as her sensual selection had been another clear indication there was a depth to the woman. That had solidified my need for her, a desire so strong my cock had remained hard the entire time I’d spent at the hotel.

  Red was her color, vibrant and bold, just like the flash of her eyes when annoyed or aroused, both emotions I’d been privy to only two hours before inside the ballroom.

  But her defiance at the church had drawn me in.

  That was the very moment I’d wanted nothing more than to storm the altar, ripping aside the prim and proper dress in order to expose the temptations she offered in a single smile or the way she brushed her hand through her hair.

  The draw to her was as powerful as an illegal drug, the need surpassing any sense of rationality. My thoughts of keeping her for the long term should be discarded, shoved aside like trash.

  In my world, an addiction meant a direct pathway to the kind of hell that included merciless torture. Of the mind. Of the heart. Of the body. The level of despair all depended on the type of dependence. The personal weakness was always exposed, whether by accident or as a method of power.

  It was something I couldn’t afford. Unlike my younger brother, the thought of being in any kind of relationship had never been allowed in my mind. Yet when I’d walked into the church, the dazzling woman had awakened a part of me I’d considered dead for a good portion of my life. That had been by choice, not circumstance. I had enough money and power I could indulge and fulfill my needs with a single phone call, partaking in the kind of proclivities that shock most people.

  Stephanie Morgan wasn’t that kind of woman.

  She was a rare flower, a creature who refused to succumb to her fears, no matter what adversity she’d faced. She was still considered an enemy, a woman whose prosecution record mirrored Gregory’s, yet she’d never attempted to destroy my family or my organization.

  However, I’d been determined to destroy her, if only to teach Gregory a lesson he would never forget. My current intentions were entirely different.

  I would make her mine.

  Mine to taste.

  Mine to fuck.

  Mine to possess.

  This was just the beginning.

  Her bare skin called to me, the softness adding to the treachery of the moment. If she only knew what I’d originally had planned.

  She’d spoken to the two hundred guests summoned to attend her wedding without emotion, inviting everyone, including Gregory’s family members to a blowout party. Her words. There’d been a determined look in her eyes, her expression a clear representation of her resolve.

  Perhaps no one else had caught the inflection in her voice, the hint of anger that had fueled her ability to address the crowd.

  But I had.

  I’d been the mysterious stranger in the back, separate from the dozens of guests who’d been horrified at Gregory’s actions, the quiet time allowing me to determine how I’d wanted to handle dealing with her.

  My intentions at the time had been deadly, taking something from Gregory to remind him that going against the Kozlov family had repercussions. While I wasn’t in the habit of killing a woman, especially one as beautiful as Stephanie, I’d felt it necessary at the time in order to keep Gregory on a short chain.

  Then I’d walked into the ballroom of the hotel, and everything had changed. The scent of her perfume. The dress she’d changed into. Even the way she’d remained to herself had called to needs I’d shoved aside, the intense, dark cravings that few women could tolerate. While my purposes were no less damning, my plans had changed.

  I wanted her all to myself.

  And my intentions were anything but honorable.

  I’d gotten too close, allowing my desires to interfere, shoving aside my usual methods of operation because of her. While there was nothing fragile about her, a part of me knew that at some point I’d be required to protect her against a world full of monsters.

  However, I’d already shoved the realities aside.

  By the end of tonight, she would become mine whether she accepted the realization or not.

  After all, I always took what I wanted.

  I crawled onto the bed, immediately lifting and pushing her long legs wide apart.

  As I would have expected, she stared down at me, twisting her hands in a test of her bindings as she tried to obey my simple command. She was curious, the scent of her anxiety a welcome aphrodisiac, the moonlight streaming in through the oversized windows shimmering across her porcelain skin.

  She was tense, heated breath slipping past her succulent lips. However, there was a sense of calm about her, almost as if she’d trusted her judgment with regard to the man who’d broken into her room. Perhaps she believed her friends had asked me to seduce her.

  As I dug my fingers into her skin, she bucked against the tight hold, her entire body trembling from my touch. I had no plans on being gentle with her, my hunger too great. As I took a deep whiff, I wrapped a single finger around the thin elastic of her thong, giving her a heated look just before I snapped my wrist.

  Her squeal brought a smile to my face.

  The scent of her was incredible and as I pulled the lace against my face, her eyes opened wide. There was no doubt her desire was increasing. After tossing the panties aside, I gathered her legs into my arms, ripping them as wide open as possible before lowering my head. I was almost intoxicated immediately by the sweet scent of her glistening pussy.

  Watching the way she was twisting her fisted hands fueled the fire burning deep within enough my balls tightened. I ached to drive the length of my cock deep inside her wetness. That would come soon enough. As I flicked my tongue around her clit, her soft moans more like kitten purrs, I had to fight my urges more than I was accustomed to.

  The taste of her was exactly as I’d imagined, sweet like fresh honey. I sucked on her tender tissue, taking my time to savor the moment. Every sound she made became more of an aphrodisiac. I found it difficult to take my eyes off her as she continued straining, lifting her rounded hips off the comforter.

  I took my time, dragging my tongue down to the softness of her swollen folds, barely darting my tongue past her pussy lips. Her ragged whimpers turned into moans, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. After a few seconds, my patience was wearing thin, my cock aching to thrust inside.

  No. That would need to wait. I wanted her prepared to scream out my name. I wanted her satisfied, yearning to surrender to my every need. There was no rhyme or reason as to why I had these reactions around a woman who shouldn’t matter to me in the least.

  But my desire for her was uncontrollable.

  As I sucked on her clit, I slipped three fingers inside her tight channel, marveling at the way her muscles clamped around the sudden invasion. She struggled in her bindings, tossing her head back and forth. With every soft moan, the way her breathing changed every few seconds, my savage desire only increased.

  “Oh… Mmm…”

  I licked her relentlessly as I thrust my fingers deep inside, flexing them open then curling the tips. She bucked hard, arching her back, panting uncontrollably. I was bringing her close to an orgasm then slowing my actions, swirling my tongue in circle after circle. As I rubbed my thumb down the crack in her ass, she tensed. Fucking her tight little asshole would be another delicious moment.

  When I couldn’t stand the wait any longer, I plunged my tongue beside my fingers, lapping her sweet cream. The taste was unlike anything I’d experienced before, her juice trickling down the back of my throat. Explosive heat rushed through my body as I continued licking, driving my fingers in brutally. She tried to kick out, shifting her hips back and forth until I pressed more of my weight down on her luscious body.

  “Be a good girl, l’vitsa,” I directed, but she had no intentions of following my command. When I yanked my fingers from her wetness, smacking her pussy several times, she issued a sharp scream, cutting it off almost immediately.

  “Oh, my God.”

  “As I said, be a good girl.” I blew across her pussy before thrusting four fingers deep inside, using my tongue and fingers in a perfect rhythm. Within seconds, I could tell she was close to coming. I lifted her bottom from the bed, driving my thumb into her asshole. Her body started to shake, her moans becoming louder.

  “Oh. Oh. Yes!”

  There was nothing more delicious than the taste of a woman’s release, her sweet cream spilling into my mouth. I could ravage her this way for hours, bringing her to a climax again and again. As the orgasm continued, her body shaking, I licked up and down ferociously, unable to get enough. When I smacked her pussy lips a second time, her body writhed in pleasure instead of pain.

  “More,” she murmured, dragging her tongue across her voluptuous lips. Her face shimmered in the slender path of light, so luminescent that she seemed to be glowing. “Please. More.”

  A part of the sharp edges of depravity that I’d kept around me broke away, releasing an entirely different form of need, the hunger building to the point I wasn’t going to be able to control my dark desires much longer. I cracked my fingers against her glistening pussy, growling when she undulated her hips, lifting them from the bed.

  This was something I hadn’t expected.

  She was a woman who craved savagery, longing for roughness in order to free her mind as well as her body.

  My mind a blur, I continued feasting for several minutes, pulling her into another powerful orgasm. When she slumped against the bed, I pressed several kisses along the inside of one thigh then the other before easing her legs down, straddling her hips. I worked my lips along her stomach, nipping her soft skin as I trailed up to her breasts.

  I feasted on one nipple then the other, licking the tender buds until they were rock hard and swollen. Every whispered word of pleasure she spoke drove me further to the edge of my own sanity. I needed to be inside of her, to fuck her relentlessly.

  But first she would need to fully embrace that I was in command of her body, the only man who could satisfy her needs.

  I couldn’t wait to see her on her knees, her soft lips encased around my thick cock, accepting every inch of me as I thrust deep inside her throat. When she threw her head to the side as if in an attempt of defiance, my thoughts turned vile.

  There was still a tremendous part of me that wanted to make her suffer, to understand that her world had collided with mine. However, the intensity of my longing refused to allow me to satisfy my more brutal needs. She wasn’t the creature to blame for the sins of a man who’d tossed her aside long before I’d reminded him that he’d fucked with the wrong person.

  But with every pout of her lips, the way her eyes studied me, questioning me, the sadistic man I’d always been continued to breach the surface. Even now, I knew I should walk away, pretending that she hadn’t disrupted my world, but there was no chance of that happening.

  I pulled away, rubbing my fingers down her arm. When I yanked her onto all fours, stretching the limitations of her bindings, I closed my eyes briefly, allowing the visions of what I hungered to do to her body rush into my mind.

  She should be marked as mine, the symbol protecting her against the ravages of another man, but in doing so, I would alter the course of my life.

  That wasn’t allowed.

  For now, I’d only be able to satisfy my carnal needs. Anything else wasn’t acceptable.

  “What are you doing?” she dared to ask.

  I leaned over, brushing the tip of my index finger down her spine. “Providing exactly what you require. Then I’ll give you what you’ve longed for your entire life.”

  What I didn’t choose to tell her was that after this night, she would belong to me. I would choose when and how I took her from her life, her profession, and her family.

  But a determination had been made.

  One day, she would belong to me.

  CHAPTER 4

  Stephanie

  A huge part of me still wanted to admit I’d made a mistake in flirting with the sexy stranger or allowing the dangerous man to remain inside my hotel room. However, with every stroke of his hand, every tender caress, I found myself incapable of pushing him away. Even though I reminded myself that this was only a one-time thing, a small secret I’d keep buried deep within me, I also knew my friends would ask about the evening, requiring details.

  After all, this had been their plan in the making, their way of saying ‘I told you so.’

  The second he’d flipped me over onto my hands and knees, I’d been forced into a mindless blur, incapable of stilling the shaking vibrations or my shallow breathing.

  What could I tell them other than he was rugged and demanding, his dominance suiting him just like the five-thousand-dollar tuxedo he’d worn to the wedding? I’d leave out that his kisses had awakened a level of passion I never knew existed or that his mouth and tongue were delicious weapons of pleasure.

  I’d also refused to admit that his eyes, while magnificent, also highlighted his icy demeanor, the man shut off to emotions. Even though he’d been charming, the initial meeting had provided me with a brief but important glimpse into his psyche. He’d been cold and detached, every move he’d made calculated. But now, everything was different.

  He was determined to provide me with a taste of ecstasy, his raw seduction another indication of his possessive nature.