Chapter 20

POV ILYA KRAVTSOV

The damn thing in my chest sped up the moment I saw her among the other women, starting to dance. As if she weren’t sexy as hell on her own, she was smiling, clearly happy.

Neither of us had had time for this since we met, under the most absurd circumstances possible. It hadn’t even been a month since the first time we saw each other, but it was more than obvious that we had formed a bond.

And it had nothing to do with the nights we spent sleeping in the same bed, wrapped around each other like a couple. It was about the things I knew she had been through and everything I had given up.

We were empathetic toward each other. That brought us closer. Made us want to offer comfort, even if we weren’t friends.

Or could we already consider ourselves that?

Did I want to be friends with that woman?

"Ih, damn Russian... you’re screwed!" Hunter commented, laughing with Joshua before the latter started shouting for his wife. "With all due respect, your little Mexican is a goddess."

"She’s not mine," I growled in response, not taking my eyes off her, but bringing the bottle to my mouth. "If I touch her, I’m dead."

"Why? Are you going to allow her to still belong to another man?"

"No. No way..."

I realized the trap I had fallen into. Hunter wasn’t just talking about Pavel. Or was he? But the way his question and my response came out made it seem like I wouldn’t allow Alejandra to belong to anyone else because she needed to be mine.

But wasn’t that exactly the issue?

"So you want her to be yours. If you really want that, you need to make her understand what your desires are."

It was much more complicated than that.

I shifted my weight to the other leg, leaning my hips against the back of a bench because the last thing I could do was sit down.

I planned not to move. Just watch.

After all... looking didn’t hurt.

And she was very, very beautiful, illuminated by the golden glow of the bonfire, her hair rippling slightly from the effort of dancing. I could picture her twirling the skirts of a long dress as she moved, but tight jeans outlined her curves, and her long-sleeved shirt had slipped off one shoulder because it was a bit oversized, making her look incredibly sensual.

Her golden eyes were shining with pleasure and amusement, which should, in itself, be enough for me since I could imagine that this girl hadn’t had joy and freedom like this in a long time. She deserved to enjoy it.

So much so that I almost walked away. I didn’t want to ruin her moment with my bad mood.

But that’s when Drake Phoenix appeared.

He was a twenty-five-year-old guy, short hair, tattoos, tall and muscular. I knew the girls in Stone Haven were crazy about him because Hunter always told me the kid never stayed home and most of the time disappeared from the complex, only showing up the next day with a grin from ear to ear.

He was a player, and he had one of his hands on Alejandra’s waist.

She glanced at me sideways, and I didn’t know if it was to try to make me jealous or if it was just instinct, but she smiled at Drake and accepted his invitation to dance.

Even though I knew the guy’s reputation, I also knew he wasn’t an asshole and wouldn’t do anything against her will.

The problem was exactly that: her wanting it.

I saw when the idiot leaned in and whispered something in her ear that made her blush and murmur a “thank you” in English. She spoke the language fluently, with a very, very sexy accent.

"If you don’t act fast, my brother’s gonna make his move, partner," Hunter said beside me, and as much as I wanted to tell him to shove that advice up his ass, I knew he was right.

Alejandra was an inexperienced girl, and the attention of a young, handsome guy would definitely get to her.

The problem was, I wanted her to let loose and have an adventure. But fuck... if she was going to give herself to someone, that someone had to be me.

Because, God forgive me, but she really wouldn’t belong to anyone else if she wasn’t mine.

Without even realizing what I was doing, I handed my beer to Hunter and started walking toward them.

Even though Drake was also a big guy, I felt clumsy next to him. Too rough, too large, too rugged, with hands that wouldn’t fit as neatly on her waist as his did.

But fuck that, because I wanted her more than anyone else.

"Lost something here, Drake?" I asked, my tone anything but friendly.

He lifted his eyes to me, a little surprised. Maybe he hadn’t expected me to show up and claim anything with the girl. She, in turn, took a few steps back, distancing herself from the other man, fixing her gaze on me. There was a small smile on her face, almost victorious.

"Shit, Ilya, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that..."

"That she’s with me?" It was a bold move, especially because it wasn’t exactly true. Whatever had happened that day when we almost kissed couldn’t be considered enough for me to claim her as mine.

"Yeah... I thought... Someone told me you two weren’t together and..."

"But we are," I said again in a growl, grabbing her arm and looking into her eyes. "Aren’t we, moi rys?"

She could have denied it. She could have simply said I was crazy, that she wasn’t with anyone, especially since she deserved to live and be young.

But Alejandra nodded. And she did so vehemently.

I could have ignored the way she smiled at me, but I wasn’t capable. My hand tightened around her wrist, and I just pulled her as I marched back to the house where we were staying, opening the door and putting her inside, without turning on the lights, barely even closing the door.

I couldn’t last another minute without tasting her.

"Ilya..." she whispered my name, about to say something else, but I didn’t allow it. She could say whatever she wanted later; she could even ask me to pray, and I would. But at that moment, I leaned in and claimed her mouth.

I wasn’t even thinking anymore when my tongue parted her lips, invading and slowly drinking her in, savoring the taste I had wanted to experience since we started living together.

Alejandra let out a small moan, which only fueled my wildness. The arm that was wrapped around her waist became more possessive, and I lifted her off the ground, carrying her to the nearest wall.

I placed her down and held her face with both hands, allowing me to deepen the kiss.

The kiss was insane. It must have been her first, as I could tell by the sweet inexperience, but we quickly fit together, and Alejandra followed along, mimicking the movements of my tongue, responding with total surrender. I felt like a live wire, sparking, short-circuiting.

It felt like we still weren’t close enough, so my hands slid to her waist, lifting her again and setting her on the sideboard next to us.

I wanted to kneel between her open legs and taste her until she begged for mercy. I wanted her to scream my name and leave that house marked by me. I wanted everyone to look at her and see her swollen lips from my kisses. It was territorial of me, but I couldn’t allow anyone else to approach her without thinking she belonged to me.

"Moi rys," I whispered as I gripped her hair again, giving it a gentle tug. My other hand rested on her neck while my tongue, now outside her mouth, licked her lips as if they were a fruit I wanted to drain completely.

There was nothing subtle about my touches, my grip. I should have been more careful; I should have known Alejandra was too delicate for me. But my head was not in sync with my body. I couldn’t control my impulses, my hands gripping her tighter, my teeth wanting to bite her all over.

But she was responding the same way. When I moved my hand from her fragile neck and replaced my fingers with my lips, licking a path along the veins I could almost feel pulsing, she dug her nails into my scalp, pulling my hair.

The moment she did that, we became a mess of gasps and moans, growls, and colliding mouths.

We rubbed our bodies against each other as if that could sustain us. I pulled her so close, holding her so tightly, that I felt her breasts pressing against my chest.

She was all soft and smooth against my roughness. The perfect contrast.

We were completely breathless when I pulled away, but I felt Alejandra’s fingers gripping the lapel of my jacket, pulling me back to her. Just so she wouldn’t feel rejected, I gave her a quick kiss, admiring how incredibly beautiful she looked, all flustered from my kisses.

"We won’t go further than this, moi rys," my voice was rougher than usual. "At least not for now. We need to calm down and go back to the party. It’s your first one in a long time, and I don’t want to ruin it."

"You’re not ruining anything," she almost whined, and I managed a smile.

"But it’s the right thing to do. Let’s take it slow. You’re too innocent. But more than that, it’s complicated. We could cause a huge mess if we go further."

Alejandra lowered her head and nodded. I held her chin between my fingers and lifted her face, narrowing my eyes.

"You’re delicious. Beautiful. And I want you so badly that I don’t even know how I’ll survive the night sleeping next to you."

"You don’t have to."

"But that’s how it’s going to be. Slowly. It’ll be worth it."

I kissed her again and stepped back, extending my hand to help her down from the sideboard so we could return to the party.

She climbed down on her own, looking a little annoyed, and I felt my cock ache at that defiant expression.

"You’re being a coward," she said, her Spanish thick with emotion.

I wasn’t going to take the bait, but... fuck. She was tempting.

"Would you rather be taken again, still a virgin, to give yourself to someone you despise?"

"No, but I don’t want you to make love to me just to..."

"I want you to fuck me, Ilya."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Where did you learn to talk like that, girl?"

"I was kidnapped at thirteen. Before that, I knew many things. And it’s not like we were kept away from everything. There were movies, books. I may be innocent, but you won’t fool me. I know exactly what happens, and I don’t want it to be with anyone else. I want it to be with you."