“What does it mean?” I finally asked. The man was so private but the urge to know was almost suffocating.
Aleksei shifted, allowing me to see the rest covering his back. The black edges morphed into an intense orange, blossoming into several shades that took my breath away. A true artist had inked a piece of art.
“A phoenix, but different in so many ways. As if the bird isn’t just taking flight but soaring among the heavens,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“Out of the ashes and into the light, only the truest of warriors will be accepted.”
He seemed surprised I’d recognize the symbol at all, the rendering much more artistic, ominous in design. I followed the design along his neck, sliding the tip of my finger down to his chest.
I shivered again as he cupped my hand, bringing my palm to his face. As he pressed a series of kisses against my already heated skin, there wasn’t a nerve ending that wasn’t standing on edge. His concentrated look remained as he took his time dragging his tongue along my lifeline.
The action was entirely too sensual, leaving me wet and hot, unable to feel my legs.
“Are you a warrior, Aleksei? A man of honor?”
Aleksei lifted a single eyebrow. “That is something that you’ll need to answer yourself, Willow.”
Another challenge. Another line in the sand.
I was well aware that this line wasn’t meant to be crossed. We weren’t supposed to become lovers. In fact, doing so was dangerous, perhaps for both of us. I was well aware of the way mafia politics worked. I’d studied just as he’d suspected, but the Russians were truly brutal in nature. I was nothing more than his prisoner, a woman to be taken at will, disciplined as necessary.
And he was merely a monster.
But with every ounce of my being, I wanted him and would accept whatever consequences I’d be required to face.
“But for tonight, the politics are put aside,” he stated in a commanding fashion. “I will have you.”
There was no denying a man like Aleksei Petrov, so virulent and ruthless, but I no longer wanted to fight.
It was easy to tell he wasn’t a patient man. To that extent, I wasn’t startled when he lifted me into his arms, holding me as a lover would. Then he took long strides out of the room and away from the stairs.
Where in the hell was he taking me?
For a few seconds, every muscle in my body stiffened, fearful he was dumping me in the cage. Punishment for being a bad little girl and enraging him.
But he walked past the basement entrance, moving into a portion of the house I hadn’t explored.
He kicked open the closed door in front of us, marching inside with purpose. The darkness was overwhelming, creating another wave of near panic. His gentle ease of me onto the floor was almost cathartic. The two sides of him were so far removed, polar opposites.
And I wasn’t certain which man I craved more.
Aleksei backed into the shadows and I stood frozen, trying to catch my breath. I found myself reaching for him, longing to call out his name. I had to remind myself that this was no love affair.
The wash of light was more like a warm glow, barely highlighting the details of the room. I blinked several times, darting glances from right to left. Another bedroom. This one was occupied and I knew that everything in the room belonged to him. I was becoming more curious by the hour. The man of the house, no doubt one of the richest men on the East coast, a man who could afford anything in the world had chosen to sleep in a modest bedroom.
There were so many questions, his entire world a riddle of mystery and intrigue.
He advanced once again and without hesitation removed my dress, pulling it gently over my shoulders and head as if peeling away layers of an onion. His chest continued to rise and fall as his gaze fell beseechingly slowly down the length of me, drinking me in.
It was as if he’d never actually seen me before.
I could feel his hot breath cascading across my face and shoulders, the slight rumble emitted from his lips provocative. As his eyes fixed on my lace thong, his pupils dilated, the hunger covering his face unabashed. He placed his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me close.
“I’m going to devour your sweet pussy,” he growled then tossed me onto the bed, dropping down onto his knees. His expression barbaric, he slipped his index fingers under the thin lace of my thong, yanking my panties over my hips.
I thought about the panties he’d stolen, the amazing moment shared at the hotel. Right and wrong was becoming a blur, creating a whirlwind in my mind.
As he split my legs wide open, I gasped, both from the force and the wafting scent of my feminine wiles. There was no denying my attraction, the ravaging need buried deep within.
After pinning my knees against the comforter, he lowered his head, darting his tongue around my clit. Once. Twice. By the third time my lower lip was quivering, my heart racing.
A series of electric jolts shot through me, jerking me up from the bed. “Oh, God!” Stars floated in front of my eyes as he blew a shot of hot air across my pussy. Goosebumps popped along every inch of naked skin. I clamped my hands around my knees as my toes curled, juice trickling down my thighs, tickling my senses even more.
Chuckling darkly, he made several animalistic sounds before pressing his mouth against my clit, sucking on my tender tissue.
I closed my eyes, trying to control my breathing as he rubbed his fingers in circles on the inside of my thigh.
Teasing me.
Tempting me.
“My beautiful girl, but so disobedient.” His whispered words were the most enticing aphrodisiac, floating through me, yanking me toward a heightened level of ecstasy.
He shifted his fingers to the outside of my pussy as he licked up and down, taking his time, his tongue barely touching. He twisted the plug, creating an entirely different set of sensations, the action stealing my breath.
“Oh. Oh…” I tossed my head from side to side, unable to think clearly. When he darted the tip of one finger just past my swollen folds, I bit back a series of cries.