Miron
Luka glares at me over his cards. Sofia’s words keep repeating in my mind.
He’ll always tap the table once before bluffing, and run his
tongue over his teeth when he has a good hand. They’re his only tells.
Her father’s skills at poker are challenging to match, but Sofia’s insight is my only hope.
I glance at my cards, knowing my hand isn’t the strongest.
“I’ll call, and I’ll raise you five thousand.” I notice him run his tongue over his teeth. It means he has a strong hand.
One more glance at my cards, and I throw them down. “Fold.” All I had was a lousy two pair and no sniff of a possible good hand.
Luka’s smirk irritates the hell out of me, but I try to ignore it. He’s trying to get into my head-he’s always been good at that.
I pick up one of my chips, moving it between my fingers. This damn game could make or break mine and Sofia’s happiness forever.
If Luka wins Sofia from me, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. She stands in the crowd with Vera, watching me. I make eye contact with her, and it feels like we’re the only two people in the room. This is what I’m fighting for-us.
It’s only the second hand. I may be down a few thousand, but we’re only just getting started. The last thing I’m going to do is gamble it all away on a shit hand. If Luka believes I’m playing cautious, it might make this easier to manipulate.
“Better luck next time, Miron,” he says. “Don’t get too cocky,’ I warn.
He barks a laugh. “I’m not the one who went fucking AWOL and kidnapped someone.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I didn’t kidnap her. She wanted to leave with me.”
Luka shakes his head. “It will be the worse fucking decision you ever made.”
I ignore him, as the dealer deals the cards again. I swallow hard as I take a look at my hand, noticing the pair of jacks-already better than my last hand.
I glance up at Luka, who is smirking at me. He taps the table gently, before grabbing a few chips. “Five thousand.” He sets the chips in the center.
I glance briefly at Sofia, who gives me a nod.
Did she see him tap the table too?
“Call,” I say, grabbing an equal number of chips and pushing them forward.
The dealer deals the flop, setting three cards down on the table. I stare at them, focusing on keeping my expression neutral. The flop doesn’t go in my favor. All I’ve got is a pair of jacks, which might not be strong enough.
I glance up at Luka, who is still staring me out. The guy is such an asshole. It’s almost hard to believe how long we’ve been friends.
Why didn’t I cut him loose years ago?
I was weak to stand by his side for so long, but it was a blessing in the end. For two years, I’ve kept my sights on Sofia. I’ve made sure she’s safe from a distance. The moment I knew of the terrible fate her father had planned to subject her to, I had to act. I thought I’d saved her, but it looks like I’ve still got to come through.
Luka is first to bet on this hand, grabbing a stack of chips and placing them down. “Fifteen thousand.”
I glance between the chips and my hand. There’s no way I’m chickening out on this one. It’s the best deal I’ve had. “Call.” I set fifteen thousand in chips down.
The turn is revealed next. My heart skips a beat-another jack. I try not to let my excitement show. Luka taps the table before grabbing another fifteen thousand. “Fifteen thousand.”
A few murmurs break out around the room. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, but there’s no way I’m backing down. Luka doesn’t have a winning hand. He has given away his tell before both bets.
I glance up at my ex-pakhan, trying to read him. It’s hard. I expected it to be. “Call.”
Luka laughs, and I know he’s nervous. “Are you feeling lucky?”
I don’t bother responding to him, as the dealer calls the bets and collects the chips. Sofia is standing up, watching me.
The dealer sets down the river-the last card. My stomach flips, as I’ve got a four of a kind. The jack of spades is the last card. Luka stares at his cards for longer than before. Sofia catches my attention as she stares at me with those wide, bright blue eyes. I want to tell her not to worry, but I can’t.
Luka taps the table again as he grabs his chips. “Twenty thousand.”
I clear my throat and glance between my chips and hand. The only way he could beat me is if he has a flush. It’s possible but unlikely. If I’m not going to take any chances, I won’t beat him.
“Raise, forty thousand.” I push the stack of chips into the middle.
The dealer announces my bid and looks to my opponent for his response. He doesn’t seem confident. For the first time in the game, he looks shaken. That’s exactly what I want.
He takes a while to decide. “Call,” he says, adding another twenty thousand to the pot.
The dealer announces his move. “Miron, show your hand.”
I reveal my cards. The look on Luka’s face is priceless as it registers that he has lost over sixty thousand in chips.
“Straight, four to eight of hearts,” the dealer announces. “Luka, please show your hand.”
It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The pound of my heart floods my ears as I wait for Luka to reveal his hand. I can tell from the look on his face he’s lost, but I’m still on edge. He throws the cards down, revealing a pair of kings.
“Miron wins the hand.” The dealer signals for me to grab the chips. I collect them onto my side, finding Sofia in the crowd. She’s smiling widely at me-for the first time since we stepped onto the yacht.
I’ve finally wiped the smirk of Luka’s face with my first win, and it’s a big one. Sixty-thousand in chips, but the game has barely even started. Luka still has one-hundred and eighty thousand, which means we’ve got a long and bumpy road ahead.
A BELL RINGS, signaling the first break of play. We’ve been playing for just over an hour. The man running the game gets everyone’s attention. “We’ll take a thirty-minute break. Players make sure you are back in time.” He shoots me a warning look.
I stand from my seat and walk toward Sofia, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods, wrapping her arms around my neck. “You’re doing amazing.” Her lips meet mine tenderly. The taste of alcohol on her tongue is unmissable. I feel my dominant side recoil at her blatant disregard of my warning.
I grab the glass from her hand and take a sip. “Sofia, what did I tell you?” I spit.
She shrugs. “Vera got me it. I didn’t want to be rude-”
I grab her throat hard. Despite being in such a public place, I can’t tame the need to punish her. I knew it was a mistake to abstain from fucking her last night, as now I’m ready to go off. “You do as I say, all the time. Do you understand?” I growl.
She shakes her head and rips my hand from her throat, glancing around nervously. Most of the guests have gone back up to the top deck of the yacht. “I was only having a good time with Vera and Milana. What’s the big deal?”
My cock twitches in my pants at her refusal to submit to me. Her defiance only makes my need to be inside of her grow. “Sofia,” I say her name in a warning.
She sets her hands on her hips. “You may like to be dominant in bed, but it doesn’t mean I’m a dog you can order around all the time.” She narrows her eyes.
Fuck.
The fire burning in those blue gems makes me want to force her to submit to me. I stare into those defiant blue eyes for a few beats, before crashing into her hard. Our bodies press tightly together as I kiss her, hoisting her into my arms.
She moans, no longer concerned by the few people left down here. Her legs wrap around my waist as I press her back against the yacht wall. “I think it’s about time I taught you a lesson.” I nip her earlobe, making her moan.
I set her back down onto her feet, and the disappointment in her eyes is impossible to miss. If she thought I was about to fuck her in here, then she’s insane. Kissing her in public like that when Luka is around is risky enough, I’m not crazy enough to fuck her here. He wouldn’t take lightly to such a blatant and public show of disrespect.
“Come on,” I say, lacing my fingers with hers and pulling her onto the outer deck. “I know somewhere private.”
The boat sways gently in the ocean as we walk toward the back. A yacht this size will have loads of bedrooms, but I curse as I find the door to the accommodation locked. “Fuck.”
“What is it?” Sofia asks, staring up at me.
“It’s locked.” I glance around the unlit part of the boat, noticing no one is down here. “This will have to do.”
I sit down on the bottom of the stairs up to the next level, dragging Sofia over my lap.
She gasps as I lift the hem of her dress to her hips. “What are you doing?”
“Punishing you, Kiska. Quiet or else everyone will hear what a naughty girl you’ve been.” I spank her firm, round ass three hard times on her left cheek.
She whimpers, trying to hold in the sound. “Fuck, Miron.”
I spank her three times on the right cheek. “What did I tell you?”
Sofia tries to move out of my grip, but I spank her hard again. “Don’t test me, Sofia,” I growl.
She stills in my hold. “Fuck, sir,” she says, finally accepting her role – my submissive. I feel my cock pulse harder against her tummy, as I need to be inside of her.
“Have you learned your lesson?” I ask.
There are a few moments of silence. “I’m not sure, sir.”
I grab hold of the center of her panties and rip them from her, tearing the fabric apart.
She gasps and tries to get off me. “Miron,” she protests. “I haven’t got a spare pair.”
I spank her bare ass hard. “It’s sir to you,” I growl, kneading her already pink sink in my hands. “And that’s exactly how I always want you-with no panties and dripping wet for me.” I dip my finger into her soaking wet pussy, groaning at how turned on she is.
My eyes move to the watch on my wrist, knowing we don’t have long. Fifteen minutes. Despite wanting to draw out the pleasure and pain, punishing her for hours, I know I can’t. Instead, I spank her once more. “Stand up.”
She does as I say in a heartbeat, turning to face me. I unzip my pants and force my hand into my boxers, pulling my cock free. Her eyes light up the moment it’s revealed to her.
I stand and lift her into my arms and push her back against the door behind us. Sofia gasps as I thrust into her.
I groan, licking a path down the column of her neck. “So fucking wet for me, Kiska.”
She stares into my eyes. “I’m always wet for you, sir.”
I can’t stop the growl that rumbles through my chest. I hold her in my arms, thrusting my hips hard and fast.
My cock aches inside of her as I bottom out. It’s as if my cock is the perfect fit for her. My muscles ache but I keep fucking her hard, ramming my cock as deep as possible. Finally, I give in and set her down on the floor. I spin her around. “Hands on the door,” I command.
She does as I say, spreading her legs wider apart. It’s as if she has read my fucking mind. I sink back inside of her, stuffing her tight pussy so fully.
“Oh, God. It feels so good,” she moans.
I grab a fistful of her blonde hair, forcing her to arch her back. My cock sinks deeper, which I didn’t believe possible.
“Fuck,” she says, as her pussy tightens around my shaft.
I stop fucking her, trying to make it last a bit longer – the need to climax at the same time as her rules me. I want to feel her muscles milking me for all I’m worth – the need to breed, always driving me to fuck her as deep as possible.
Two years I’ve waited to be inside this woman. Two years of torture, and I want to make her mine officially. Her belly growing big and round with my child would be an excellent place to start. I steal a glance at my watch, knowing we’ve barely got five minutes left.
Sofia tries to buck her hips, whimpering at the loss of movement. “Please, Miron.”
I yank her hair hard. “I want you to come when I tell you, and not before. Do you understand?”
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, before nodding. I pull her hair harder. “Answer me.”
“Yes, sir.”
I groan and fuck her again, feeling her muscles tighten instantly. My cock is so hard it hurts. I sink my teeth into Sofia’s shoulder, biting her gently.
“Please, Miron,” she moans.
I thrust into her even harder, licking her ear lobe.
“Oh god.” Her knees shake as I keep her pinned against the wall. “Come for me,” I command.
Sofia squirts all over my cock as she comes, making my climax more intense. My cock erupts deep inside of her as I fill her with my seed.
Our labored breaths fill the air as we rest still together. I keep my arm wrapped around her waist and kiss the back of her neck softly. “I love you,” I murmur against her skin.
The words I’d wanted to say to her last night, but every time I opened my mouth, I couldn’t.
She pulls away from my grasp and spins to face me. “What?” Her eyes are filling with tears already.
I pull her dress down over her hips. “I said I love you, Sofia.”
She bursts out crying, launching herself into my arms. “I love you too, more than you can ever know.” She shakes her head. “I’ve loved you for years.”
It’s almost impossible to believe. What does this adoring, beautiful young woman see in me?
The bell back at the game room rings, signaling we only have a minute until the game starts again. “Come on. We’ve run out of time.” I wish we could stay wrapped up in our emotions away from the rest of the world forever, but life isn’t that simple.