LOGINEPILOGUEKaterinaThree years laterI'M GOING to be late!It's the one thing I was dead set on avoiding. I'd looked Sasha in the eye this morning, kissing him as I climbed into my car, and assured him I would definitely be on time for our date.How arrogant of me.It's not my fault, the Nutcracker performance is in just two weeks. It's our biggest show and it has to be perfect. It's baffling that in just a few years my studio has blown up to be recognized as the top ballet studio in the state. Maybe the entire coast, though I try not to let my ego get wind of that.But none of that matters. Today is about celebrating my three-year anniversary with Sasha.Which is why I should NOT be late. Ugh.Driving through downtown, I take a familiar road that I'd be able to navigate in the dark. Street lamps being out because someone busted the glass with a rock for fun wouldn't be strange—in the past, that is.Big globe lights propped on black poles dot the entire sidewalk, glowing like a row of
KATERINAHE LEAPS ACROSS THE ROOM, his reflection copying him in the floor to ceiling mirrors. One spin, a second and a third, before he bends forward, arms stretching long enough they give him the illusion of being taller than he is.When he finishes his last pirouette, Ruslan faces me with his eyes ablaze. Some of his dark hair is stuck to his forehead.I clap enthusiastically. "That was wonderful, Ruslan!"His smile deepens his dimples. There's pride on his face, but his voice still has the fragility of an unsure child. "Thanks. But I keep messing up on the pivot.""You'll get it, just keeping trying."Cocking his head, he frowns to himself. Looking in the mirror he does a few quick half-bends, like he's testing my theory. "You're sure that's enough?"Putting my hands on his shoulders from behind, I study our reflections. Ruslan has changed in a short amount of time. It began the night he was forced to witness his father's death. The kindness that was always in his heart has crawle
SASHAI'VE BEEN lucky enough to see many beautiful things in my lifetime. Expert oil paintings, hand crafted statues, flowers that took years to cultivate into a special shade of maroon.Katerina outshines all of them.I'm knuckle deep inside of her, my other hand cupping her left breast and teasing her hard nipple. She's mewling beneath me, the sound of it making me wild. My cock is hard enough that it hurts. A moment ago, she was jerking me off through my trunks, but she's too busy coming to do anything but quiver.Turning her brain and body into mush is addicting. She's the strongest, most intelligent woman I've ever known, but in my touch she falls apart. The power of that... it thrills a dark part of my soul, a hungry, primal piece of me that wants to conquer.Katerina tries to look at me—her sunglasses are gone, and her face is scrunched up in the sunlight. I lift an arm over her head to create shade, lowering my face to hers in a passionate kiss. This works even better because
KATERINAI WAKE up to the sun in my eyes. Grimacing, I throw up my arm to shield myself. What time is it? I didn't bother to charge my phone. I've been trying to be 'present' on this trip, leaving my mother instructions to call the resort if something is wrong instead of me directly.Sitting up on the bed I stretch until my joints crack in a satisfying way. Then I freeze, noticing Sasha isn't beside me."Sasha?" I call uncertainly. Sliding my legs over the edge of the bed I walk in my bra and underwear—I was too tired to change into anything else when we got back—and explore the bungalow. Finding no sign of my husband, I step out through the French doors to our private beach.Sasha is standing ankle deep in the ocean. He's wearing his forest green swim trunks and nothing else. With him facing away, I'm able to see his glorious tattoos. It's my first time seeing them in the sunlight, they've always been something shared behind closed doors. The things struck me as a grim secret. But he
KATERINAThe band changes the tune they're playing. Two men blast on tubas, another on a sax. It sounds like the type of music Sasha put on when we were driving to the safehouse. His eyes flash, a vibrant energy coming over him. "Ready?""Sure," I half-laugh. "You don't need to look so intense."He smirks ear to ear, one hand gliding down my arm, over my elbow, leaving pleasant ripples everywhere he touches. He ends by gripping my lower back, just above my ass. Suddenly it's harder to draw a full breath.I was wrong. He's not great.He's incredible.Sasha spins me in a circle, and to my personal horror, I stumble. Catching myself, I narrow my eyes, my competitive nature roaring to life. I haven't made a mistake on a dance floor since I was a child. "You're alright," I tell him lightly.His chuckle is razor sharp. "Just alright?""Were you trained?" I ask, my feet tapping around his, matching his pace. His palm smooths over my hip, grazing my thigh as he lifts my leg to hook onto his m
KATERINAIt's crazy to realize we've been living together for over nine months. I tried to convince Mom to move in with us, explaining the mansion had the space, but she stubbornly resisted. The one concession she made was to stay there and help with Steven while we went on our honeymoon.Steven. I rub my belly. It's a hard habit to break. My baby is happy and healthy and real, but he isn't with me. I wish he was. It's okay to have fun with your husband. That, too, is real now. Sasha had gathered the documents, and we signed them with my mother as a witness the week after Steven was born. I didn't care about the papers, Sasha had felt like my husband for months, having it documented was incidental.But having my mother there to be part of the event, small as it was, meant everything."Katerina?"I sit up; Sasha is standing in the doorway. He's replaced his robe with a loose button down the shade of palm-bark and long shorts that stop at his calves, showing off the thick muscles. He lo







