LOGINLena's POV A hot flush crept up my neck, burning across my cheeks at his raw, explicit declaration. Before I could find my voice to process what he was asking, Nikolai’s lips were back on my skin, trailing hot, heavy kisses down the side of my neck. His hands moved with a sudden, possessive purpose, roaming over the curve of my waist and sliding up my back before his mouth captured mine once more.The soft tenderness from moments ago evaporated, replaced by a slow, hungry need that made my knees go weak.Without breaking the kiss, his long fingers deftly unbuttoned my silk blouse, pulling the fabric off my shoulders and letting it pool onto the balcony floor. He spun me around so my back was pressed flush against his broad chest, allowing me to rest my head back against his shoulder as his hands slid down to the button of my trousers. In one smooth motion, he unzipped them and guided them down my legs.My skin t
Lena's POV After a while, as his heartbeat against my ribs began to settle, I tried to push him away so I could look at his face. But Nikolai only tightened his hold, his strong arms wrapping around me like iron bands, trapping me against his chest."Why did you lie to me, Lena?" he whispered into the crook of my neck, his voice low, ragged, and raw with an edge of quiet fury. "Why did you lie?"He repeated the question like a mantra until he finally pulled back just enough to look down at me. The frustration in his dark eyes was stark, unshielded, and completely exposed. I opened my mouth to explain, to tell him about Irina, but before a single word could slip past my lips, he leaned down and sealed my mouth with his own.It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was bruising, desperate, and relentless, stealing the very air from my lungs until my vision blurred and I was clinging to his torn shirt just to stay upright. Just as I thought I would faint, he sank his teeth sharply into my bottom li
Lena's POV That night, when sleep finally claimed my exhausted body, it brought no peace. Instead, my mind dragged me down into a dark, suffocating dream. In the dream, Nikolai was completely unhinged. The cold, calculated restraint he always weaponized against me was entirely gone. He touched me with a desperate, wild possessiveness, his hands heavy and bruising as he pinned me down, demanding everything I had to give. “Fuck, spread your legs wider, Chica Bella,” he commanded, pushing my legs apart as he stepped between them. His hand slid from my stomach to my breast and he fondled it before moving to choke me. “Nikolai!” I gasped out when he suddenly thrust inside of me. It was harsh, ruthless and everything that he was. So powerful that my head rolled back with the force and my body glid across the bed. He didn't slow down to let me adjust, instead he fastened his speed until my sobs and cries became chop
Lena's POV I shook my head against the cold marble countertop, the movement causing the razor-sharp edge of the blade to graze my cheek. "No," I breathed, my voice barely a whisper, a desperate plea cutting through the thick darkness of the kitchen. "I’m not sure, Nikolai. I don't know."His gaze didn’t waver, but the terrifying hardness in his eyes softened just a fraction. He leaned down, bypassing my lips entirely to press a warm, lingering kiss against the pulsing vein of my neck. The contrast of his burning skin against the freezing metal of the knife still biting into my cheek made my breath hitch."Trust me, Lena," he murmured against my skin, his voice a low, seductive vibration that rattled my ribcage. "Just trust me.""It’s not particularly easy to trust you," I gasped out, my hands tightening on the edges of the marble counter until my knuckles turned stark white. "Not after what you told me a few days ago in the garage. Not after how you've treated me... like a prisoner.
Lena's POV I tried to twist away, my hands pushing hard against his broad chest, but Nikolai didn’t slide the steel back. Instead, his fingers tightened on the hilt of the knife, and he began to rub the cold, heavy handle against me through the thin silk of my nightgown.A sharp, electric wave of pleasure shot straight up my spine, so intense it made my toes curl. My breath left me in a ragged gasp. I tried to claw my way out of the fog, forcing myself to focus on the utter abnormality of the situation. We were in a dark kitchen, and my husband was holding a weapon between my legs."Nikolai," I whispered, my voice shaking as I gripped his forearms. "What… what are you doing?"He didn’t answer right away. He stopped the slow, torturous movement of the handle, leaving the freezing steel pressed firmly against me. The silence of the kitchen rushed back, heavy and suffocating. Slowly, he reached up with hi
Lena's POV My breath hitched in my throat as his fingers tightened around my wrist, the heat of his palm a stark contrast to the cold drafts of the kitchen. The darkness surrounding us felt heavy, pressing in on all sides, leaving only the sound of our breathing."I wasn't hiding," I whispered, the lie tasting like ash on my tongue. My voice sounded small, trembling in a way I hated. "I was only trying to be alone."A low, dark chuckle rumbled in Nikolai’s chest. The sound was quiet, almost intimate, but it carried a sharp edge that made my skin prickle."Alone," he repeated, his grip on my wrist shifting as his fingers traced the sensitive skin of my inner arm. "You've been locked in that room for days, Lena. We both know you were trying to avoid me. And I let you do it." He stepped closer, the heat of his chest pressing against my knuckles. "Not because I cared, but because I have been too busy fixing the absolute mess







