CHAPTER 9: DRAMA

REVA

Nikolai walked in, Hunter behind him, and my breath stalled, my body stiffening, every nerve pulled taut like a bowstring. For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them standing in the doorway of my suite before a sharp gasp behind me snapped me out of the trance.

The PR woman clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide like she was witnessing live theater, and just then, Nikolai spoke.

“I don’t want any drama.” His voice was clipped. “I just came for my things.” He walked past me without waiting for a response, not a flicker of hesitation, and Hunter followed him, just as unbothered. I swallowed hard, my vision blurring for a moment as I fought back the sting in my eyes. I would not break.

The realization that he truly believed that I would beg him to stay, to fix things, and that I would fall apart hit me like a second heartbreak to the chest. Well, hell would freeze over before that happened, no matter how much it hurt.

I sank onto the sofa, my knees finally giving up the pretense of strength, and felt the woman's stare burning the side of my face, probably noting down every detail for her next gossip session. I wanted her to leave--to stop watching, like I was some ruined spectacle.

But nothing came out even as my lips parted. The suite grew quiet, except for the rustling from the bedroom, drawers opening, and zippers dragging. Minutes ticked by, and then they returned. Nikolai held his suitcase, expression unreadable, and Hunter lingered slightly behind him, arms crossed with a stoic face.

Nikolai paused in front of me, his eyes finding mine. “I’ve reimbursed you for… Hunter’s room,” he said. Again, he didn't wait for a response before proceeding to the door. The slam of the door felt so final and despite trying to be strong, a lone tear trailed down my cheek. I felt the woman next to me move, but I didn’t wait to hear what she would say next. My voice choked out. “Please leave; I want to be alone.”

She stood up quickly and rushed out the door, while I followed her to my feet. The door closed behind her, but it wasn’t enough, and I slammed it again, harder, making the frame rattle before I locked it with shaking hands.

I let out a scream as the hurt inside me morphed and grew teeth and claws of rage and betrayal. My body moved before I could think, grabbing the first thing within reach. It was one of the useless decorative lamps, and I flung it across the room. It shattered against the wall, glass exploding into tiny pieces.

Then my knees gave out and I crumpled right where I stood, sinking to the floor. My hands punched against my thighs, but it didn’t help. Nothing alleviated the burning inside me as images flashed behind my eyes: Nikolai and Hunter, having sex--my brother and the man I had vowed forever with. The man I loved from nothing.

The words he’d spoken when I confronted them echoed, stabbing, and I couldn’t stay here. Before I knew what I was doing, I was up, stumbling and ripping the door open. The hallway seemed to sway as I started running, but I kept going. I didn’t know exactly where my feet were taking me until I was at his door.

I pounded on it, tears drying on my cheeks, breath heaving out in broken bursts. The door opened, and Levi’s eyes widened at the sight of me.

“Reva-”

I didn’t let him finish, closing the distance between us, as I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, and crashed my mouth against his. He kissed me back instantly, hungry as he gripped my waist like he’d waited a lifetime for this moment.

I straddle him, and he pulled me up, strong arms holding me as though I weighed nothing. We tumbled inside, falling onto his couch in a blur of heat and need and something desperate that had been building between us even before this moment.

There were no words, just two people burning for different reasons, but burning all the same, and my breath hitched as a different kind of fire ignited low in my belly, spreading fast, consuming every rational thought.

My hands moved of their own accord, reaching for his jogger's drawstring, and that was when he suddenly froze, breaking the kiss. It was like cold water dousing the fire inside me, and I snapped out of the haze. My heart dipped as reality slammed back into me. What had I done?

“Oh my God,” I whispered, scrambling off his lap like I’d been burned, and my hands shook as I tugged at my dress, avoiding his gaze. "I am so sorry," stammering, I was mortified as I turned for the door, my thoughts a chaotic whirlwind of shame. But before I could reach the door, he was already there, and I almost collided with him.

“Please… I need to get out.” I didn't get to finish as he softly cut me off, calling my name.

"Please look at me," he pleaded, and it took all of my courage to meet his gaze. The intensity in his eyes pinned me in place, and my breath caught again as his hand lifted, his fingers brushing against my chin. My eyes fluttered shut under the gentle warmth of his touch, and my breath stuttered as his thumb brushed against my jawline.

Leaning in, his lips met mine again, not without fire, but slower this time, as if he was savoring the moment, and a shudder rippled through me before he pulled back just enough for our eyes to meet.

"I want to," he said quietly, "so badly. But I’m afraid of hurting you.”

My heart stuttered once more at his words, but before I could respond, his hands cupped my face, his thumbs brushing away stray tears I didn’t even know were there. His touch was so tender it undid me, and another shudder ran through me.

Levi told me he didn’t do relationships and commitments, and my eyes widened hearing that he thought that was what I expected from him or would expect. Before I could even stop myself, I cut him off, saying that was not what I was looking for.

Hell, I didn’t do relationships either at this point, and that was all I needed to say. His lips collided with mine once more, firm and demanding, and the heat between us surged, eliciting a moan from my lips as his hands quickly slid down to my waist, bringing me closer. In one swift movement, my back was against the door, and another moan tore through my throat.

My hands gripped, pulled as the heat returned tenfold. And my head fell back as his lips embraced my mounds, wrapping around my firm nipples before his hands joined in and began to gently knead them.

“Levi! ” His name slipped from my lips, and my back arched against its will as his soft, warm lips sucked me out of my senses, causing me to crumble at his touch.

My thighs clamped together, my juices soaking my panties as he turned me into a horny mess. Shuddering, my knees buckled, and I gripped the door again, my vision blurred as I surrendered to him.

The strength in his frame as he kept me pinned, his chest rising and falling in sync with mine, turned my breath ragged, and his lips found my neck again, the soft scrape of his teeth against my skin sending shivers down my spine.

Before I knew it, every piece of fabric I’d been covered with, save for one, fluttered at my feet. Levi followed it to his knees, his gaze dark as he briefly held mine before returning to the task at hand, removing the last piece that had remained and pushing my legs apart.

His head dipped between my thighs, eliciting a breathy moan as his tongue flicked over my pulsating clit. Hooking my left leg over his right shoulder, I called out his name again, burying my fingers in his hair as his mouth began to devour my pussy. His tongue and lips sent me teetering to the edge of insanity as he ate me out until incoherent words spilled from my mouth.

My body convulsed and trembled from the overwhelming sensations as I repeatedly climaxed in his mouth, only for him to intensify the sweet torture by inserting two fingers and twisting them in and out.

I screamed in ecstasy, begging him to fuck me, and it wasn’t until he stood and wiped my tears that I realized I was crying. The man had finger-fucked me to tears. His husky voice, "Fuck, you taste so good," made me shudder once more, and he reclaimed my lips as he removed his joggers and slid us to the floor.

The plush rug welcomed us, and I straddled him as he positioned himself, my breath quickening at the feel of his hard cock against me. Breaking the kiss, his eyes met mine, and my nails sank into his shoulders as he slowly entered me.

A gasp ripped through my chest as he stuffed me full, mirrored by a grunt that vibrated against his own chest.

"You feel so good… so warm," he breathed as he began to move inside me, and I crashed my lips against his again, losing my senses with each thrust, touch, and brush of our skin. Gripping the plush rug, the world spun out of control as my boss extinguished my flames.