Page 13

Mikhail

I lift her from the table and carry her through the shadowed hallway. The candlelight from the dining room fades behind us, leaving only the intermittent lightning to illuminate our path. Her head rests against my shoulder, and I can feel the rapid flutter of her pulse against my throat.

My bedroom door opens with a soft creak. I've never brought a woman here—this space has always been sacred, untouchable. Even Alina had her own room. But Kira... Kira belongs here, in my bed.

I set her down beside the massive four-poster bed, her bare feet silent on the Persian rug. The storm's fury continues outside, rain pelting the windows like bullets. She looks up at me with those blue eyes, still dazed from pleasure but alert, waiting.

"Kneel," I command softly, my voice cutting through the thunder.

She hesitates for only a moment before sinking gracefully to her knees on the plush carpet. The sight of her there, hair tumbled around her shoulders, dress askew, sends liquid fire through my veins.

I reach for my belt, watching her face. "Have you ever seen a man's cock?"

Her cheeks flush deeper. "Never... not in the flesh."

The admission makes me harder if that's even possible. I free myself slowly, letting her absorb the sight of me. Her eyes widen, and I see the flicker of uncertainty cross her features.

"Take it in your mouth," I instruct, threading my fingers through her auburn hair. "Use your tongue. Your lips."

She reaches for me with trembling fingers, her touch feather-light as she explores. When her lips finally part around the head of my cock, I have to grip the bedpost to stay upright. She's clumsy at first, uncertain, but eager to please.

"That's it," I growl, guiding her movements. "Open wider."

She struggles with my size, her jaw stretching to accommodate me, but she doesn't pull away. The wet heat of her mouth, the tentative swirl of her tongue—it's exquisite torture. Her hands rest on my thighs, nails digging in as she finds her rhythm.

Lightning illuminates the room in stark white, casting her in sharp relief—this woman who's brought me to my knees while kneeling at my feet.

I cradle her head in my palms, feeling the delicate curve of her skull beneath my fingers. Her hair spills like liquid fire between my knuckles. Each inexperienced stroke of her tongue sends shockwaves through my body—all the more potent for her innocence.

"Look at me," I command.

Her eyes flick upward, meeting mine through the veil of her lashes. The vulnerability, combined with determination, threatens to undo me completely. She's fighting to take more of me, her throat constricting as she pushes past her comfort.

I ease back slightly. "Breathe through your nose, kisa ."

She adjusts and follows my instructions with the same quick intelligence I've glimpsed in business negotiations. The thought that she applies this focus to pleasuring me makes my cock throb against her tongue.

Outside, the storm mirrors the tempest in my blood. Rain lashes the windows in sheets, and thunder cracks so loudly that the crystal decanter on my nightstand trembles. But nothing—not the elements, not the empire waiting beyond these walls—compares to the sight of my wife on her knees before me.

Her confidence grows with each passing moment. She hollows her cheeks, creating a suction that draws a guttural sound from deep in my chest. Her hands, previously uncertain, now explore with greater boldness—one bracing against my thigh, the other tentatively cupping my balls.

"You're a fast learner," I growl, tightening my grip on her hair.

A moan vibrates around my length, and I recognize the sound—pleasure. She's enjoying this power she has over me. My innocent bride, discovering the weapon of her sexuality.

I guide her movements, setting a pace that has my muscles coiling tight. The wet sounds of her mouth fill the room between thunderclaps, obscene and beautiful. Her eyes never leave mine, even as tears gather at their corners from the strain.

"Enough," I finally rasp, pulling her off me. Her lips are swollen, glistening, and parted in confusion.

I haul her to her feet, spinning her toward the bed. "I won't come in your mouth. Not the first time."

Her chest heaves as she catches her breath. "The first time?"

I smile, slow and predatory. "There will be many times, kisa . We're just beginning."

I push her back onto the bed, the dark silk sheets pooling around her like spilled ink. The storm's fury illuminates her face in stark contrasts—shadow and light, innocence and awakening desire.

My hands find the zipper of her dress, sliding it down with deliberate slowness. The fabric parts like water, revealing the pale expanse of her back and the delicate curve of her spine. She shivers as the silk whispers to the floor.

"Beautiful," I murmur, tracing the line of her collarbone with my lips. Her skin tastes of rain and something uniquely her—sweet, intoxicating.

Her breathing hitches as I map every inch of newly exposed flesh with my mouth. The hollow of her throat, the gentle slope of her shoulders, the valley between her breasts. When I take her nipple between my lips, she arches beneath me, a soft cry escaping her parted lips.

"Mikhail..." My name on her tongue sounds like a prayer and a curse combined.

I lavish attention on her breasts, sucking and nipping until she's writhing beneath me, her fingers tangled in my hair. My hand slides lower, finding the heat between her thighs. She's already wet, ready for me.

"You want this," I growl against her ear, my fingers stroking through her slickness. "Your body betrays you, kisa ."

She whimpers, hips lifting to meet my touch. I circle her most sensitive spot, feeling her tremble as pleasure builds. Her innocence makes every reaction more precious, more intoxicating.

I strip away the last of my clothes, positioning myself between her thighs. The head of my cock brushes against her entrance, and she gasps at the contact.

"I'm going to have you all night," I promise, my voice rough with need. "By morning, you'll crave my cock, until you can't think of anything else."

I push forward slowly, feeling her body stretch to accommodate me. Her gasp turns into a sharp inhale, her nails digging crescents into my shoulders. The tightness is exquisite—a velvet vise that threatens my control.

"Breathe, kisa ," I murmur against her temple, holding myself perfectly still. "Let your body adjust."

Tears glisten at the corners of her eyes, but she nods, forcing herself to relax beneath me. I can feel the exact moment her muscles soften, accepting the invasion. The sensation nearly undoes me.

I begin to move, each thrust careful and measured. Kira's soft whimpers fill the air between us, a symphony of pain transforming into pleasure. Lightning illuminates her face—eyes wide, lips parted, completely surrendered to me.

"More," she whispers, surprising us both.

The word shatters the last of my restraint. I pull back and drive deeper, claiming her completely. She cries out, her back arching off the silk sheets. The sound goes straight to my cock, making me throb inside her impossible tightness.

"You feel so good wrapped around me," I growl, setting a rhythm that has her meeting each thrust. "So perfect. So mine."

Her body learns quickly, rising to meet mine with growing confidence. The initial discomfort fades, replaced by something primal and desperate. She wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper.

"I can feel you everywhere," she gasps, her voice breaking on a moan.

The storm outside mirrors the tempest between us—wild, uncontrolled, and consuming. I lose myself in Kira's heat, in the way she takes everything I give her and demands more. My innocent bride becomes something fierce beneath me, her submission transforming into active participation.

When her climax takes her, she shatters around me like crystal, her inner walls pulsing in waves that drag me over the edge with her. I bury myself to the hilt and let go, marking her as mine in the most primitive way possible.

Her muscles clench around me in rhythmic pulses, milking every drop as I empty myself inside her.

The sensation is unlike anything I've experienced—a claiming so profound it borders on spiritual.

I brace myself on my forearms, careful not to crush her beneath my weight, watching her face as she rides out the aftershocks of pleasure.

The storm has momentarily quieted as if even the heavens paused to witness our union. Rain taps a gentler cadence against the windows now, and in this lull, I can hear the soft catch of her breath, the hammering of her heart against mine.

"Are you alright?" I ask, brushing damp strands of auburn hair from her flushed face.

Her eyes flutter open, that impossible blue darkened to midnight. "Yes," she whispers, voice hoarse. "I didn't know... I never imagined..."

I smile against her lips, tasting the salt of exertion on her skin. "That was only the beginning, kisa ."

I shift my hips, still buried inside her, and watch as her mouth forms a perfect 'o' of surprise. Despite having just come, I'm hardening again within her tender heat. The evidence of her virginity stains the sheets beneath us—a crimson badge that stirs something primitive in my chest.

"Already?" she gasps, eyes widening as she feels me swell.

"For you? Always." I withdraw slowly, savoring the friction, before thrusting back with deliberate force. "Turn over."

Confusion flickers across her features, but she complies when I guide her, rolling onto her stomach. I lift her hips, positioning her on her hands and knees. The sight of her like this—ass raised, back arched, hair cascading down her spine—nearly brings me to my knees.

"Mikhail?" Uncertainty colors her voice.

I run my palm down the curve of her back, feeling goosebumps rise in my wake. "I want to take you like this. Deeper. Harder." My hand finds the slick evidence of our joining, stroking through it. "Can you handle that, kisa ?"

She shivers, pressing back against my fingers. "Yes."

Her pussy is still slick with her arousal and my seed. The penetration is smoother this time but no less intense. She gasps as I fill her completely, the new angle allowing me to reach places untouched before.

"God," she chokes out, fingers clawing at the sheets.

I grip her hips, establishing a rhythm that has the headboard striking the wall in steady percussion. Each thrust draws a breathless moan from her lips, each retreat a whimper of loss. I reach around to find her swollen clit, circling it with my thumb.

"Come for me again," I command, voice strained with the effort of maintaining control. "I want to feel you break apart."

Her body responds instantly to my touch, trembling on the precipice.

I lean over her, chest to her back, and sink my teeth into the tender junction of her neck and shoulder.

The sharp pain pushes her over the edge—she convulses around me, a sob tearing from her throat as pleasure crashes through her for the second time.

The tight, pulsing grip of her body triggers my own release.

I drive into her one final time, holding her flush against me as I spill myself deep inside.

For a moment, the world narrows to this single point of connection—her body joined with mine, our breaths synchronized, our heartbeats thundering in tandem.

We collapse together onto the mattress, a tangle of sweat-slicked limbs and ragged breathing. I gather Kira against my chest, unwilling to break our connection just yet. Her small form fits perfectly against me as if designed specifically for this embrace.

"Sleep now," I murmur against her hair, feeling her exhaustion in the boneless weight of her body.

She turns her face toward mine, eyes heavy-lidded but searching. "Is it always like this?" she whispers.

I trace the curve of her cheek with my thumb. "No, kisa ." I press my lips to her forehead. "It’s never been like this for me." As soon as I’ve uttered the words, my heart clenches with guilt.

It's the most honest thing I've said to anyone in years. In my world of calculated moves and strategic alliances, this—whatever this is between us—wasn't part of the plan. As I watch sleep claim Kira, I'm struck by something unexpected, something I hadn't accounted for in my calculations.

Her lashes cast delicate shadows across her cheeks in the dim light.

The storm has gentled to a steady rain, a rhythmic lullaby against the windows.

I trace the outline of her lips with my gaze, memorizing the slight part, the fullness that had been wrapped around me earlier.

Her breath comes in soft, even measures now.

Something tightens in my chest, an unfamiliar ache that spreads outward. I've wanted her from the moment I saw her—that much I understood. Desire is familiar territory. But this... this feels like standing at the edge of an abyss with no bottom in sight.

I brush a strand of auburn hair from her forehead, and she murmurs something unintelligible, nestling closer to my warmth.

In sleep, the defiance that so often hardens her features melts away, revealing the youth beneath the bravado.

Twenty-two. She's barely more than a girl, yet she faced me with the courage of a seasoned warrior.

The realization slams into me with the force of a bullet: I care for her, not just as a possession, not just as a body to warm my bed. I care for the spark in her eyes when she challenges me, the tremble in her voice when she stands her ground despite her fear.

"Fuck," I whisper into the darkness, my voice barely audible.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Kira was just a means to an end, a wife in name only, not someone who would infiltrate my heart. Yet here I am, feeling the weight of betrayal towards my Alina. I’m torn, caught between loyalty and this unexpected pull.

I stare at Kira's sleeping form, the gentle rise and fall of her chest beneath the silk sheets. Moonlight spills through the window, casting her in a silvery glow that softens the sharp edges of my bedroom.

I run my fingers through my hair, careful not to disturb her as I shift my weight on the mattress. She makes a slight sound—something between a sigh and a murmur—and turns toward me instinctively, her auburn hair spilling across my pillow like liquid copper.

"Forgive me," I whisper, though I'm not sure if I'm speaking to Kira or to a ghost. “I never meant this to happen.”