Page 123 of Sweet Deception

For a moment, he didn’t move, just stood there, chest heaving, fists clenching at his sides. Then he surged forward, a predator closing the distance. His hands seized me, yanking me up from the chair with bruising force.

I stumbled into him, breath catching as he crushed me against his chest. His scent flooded me, smoke and leather, sharp with the tang of sweat, and then his lips were on mine, claiming me in a kiss that was more war than affection.

It was brutal, unyielding, a storm of teeth and heat. His mouth moved over mine like he meant to devour me, to erase every word I’d shared with Nate. I pushed against him, hands shoving at his shoulders, but he only tightened his grip, one arm locking around my waist, the other tangling in my hair to tilt my headback. My resistance crumbled, traitorously slow, as heat licked up my spine. I hated it, hated how my body arched into him, how my lips parted under the onslaught.

He growled into my mouth, a low, guttural sound that vibrated through me, and bit down hard on my lower lip. Pain flared, sharp and coppery, blood blooming on my tongue. I gasped, and he swallowed it, his tongue sweeping in to chase the taste.

My hands fisted in his shirt, torn between clawing him off and pulling him closer. A moan slipped free, unbidden, shameful, and his grip shifted, lifting me off my feet.

He carried me back to the chair, not breaking the kiss, and pressed me down into it with a controlled savagery. His weight followed, heavy and unrelenting, pinning me beneath him. The wood creaked under us, a faint protest against the force of his need. His lips left mine only to trail along my jaw, rough and scraping, leaving a burning path.

I tilted my head back, breathless, caught in the undertow of him.

His hand slid up my side, deliberate and possessive, fingers digging into my flesh through the fabric. Then it dipped beneath my shirt, calluses rasping against my bare skin.

I flinched at the contact, a shiver racing through me, but he didn’t stop. His palm flattened over my ribs, climbing higher until it closed around my breast. The touch was bold, invasive, his thumb brushing over the peak with a roughness that made me jerk against him.

“Gleb...” His name spilled out, a broken plea or a curse, I couldn’t tell which. My fingers dug into his neck, nails biting into skin, anchoring me as my mind spun.

His breath was hot against my throat, ragged and uneven, and I felt the hard press of him against my thigh, evidence of how far he’d let this darkness take him.

“Yeah,” he rasped, voice thick with triumph and torment, his lips crashing back to mine. “That’s the only name you’ll say with thatpretty little mouth.” He devoured me again, deeper this time, his hand tightening on my breast as if to brand me with his touch, to carve his claim into my bones.

A cough broke through the haze. “Uh... I’ll just wait outside.”

We froze, reality slamming back. Gleb withdrew his hand, adjusting my shirt with a quick, careful tug before standing. I scrambled up too, heat flooding my face. “I’ll leave you two to it,” I mumbled to Nate, fleeing the room before either could say another word.

Chapter 24

ANNA

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That night, Gleb didn’t come to our room. I waited until 1 a.m, but he never showed. I knew he was somewhere in the house, but he didn’t come near me. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of my actions, turning the room upside down in frustration.

What else did he expect from me? He had locked me in his house, made it impossible for me to leave, yet I was supposed to be calm about it all. Still, after what happened this afternoon with Nate in the room, I had expected him to come to me tonight.

It was hard to sleep without him.

I climbed out of bed and walked quietly through the house. My first stop was the room where he slept last night, but he wasn’t there. I moved on to his study, but it was empty too. That’s when I started to feel a weight in my chest. Had he left? It would hurt to think that he might have gone without a word, especially when he had promised never to leave without telling me.

Just as that thought began to settle in, I heard noise coming from the kitchen. Zoya? Was she cooking in the middle of the night?

I walked toward the sound, hoping to ask her if she knew where Gleb had gone. When I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I froze.

Gleb was standing by the counter, making coffee.

“Hey,” I called softly.

“Hi.” His voice was flat, not bothering to look up at me as he continued his task.

“Erm... you didn’t come to the room tonight?” I ventured.

“I thought you’d make a mess again,” he said, his tone almost teasing but edged with something I couldn’t quite place.

As Gleb poured the water, his hands shook slightly, and the water splashed onto the counter. He cursed under his breath.

I stepped forward. “Let me help you...”