Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Galina

I woke to the groggy feeling that I hadn't been asleep for very long, the weight of that tiredness trying to pull me back under, but something had woken me up, so I forced myself to blink my eyes open.

I stared at the ceiling, a sliver of the ambient city light coming through the curtain of the bedroom window. As my mind cleared and I woke up further, I realized what had roused me.

I wasn't alone.

I felt someone watching me, and my gaze was pulled to my side of the bed, where I saw a large masculine body sitting, his forearms braced on his thighs, his head cocked to the side, and his eyes latched on me.

I gasped and sat up, knowing it was Arlo as the fog in my mind cleared. With a hand on my racing heart, I licked my lips and let the silence stretch out between us.

"Moye serdtse bolit, kogda ya smotryu na tebya." His voice was deep and low but still had the intense effect of moving over every inch of my body and lighting it up.

"Arlo?" I whispered his name in the darkness. "What's wrong?" It wasn't by the way he watched me, but the tension in his shoulders, the way he clenched his jaw so tightly I could all but hear his teeth grinding. "Is everything okay?" Every little shift I made on the bed was followed by his eyes, as if he was tracking me and refused to let his prey go.

"It will be," came his reply.

My heart thundered at those three words that sounded almost threatening. But not to me. Never to me , I thought with certainty.

I'd put my hair in a loosely knotted bun after my shower, and a strand tickled the side of my face. I pushed the lock away from my cheek, seeing Arlo watch the act with a clarity that was startling.

After he'd left for the night, I stayed on the patio for so long my fingers had felt like ice before going numb. I'd taken a too long and too hot shower, then slipped into bed, where I was sure I wouldn't have been able to fall asleep because I felt too wound up, my thoughts too consumed with Arlo. He'd been on my mind a lot before all this drama happened, but now being in his home, surrounded by the constant sight of him, the masculine way he smelled, and coupled with our almost intimate self-defense classes, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

I glanced at the small clock on the bedside table and realized I'd only been sleeping for an hour, and although I'd been groggy upon first waking and still very much tired, my body had woken up like a firework exploding in the sky with each passing moment in his presence.

I was confused why Arlo was here… so close and watching me so intently.

"I'd like to take you out to dinner tomorrow night," he finally said after a long moment of passing silence.

My heart raced faster than it should at such an innocent statement, and I found myself licking my lips. He was so close that I could reach out and touch the stubble along his chiseled, square jaw. "Dinner? Like a date?" I felt stupid right after the words left my mouth, and the way his lips twitched told me he thought it was funny, or maybe cute in a childish way. "Of course I didn't mean a?—"

"Yes, Lina. I'd like to take you to dinner for a date."

My entire body hummed with pleasure. Going on a dinner date with Arlo shouldn't have made my body tingle the way it did, but here I was, feeling a blush steal over my face. "Okay," I whispered and ducked my head, this sudden shyness claiming me. A second later I felt the bed shift as he moved closer to me; then his finger was under my chin, bringing my face up so I was looking at him once more.

I glanced into his eyes that looked far too dark in the shadowy room. And the longer we stared at each other, the more I felt my breathing grow shallow.

"Dlya tebya ya sdelayu eto bezopasnym."

I almost moaned at the way his deep voice moved over me as he said the Russian words.

And as if he just realized he'd spoken in a language I couldn't understand, he murmured, "I'll make it safe for you, Lina."

"Galina." My real name fell from my lips almost instantly, and I should have been afraid about giving that part of myself to him. It wasn't safe, not with the running and hiding, but as I looked into Arlo's eyes, this inherent part of me knew this man would live up to his promise to protect me. Even from myself. "Please, call me Galina. It's my full name." Not a lie, but also not totally the truth. Yes, it was my full name, but I'd made it sound like Lina was a nickname instead of what it really was. An alias.

Things started to feel weird then, more electrified, a charge in the air that had my breathing becoming even more frantic to the point I felt light-headed. When Arlo's gaze dipped down to my mouth, he moved his thumb along my bottom lip, a slow and steady stroking that had pressure and heat settling between my legs.

"Galina," he murmured in the sexiest way imaginable. My eyelids started to droop, to close on their own, as my nipples beaded under my thin T-shirt, as my pussy became wet. I ached in the best possible way down there .

"Look at me, moy svet ."

I couldn't help but obey his command as I opened my eyes, my eyelids fluttering. I held my breath as our gazes locked. I knew what was coming. A kiss. I didn't want to stop it, even though I probably should have. It would only complicate things in the long run. But I'd been thinking about his lips on mine for the last couple of months, and even obsessively since staying at his home. I wondered if his kiss would be soft or firm, gentle or aggressive.

I didn't care how it was. I wanted whatever he'd give me, virginity be damned.

"You should stop me," he said, but he was leaning in slowly, maybe to give me a chance to change my mind. I wouldn't.

"But I won't."

The deep, primal sound that rose up from the center of his chest had more wetness spilling between my thighs and had my breasts feeling sensitive and heavy. I wanted his touch, his hands stroking over every single naked inch of me. I wanted his mouth on my body, drawing out all the dark pleasure I'd only fantasized about.

He slipped his hand along my jaw to curl his fingers around the back of my neck, pulling me forward until our lips were now touching. The kiss was soft, barely any pressure, but God, it felt so good. And when a little moan spilled from me, I felt the tension escalate in Arlo's body.

He groaned, and his fingers tightened on my nape a second before he deepened the kiss, tilting his head to one side as he used the hold he had on my neck to move mine in the other direction. I parted my lips on a gasp, and he used that opportunity to slip his tongue along the seam before delving into my mouth.

His kiss was passionate and deep, his flavor heady and spicy. I could taste a hint of vodka coming from him, and I found myself sucking on his tongue, drawing not only the essence of that liquor from him, but also everything that was Arlo. A rough sound vibrated out of him, and then he was hauling me toward him until I straddled his waist, my thighs split as I braced my knees on either side of his muscular thighs.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, bringing my breasts flush with his hard chest. Could he feel my nipples? The twin, hard points hurt so bad, but in the best of ways. The sounds we made as we kissed were wet and dirty, needy and desperate. I certainly felt like I was drowning.

But what a way to die.

His hands were on my waist, his fingers digging into my flesh in a bruising manner that turned me on even more. I sat down fully on him, and a gasp left me as I felt how hard he was right against the most intimate part of me. His harsh groan sounded more animalistic than human, and the kiss deepened farther.

He slid a hand up my spine, tangled his fingers in my hair, and a moment later he yanked on the strands, pulling my head back and breaking the kiss. I moaned at the pleasure and pain that dominant act caused.

Arlo had his mouth on my throat instantly, his lips at my pulse point, sucking and licking, his teeth scraping over my sensitive flesh as he gently bit down. I shuddered on top of him, felt the rhythmic pull of his lips on my neck, and knew there would be marks there come morning.

His mouth was everywhere, along my jawline, skirting over my lips, his tongue licking slowly at my cheek before sliding down the side of my neck. It was such a primal act, as if he was this feral creature trying to stake his claim on my body.

"Tell me what you want," he grumbled low, his voice sounding thicker, as if it hadn't been used in far too long.

I didn't think I could find my voice right now, so another moan rose up. His fingers tightened in the bun of tangled strands on the back of my head, and he grunted when I started rocking back and forth atop his lap.

"Tell me what you want, who you want to give it to you."

I gasped at the forcefulness of his words, but it was such a turn-on I felt even more wetness slide out of me, the cotton barrier I wore sticking to my cleft.

His erection was hard and thick between us, moving over my panty-covered pussy. I only wore a thin shirt and no bra, my underwear and his slacks the only thing stopping him from pushing into me and giving me what I really wanted—Arlo deep inside me.

"I want you ." The words came out before I could censor them, but now that he'd heard them, I was glad I hadn't tried to keep them in. "I just want you, Arlo."

His fingers tightened in my hair again as he groaned, and then he let go of the strands, and I pressed my mouth back to his. The kiss turned deep and passionate, as if we were trying to breathe each other in. And the entire time I ground myself on him, rocking back and forth, writhing on top of Arlo as he slid his hands behind me to cover the small of my back. He pushed up my shirt and cupped my ass cheeks in his big palms, giving them a light squeeze that soon turned more forceful.

"So fucking perfect." He squeezed even harder this time until I felt my eyes close on their own as dark pleasure spiked within me. "You're so fucking hot." He kissed me with more force, grunting against my mouth until I swallowed the sounds, giving him a moan in return.

Arlo curled his fingers harder into my ass, and I started really rocking back and forth, sliding my slit along his massive erection. I felt like he had a steel rod tucked behind his slacks. I could imagine how good it would feel… how much it would hurt for him to push all those stiff inches into me.

He pulled at my bottom lip with his teeth, licking away the sting he caused, and that's when I exploded. I let my head fall back on my neck, his fingers now pulling out the hair tie, letting my locks tickle the base of my spine, my skin feeling overly sensitive.

"Fuck yeah." He had my now loose hair wrapped around his fist, tugging it hard enough I cried out as the pleasure went impossibly harder. The sting of him pulling my hair coupled with the orgasm rushing through me had me crying out loudly. Embarrassingly. " Christ , give me more of those sounds."

I never wanted the pleasure to end. And when it started to fade and I sagged against his chest, I expected Arlo to tense, maybe close off from me again. What I didn't expect was for him to wrap his arms around me and just… hold me. It made me feel like he didn't want this moment to end either.

"So beautiful," he murmured as he slipped his hand under my shirt and started rubbing my back gently, soothingly. I rested my head in the crook of his neck, Arlo's scent so dark and spicy. I inhaled deeply, wanting to take another piece of him inside me. The deep sounds of his soft Russian endearments made me sink against him even more.

His words ran softly along my body before licking them away as soon as they landed on my skin. He gently moved his lips along the other side of my neck, sucking at the flesh, pulling it between his teeth before letting it go. I felt those tendrils of pleasure rise again despite having just gotten off.

"Arlo." His name was a strangled mewl from my parted lips. I never knew I could sound so wanton and needy before.

"I know what you need, baby."

The world tilted as I was suddenly flipped around and now on my back, Arlo hovering over me. His hands were braced on either side of my body, the shadows concealing the majority of his face. I found that darkly attractive. All I saw was the thunderous, stormy look of pure lust reflected back at me.

He leaned down and started kissing me deeply. "So sweet." Arlo was breathing so hard. "S toboy ya teryayu kontrol."

I ran my tongue along his bottom lip, pushing against the seam before delving inside and dueling with his tongue.

"You make me lose control, Galina."

I made a small cry of pleasure at hearing him saying my full name.

"You're dangerous to me. My only weakness." The last part was so low I almost didn't hear.

We kissed harder, my hands smoothing over his big biceps, my pussy wet, my clit throbbing in time with my pulse. The sounds we made were incomprehensible, rough, and guttural. Never once had I felt so out of control. Never once did I need something so instantaneous and consuming as I did right now with Arlo.

"Arlo, please ." I didn't care that I was begging, pleading for anything.… for all he could give me.

I felt his hands slide down my side, past the edge of my shirt, his fingertips skating over the bare flesh of my thighs. I felt goose bumps form along my skin as he gripped the T-shirt and pulled it up. I rose enough to help him take the shirt off, the cool air puckering my nipples instantly.

He groaned deeply, flattening his tongue along one peak and dragging it up and around. Over and over again. I let my body fall back on the mattress, my hair no doubt a tangled knot on the light sheets.

I gripped the comforter on either side of me, pulling at it as he worked on one nipple and then went to the other, back and forth, over and over again. He tugged and tweaked at the flesh with his teeth, the sting of pain heightening my desire even more.

"I can't think when I'm around you."

I felt the vibrations of his words grow inside me. I thrust my breasts out farther, whimpering when I felt him slide down my body. I missed his mouth on my nipples, but he cupped the mounds as if he knew where my thoughts had gone, massaging them, tweaking the tips with his fingers and thumbs.

"Open for me." It was a thinly veiled demand I complied with promptly.

I parted my thighs, the cool air washing over me, my pussy so hot, so wet that my panties were stuck to my folds. I should've been embarrassed Arlo was the first man to see that part of me, that he'd see how worked up I was.

I closed my eyes as I kept pulling on my bottom lip, the pain from that small cut and my constant tugging on the flesh heightening my pleasure further. He ran his hands up my calves, over my knees, and moved his fingers up my inner thighs until he framed my pussy. "Look at me."

I blinked my eyes open and stared at the ceiling for a second before I pushed my upper body up on my elbows and looked down at Arlo. My breath caught at the sight of him between my legs, the darkness in his eyes, and carnal need reflected back at me, making my heart skip a beat.

He smoothed a finger along the edge of the material, so soft, so gently that it was maddeningly erotic. And when he pulled the material aside, exposing me, I bit my lip hard enough I tasted the copper flavor of my blood coating my tongue.

"Oh fuck, Galina." I could feel the soft puffs of his breath moving over my now bared flesh. He slowly lifted his gaze back to my face. "Are you going to let me touch you here , lick this sweet spot?" He slid a digit up and down the edge of my underwear. It was an almost innocent graze, but it seemed so dirty, so erotic.

"Yes," I breathed out instantly.

He groaned and leaned in, the sound of him pressing his nose to the material making my lips part even more. And when he inhaled deeply, a gruff sound leaving him, a stab of desire tore through me so hard I actually lifted my hips and pressed myself against him.

"You smell so good. The most addicting thing I've ever been around." His fingers were tight on the skin of my inner thighs. "I wonder if this pussy is as fucking sweet as you smell."

I was all but hyperventilating at his dirty words. And while he kept his gaze latched onto my face, he leaned in that last inch, my panties still shoved aside, and flattened his tongue on my cleft, licking me in a drugging way.

I made a sharp sound in my throat at the feel of all that hot, wet heat, at the way he kept licking me from entrance to clit. Over and over again until I felt something tingle at the surface of my body and consciousness, readying to explode outward.

My belly was hollowing from the force of my breathing, and my arms shook from holding myself up. But I couldn't stop. I had to watch.

"Mmm," he hummed and sucked my clit into his mouth, causing my back to really arch, nearly forcing my eyes to close as the pleasure slammed into me. "I was right. Your pussy is so much sweeter than I could have ever imagined." He moved back down and circled my hole, pressing the thick muscle in slightly before retreating and going back to my clit. "Addicting. I'll never get enough." He sucked at my opening, and I moaned. "I'll need to have my face buried between these pretty pale thighs every fucking night just to get my fix."

Oh God. I was going to explode just from his words.

"Who's licking this little pussy?"

My mind was in a haze as I let his words filter in.

"Who's the only one who will ever kiss you here?" He emphasized that single word by doing just that, a soft, almost sweet kiss against my clit. "Who's the only man who will ever know how sweet your cunt is?"

My hands ached at how tightly I tugged at the bedspread. I couldn't form words as I watched him tongue me, over and over again until I was lost in the sight of him doing these carnal things to my body. This was the best kind of torment.

"Tell me, moy svet ." Those four words were a demand right before he sucked my clit into his mouth and gave a hard pull that sent me over the edge.

"You, Arlo. Only you," I cried out as I came.

"Fuck yes." His words were muffled against my flesh as he sucked and licked, nipped and stroked. I moaned when I felt him tease a finger along my pussy hole, my body tightening when he gently slid it inside me. "So fucking tight." He sounded like he gritted those words out through clenched teeth.

He sucked my clit again as he did a slow thrust of his finger in and out of me. And when he added a second, the stretch and burn, the discomfort of having something inside me for the first time heightened my lust.

I bowed my back, my breasts thrusting out, my nipples tight and aching. I buried my hands in his short dark hair and tugged at the strands as hard as he'd pulled at mine. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him this was my first time… for anything, but I was so lost in the moment that all conscious thought was gone. Pulled out of my head as if it never had a place in there.

I came again, my arms giving out as I fell back on the bed, my hands slipping from his hair, my breath stuttering out of me. I let the pleasure wash through me until I was too exhausted to move, let alone ask Arlo to hold me.

"Look at me," he said low, deeply.

I forced my eyes open and lifted my head to watch as he pulled his fingers out of me, my arousal glistening off his digits. He spread them along my inner thighs, the warmth of my pussy juices cooling almost instantly along my flesh. He leaned in and dragged his tongue along all that cream, lapping it up like he was starved for it.

He pulled back, made sure my panties were in place, adjusted my shirt down so I was covered, and then he was pulling me into his arms. My chest was right on his, and the sound of his frantically beating heart had me smiling. He might act outwardly like he was fine, controlled, but he couldn't hide this.

I shifted closer, and I felt how hard he was. I pulled back and tipped my head in his direction. "What about you?" He cupped the side of my face, his thumb stroking over my cheek. Arlo didn't say anything for long seconds, and when he leaned down and kissed me slowly and gently, I melted into him, tasting myself on his lips and tongue.

"This isn't about me. I didn't do this for you to reciprocate." He kissed my forehead and whispered, "Besides, eating that sweet pussy brings me more pleasure than you'll ever know."

I shivered, and he tightened his grip and pulled me closer to him.

"You're mine, Galina." His words sounded final. " Ya ub'yu lyubogo, kto popytayetsya zabrat' tebya u menya ."

"You've said that before. What does it mean?"

He was silent for long moments, and I could imagine he was trying to think of a lie, but what he uttered told me it was the absolute truth.

"It means… I'll kill anyone who tries to take you from me."