Chapter 20

Stavros

The splash as water went all over the floor made her laugh.

Holy fuck, I was shocked.

I jerked up, throwing back my head and tossing water all over the wall from the shock. She was laughing so hard she snorted, trying her best to stay as far away from me in the tub as possible.

But I was having none of it. I jerked off my shirt, swirling it twice before tossing it across the room. She gasped and laughed again.

“You think this is funny, baby girl?” I growled.

“Oh, yes. Yes, I do.”

There was something particularly explosive about the looks she was giving me. I’d never been tossed into a body of water while wearing clothes. Trying to remove my wet trousers was more difficult than I’d ever thought it could be, causing water to slosh over the edge of the tub.

“You’ve made a mess,” she said, almost matter of fact in tone.

“I’ll have someone clean it up.”

“Not you? Oh, that’s right. You’re too good for manual labor.”

I feigned being horrified at her accusation, barely able to toss the soaked trousers onto the floor. She seemed more delighted, reaching for her wine after giving me yet another heated look.

When I was completely naked, I crowded her space, taking the glass into my hand from hers.

“Hot enough for you?” she asked, her voice as low and full of longing as mine had been.

“Never enough. I prefer it hot and wet.” I took a gulp of the warm liquid, surprised when she kissed me seconds later. I allowed her to open my lips, her tongue sweeping back and forth as she stole my sip.

I didn’t care. At this point, nothing mattered but spending time with her. I wasn’t softening in the fact I felt I owned her, but that didn’t mean I had to be a martyr, not allowing myself to enjoy spending time with her.

But after she shoved her hands against my chest, breaking our connection, I wasn’t thirsty any longer. I was hungry to feel my cock buried deep inside of her. I took the glass from her hand, the craziness of the moment almost pushing me into tossing it against the wall. It was a Greek thing to do, or so my father had told me one too many times. No wonder my mother kept the good crystal locked behind solid glass doors.

“I’m going to fuck you,” I told her.

She wagged her finger. “We’re taking a bath.”

“Afterwards. Not now.” Then I wrapped my arm around her waist, dragging her onto my lap. I couldn’t care less about the mess we’d made or the fact I’d almost toppled two candles over. All that I gave a shit about was being inside of her.

Which I accomplished mere seconds later, my cockhead centered on her hot and tight channel. The moment I thrust every inch deep inside, she clamped her fingers around my shoulders, digging her nails into my skin. I craved the way she was forced to hold onto me, but I hungered for the sounds she made when riding that sweet plateau of utter bliss.

“God. Yes. So tight. So big.”

In the flicker of candlelight, the light sheen of perspiration on her face was without a doubt the most powerful draw I’d experienced with her. And there had been several.

I pulled her almost all the way off my cock, holding just the tip inside as I wiggled. “I could get used to this, baby.”

She kept her eyes cinched closed, her lower lip trembling. She didn’t need to answer me, or even make a single sound to entice me into uncontrollable hunger. My cock was stiff, but my mind found itself drifting elsewhere for the briefest of seconds.

Why?

Because the bad feeling remained, almost as if I was missing something significant. It was ridiculous to think we were in danger while being in my house, my bedroom, and my tub full of water, but there it was, remaining in the back of my mind.

When she squeezed her pussy muscles, it brought me back to the moment. Thankfully. A woman as stunning as the one in my arms deserved my full attention.

“You’re a thousand miles away,” she said.

“Not at all.”

“You’re a very dangerous, powerful man, at least by your own admittance, but you are a grade-A terrible liar.”

“I am, huh? What am I lying about?”

“Maybe the fact you don’t think anything is wrong. I know better. What is happening?”

“Nothing that you need to be concerned with.” I shifted underneath her, lifting my legs and plunging my cock as deep inside as possible.

She licked a bead of sweat from her upper lip as she shook her head. “I told you. I’m a big girl. I can handle news about whatever is going on. You might think I’m fragile, but that’s simply not the case.”

We moved together slowly, our combined actions much gentler than before. There was something entirely different about the way we were studying each other, perhaps looking into our respective souls for answers. “There’s an organization determined to rule the world.”

I was certain she was going to laugh but she appeared thoughtful. “And let me guess. Your family is determined to stop that from happening.”

“That and a few buddies who are friends with my brother.” I wasn’t going to tell her anything about the Brotherhood. I owed that much to them. Loyalty. Respect. Those were both two words and sentiments that had been forgotten in our way of life.

“Because of the Russian man who tried to defile me?”

I brushed her hair away from her face. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

Jenna looked away and I could tell she had something on her mind, a thought or concern that I couldn’t place. I pulled her face back to center, narrowing my eyes. “Did something happen you’re not telling me about?”

“No, I just… Between the guy watching me in New York and…”

“And?” My voice was stern. There was no doubt she was trying to keep a secret from me.

She was the one who shifted this time, creating a wave of friction and sensations as if attempting to avoid the question.

I gripped the back of her neck with my other hand, holding her in place. “And? Answer me. Now.”

“I just thought I saw a guy watching us today when we were at lunch. Then again at the winery. But he was gone before I blinked.”

Hissing, I cocked my head. “Did you tell Elena or her men?”

“When the guy disappeared, I thought they’d think I was nuts.”

“I’m going to tell you this one. Last. Time. We can’t fuck around with your safety. I can’t stress that enough. There is some bad shit going on and I have a feeling it’s about to get worse.”

“If you’re trying to frighten me, it’s working.”

“Good,” I told her then softened. “I know you can’t stand the thought of my life, but it’s your life right now. I might not be able to make promises about what the future holds, but I need your help in keeping you safe. I will never claim to be a good man, but I do not want to see anything happen to you. Promise me you’ll be careful and wise.”

She placed her hand on my chest. “I wanted to hate you for what you did to me and to my life. A part of me still does, but I don’t want to die or for you to be killed. Elena reminded me that above all you’re a man, a son and a brother, an uncle and a friend. Even if you are a killer.”

The last part was said with a slight smile. I lifted her chin using a single finger. “I’m all of the above, mageménos and perhaps more.”

“I couldn’t stand when you called me your enchanted one but it’s growing on me.”

I could feel some of her tension easing. Meanwhile mine was increasing. Her instincts were spot on, even if she had no understanding of what they meant inside this life. What she’d seen was almost certainly true. I was going to hunt the motherfucker down and destroy him.

Yeah. That’s when I had to remind myself there was an entire list of options.

Press here for candidate number one.

I hissed inwardly from the thought before dragging her as close to my now overheated body as the tight confines would allow. I nipped her earlobe before sliding the tip of my tongue into the shell of her ear. Her giggle from being tickled was another adorable little trait. And she had plenty, like wrapping strands of hair around her finger when nervous. Or the way she pouted her lips when she was frustrated, which was often.

Mostly I adored her spunk.

However, I was beginning to believe it would be the single thing that would get her killed. But not tonight.

I eased my hand to her hair, tangling my fingers in the strands and jerking back so her long, sexy neck was revealed in all its glory. As I began fucking her again with enough ferocity I was certain the entire bathtub was going to be drained of water when we were finished, she undulated and moaned. She twisted her lips as I dragged my teeth from one side of her jaw to the other. There was nothing like the way her muscles clamped around my cock, keeping me buried deep inside.

The pulsing was electric, much like the rapid beating of my heart. I would be foolish not to want to feast on and fuck her all the time. We moved together as one, neither one of us blinking. As she bent her legs, switching the angle, her pussy tightened even more and I was certain I was going to lose my load prematurely. Tonight I wanted something else entirely, something even more carnal than what we’d shared in the SUV.

I pushed her off into the water, barely giving her time to catch her breath before twisting her around to face the opposite direction.

“Now, I fuck you in the ass.” I pushed the tip just inside, waiting as her scattered moans became more intense. Everything about the moments shared with her was more intense, which is why my lack of patience continued to rear its ugly head. I couldn’t wait for her muscles to expand completely, driving deep into her tight little hole.

“Fuck,” we both said at the same time.

I cupped her breasts, squeezing them as she bucked against me, her moans louder than usual. But goddamn, I did so love hearing the sound. There was nothing fake about her or her reactions to what I was doing to her body. She was the real deal: emotions and nerves, vulnerability and determination.

She gripped my thighs, holding on as if for dear life as I eased her forward, once against switching up the angle. Her pants intensified like my growls were doing, her muscles spasming. As she shifted her feet under her, I pinched her nipples, savoring every single moan slipping past her already swollen lips.

Christ, she felt good with her lithe body pressed against me, but it felt even better as she lifted herself off my thick rod, impaling herself. I twisted her taut nipples again before easing my arms over the side of the tub. I had flashes of the Russian who’d tried to do vile things to her. That just wasn’t acceptable. I should have ripped his head off with my bare hands.

No one touched my girl.

Mine.

As if possession really was nine-tenths of the law. My laws were slightly jaded, but for a little while during the evening she’d looked at me as if I was her protector, her white knight. I’d reveled in that, forgetting even for a little while that she didn’t really belong to me. I closed my eyes as she enjoyed herself, every sound escaping her mouth like the sweetest music on earth. No matter the danger or the money spent, the opulence I’d tried to show her and the generosity I felt for how she’d tended to my wounds, a part of her would always see me as the enemy.

The villain in her nightmares.

The man who’d always be referred to as the monster who’d stolen her life.

Who could blame her?

Her moves generated more heat, more splashes tossed over my body. I opened my eyes again, feeling more like a beast than a man with what I wanted to do to her due to the way she was tossing her head back and forth, uncaring if her hair got wet.

I pushed up from the tub with my feet, grinning as the vibrations were like tiny bottle rockets going off in every muscle. I was floored at the way she made me feel, and not just my cock, the rush of adrenaline more significant than before.

“Uh. Uh. Uh. Uh.” Her pants only escalated my arousal, my balls way too tight at this point. I was going to lose it any second.

She seemed to sense my state of need, slowing down and grinding against me. That only fueled me that much more. I pushed her up, almost out of the remaining water.

A laugh bubbled to the surface, cascading from her lips and the little brat squeezed her muscles.

I threw my head back, glaring up at the ceiling seconds before I couldn’t hold back any longer. There was nothing in the fucking world like shooting every hole full of my seed.

A soft sigh rushed up from her throat just as words easily slipped past my air of defenses.

“Agapiméni mou.”

My beloved…