17. Valentina

Chapter 17

Valentina

A moan slips past my lips as Mikhail's fingers dig into my scalp, scrubbing soap into my hair. I dip my chin lower as my eyes flutter closed. This is the life—soaking in a huge, clawfoot tub, with one of the men I love nestled against my back.

He kisses the nape of my neck with a pleased hum. "I think, as long as you're here with me, love, this is my new favorite feature of the house." One of his hands slips beneath the steaming water to cup my breast. "I've never enjoyed a bath as much as this."

Ezra grumbles from across the bathroom, his eyebrows pinched together as he watches Mikhail fondle me in the tub. "You would think with million dollars, he would buy bigger tub," he mutters, pinching an unlit cigarette between his teeth. It's become his latest habit—hold the smoke, but don't light it. Chew on the end, perhaps, or tap the pack against his thigh, but I haven't seen him light a cigarette since the night he admitted he wasn't sleeping.

Whatever his reason, I'm grateful for it.

"You should really consider an upgrade," I agree, sighing as Mikhail stops teasing me to knead my shoulders. "Then we'd all fit instead of just you and me."

"I like it being just the two of us, malyshka. Imagine how dirty the water would get with those two in here." He clicks his tongue and digs harder into my muscles. "You know what, don't imagine it. I want you all to myself, even your thoughts." He lifts his eyes to glare at Ezra. " Someone should really catch the hint and leave us alone. Newlyweds need their alone time."

Ezra scoffs. "She is not only your wife."

Mikhail scrubs the conditioner from my hair. "She is when she's with me," he sighs, dipping his hands beneath the water to stroke my bare skin. "Naked and wanting— trembling , even. Isn't that right, love?" He kisses behind my ear, stroking my stomach with one hand while the other slips between my thighs. I bend my knees to grant him access, and he immediately pinpoints my clit with his deft fingers. Each stroke is slow and sensuous, stoking the fires of my desire.

I lay my head against his shoulder and relax against him. "It's a dirty trick to keep— ahh !" Jolts of pleasure radiate deep inside as Mikhail picks up the pace. "K-keep me—the tub isn't even— Mikhail, " I whine. "S-stop, wait?—"

" No. " He lifts my leg onto the edge of the tub, spreading me open. "You're mine for the hour, Valentina, and I intend to enjoy every second of it." His fingers slide lower, sinking into my core with ease. As he pumps them inside me, he digs the heel of his palm against my clit. It hurts , I'm so sensitive, but it also feels?—

" So good ," Mikhail rasps, groaning as I start to tremble. "You're gonna come for me, baby. Squeeze my fingers."

I squeeze my walls as tight as I can, and he rewards me with a growl. " Fuck, that's hot. So fucking tight. You like me inside you, don't you, Valentina? Say it." Water sloshes over the edge of the tub, splashing on the tiles. But Mikhail doesn't stop; he goes harder , curling a third finger inside and hitting something deep.

Gasping, I clutch the edges of the tub as white-hot pleasure zips through me. I'm close— so close— but my body's so hot that I don't think I can make it. I'm going to pass out. I'm going to scream. I might die if he doesn't stop?—

"You are being too rough."

Ezra's voice feels close. I reach out blindly for him, and he grabs my hand and holds it tight. "I am here. You are safe. Let go, Valentina. Come for Mikhail."

The building tension finally snaps, and I crash. My body tightens as every nerve in my body fires off at once, flooding me with endorphins and soothing all my aches and pains. All of the tension in my body melts away as I come back down, relaxing in Mikhail's arms.

He wraps his arms around my middle and holds me tight, too tight , hurting my ribs.

"Mikhail, that hurts." I take a shallow breath and grab his wrists. "Hey, it's too tight?—"

"You can trust me too, you know." He sighs, resting his forehead against my shoulder. "You don't need Ezra to save you all the time. I'm right here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

I open my eyes and blink away tears. Shit. Ezra came to my rescue when he thought I was in distress. I mean, I was, but I would have been fine. It's okay if Mikhail pushes my limits. It's okay if all of them do. I squeeze Ezra's hand before letting him go.

Ezra stares at me for one long moment before leaving the room.

Finally, Mikhail and I are alone.

"Mikhail, let me go."

He loosens his grip a little, allowing me to turn around and face him. The tub is wide enough that straddling him is easy, and I loop my arms around his neck as I settle into place. He's still rock hard, and it takes strategic maneuvering not to sink down onto him.

He won't look at me. But I still catch the stubborn clench of his jaw and the wounded glint in his eye.

I cup his jaw and turn his head towards me. I never would have taken Mikhail for the needy type, but he might be the neediest of my husbands. Ezra's calm and steady. Andrei's confident and clear. But Mikhail—he's turbulent. Arrogant.

And he might not like sharing as much as he lets on.

I run the pad of my thumb across his jawline. "Did you know that the first time Ezra and I met, he didn't say a word to me? At first, I thought he didn't like me." I think back to the hot summer day we met. He'd just been assigned to me, and his first duty as bodyguard was to keep me safe as the women of the family went dress shopping. It was supposed to be an uneventful afternoon.

"But he followed me around all day, as my father ordered. We were walking all around the city that day, from boutique to boutique, for hours. It was miserable. My feet were killing me. I stopped watching where I was walking, and I misstepped off the sidewalk and nearly tumbled into the street. But Ezra was watching. He grabbed me right before a taxi sped by. Pulled me back onto the sidewalk before my foot had even touched the ground."

Mikhail's frown deepens, but there's a point I'm trying to make.

"Ezra's always been observant. He can tell when I'm at the edge of something—like danger, or a really fantastic orgasm." I press the tip of my thumb against Mikhail's bottom lip. "He's cautious. He wants to keep me safe before I go past my limits. But you , Mikhail, are meant to push those limits." I press my thumb between his lips, past his teeth, and he nips the tip. "I need to expand my safe zone and learn what I'm capable of—what my body is capable of. I need you, Mikhail. But I don't need you to be safe. I already have a safe man."

He sucks my thumb into his mouth and licks the flat edge, curiosity sparkling in his eyes like flecks of gold. A shiver rolls down my spine, settling between my thighs. His cock twitches, stirring my desire, and I lift my hips to align him to my entrance. Our eyes meet, and I lower myself over the head of his cock. "I need you to be wild, Mikhail. I need you to teach me my limits and help me surpass them." I pull my finger from his mouth to steady myself on his shoulders, getting ready for the drop.

A mischievous smile curves across his lips. "Lesson number one, baby. Sit on my cock."

I lower myself over him slowly, biting my lip as he sinks deeper. But then he flashes that smile, and all of a sudden his hands are on my hips and he slams me down, splashing water all around us. I cry out as pleasure zings through me, but Mikhail's already moving, bouncing me on his cock with renewed rigor. He thrusts up to meet me each time I slam back down, punishing me with a promise to deliver exactly what his queen asked for: something wild.

I love every gasped breath, every smack of our hips, every splash of water and powerful beat of my heart. The way he grabs my ass hard , digging into my flesh to make it hurt, to make me feel even more. All of my senses roar at once, overwhelming me.

This is when Ezra would pull me back. My body screams as alarms go off in my head, telling me that this is too much, this is crazy , I shouldn't allow him to handle me like this.

But this wild side is still Mikhail. My husband. My lover. I trust him just as much as I trust Andrei and Ezra, and it's time I show him that.

He tosses his head back but keeps his eyes open, watching me. "Say it again," he hisses, slamming me down. " Tell me you need me. "

"I need you!" I wrap my fingers in his hair and tug hard. "I fucking need you, Mikhail. Yes! Oh, yes. " I lean forward, giving Mikhail complete control and holding on for my life.

My pussy's bruised. My ass is on fire. My knees hurt like a fucking bitch.

But holyfuckingshit I'm about to come? —

I scream as my walls clench around him, just how he likes, and my body gives in to the pleasure-pain of being thoroughly fucked. "I need you," I whine loudly, "I need you so fucking bad, Mikhail, please?—"

He grabs my face and crashes our lips together, slamming his cock inside me just in time for his release. He groans into my mouth, pushing his tongue inside as his cock pulses inside my pussy, filling me with his seed.

"I need you, malyshka ," he murmurs, stroking my cheek. "I need you so fucking bad, it hurts."

I hold him close. I don't know that he's ever been loved before—not like this. Not for who he is, crazy parts and all. "I need you too, Mikhail, so much. I love you."

He exhales slowly, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing our faces together, cheek to cheek, nose to nose. He kisses my lips, my cheeks, my nose, my forehead, everywhere he can touch. "I love you too, Valentina."