Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

Dimitri

Hollis had slept deeply most of the flight back from Colombia, her face framed by her dark hair. Now, the sun was just about to rise, and the hum of the plane's engines was a constant, soothing backdrop as she stirred.

There was a quiet strength about her, a resilience that had been tested repeatedly. Each time, she emerged stronger and more determined. I'd known what I was getting into coming down here, and I'd had the skills to deal with it, but she hadn't. She'd adapted .

Hollis didn't need coddling—she needed a partner who understood her pain and resolve. I didn't just want to be that person. I was determined to be that person for her. I hoped she would let me.

I shifted, stealing another glance at her. She seemed so calm now, but I knew that her ordeal had left hidden scars. It had to have. I'd heard what Gregor had said. There was no way that she had escaped from that unscathed. She had been through hell and back, yet she was stronger than ever. It was one of the many things I admired about her.

As I watched her, my thoughts drifted to the future. Luka wasn't too pleased, but we would land at our private airfield in San Diego, and I was leaving with Hollis. I didn't care to have a pow-pow with Maxim. To say that Luka was upset was an understatement, but I didn't give a fuck. I was sure to hear all about it from Maxim, too.

Hollis needed to get back to her home, and her daughter and I needed to find out what sort of life she had here — how attached she was to it. I found that I desperately wanted her to come with me to Haverboro. I wanted to get to know her better.

" Malysh ," I ran a finger down the silky smoothness of one cheek. She'd just shaken her head at me when she realized I'd had Tomas bring the luggage to the plane. Granted, I'd been pretty confident that we'd wrap everything up. It would have been a drag to have been wrong. She squirmed a little into the bed coverlet and made a cute little whimpering noise that was most tempting. " Malysh ."

"Five more minutes," she groaned, squeezing her eyes tight—oh, not a morning person. I could get behind this. I scooted closer to her and lazily traced one breast through the sheet. She was wearing a little t-shirt that didn't hide anything, and her nipple perked immediately.

"You can have five more minutes, baby," I whispered in her ear as I lightly licked the edge of it. Her lashes fluttered open, revealing those hazel eyes I had a fondness for .

"Dimitri." She turned towards me on the pillow, her legs shifting. Her pupils dilated as I continued my pursuit, pulling the blanket down so that she was revealed in her rumpled glory.

"Do you want me to stop?" It killed me to ask, my cock was rock hard, but I wanted to make sure her boundaries were respected. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her, even if it meant hurting myself.

"No, never." She bit her lip. "Don't stop.

"You'll tell me if you want me to?"

"Shut up, Dima. Be here. I'm here," she said, yanking me forward desperately. I scrambled to avoid squishing her, bracing on my forearms as she pulled with all her might. She pulled me against her, wrapping her legs against my waist and groaning as I rocked against her. "That feels so good."

Laughing, I dipped my face forward to kiss her with everything I had been holding back. "It's going to feel so much better," I promised. "I'm paying attention to these first. I've been dying for them." Pulling her shirt off, I feasted my eyes on her tits. God, she was beautiful. Touching her softly, I circled each nipple, licking with tiny bites, sucking each one to a peek. "One day, I'll slide my cock between these gorgeous tits." I watched her while I spoke, continuing to push against her. "Would you like that, Hollis? For me to come all over them, mark you as mine?"

"Yes, I'd like anything you'd do," she said, her hands tight on my arms, nails biting into me. I wanted her to draw blood. Mark me as hers. Squeezing her tits together for a moment, I imagined my cock sliding between those two globes slick with precum. Goddamn. I had to close my eyes for a moment and count backward. My balls were so tight as she ground against me. I hadn't come in my pants since I was a teenager.

Yanking her sleep shorts down, I groaned as I finally got to see her completely naked. "You're so beautiful, malysh ."

"I haven't shaved," she said, suddenly embarrassed with a tone in her voice that I struggled to understand, her face tilting from me.

Turning her chin back towards me, I slid one hand over her pussy, finding her slick just the way I wanted. "I don't fucking care. You are so sexy to me. You are all woman, sweetheart." Lazily sliding a digit over her clit she refocused. "That's it. You're beautiful when you let go. I want to watch it all." Keeping my pace even, I circled her clit at a steady pace, over, under, rimming it until she was drenched. I hated that she thought that I might not desire her.

"More," she said frenetically. " More . I'm not fragile."

"Hmm, I like you like this. Hot and needy." Inserting the tip of a finger, I dipped in and out. She arced up, reaching for the orgasm.

"Please, Dima." Her face scrunched in frustration as she squirmed in the sheets. Fuck she was beautiful with her dark curls spread across the sheets, her pink nipples perked up. I'd keep her like this forever .

Pushing myself down between her legs, I inhaled. This was a moment I would remember. Her scent was intoxicating. I wanted to make it last, but I'd teased too much for our first time. Spearing my tongue into her pussy I ate her out as if she were my private feast, flicking her clit with my fingers until she spasmed and came around my mouth like a star.