15. Lucia

15

LUCIA

"Mikhail!" I drop my shoes and stumble back against the wall. "You scared the crap out of me!"

Mikhail's sitting on the edge of my bed, dressed in the same clothes that had littered my bedroom floor only a few hours earlier. He's rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and his dark hair is more disheveled than usual, as if he's been running his fingers through it over and over. His face is like stone as he stares at me, his jaw set, and his mouth pressed together in a thin line.

To say he looks pissed is an understatement. I've never seen Mikhail look this angry, even after he caught me sneaking out the first time.

He gets to his feet without saying a word, his face like a mask of cold fury as he approaches me.

My hand goes to my heart as it begins to pound in my chest, and a rush of fear courses through me.

"Mikhail—"

He slams the window shut and pulls a padlock out of his pocket .

"No, Mikhail, please don't do this." I reach for his arm, but he shakes me off.

"You don't give me much choice." His eyes flash with anger. "You break my trust, so I take away your freedom. It's that fucking simple, Lucia. I thought you had learned that the first time, but I guess not."

I fight back a sob as my knees threaten to buckle. I wrap my arms around my body as every emotion I've been pushing down threatens to bubble over.

"Do you want to end up dead? Is that it?" Mikhail yells. "Because if it is, just tell me so I can stop going to all this trouble to try and keep you safe."

"Mikhail," I sob, my voice cracking as I look up at him. "Please."

"I'm fucking done." He turns his back on me and walks over to the door, and I know he's going to lock that too.

"I-I had no choice!"

He turns around. "You're unbelievable."

"Please, I promise I won't ever sneak out again. Mikhail?—"

"I've heard that all before, Lucia, and I won't fucking fall for it again."

The hope of him understanding is slipping away, but I'm not ready to reveal to him the truth behind my nightmares, even if it would help him understand why I betrayed his trust.

I can't bear the thought of Mikhail looking at me like I'm damaged, because then I'd have to face the reality of what happened to me. And I'm not ready for that either.

So, I need to put on my bratty spoiled princess mantle once again.

"Why is it okay for you to go out and not me?"

"Excuse me? "

"After we fucked, you went to a bar. I want to know why you can do that, and I can't?" I don't miss the way Mikhail's shoulders tense, and the muscle in his jaw flexes as he looks at me.

"Because I can take care of myself."

"And I can't?" I throw my hands in the air.

Suddenly, I'm anything but cold. I shrug out of my coat and toss it on the chair before folding my arms across my chest. I catch Mikhail's eyes raking over my body and for a moment, need flashes in his dark eyes.

"No." He folds his arms over his chest.

"That's bullshit, and you know it. So, what? Was I not enough? Did you need another fix, is that it?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Mikhail's eyes narrow, but he takes a step toward me, and then another until I'm backed up against the wall, encased by his thick arms.

"You thought I left to go fuck someone else?" He dips his head so that his lips brush against my ear.

"Yes."

"You're a bad liar. You're trying to pick a fight to turn my attention away from the fact that you disobeyed me, again ."

I bow my head, my throat too thick with emotion to speak.

" Lucia ."

I have to screw my eyes shut to stop the tears from falling.

But Mikhail reaches out to my chin, lifting my head, so I have no choice but to look at him.

"Why did you wear that dress?"

I blink at the question .

"I-I don't know…"

He shakes his head as he moves his hand lower to cup my throat.

"I think you do." His voice is rough, and it sends a shiver down my spine as I stare up into his dark eyes.

He squeezes my throat, and I let out a gasp, not of surprise but of pleasure.

"You wore it at dinner the first night we met."

"Yes."

"I'll ask you again, why did you wear that dress tonight?"

"Because I knew you liked it," I admit, biting my lower lip as I watch Mikhail's eyes flick down to my breasts.

I arch my back just enough to press them against his chest, and a deep, guttural sound builds in his throat.

"And I knew you wouldn't be able to resist fucking me if you caught me wearing it."

"I'm not so easily distracted by your breasts, kisa , to forget about your disobedience." He squeezes my throat again.

"I beg to differ." I rub them up against him.

"Did you want me to catch you, is that it?"

"I guess I like being punished?—"

Mikhail crashes his lips against mine, his large body pressing me against the wall as his tongue forces his way into my mouth.

I let out a moan of pleasure at the taste of him, at the feeling of his warm body pressed up against mine.

I reach up to sink my fingers into his hair, to pull him closer against me.

He's so warm and strong, and I just want to wrap my body around him, to feel every inch of him against every inch of me .

"Lucia," he growls as his hands move to cup my breasts.

"Fuck me, Mikhail." I arch into his touch.

He lets out a groan as he rubs against me, and I gasp at how ready he is.

" Please ."

I pull his mouth back down to mine, and he wraps his arms around my body, hauling me against his as I lick and suck at his mouth.

I shiver, my skin breaking out in goosebumps as I cling to him.

"You're freezing," he says, pulling back.

"I-'I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You were outside in the middle of winter with barely any clothes on, Lucia. You're going to get sick if you don't warm up."

I'm about to retort again, but then Mikhail's throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me into the bathroom.

"Mikhail!"

He slaps a hand against my ass, and I hiss at the sting.

"Do as you're fucking told for once," he growls.

A shiver of pleasure runs down my spine, and heat starts to pool between my thighs at the authority in his voice.

"I seem to recall I did as I was told when your head was between my thighs."

That earns me another swift slap to the other cheek, and I can't stop the gasp of pleasure escaping my lips.

Mikhail sets me down on the floor and gets to work, turning on the shower, including all the extra jets until the room is steaming up.

"Take off your dress."

I pull the zip down and slowly slide the material over my body.

My eyes are locked on Mikhail, and I watch his darken as the dress falls to the floor.

I shimmy out of my lace panties and stand completely bare before him.

I guess I didn't realize how cold I was as my nipples are rock hard and my teeth start to chatter as I stand there. I wrap my arms around my body to try and preserve heat as Mikhail checks the temperature of the water.

"Get in." He puts a hand on my lower back, guiding me into the shower.

The moment the hot water hits my skin, I let out a moan.

"Aren't you joining me?" I glance over my shoulder.

Mikhail grips the neck of his shirt and pulls it off in one swift motion, tossing it on the floor.

I turn to face him, eyeing his deliciously broad chest and the intricate tattoos that cover his skin.

When his pants fall to the floor, and I take in his cock, I almost drop to my knees to show him how sorry I am for disobeying him.

But then he's stepping inside the shower and forcing me against the wall before I have a chance to touch him.

"You lied to me," he growls as his hands move to grip my ass.

Words fail me as all I can focus on is the feeling of his cock pressing into my lower belly and the scalding hot water cascading over our naked bodies.

"I don't appreciate being lied to, Lucia."

He lifts me up, and I wrap my thighs around his waist.

The tip of his cock teases my pussy, and I wriggle against him, so desperate to be filled.

"Mikhail…" I bury my face in his neck as I cling to him.

He's backed me up against the shower wall, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my ass as he holds me up.

"I need you."

"Look at me, Lucia."

I shake my head. I don't want to see the anger in his eyes.

But he doesn't give me much of a choice.

His right arm wraps around my waist to hold me steady as he tangles his free hand in my hair, tugging on the wet strands to force my head back.

"Look at me."

A whimper escapes my lips at the slight sting, but I reluctantly do as I'm told.

His expression is one of brutal desire, and I almost climax just from that look alone.

"Mikhail," I plead as the ache between my thighs becomes almost unbearable.

With his fingers still tangled in my hair, Mikhail sinks into me in one thrust, and I cry out as he stretches me.

I'm still sore from how hard he took me before, and I have a feeling that this is going to be even rougher.

"Oh god ." I cling to him as he lifts me off his cock and slams me back down. "Mikhail!"

"You thought I was fucking someone else?" he growls in my ear as he pounds into me so hard my eyes roll.

"You l-left." I sink my fingers into his shoulders to try and steady myself.

"So did you." He thrusts inside me even harder. "I was going out of my mind trying to find you."

"Y-you were?"

God, his cock fills me so deep that my pussy clenches around him.

Mikhail responds by crashing his mouth against mine .

I waste no time parting my lips so he can explore my mouth with his tongue, and I moan as I remember how that tongue felt between my thighs.

"Of course, I was," he mutters against my lips, his voice thick with need.

My chest tightens at the thought of him being so worried about me. It only adds to my guilt, but after my narrow escape in the park, I vow never to betray him again.

This is going to be a fresh start for both of us.

He dips his head to capture my right nipple in his mouth.

"Oh fuck, that feels good." I arch into his touch.

His teeth graze over the sensitive bud, and I cry out again as he bites down.

"Mikhail!"

My hips buck, and I try my best to match his brutal pace, but our movements are becoming sloppy as our release builds together. I know I'll likely have some bruises from how hard he's gripping me, but I don't care.

I want him to mark me, to claim me as his.

"Lucia," he growls as he rests his forehead against mine, his expression pained as he tries to hold back.

"Come with me, Mikhail," I pant.

I dig my heels into the hard muscle of his ass to force him even deeper.

His hand moves to grip my throat as he tightens his right arm around my waist.

I keep my eyes locked on him as my body starts to tense.

My thighs quiver around his waist as his cock brushes the sensitive inner walls of my pussy, and I might die from the intensity of the pleasure.

"Oh, yes !" I cry as my orgasm hits.

My body shudders as my pussy pulses around his cock .

"Mikhail…"

He releases his hold on my neck to brace his hand against the shower wall as he slams his cock inside me one last time.

"Fuck," Mikhail grunts in my ear as he comes.

I continue to slowly grind my hips to work him through his release, soft moans escaping me as I feel him spill inside me.

The hot water cascades over our bodies as we try to catch our breath.

I let my fingers trail over the hard muscles of his shoulders, his chest, as I capture his mouth with my own.

Once is not enough, and I need more.

Mikhail reaches around me to shut off the water, and I hope he can read my silent request as I rub my breasts against his chest.

"Mikhail." I bury my face in his neck as he carries me out of the shower, his cock still buried deep inside me.

The feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me is so much more intimate than the sex, and I never want to let go.

I press gentle kisses to his jaw as my fingers caress his neck. "Please stay with me."

He stays silent as he carries me over to the bed and for a moment, I take it as confirmation that he will, but then he's lifting my body off of him and the next thing I know, I'm being tossed on the bed.

"Go to sleep, Lucia," he states before stalking toward the door, water droplets still dripping down his muscled back.

"Mikhail, please give me another chance." I clutch the sheets around my naked body, but Mikhail only shakes his head .

"You asked me to trust you already, and I did, only for you to lie to me again."

"I-I've learned my lesson?—"

"So did I." He stalks from the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The sound of the key turning in the lock has a sob spilling from my lips, and I throw myself onto my bed and curl into a ball as tears start to well in my eyes.

I don't know why I expected Mikhail to suddenly forgive me. I should have known the hot sex in the shower wasn't going to make him forget my betrayal of his trust, no matter how badly I wanted it to.

He has absolutely no reason to trust me again, and it's my fault. I did this.

I want so badly to tell him the truth of what happened to me, but I just can't bear the thought of him pitying me or giving him another reason to try and protect me.

His protection makes me feel like I've failed at taking care of myself.

But after the close call tonight, I'm starting to wonder if I can.

I was in no shape to handle that man should he have gotten close, despite all my training. I made a stupid error in judgment, one I was lucky to get out of alive.

Perhaps I do need Mikhail after all.