23. Lucia

23

LUCIA

"I want to spend all day with my face buried in your pussy." Mikhail nuzzles my inner thigh.

I giggle, reaching down to push back the hair that's sticking to his forehead.

"You spent most of the night there."

"And I'm not even close to being done with you, so I suggest you get on board with my plan." His eyes lock on me as his tongue continues to explore my pussy.

"Oh, I'm very much on board."

"Good." He gives my pussy another slow lick.

My head falls back against the pillow, and I let out a moan as his stubble rubs against my sensitive flesh. "But unfortunately, I already made plans."

"With me," he growls, flicking his tongue over my clit.

"Mikhail!" I cry, wriggling against him, but he only tightens his hold on my hips as he sinks his tongue inside me. "Bianca is waiting for me?—"

A bolt of pleasure surges through my body as Mikhail pumps his tongue in and out of my core.

I arch against his touch, my fingers gripping his hair by the roots to hold him against me as my release starts to build.

"She can wait." His voice thickens with need as he looks up at me from between my thighs.

"O-okay." This is not a fight I want to win.

Once I'm suitably satisfied, Mikhail crawls up my body and gives me one last toe-curling kiss that leaves me breathless.

"I need to shower." He gives me a knowing look.

I bite back a moan at the thought of joining him. I don't think there's anything better than a naked and dripping wet Mikhail Koslov, but I really do need to meet with Bianca soon. We've planned to sit down and go through some more ideas for the wedding while Leo naps in the stroller and judging from how high the sun is currently sitting in the sky, I'm betting it's not far off noon.

"We should save some of our energy for later."

"If you're sure…" He climbs off the bed, giving me the perfect view of his very erect cock.

"Mikhail…"

He smirks as he wraps his hand around the base of his thick length.

My throat goes dry as the tip becomes slick with his arousal, and a deep ache starts to build between my thighs.

"Lucia." He pumps his cock, flicking his wrist as he fists the head.

I can't hold back the moan as my pussy clenches, already so desperate for him again.

Fuck it. So what if I'm a little late?

I'm throwing back the sheets and spreading my legs in an instant, my thighs still slick from my release.

"That's my girl." He climbs back on top of me and gives me one last orgasm for the road .

"You're actually trying to kill me," I groan once we're finished, throwing the covers over my head so I can't be tempted by his naked body.

Mikhail chuckles under his breath as he disappears into the bathroom.

After the intimate night that Mikhail and I shared, I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Opening up to him like I did has definitely brought us closer, and I'm grateful that I found the courage to share the truth of my past with him.

I'm not sure why I felt like last night was the right time to tell Mikhail the truth about my past. Maybe it's because we're getting married in two days, and I want him to know the whole truth about me before we commit to each other. Or perhaps because last night felt like the first time we haven't just fucked.

It was so much more intimate than that and once it was over, a sudden flood of emotions ran through me, and it all just came spilling out…

And I'm so glad it did.

While it might have been terrifying to tell him about the kidnapping, the way he reacted was so much better than I expected. The way he listened to me and never once told me I was being dramatic or downplayed my experience showed me how much of a good guy he is.

Aside from Elle, my father, and my therapist, Mikhail is the only other person I've told about the attack. But it's such a huge part of my past that I always feel as if people will never truly know me until they learn the truth.

And the truth didn't scare him one bit.

I hold my hand to my heart as I think of Mikhail.

I can't deny that I have feelings for him. Hell, I admitted that to him last night. But love is something I never considered before.

But I could definitely see myself loving Mikhail Koslov, and that thought both terrifies and excites the hell out of me.

I watch him dress, admiring every inch of his powerful body, and when he stalks back over to the bed, it takes everything in me not to sink my fingers into his shirt and pull him on top of me.

I really deserve some sort of reward for the amount of restraint I manage to show around Mikhail.

He reaches out to tuck my hair behind my ear. "I'm meeting with Anton this morning."

"Are you going into the city?"

"He's coming here. We'll be just down the hall if you need anything."

"I'll be fine, Mikhail."

"Oh, I know that." A smirk tugs at his lips. "Just letting you know where I am in case you need me."

"Oh, my god," I groan. "I think I can live without an orgasm for a few hours."

"I guess we'll find out." He bends down to kiss me.

His tongue licks along my lower lip, and I shiver at his touch. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get enough of this man, so I guess it's a good thing I'm marrying him.

After Mikhail leaves, I lie in bed with a huge smile on my face as I think of all the nights ahead that we're going to get to spend together. How I'll wake up every morning with his strong arms wrapped around me or his face buried between my thighs.

It isn't until my stomach starts growling that I decide to haul myself out of bed and into the shower.

I take my time lathering up my skin with soap, letting my mind flood with the memories of Mikhail's touch last night. There're so many different sides to him both in and out of the bedroom that I never know what I'm going to get, but that only adds to the thrill of him.

I love that he can be so rough and take what he sees as his, but on the other hand, he can be so loving and gentle that I almost start sobbing from the pleasure he gives me.

I swear this man is the whole package, and in a few days, he will be legally mine .

Perhaps I need to send my father a thank you card in the mail.

I quickly dress, realizing that I should be able to catch Bianca just in time as she takes Leo out for a walk.

Over the past few days, I've come to crave her company. She's so easy to talk to, and I never feel as if there's any sort of competition between us, which is something I'm used to expecting from female friendships.

It also helps that she understands the reality of being married to a Koslov, and I appreciate any advice she can give me.

Throwing on a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, I slip on some boots and head out of my room.

As I make my way along the corridor toward the stairs, I catch my name coming from one of the rooms I pass.

I pause, wondering if I simply imagined it.

But then Mikhail's voice filters through the gap beneath the door, and my heart flutters in my chest.

I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I can't help but be curious about the sort of things Mikhail shares about me with the people he's close to.

"You still not going to let us throw you a bachelor party?" a male voice who I assume to be Anton asks.

"Hell no. "

"You're no fun."

"And you can't be trusted. I don't think Lucia would appreciate you parading a bunch of strippers around the place."

He's not wrong.

"She seems to be slotting into the family well," the man says.

"Yeah, I know Bianca and Zara really like her."

"Won't that make it a little tricky?"

"Make what tricky?"

"Aren't you still trying to make Lucia call off the wedding? You said you don't want to tie yourself to the mafia brat?—"

I stumble backwards, bracing my hand against the wall as his words sink in.

Mikhail wants me to call off the wedding?

The thought hits me like a ton of bricks, and I fight the urge to vomit.

I stagger back toward my room, and the moment I lock the door, my knees give out.

This doesn't make any sense. I thought last night confirmed for both of us that we're more than ready to commit to one another.

He said he was falling for me too…

I frown as realization dawns on me.

He said it after me. After I confessed my feelings, he might have believed there was no chance I was going to walk away from the marriage and decided to just suck it up and tell me what I wanted to hear.

"I'm such an idiot." I bury my face in my hands and sob.

I poured my heart out to him last night, and now he's gone and thrown it back in my face.

Was he really hoping that I would choose to walk away? Is that why he locked me up? Did he want me to hate him so I would turn around and call the whole thing off?

If that was his plan, then me telling him the truth about my past has only given him ammunition to use against me.

I know the best course of action is just to confront him about what I heard, but I'm not sure I can handle having him confirm it all.

The thought of being nothing more than a pawn in his game makes my chest ache so badly I can hardly breathe.

It was too good to be true.

I let myself become blinded by the affection he showed me, and never once did I question his motives. Now look where it's gotten me.

I've been around guys like Mikhail my entire life. I know all too well how they sweettalk their way into a girl's panties, using pleasure as a weapon to get information out of them.

So, why should Mikhail Koslov be any different?

I should have known better.

I wipe my eyes on my sleeve, trying to calm my racing heart.

Ultimately, there is nothing I can do about it now. There is no way in hell that my father is ever going to let me walk away from this marriage.

So, regardless of how Mikhail might feel about me, this wedding is going ahead one way or another.