Amelia

I released the breath I was holding when he closed the bathroom door. He made me feel so nervous, but I couldn't deny that, along with the nervousness, my stomach fluttered each time I saw him. He was too pretty with his dark, good looks. My eyes went to the clothes on the bed. I frowned, wondering why he had left them there.

Misha put his head on my thigh, and I absently stroked his head. I put my book beside me to focus on Misha. He had the most soulful, intelligent, and innocent-looking dark brown eyes, which made my heart melt.

"You're a good boy, Misha, much better than any male human," I murmured to him.

His pointy ears stood upright as soon as I began talking. He must be a specific breed of Doberman because he seemed taller and chunkier. My hand froze on his head when I heard the bathroom door open.

Ivan walked into the bedroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. I felt Misha's head lift my hand up as we both watched Ivan. There were droplets of water beaded on his chest. My eyes ran down from his pecs, six-pack and white towel. My jaw dropped when I saw the shape of his dick.

God, he was pretty all over .

I quickly looked up at his head, but he was towel-drying his hair. His tattoo ran down the left side of his body from his neck to his arm, but my eyes went back to the light hair on his chest to his waist until they settled on his crotch again. Part of me was praying the towel would fall off, and the other part of me was terrified to see what was under it. The lump beneath it seemed—lively.

Flustered and red-cheeked, I hastily looked away and grabbed my book. I wasn't looking at the words but dipped my head whilst trying to watch him sneakily. He looked nothing like the suited man I met last night. My heart was racing when he moved to the side of the bed, and the towel dropped to the floor. He was almost naked next to me. I kept my eyes on the towel and his feet while trying to pace my breathing.

He was frikking naked.

Just one little glance…

"?" he said softly.

"Yes?" I whispered, but I closed my eyes to try and stop my perverted thoughts.

"Do you usually read books upside down?" he said huskily.

I opened my eyes and looked at my book. It was upside down. I quickly turned it around before he said anything else. He walked towards the bed, but I refused to look up while he was stark naked. It must be an Eastern European thing. I was sure British people didn't wander about naked in front of strangers.

"You can look at me all you want, . I'm all yours. If you weren't injured, I'd keep you on your back, take off your panties with my teeth and run my tongue all over you until you begged me to fuck you."

I choked on an inhalation of breath as I reacted to his words and the scent of his body wash assaulting my senses. Misha lifted his head up and began to lick my face. I was grateful for the intervention because I was close to lying back and taking him up on his words. Ivan moved away, and I heard the rustle of clothes.

His feet ended up beside the bed, and I felt the mattress dip down as he sat next to me. I was startled when his fingers gripped my chin and lifted my head up.

"Is your pussy wet for me, ? Because I've just had a wank in the shower, but my cock is rock solid again for you."

I stared into his eyes as he spoke. Desire burned in his dark eyes as he looked intently into mine. He moved closer and put his warm lips on mine, and even with the discomfort of the cut, I wanted to kiss him. I dropped the book and moved closer to him, closing my eyes.

His hand moved to my neck, and he gripped me in place with a growl and pushed his tongue into my mouth. He tasted of fresh mint, unlike Paul's filthy mouth. His lips pressed against mine, and I gasped at the pain and pleasure of his touch. There was something exhilarating knowing he wanted me badly. I rubbed my legs together for some relief and gripped the bedcovers.

His warm hand slipped under my T-shirt, but he rested it on my lower back. He deepened the kiss, gently stroking his tongue against mine. I opened my eyes and saw his were closed. The pleasure was clear to see on his face. He pulled back and opened his eyes before licking his lips.

"Every bit as sweet as I imagined. I can't wait to see these sexy pouting lips wrapped around my cock," he said, glancing down at my lip.

He licked my lower lip, avoiding where the cut was, before pulling back. He moved towards me but put his lips near my ear. His hand pushed my hair away.

"No one is ever going to touch you again because I will kill them. You're all mine, Kotenok ," he whispered. "Just as I am yours."

He kissed my cheek before he stood up.

"If your feet are better, you can have a bath tonight, and if you can lie still, I will tongue your pussy until you cum all over my face. I want to taste all of you, Kitten," he said intently.

"I will bring your dinner up shortly," he said, styling his damp hair before flicking it to one side with his fingers.

I nodded like a mute.

"Good girl," he said with a smile.

My heart jumped at his words. I wanted to be a good girl if he was going to pleasure me tonight. I swallowed at the thought of him touching me there. My eyes followed him as he left the bedroom. My fingers brushed over my lips as I remembered how his mouth had devoured mine. I felt dazed but aroused. I sagged against the pillows and wished I'd got a peek at his naked ass.

My home life had been such a horrid environment I'd never thought to have a boyfriend or experiment the way my school friends had. I looked terrible, not just my face but also my hair, which was a tangled, dull mess. I frowned, thinking about Ivan's good looks.

He could have anyone, so why was he so keen to be with me?

Lena has said he was a good man, but I didn't know any of them. I shuffled down the bed and lay down next to Misha. Strangely, they both made me feel safe, and I was off the streets. There was no point in worrying about anything else. Whatever was under that towel, I wanted it inside of me. I was sick of all the restrictions Paul had put in my life. Ivan was sixteen years older than me, and he was experienced. I guess every cloud has a silver lining after all.

I smiled and stroked Misha's soft silky fur.

∞∞∞

Lena and Ivan brought countless bags and boxes upstairs. I lay there watching them as they unpacked everything and began to put it away inside the walk-in closet. Judging by the number of bags, Ivan had bought me an entire wardrobe of clothing.

When there was a knock on the bedroom door, I froze, but Ivan went to the door and spoke to the other man in Russian before returning with more bags. He winked at me before taking them into the closet. I lay there more than a little stunned by the realisation that he meant what he said about keeping me here.

Lena came out with a wide smile on her face.

"There, now you can be more comfortable. How was your dinner?"

"It was lovely. Thank you for looking after me, Lena. I never knew my grandparents, but you make me feel like family," I said with a sad smile.

She glanced at Ivan, who came out of the closet behind her. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Family isn't always about blood," she said, facing me but patted Ivan's hand.

I thought of Paul and William. Blood or non-blood, I'd never felt like part of that household, let alone part of a family. Ivan held something that looked like lingerie in his hand. When I glanced at him, he wore a devilish smile on his face. After dinner, he checked my feet and announced it was safe for me to have a bath tonight.

"Goodnight, dear. See you in the morning," she said, calling Misha. He looked reluctant at first, but at the second call, he leapt towards the open door.

"Do you feel up to having a bath?" Ivan asked me.

I grimaced but nodded.

"I need to feel clean," I said, looking away when I remembered their hands on me. I needed to wash it all away.

The pain had become secondary to the pent-up years of anger that had made me fight back.

"What age are you, ?"

Ivan said, pulling me away from my dark thoughts.

"Twenty," I said, glancing at him as he walked towards me.

"Do you know why I call you Kotenok ?"

I know it meant kitten, but I didn't know why he called me that.

"Another snippet from Sun Tzu is ‘He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.' You fought hard before you hid in my car," he said, holding my hand and brushing his fingers over my nails. "You scraped someone's skin off like a vicious little Kitten."

He kissed my fingertips, and my eyes welled up.

How could someone I met less than twenty-four hours ago understand me without knowing me?

The woman who birthed me was so fucked up that I didn't exist in her eyes, but Ivan saw me. A deep sorrow filled my heart at what could have been and what I'd been forced to do.

I had to move on .

Ivan let go of my hand and used his thumbs to wipe away my tears.

"You came to me, and I've been waiting for you, Kitten. You have to trust me."

I glanced at his face.

"I'm not sure if I can," I whispered honestly as more tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Then it's my job to make sure you can because you've infected my soul in an inexplicable way. When I look at you, I see our future, our children," he murmured, gently holding my face between his hands and wiping away more tears.

My eyes widened at his words. I searched his eyes, and they were as deep and soulful as Misha's. Suddenly, his face hardened.

"If anyone thinks to harm you, they will have to go through me, and I will obliterate them," he said calmly, but his eyes burned fanatically. "Now, let's get you naked and wet."

Perhaps he was crazy, or perhaps I was, but the thought of merging my life with his, my soul and finding my place in this cruel world was beguiling. Only time would tell me how trustworthy Ivan was and how brave I was willing to be.