19. Mel

Gleb's touch is like a drug, his kiss a shot of adrenaline straight to my heart. It would be too easy to fall into his arms and forget about fighting, forget about my fears, forget about everything that stands between us.

But I'm so mad at him for suggesting I would turn to prostitution that I completely lost control. My palm stings; I struck him so hard, and I can see the faint outline of my fingertips turning his light skin red. And even though I regret it as he turns his face to meet my eyes again, I won't apologize.

"No amount of money you could offer would convince me to sell myself to you," I hiss.

No amount anyone could offer would be enough. He should know, after everything I've been through, that I hate the idea of being sold like livestock. It doesn't matter who's the buyer—or the seller. I'm not for sale.

It's insulting and demeaning that he would even offer. And the hundred-dollar bill in my bra burns against my flesh.

"Why?" Gleb challenges, his voice low and deadly. "You think I couldn't please you?" he suggests, and my heart kicks up a notch as he prowls toward me, taking a lithe step forward every time I step back. "Because I know otherwise, Mel. You may have forgotten our night together, but I haven't. You want me, so why not let me have you?"

Fucking Christ, just the idea of sex with Gleb has turned me into a puddle of desire. How he could even suggest I would be capable of forgetting the night he took my virginity, I don't know. Not only was it the most pleasurable experience of my life, it left me with a daily reminder—a blessing that makes my life worth living. Gabby.

The thought of my daughter arrests my voice, stopping my retort before it leaves my tongue. But Gleb's not finished. Stalking me like a panther, he slowly follows me deeper into his room, backing me into a corner as if by instinct.

Gone is the careful, protective Gleb who made love to me that night. This man before me is fierce, unpredictable, dangerous. And still, my body aches for his touch. Heat radiates through my core from the lingering passion of his kiss. My heart pounds a desperate beat, and I can't tell if it's out of fear or desire.

"I assure you, I could satisfy you far better than that smug prick at Pearl's," Gleb says, his voice even, his expression passive. Still, his eyes tell me I'm in uncharted territory here. And if I don't watch my step, I just might lose my life.

Vinny?He can't be serious. Is that what this is about? Gleb's jealous? Frustration flickers to life, clashing with my borderline panic as my back meets the far wall of his room.

Of course, Gleb could satisfy me better than that pervert. That's not even a question in my mind. Just thinking about Vinny's hands on me makes my skin crawl. The only touch I've ever craved, the only man I've ever even imagined wanting, was Gleb. But it's not that simple.

I left New York for a reason. Because any man—even Gleb—only wants to possess me. And I refuse to subject myself to a lifetime of servitude. I refuse to model that for my daughter.

So I lift my chin in defiance, splaying my hands against the wall by my hips for strength, and I do the only thing I can think of that might stop Gleb before I lose the battle raging within me. "You think you're such a good lover?" I challenge. "Then why was it so easy for me to leave?"

Air hisses between his teeth as Gleb stops dead less than a foot in front of me. A flicker of doubt dances behind his intelligent green eyes, the hurt and confusion almost more than I can stand. But he doesn't back away. Instead, he studies my face, reading me with such an intimate level of perception, I might as well be naked, my soul bared for the world to see.

"I don't believe you," he murmurs, pressing one forearm against the wall beside my head as he brings his lips within a hair's breadth of mine.

My breath hitches, my heart sprinting so hard I think it might just burst, and I lose all ability to speak as his proximity overwhelms my senses. Body in a frenzy, my mind wars to regain control. But I'm so confused about what I want that I can't bring myself to do anything.

I should be terrified because he's far too close, his body trapping me against the wall without even touching me. But I crave him with an almost painful need.

Oxygen shudders past my lips, my breathing ragged as I brace to see what he'll do next. And his penetrating green eyes hold mine captive, daring me to tell him what I want.

My eyes do it without my permission.

Dropping to his lips, they give a silent confirmation that I refuse to give.

And this time, when Gleb kisses me, I don't have the strength to push him away.

Staggering hunger rips through my body as his lips claim mine, and his tongue strokes inside my mouth with a greed that terrifies me. But not in the way I would think. I've had far too many men touch me without my permission in my life. Only this time, it's as if Gleb plucked the words straight from my mind.

Kiss me.

I ached for it badly, but I'm still so angry; I never would have said it.

And before I know what I'm doing, my fingers are running through Gleb's soft fade, combing up his scalp to curl around the dark locks of his crew cut.

"Tell me you don't want me," Gleb rasps, breaking our kiss.

We pant, sharing each other's air as I try to find the strength to say what I should say. You need to leave.

"I can't," I breathe, my heart shattering at the realization that I'm as hopelessly in love with him as I was three years ago.

Gleb's body presses against mine, his lean, taut muscles pinning me against the wall with a desperation that sends heat flooding into my throbbing core. At the same time, that familiar sense of claustrophobia wraps around my throat.

"Gleb," I whimper, my body tensing as I suddenly struggle to breathe.

"Blyat," he snarls, shoving away from the wall a second later.

Heady relief washes through me as I suck in a greedy lungful of air. But his iron arm is still around my waist, and he pulls me with him, even as he gives me space. The room spins around me as my center of gravity vanishes, and in the next moment, the soft mattress catches my fall.

I gasp, stunned by the unexpected change, the way Gleb moved me so effortlessly, so gently, even in his passionate fury.

"Tell me what you want, Mel," he murmurs, his eyes brilliant with desire as he kneels between my legs. His long, dextrous fingers wrap around my ankles as his hands slowly guide them up over his shoulders.

I bite my lip, struggling to keep my wants on lockdown. Because what I want right now and what I need are two entirely different things. Soft lips press against the inside of my knee, battering down my resistance. An involuntary groan of desire issues from deep inside my chest.

"This?" Gleb offers, his warm breath washing across my skin as he tracks slowly up the inside of my thigh.

"No," I moan, my traitorous voice trembling with desire.

Gleb stops, his hands tightening reflexively around my thighs as he looks up the length of my body at my face. Tension quivers in his broad shoulders, his muscles coiling at the unexpected rejection. And though I know I'll hate myself for it in the morning, I can't deny him any longer. I should tell him to leave me alone. That I don't want him to touch me. That I don't want to be with him.

But the lie is just too painful. Because I've never wanted something more passionately in my life.

I've missed Gleb with a desperation I didn't dare face before now. And tonight, when he's so close and doing everything to me I've dreamed of a thousand times over, it feels like driving a dagger into my own heart to deny him.

"I want all of you," I breathe, tears stinging my eyes as the truth in my confession sinks like lead in my stomach.

Gleb's heavy breath rushes between my thighs and up my dress, brushing across my sex. My core throbs as I realize I've soaked through my panties in my excitement.

"Bozhestvennaya boginya," he murmurs, his voice tortured.

And as his hands slide higher up my legs, guiding my dress over my hips, I think I might come before we've even started.

Every ounce of my self-control flies out the window as I grasp the hem of my dress and pull it over my head in one fluid motion. Gleb's eyes rake down my body with feral desire, and I shiver with anticipation.

How many times have I touched myself to the memory of Gleb?And now, though I know it can't last, I would give almost anything to be with him again.

A purring growl rumbles from his chest, and Gleb shrugs out of his sexy black leather biker's coat, tossing it behind him. I grip the hem of his hoodie, dragging it up his body along with the shirt beneath, and when his sculpted abs and chest come into view, I catch my breath.

I forgot just how perfect he really is—all lean, iron muscle that's graceful without even trying. He pounces on me, the bed bouncing beneath us, and when his lips claim mine, a fire ignites in my core.

"I don't have protection," Gleb rasps against my lips as my hips rock against him, seemingly of their own accord.

"I have an IUD," I murmur between kisses, my need unbearable now that I can feel his hard cock pressing adamantly against the seam of his jeans. "It's part of the contract at Pearl's." Not that I've ever needed it before this, but since the cost is covered by the Kellys, I didn't see the harm in accepting the extra precaution.

Gleb stiffens, his body tensing, and for a moment, I think he might be angry. Then a tremor runs through his body, and he grinds against my clit with a ferocity that makes me gasp. His hands go to work on the clasp of my bra as I undo his belt, and we finish undressing each other with reckless abandon, desperate to remove every last barrier between us.

Strong arms hook beneath my knees, and Gleb drags my hips to the edge of the bed. Then he guides my legs open as he plants his hands on the mattress beside my waist. I feel dangerously exposed, my body on full display as his glistening tip hovers over my entrance. Tonight feels different from our first night together in so many ways. And still, I want Gleb so desperately I can barely breathe.

"Tell me you want me, Mel," Gleb commands, raising the hair along the back of my neck. "Tell me, and I'll make you feel so good you'll cry my name when you come."

God, I want him to make me come so badly, I'd say just about anything—even if the truth of it terrifies me. "I fucking want you, Gleb," I moan.

He shoves inside me with such force, I almost scream, and either it's been so long that I forgot how painful sex could be, or this new angle makes him seem that much larger. But I'm overwhelmed by the feel of him buried so deep.

"Fuck," Gleb grunts as he pauses inside me. "You're still so fucking tight," he rasps.

I nod, biting my lips closed because I don't trust myself not to cry if I say anything. Heat pulses through me, making my walls throb around his iron length. It feels so good to have him inside me. At the same time, I'm terrified it will hurt if he moves again.

Slowly, he eases my legs lower, guiding them to his hips. I breathe deeply, trying to relax as I wrap my legs around him. And with astonishing strength, he slides his arm beneath me and lifts me from the bed.

Turning, he settles onto the edge of the mattress, sitting so my hips rest on his thighs.

"Better?" he murmurs. One strong arm supports my weight. His free hand cups my jaw with a tenderness that makes me want to cry all the more.

Again, I nod, the foreign feel of penetration far less overwhelming now. And when his fingers trail slowly down the front of my body, fresh excitement prickles across my flesh. His lips find the hollow of my throat at the same time as his fingertips brush across my clit.

I gasp, the sudden and intense arousal making my core throb. Gleb groans, his hips rocking beneath me in response. And this time, as he presses deep inside me, I think I might just lose my mind.