“You promise?”
“I promise.”
A smile curved her lips. “And you’ll let me take you on a date when you return.”
“Yes, baby.” I finally caught her mouth, hungry, but she pulled away faster, refusing to let me drink her in. I ground my teeth. “What else?”
Her walls clenched around me, her release tearing throughher. The illusion of her control broke. She collapsed against me, trembling.
“That’s all?” I taunted.
She let out a weak laugh. “Shut up.”
“On your fours, Little Gem.”
I pulled out, and she moved without hesitation, setting herself on the sofa. I stroked myself as I stood behind her, one foot on the cushion, positioning her exactly how I wanted. Sliding back into her, I slammed deep, every thrust a claim.
She cried out, her words tumbling between broken moans and about the date. She insisted I had to show up, and I was the one to pay because she was broke. I listened because I wanted her voice as much as her body.
When I finally pulled her into my arms, pressing her back against my chest, she was tired.
“It’s a date, then,” I murmured into her ear.
Her chuckle was faint. “You’ll show up?”
“I’ll show up.”
“And you’ll be the one to pay.”
“You’ll pay.” I kissed her neck, my hand firm on her stomach. “Because I’ll leave my card in case you need anything.”
“Okay.”
“You’ll send me the location.”
She nodded. “I will.”
Chapter Forty-one
Rodion
Florida’s heat clung to mebefore I even shut the car door. This was the first Konstantinov base I ever worked at, the ground where I cut my teeth. I knew the map of this city better than I knew my own veins. Every street, every warehouse, every corner of shadow knew me. The roots of our business here ran deep enough to shake the entire state. Dmitri carried the weight of it now, or at least he liked to think he did.
No one expected me. The moment I stepped through the main gate, the men scattered. Workers suddenly found reasons to move faster than they ever meant to.
I stepped into the mansion, and Akim appeared from the side hall. He had Dmitri’s loyalty, but his bloodline tied back further. His father had once sat as a Konstantinov counselor. Old service still lingered in his eyes when he bowed.
“Boss.”
I didn’t break stride as I moved through the corridor, each stepa reminder of who built this place. “The files I asked for never reached me,” I said.
“Dmitri—” Akim began, but that name was a mistake.
I stopped and turned to him. “You are forgetting who the boss is here.”
“My apologies. I will bring the laptop.”
I left him in the hall and pushed on toward the office.