“I think it’s hilarious.” I turn back to the water, presenting him with my back. “The big bad Pakhan, catching panties like a well-trained pet.”
Silence.
I peek back and find him still there, the panties in his fist, staring as if he’s deciding whether to leave or pin me against the shower wall. “You’re trying to break me.” His voice is barely a whisper. “Trying to make me go back on my word.”
“Is it working?”
He pulls the wet fabric to his nose and takes a deep breath, never once breaking eye contact. My stomach drops, and I feel a flush of heat spread through my face and down my body. He wears a slow, dark smile as the panties hang from his fingers.
“This game has two players, beautiful. And I’m keeping these.”
“You’re a pervert.”
He grins wider. “And you’re the one who threw them at me,Vedma. What does that make you?”
I don’t have an answer for that, so I turn back to the water.
He laughs quietly, before a rustle ensues. I’m mid-rinse when the distinct sound of fabric hitting tile makes me glance back. Alexei stands at the edge of the shower. His undershirt lies in a heap on the floor, and his hands are at the waistband of his boxers. I forget how to breathe.
His body is a map of violence with scars crisscrossing his torso like rivers on a landscape, some old and faded, some newer, pink and raised. And the tattoos cover nearly every inch of skin the scars haven’t claimed, Orthodox crosses, cathedral domes, stars on his shoulders, Cyrillic script winding around his forearms, the traditional markings of the Bratva, each one telling a story I can’t read but understand.
He grabs the elastic of his underwear.
I should probably look away. Turning around would be the smart thing to do. Honestly, doing anything else would be appropriate. But instead, I’m just standing here staring like he’s a five-course meal and I haven’t eaten in a week. Because, damn, his ass looks good.
My eyes stay exactly where they are. The boxers drop, and I look down. My foot slips on the wet tile. His hand snaps out, catching my arm and yanking me upright until I’m slammed against his chest.
Without our clothes, I’m pressed flush against him beneath the pouring water, my hands splayed over his scarred skin, feeling everything. His cock is thick and hot where it presses into my stomach, throbbing with each heartbeat. My gaze drops, and I can’t stop myself. My eyes go wide, taking in every inch of him. Fuck! How did I take all that in me?
He notices, and a laugh rumbles through his chest. “Careful,Vedma. If you keep looking at it like that, it might get the wrong idea.” He tilts my chin up with one finger, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Or the right idea. Depending on how brave you’re feeling.”
Heat floods my cheeks. “I wasn’t… that’s not…”
“You were. You did.” His smile is insufferable. “Don’t worry. Most women have that reaction. It’s a lot to take in.” He pauses, letting his eyes drop to my lips. “Literally.”
I find my voice, straightening my spine. “Please.” I scoff, pushing against his chest. But he doesn’t budge. “I’ve seen bigger dildos.”
Alexei arches a brow.
“Even used a few,” I add, lifting my chin.
The humor vanishes, replaced by a dark, lethal intensity. “Is that so?”
“One hundred percent.”
He leans closer, water streaming down his face and chest, pooling where our bodies press together. “You’re such a pretty liar, Vedma.”
“I’m not…”
“You are,” he says, moving his hand from my chin to my neck. He fists his fingers in my wet hair and pulls my headback. “Your eyes are wide, and your heart is pounding so hard I can feel it through your skin.” His thumb presses into my pulse. “You’re shaking because you want me to pin you to this wall and fuck you stupid. That makes two of us,Vedma.” I can feel his dick throb hard against my belly.
It’s true. Fuck him! It’s true.
“The water’s cold.”
“The water is hot,Vedma.”
I have no response to that.