White Nights (White Nights 1)

“Come home with me,” he urges, tightening his arms around me. “Give us another shot, Katyusha. We deserve it, don’t you think?” He brushes a thumb over my numb, frozen lips. “A connection like ours doesn’t happen every day.”

No, it doesn’t. I’m not sure if it’s our chemistry, the longing that stirred in me when I saw Joanne and Ricky together, or how well my mom got on with Alex that makes me consider his suggestion. It was a low blow from Alex to play that dirty, inviting himself to my mom’s house, but my mom never behaved like this with Tony. She never made a secret of disliking my ex. She merely tolerated him for my sake, which meant acting politely on the rare occasions when we’d have dinner together. With Alex, these occasions wouldn’t be rare. It’s easy to picture the three of us sharing many more of these congenial moments.

It’s that idyllic, wishful part of me that wavers, and Alex is enough in tune with me to notice. The moment he senses my weakness, he swoops in with a kiss, taking away the last of my restraint and all my reason. His lips are warm, his kiss tender yet deliberate. There’s nothing tentative about the caress or the hand he slides down my back to cup my buttocks. He knows how to make me melt, and I love how he takes control.

“Katyusha,” he groans into my mouth, making my arousal spike instantaneously.

Like all the other times, I cling to him as he presses our bodies together, letting me feel his hardness. My moan is fuel on his fire. He kneads my ass, impatiently sucking my tongue into his mouth.

“I want you,” he says in a voice thick with need.

I want him too, enough to slip my hands under his coat and drag them over the hard edges of his abs to my prize under the waistline of his pants.

“Katerina…” He catches my wrist. “If you don’t want to be fucked on the pavement in front of your mother’s house, I suggest you let me take you home.”

My breath catches. Giving voice to my decision will be my final surrender. He won’t let me take it back. Once I’ve given him my consent, he’ll consume me. But I’m losing the battle against logic, against that voice in my head that warns me not to get involved with a man so dangerous. The feelings he elicits are much too strong.

He waits, tense but patient. Yet when I finally give a small nod, the tight set of his shoulders doesn’t ease. He holds on to my wrist, keeping me close to him as he demands, “Say it. Give me your answer in words.”

My answer isn’t meek. If I’m taking this leap, I’m not doing it in a half-assed manner. The step is too significant, too huge. It’s all or nothing. My voice is strong when I give him my all. “Yes.”

He looks simultaneously relieved and victorious. Crushing me to his body, he takes my mouth in a brutal kiss. It’s so overwhelming my knees buckle. He steadies me with an arm around my waist, tearing himself away to stare down at my face.

His voice is laced with lust. “Come.”

Not giving me any more lenience, he pulls me to the fancy sports car. The black car starts up, its headlights coming on even before Alex has opened the door for me and helped me inside. My face heats when I think about how we were grabbing at each other right there on the pavement, under the streetlight for anyone to see—including Yuri, who I’m assuming will be following us in the black car.

Alex seems unbothered about who bears witness as he palms my breast while securing my seatbelt. He’s rushed, his need running as high as mine.

I lean back into the butter-soft leather as he starts the engine and heat fills the interior. His hand is already between my legs before he’s steered us onto the road. I stifle a moan as he brushes a finger over my clit and then moves lower to find the wetness that’s gathered there for him.

To my dismay, I see the curtains in the window of my mom’s bedroom move as he passes her house. I bet she’s been watching through the window. Just as well I decided to let him take me home. Otherwise, she would’ve known something wasn’t right.

Not that I can think about right and wrong when he’s tracing my slit ever so lightly with the pad of his finger.

He lets go when he needs to change gears, leaving me cold. I want his hand back there. I want him on my skin and inside me.

Taking my hand, he places it on his thigh. I tighten my fingers on the hard male leg, feeling those powerful muscles tighten as he steps on the clutch. He handles the car with ease. We’re sliding effortlessly through the traffic while I’m burning up inside.