Page 67 of The Harbinger
Dmitri steered into the circular driveway and halted at the entrance. Before Ivan had unfastened his seatbelt, I’d bolted from the car—his door yawning open when I stormed inside the house.
I quickly unzipped my boots, grabbed them by their chunky blocks, and raced upstairs to my room.
“Mia?” Katya called from the bottom of the open staircase.
The door thudded shut behind me as I scurried to my closet and put away my boots on their rack. I stripped off my shirt and skirt, slinging them in the dirty pile, then grabbed a silky silver chemise and tugged it over my head. The frilly hem grazed the hairs above my knees as I emerged from the closet.
“You did surprisingly well today.”
I jumped and clutched my chest. “You ever think of knocking?”
Sacha stepped away from the wall, his fingers loosening his tie. “This is my house. No need to knock.”
“What about courtesy?”
He shook his head. “That doesn’t apply to you.”
I brushed past him and entered the bathroom, yanking the band out of my hair. His shoes scuffed behind me.
“And whatdoesexactly?” I asked, my gaze in the mirror, his hand settling on my shoulder.
He dragged it across my chest, pressing me against him, his arm resting at the hollow of my throat. “Whatever I allow.” He locked his hand on my other shoulder. “You’re not entitled to anything in my home. You must earn everything I see fit to give you.”
I sighed and closed my eyes, the warmth of his touch soaking into me. “How do I do that? I’ve done everything you asked.”
“Which is why you’re allowed to roam my house, eat my food, and have nice things.”
“So I’m what… your captive, slave… a concubine you refuse to touch?”
His chin rested on my shoulder, the pressure sending a flutter through my eyelids. His dark gaze was like glacial ice when it met mine. “You are nothing to me,” he said. “Nothing more or less. You’ll obey because what other choice do you have.” His accent deepened as his poisoned words rolled off his tongue, sending a chill from my toes to my belly.
Even a black hole had a purpose.
I wasn’t his enemy, his lover, or his friend. I was nothing in his eyes, an unwelcome guest in his home he insisted couldn’t leave.
“What if there were other options?”
Sacha’s hand slid away from my shoulder and chest. “I’ve shown you a small glimpse of what I truly crave,milaya.” He pulled at the bottom of my unwinding braid with his other hand and loosened the strands until my hair hung in waves around my shoulders and back. His fingers spread across the back of my scalp like a spider stretching its legs, then clenched my loose hair into his fist. “Are you so eager to see more?”
A soft whisper escaped my lips as his blazing gaze met mine in the mirror. “No.” I flinched, and my hair tightened around his clenched fist.
“If only I believed that.” He nipped my earlobe, then dragged his teeth down my neck. “Prove to me your cunt isn’t wet like it was when I spanked you.”
“I wasn’t wet. That was abuse.”
“Your pretty pink lips glistened,milaya.” His grip on my scalp grew tighter. “So prove it. Put your fingers between your legs.” Sacha sunk his teeth into my neck—his soft lips sucked on my neck, his hot tongue warming my skin.
My cry echoed through the air as I shuddered, my head shaking in denial. His teeth dug in deeper, making me buckle at the knees. His arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me close, forcing a pitiful whimper out of me as I tried to swallow.
He wouldn’t let this go.
He wouldn’t let me go unless… My lids pinched tight as my hand crept down my body and slid between my legs. “Please,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Stop.” My fingers dipped between my slick folds, sliding through my slippery warmth.
“I was right.” My lids flew open as he licked his saliva from my neck. “Let me see.”
Heat rushed up my cheeks, burning them a cherry-red, my peaked nipples pressed tight against the chemise, my breasts rising and falling with each haggard breath.
What was wrong with me?