In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (19 page)

Maxim
raised a single eyebrow. “That sounds… convenient. I like your kitchen,” he
noted, “especially the lights.” He nodded toward the brushed copper pendants
hanging over the center island.

I
lingered in the foyer when he began walking upstairs.

“I
know what you’re afraid of,” he taunted without looking back.

“I’m
not afraid of you,” I countered as I trudged up the stairs.

He
laughed. “You should be.”

I
followed Maxim through every room. I could tell he was committing every detail
to memory, I just wasn’t sure why.

He
saved my bedroom for last. He stepped inside the master bath, eyeing the spa
tub and the double shower, before thoroughly studying the bedroom. He fingered
the comforter on my bed as his investigation drew to an end.

“Well,
that’s it… the grand tour,” I announced, heading briskly toward the door.

“Not
so fast,” he replied, snatching my arm. He tugged me against his chest. “When’s
the last time you had sex?”

My
cheeks heated. “Surely, you realize how inappropriate that question is.”

His
eyes darkened. “Answer the question.”

I
swallowed nervously. “No.”

His
hands slid down my back and cupped my bottom as he fit his hips to mine. “Have
you had sex since you were tortured in Ukraine?”

My
cheeks heated even more. “I’m not answering that question,” I replied emphatically.

“You
haven’t,” he concluded. His eyes suddenly softened. “I know other women who have
been tortured the same way you were tortured, Kristine. You don’t have to be
afraid. You will feel things…
there
. You’ll be able to enjoy sex once
you set your fears aside.”

I
tried to pull away. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have with Maxim,
Rafael, or anyone else for that matter.

Maxim
grasped my wrists in his hands as he backed me toward the bed. “Maybe that’s
not what you’re afraid of. Maybe it’s not what they did to you that has you
avoiding sex. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll discover that Rafael is no longer the
one you’re meant to be with.”

I
shook my head. “He is,” I whispered.

“He’s
not,” he whispered back. He pushed me onto the bed. He crawled on top of me when
I tried scrambling away. “I want my kiss,” he growled.

“Not
here,” I pleaded. “Anyplace but here.”

His
eyes heated. “I want this image… this memory… of kissing you in your bed.”

I
groaned as he lowered his body to mine. We were perfectly aligned. He was
clearly aroused, and every hard angle of his body was pressing into mine.
“Maxim,” I pleaded. I wedged my hands between our chests.

He
linked his fingers with mine as he grabbed my hands and forced them above my
head. “It’s only a kiss,” he whispered in a sweetly seductive tone.

I
arched against him when his mouth clamped over the sweet spot behind my ear. He
began sucking forcefully. “Oh, God,” I gasped as my entire body lit with need.

He
thoroughly ravished my neck… sucking, licking, and kissing every inch of available
skin. “You taste so sweet,
Kotyonok.
” He nudged my chin a little higher as
his lips moved to the other side.

The
pleasure pulsing within me made it impossible to think.
More
, my
sex-starved body pleaded.
More, more, more!
I held my breath. I didn’t
dare speak.

Maxim
gradually released my hands. His fingers brushed teasingly against my breast before
curling around my waist. He reached for my leg, and the air exploded from my
lungs.

Liquid
fire shot straight to my abdomen and thighs as he hiked my leg over his waist.
“Please stop,” I panted as he settled his bulging erection between my legs. The
thin fabric of his slacks, my flimsy yoga pants, and lace thong all seemed to
melt away. My entire body was screaming with months of unmet need, which was a
very, very bad thing.

Maxim’s
lips crashed against mine. His fingers dug into my thigh as his tongue swept
through my mouth. He claimed every crevice, stole every breath, and thoroughly
seduced my tongue. I moaned wantonly into his mouth. Nobody, and I do mean
nobody, could kiss like Maxim.

My
eyes widened when I realized how close I was to unraveling. My hands and heels
sought traction as I tried pushing out from underneath him. I froze when he
pinched my breasts. Pain turned to pleasure as he rolled my nipples between his
fingers and thumbs. “
Kristine
,” he groaned when they pebbled in his
hands.

He
robbed me of my response. He kissed me stupid, shredded every last defense,
then completely consumed me until I grew mindless with need. My eyes glazed
over as he ground his hips into mine. The feeling was utterly intoxicating.

I
longed to feel Maxim inside of me, but I knew. If I surrendered to this man, he
would never release me. An overwhelming sense of guilt shot through me. I shook
my head, suddenly frantic. This kiss was about to destroy me and my
relationship with Rafael.

Maxim
stilled, then silently studied me. He was breathing hard. His eyes were black,
and he looked to be on the verge of losing all control.

“I’m
sorry,” I whispered hoarsely. I closed my eyes and willed him to understand.

He
reached over and snatched my cell phone off the nightstand. “I’m adding my cell
phone number,” he explained through clenched teeth. “Text me your e-mail
address and call me when you firm up plans for Oni. I will watch over her and
escort her to the United States.” He fished his cell phone out of his back
pocket so he could add me to his list of contacts.

“Thank
you,” I responded breathlessly.

He
set my phone back on the nightstand, kneeled between my legs, and pulled me up
over his hips so that I was straddling his waist. I groaned when I felt his
erection press between my legs. His hands raked over my breasts before he grasped
my face and kissed me stupid all over again. “The next kiss won’t be nearly as
tame,” he warned gruffly. He set me back on the bed and strode from the room.

I
collapsed backwards onto the bed. My entire body was wound into an incredibly
tight coil. I wanted… no
needed…
sex in the worst possible way. I pulled
the pillow over my head and screamed. I tried to slow my breathing, to steady
my heart rate, and sort through the confusing array of thoughts now battering
my brain.

I
crawled out of bed and stumbled into the shower. I turned the hot water on as
high as it would go. “Hell,” I reminded myself. “That’s where you’re headed if
you continue down this path, Kri.”

I
peeled my yoga clothes off and kicked them aside. I grabbed my loofa, squeezed
a glob of lavender body wash on top, and scrubbed myself raw. It struck me then
that Maxim may not have left the house. He could be waiting for me to join him
downstairs… which also meant he could be seconds away from climbing back up the
stairs and joining me in the shower. I shampooed quickly, rinsed, and dried
myself off.

I
raked a comb through my hair, brushed my teeth, and threw some deodorant on
before tugging a camisole, thong, and a pair of sweats on. I crept barefoot
downstairs. My hair was dripping wet. Oni’s application materials and the
banner from the children’s hospital were sitting on my dining room table. Maxim
was nowhere to be found.

I
grabbed my keys, toed my flip flops back on, and strode out the front door. I
stalked next door to Rafael’s townhome and pounded on the door.

He
swung the door open. “What the…”

I
shoved him in the chest. Hard. “You told Maxim he could kiss me?”

Rafael
took a step back. “It was…”

“…the
only form of payment he’d accept?” I shouted hysterically. I slammed the door
closed behind me. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. You don’t use sexual
favors from me to pay your debts, Rafael.”

His
eyes flared. “I didn’t consent to sex.”

“I
didn’t have sex with him!” I screamed.

His
eyes darkened as he took a step toward me. “Do you think it’s easy for me to
tolerate you kissing another man,” he asked, “when you barely tolerate being touched
by me?”

“Oh,
you’re going to touch me,” I snapped back. “We’re having sex right now.”

His
mouth fell open.

I
shot him a dirty look as I began stomping up the stairs. “You’re going to kiss
me until I no longer feel his lips on mine. You’re going to claim every square
inch of my body until the only thing I can think about is you. Then, we’re
having sex until I can no longer speak, think, or move.”

Rafael’s
hands clamped around my waist. He swung me over his shoulder like a sack of flour
and hauled me the rest of the way up the stairs. “I would have invited him here
a long time ago if I had known it would lead to this.” He threw me on top of
his bed.

I
scrambled to my knees as I began tearing my clothes off. “Don’t stop,” I
demanded. “No matter what.”

He
pulled his t-shirt off before stepping out of his sweats and kicking them
aside. “I’m not stopping,” he responded irritably. “You’re going to be pinned
beneath me for the next three days.”

“Hard,”
I whispered as he climbed on top of me. “I don’t want you to coddle me. I want
you to drive every last fear from my mind.”

He
shook his head, immediately establishing control. “We’re doing this my way or
not at all.”

I
began to object, but he silenced me with a bruising kiss. His tongue swept
possessively through my mouth, demanding my compliance. I whimpered softly as
he lowered his body to mine.

He
nipped at my bottom lip, then nudged my chin aside as he began kissing my neck.
He captured my hands and pinned them next to my head when I reached for his
hips and tried to pull him closer. “Slow down,” he growled. “I’m not rushing
this.”

“More,”
I demanded, still seeking control. I groaned when his warm mouth latched onto my
breast. My toes curled as he consumed my breast in long, drawing pulls. “Now,”
I rasped. I wanted to do this before my anxieties caught up with me.

“My
way,” he repeated in a threatening tone. He took his time licking and kissing
the other breast, thoroughly unraveling my need. Well-muscled legs held me in place
as I wiggled beneath him. He wouldn’t allow my legs to open any further. He
just continued lapping at my breasts until I was on the verge of screaming.

I
tried to sit up when he moved away from my chest. He planted the palm of his
hand in the center of my chest and forced me back against the bed. His broad
shoulders nudged my thighs apart as he began licking between my legs. His
tongue swirled, stroked, and thrust until I was trembling violently. “Rafael,”
I gasped. “God, please, just take me.”

Ever
so slowly, he slid a finger inside of me. I exhaled forcefully. I couldn’t
believe it didn’t hurt. He slid a second finger inside, and my entire body
clenched. I reached for him, desperate to feel
him
inside of me. He turned
me over instead.

He
wedged his hand between my hips and the bed so he could stroke the swollen
tissue between my legs. He nudged my knees a little further apart. My hands gripped
the duvet as he positioned himself. He was so close to being inside of me.

 “You
belong to me, Kristine… me and no one else.” He thrust inside of me in one
long, determined stroke.

I
gasped. I had forgotten how thoroughly he could fill me, how completely Rafael
possessed me when he took me like this.

His
fingers moved methodically as he thrust inside of me. He wrapped his other arm
under my chest and cupped my shoulder as he let the full weight of his body
relax on top of mine.

I
was trapped beneath him, completely incapable of moving. I should have found
that disturbing, but the feel of his body wrapped so tightly around mine made
me feel protected and safe. The tension eased from my body. I relaxed into his
arms, relishing the fact that he now owned and controlled every part of me.

He
pressed his lips to my ear. “Say it,” he demanded.

I
hadn’t a clue what he was asking. “Say what?”

“You
belong to me,” Rafael rasped. He drove inside of me, delivering his point a bit
more forcefully this time.

Pleasure,
not pain, sparked across every nerve ending. “I’m yours,” I conceded
breathlessly. “I belong to you.” I gasped as he tugged me up onto my knees. His
fingers ground against all the right places while he thrust deep inside of me. My
vision blurred. Longing turned to raw, unadulterated lust. I wanted to weep,
but I wasn’t sure why.

He
grabbed my chin and forced my lips toward his. I braced my hands on his thighs and
leaned back against his chest. He kissed me greedily, as if he suddenly
couldn’t get enough of me. His hand drifted back toward my breast. He rolled
the nipple between his thumb and fingers while his other hand stroked between
my legs. He thrust deep inside of me. I moaned as I arched against him. I had
never been so thoroughly stimulated in my life. I nearly disintegrated.