Page 205 of Merciless Daddy

She pushed me onto the bed and climbed into my lap, laughing when I caught her hips.

“You are very bossy tonight, young lady,” I said.

“It’s fun to be demanding sometimes.”

“Is that so.”

She kissed me until the laughter broke, until it changed into a sound I couldn’t name. She kissed me until I was half-wild, unable to keep up with her hands, her mouth, her hunger for the next moment and the one after that. Her fingers pulled at my hair, dragged me down to the mattress, and there was nothing in the world except the two of us.

She tasted like the ocean, like sugar from her drink, like the salt on her upper lip. Her skin was hot under my palms, sun-warmed and soft, and every inch I uncovered was something earned. She fought me for control in the beginning—tried to roll me over, pin my wrists, bite my shoulder—but every time I let her win, she seemed more desperate to be caught. She said my name like a challenge, like what would happen if I didn’t rise to meet her.

I undressed her in stages: the yellow dress pulled over her head, sandals dropped to the floor, her thin underwear stripped last, so she had to feel it. She undressed me with both hands and her mouth, ignoring every button and obstacle, nearly tearing my shirt in half. I didn’t care. I let her claw, let her bite, let her get the first mark on my skin. I liked the burn in her eyes when she saw the effect she had on me.

When I touched her, she opened for me. No hesitation, no mask, no reluctance. She was bare and alive in my arms, trying to drag me inside her even as I wanted to take my time.

“More?” I asked, thumb tracing her hip.

She pulled me closer instead of answering. Her legs twined with mine and she anchored herself to my body like she was afraid the world would break apart if we separated. We moved together until I forgot what it meant to want anything else. She was greedy, relentless, laughing in my ear, then sobbing it out when I found the place she liked best. I didn’t have to guess with her—she let me know with every sound, every shiver, every “yes” that came out of her in a rush.

I tried to hold back, but it only made her crazier for it. She wrapped herself around me, nails digging into my back, teeth sharp on my jaw. The more I tried to be gentle, the harder she wanted it. She wanted to feel every bit of me, every inch and every ounce of intention behind it. It made me want to give her everything, to put it all in her hands and let her break every rule I’d ever made for myself.

She came with my name in her mouth, breathless and wild, clinging to me until she almost dragged me under with her. I followed, unable to stop, and for a long time there was nothing but the sound of our hearts racing and the warm, heavy stillness after.

It was only when the sweat started to cool that she let herself go limp against me, all the fight gone, just a quiet, contented girl draped over my chest. Her hair stuck to my skin, her arms still tight around my neck like she didn’t trust the world to let us stay like this.

We stayed tangled together, not talking, barely even breathing, until the edge of the world came back into focus: the distant waves, the garden flowers perfuming the air, the last glow of sunset painting the ceiling gold. She kissed my neck, softer now, then slumped against my shoulder, so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.

Afterward, she lay across my chest with the notebook on the bedside table.

I held her until she slept.

For a few hours, the future looked almost possible.

My phone rang before dawn.

Yelena shifted against me, still warm and loose with sleep. I reached for the phone without moving her too much.

Serafina.

I answered at once.

“What happened?”

Her face appeared on the screen. Chicago darkness sat behind her. She wore a black shirt, hair pulled back, eyes too alert for the hour.

“Lev filed a sworn statement.”

Yelena woke at the sound of her father’s name.

I put the call on speaker.

“Read it,” I said.

Serafina’s mouth hardened.

“He claimed Yelena was abducted from a lawful engagement. He claimed she has been psychologically manipulated by foreign criminal associates. He claimed she is currently incapable of managing her companies.”

Yelena went still beside me.