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I was jerked upright before my knees could touch the hard floor. “Open your fucking eyes, Maria.”
He was angry. I made him angry.
I whimpered in response. I was supposed to make him happy. Not angry.
Lyov pulled me into his arms. I was pressed into his hard body, and his hand gripped the back of my neck. A firm command. A soft touch. “Open your eyes and look at me.”
My eyes opened, and a single tear slipped down, leaving a wet trail on my cheek. His eyes were hard and angry, but his touch was soft and gentle.
Lyov’s lips were pressed together in frustration. I could see him battling with his fury, but when his forehead dropped to mine, and he breathed out through his nose, as if my touch soothed him…I realized that he wasn’t angry at me.
“Angel, tell me. What is my rule about you being on your knees?” he said to me.
I desperately hung on to him. My sniffles filled the vast room, and my chin wobbled with the effort to keep my tears at bay. “I should never kneel. Not unless…”
The words were stuck in my throat. Lyov nodded and continued. “Not unless I ask you to. And all the reasons why you will kneel for me—they will never cause you tears, pain, or fear. It will be because you want to kneel for me. Because you need it as much as me. It will be for both of us. Not because you think you need to do it so I won’t be angry with you.”
I remained silent. “Do you understand?” he asked. Lyov’s thumb was brushing up and down on the back of my neck now, while he still held me in place.
I nodded. But Lyov pushed the slightest bit. He knew my limits, and he never crossed them. “Your words, Angel. I need your words.”
“I understand, Lyov.”
“Good girl.”
My lips parted, and I sucked in a deep breath. My heart raced. Those words made my body tingle. It liked the way Lyov said it. The clenching feeling in my stomach didn’t ease. Actually, it tightened, and I found myself wanting to hear those words again.
Oh, how I wanted to please him.
I had to forget my past…the other rules. The other masters. I had to remember Lyov’s rules because I belonged to him now.
His hand wrapped around mine again, and the back of his thumb grazed my knuckles. The touch was so tender that my heart ached. I never thought a man like him could hold so much gentleness.
There was so much more behind the cold, hard exterior he showed everyone.
We faced the woman again, but I couldn’t meet her eyes. I almost felt embarrassed. Ashamed.
“Maria, this is Lena. Lena, as you already know, this is Maria.” Lyov’s smooth voice calmed me, and I finally found the courage to look up.
Lena didn’t stare at me weirdly. Instead, her kind eyes were glassy, and she gave me a wobbly smile. Her eyes met Lyov, and I saw her give him a brief nod before turning to me again.
“It is nice to finally meet you, Maria,” she said sweetly. “I can’t say I have heard a lot about you, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll be hanging out a lot, so we’ll get to know each other then.”
I guessed she was a friend of Lyov. Her shoulders were straight, and the way she stared at Lyov, without any fear, it told me she had some kind of power. She was respected. She would never cower underneath someone’s feet.
Swallowing nervously, I gave her a smile of my own. “Thank you.”
I didn’t know what else to say or how much I could say. Lyov gave me freedom, but I was scared to venture too far.
Lyov cleared his throat, and he tugged me more into his body. This time, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my cheeks. Every other worry…all the fear that consumed me moments ago, everything disappeared.
It seemed Lyov liked me close to him. And my attention on him.
I peeked up at him, suddenly feeling shy. He glanced down, as if he knew I was looking at him. We stared at each other, and I forgot everyone else. The world ceased to exist, and it was just us.
Eventually, he broke our connection and looked back at Lena, who was grinning from ear to ear and practically bouncing on her toes with excitement.
“I will be showing Maria around. She’s had a long night and will be resting today. You can have her tomorrow,” Lyov spoke. His voice was hard and held no place for arguments.
Lena rolled her eyes in an act of exasperation but nodded in agreement. Lyov pulled me away, and she waved.
I found myself lifting my hand up and waving back, feeling strangely happy at her excitement. It was contagious.
