His dark eyes blaze into mine as the thickness of his cock increases. Not removing his beautiful eyes from mine, he slows the brutal pounds of his cock, slowly bringing me down from the haze of climax. When every pleasurable shudder shimmering through my body has been exhausted, Rico locks his heavy-hooded gaze with me. All the indecisiveness in his eyes has vanished, replaced with nothing but optimism.
“Say it again.” His deep voice is husky with his arousal is strangling it.
My nose tingles when I mutter, “I love you, Enrique,” in the faintest whisper.
A throaty purr rumbles through my lips when Rico’s cock throbs inside me, my declaration of love alone enough to make him come.
Chapter 24
My lazy steps to the bathroom stop when a small knock rattles through the wooden door of my bedroom. I freeze, mindful of Rico’s regular warnings about not opening my door for anyone but Maya. Considering Maya only left here ten minutes ago, I'm doubtful it's her.
My assumptions are left for dust when Maya’s small voice projects through the thick door. My steps are slow as my body is still reveling in the orgasms Rico awarded me with last night. Shockingly, I’ve been on a high the past five days. I thought once the aftershocks of our intimacy gathering wore off, I'd be backpedaling on my declaration of love, using my blurry state as a plausible defense, but not once has uncertainty entered my mind the past five days. I feel the most content I’ve ever felt, in the midst of a loved-up haze.
Rico and I have spent the last five nights in bed kissing and fondling each other for hours before our lightning-paced union joins in the most earth-shattering way. I never thought sexual contact would be a way I'd feel comfortable expressing myself, but everything about me is different with Rico. He brings out sides of me I didn't even know existed. He truly does make me wild with desire.
There isn't a shadow of doubt in my mind that the man I wake up with every morning is the same man I married nearly three weeks ago. Rico is attentive and sweet – a man I wouldn’t hesitate to marry on sight. And thankfully, as our oddly compelling union grows strong, the blackness in Rico's eyes is receding. I never thought I'd be strong enough to guide him through the darkness plaguing his life like I promised in our wedding vows. Now, I'm thinking differently. If things keep following this path, I have no doubt I'll always be the light in his life.
Ignoring the sentimental butterflies taking flight in my stomach, I pull open the heavily weighted door and greet Maya with a smile. Although Maya barely speaks a word of English, we’ve become close friends since I arrived here over ten days ago. She's the only female confidante I have in this house, so I relish the hours we spend together.
The happiness making my stomach a jittery mess eases when I notice a cloud of concern filtering over her usually expressive eyes. “Maya, are you okay?”
I run my hand along her forearm. My concern grows when I feel the clamminess of her skin. Maya is a small framed lady, but she has the heart of a dragon. Normally, nothing frightens her.
Keeping quiet, she hands me a slip of paper I didn’t realize she was holding until now. After bouncing my eyes between her evocative gaze, I drop them to the folded-up piece of paper. The tremble of my hand rattles the cream-colored document when I unfold it. Since there's only a one line sentence on the paper, it doesn’t take me long to recite the message.
Kitten, meet me in the servants’ quarters. Rico.
My heart rate soars. Rico mentioned earlier today that he had a surprise for me, but no matter how much I pleaded with him for a hint, he remained tight-lipped, only disclosing that I'd find out more when he returned later this evening. This is obviously part of his surprise.
I return my eyes to Maya. "Where are the servants’ quarters located?”
My head slings to the side when she outstretches her arm and points to a door marked with‘sluzhashchiy’halfway down the hall.
“Okay. Thank you.”
Maya bows her head, then spins on her heels and walks down the hall. Her head flings back to me when I ask, “Did Rico say what time?”
Her pupils widen before she shakes her head. I wait until she reaches the crest of the stairs before shutting the door. Although I’m concerned about Maya’s odd reaction, I can’t hold in my excitement about Rico’s note.
I rush to the mirror to check my hair and makeup. My cheeks are rosy from the stifling Las Vegas heat that graced my face when I sat in the window seat for hours reading this afternoon, and my eyes are full and bright. Deciding to wear my aroused look with pride, I place Rico's note on the dressing table before exiting the room.
My knees clash together with every step I take down the long hall. I’ve only walked this corridor once since arriving here: five days ago when I attended my disastrous brunch with Rico. It's amazing to think how much has changed between us in so little time. But, I guess, time has no place when I'm with Rico. It just stands still.
My heart rate speeds the further I move away from my room. Although this side of the Popov compound is elaborately decorated, nothing can take away the ghastliness plaguing the air. Just like a cemetery, no amount of potted color can hide the ugliness of death.
I stop frozen halfway down the hall and gasp in a quick breath when I spot the same two men from last week guarding the stairwell. Since they are engaged in a deep conversation, they fail to notice my quiet approach. Not wanting to place myself on their radar, I carefully open the servants’ quarters door and slip inside the narrow stairwell.
The muggy Las Vegas air adds to the giddiness swishing in my stomach as I wind down a set of rickety spiral stairs. My eyes shoot in all directions, taking in what would have been a servants’ quarters back in the day. White and yellow wallpaper covers the antique corniced walls, and gorgeous cedar hardwood lines the floors. I'm so immersed in staring at an old set of service bells hanging in the middle of the room; I don't notice another presence sneaking up on me until it's too late.
Pain sears across my cheek when a man backhands me with so much force, my head flings to the side. The taste of copper engulfs my taste buds as I fall to the ground with a sickening thud, my wrist jarring painfully when it hits the hardwood floor. Blood trickles from the side of my mouth as I lift my frightened eyes to my attacker. A large brute of a man who would easily be the height of Rico and two times wider sneers an abhorrent grin as he takes a step towards me. I shake my head, then scramble backward, ignoring the screaming protests of my limp wrist. Pleas for help are sitting on the tip of my tongue, but my frightened composure has once again frozen me into stiffness.
My temples scream when the tall stranger fists my hair and yanks me off the ground, his roughness causing the roots of my hair to pull away from my scalp. Gritting my teeth to ignore the tortuous pain rocketing through my skull, my hands dart up to claw him. I dig my nails into the skin on his hands and scratch him hard enough I draw blood.
My battle angers him more. He pushes me backward until my back is splayed against the wallpaper I was admiring minutes ago. He glares at me with a set of malevolent, morally bankrupt eyes as he lowers one of his hands to clutch my throat. My mind spirals, unable to seperate the past from the present. When images of my attack in the alleyway flash before my eyes, I shift my gaze sideways, expecting to see my savior running towards me. The frantic beat of my heart kicks into overdrive when I discover no one within eyesight.
I drift my frightened gaze back to the man pinning me to the wall. He keeps one of his hands wrapped around my throat while the other one painfully squeezes my breast through my dress. My lungs heave as violently as my stomach, sickened at the glint of lust forming in his eyes. Not willing to lay down without a fight, I kick my legs out wildly, fighting with all my might.
I suck in lung-filling gulps of air when one of my kicks hits him with enough force to loosen his grip around my neck. Using his stumbling composure to my advantage, I crash my knee into his groin, then push him hard in the chest. His hand darts down to protect his crotch from another vicious attack as he takes a fumbling step backward.
