Page 26

I buried my hands in his hair. “Kirill.”

“Tell me.” There was a demand in his voice, but it was too soft to be intimidating. “Tell me what you want.”

“Put your mouth on me.” I tugged on his hair, my head falling back and my spine curling into Roman’s chest when he splayed a hand over my stomach to support me.

Kirill’s tongue slid through me in one long sweep. My hips jerked, and Roman braced me from behind before my legs could fold. Kirill’s mouth closed over my clit, sucking hard enough to wrench a cry from me while Roman lifted my breasts in both hands. He dragged his thumbs over my nipples in time with every slow pull of Kirill’s mouth.

I clutched Roman’s forearm when he banded it over my stomach and rode Kirill’s tongue, the pressure building so fast I couldn’t catch my breath. Roman turned my head and kissed me through every broken sound, holding me upright while Kirill drove me closer.

Maksim moved in the shadows, taking a step closer, and I held out a hand toward him.

13

MAKSIM

I’d watched her choose Roman and Kirill, watched every shiver and heard every broken sound while keeping myself in the corner because desire didn’t erase what we’d done to her. None of us had earned the right to assume we were welcome, and I refused to eliminate her choice.

But that crook of her fingers drew me in, lured me closer as she mouthed my name.

My restraint snapped, and I crossed the room, stopping to wrap my hand around hers. “You want me?”

Her eyes narrowed despite Kirill’s mouth between her thighs. “If you make me say something sarcastic right now, I’m going to be furious.”

I chuckled and slid my arm around her shoulders, standing close enough for her trembling to roll through me. “Say it anyway. I need to hear you.” I needed a lot more than that, but I’d settle for this.

Her fingers curled in my shirt. “I need you, Maksim.”

Hearing my name in her mouth knocked the air from my lungs. I caught the back of her neck and kissed her while Kirill drove her over the edge. Her cry filled my mouth with a delicious hiccup of air.

Roman held her steady from behind, his arm banded around her waist as her body shook between us, and I tasted every gasp until her grip loosened.

Kirill pressed a final kiss to the inside of her thigh before sitting back on his heels. “She tastes exactly the way I remember.”

Anika sucked in a breath and glared down at him. “You say that like I’m a pastry.”

“I’ve heard you make excellent pastries.” He wiped his mouth with his thumb, looking far too pleased with himself. “I’m beginning to understand your professional inspiration.”

She kicked at him, but her leg buckled halfway through the attempt.

I swept her into my arms before she fell, savoring the weight of her. Fuck but I’d missed this. I missed her, which was so out of the norm for me that I forgot how to breathe. I could hold her forever, linger in the feel of her skin and never grow tired.

“I can walk.” She looped her arms around my neck, undermining the complaint.

“You can barely stand.” I carried her to the bed and lowered her onto the edge. “Let’s not quibble over semantics. This is much more fun.” I winked, and her mouth snapped shut before she huffed a laugh.

Five years ago, she’d lain beneath us in a room lit by candles, flushed and laughing as each of us discovered what she liked. We’d thought we’d have the next morning to learn her name. Instead, we woke to an empty bed and spent far too long furious with a woman we couldn’t forget.

Now she sat naked in front of me, her hair mussed from Roman’s hands and her lips swollen with our kisses. I wanted to bury myself inside her until the past disappeared. I wanted oblivion from my own mind.

Anika reached for my belt. “Too much thinking.” One finger trailed over my eyebrow, then down my cheek. “Come back to me, Maksim.”

“Occupational hazard.” I trapped her hand before she reached my zipper. “I want to make sure you’re not offering yourself as forgiveness.”

She snorted, the desire in her expression softening even as she managed to extract her hand from mine and undo my belt. “I’m offering sex. Try to keep up.”

Kirill laughed while Roman crossed to the other side of the bed. “She does have a way of clarifying complex situations.”

“Thank you.” She batted her eyelashes and bounced on the bed. “Take off your clothes. All of you. I’m entirely too naked for this to be fair.”