In the Beginning (Volkov Bratva #1)(39)

Lauren turned back to look over her shoulder, surprised to find Mishca leaning against the wall, studying her. He wasn’t shy with his perusal of her, pale eyes raking over her slowly. He’d taken off his suit jacket and vest, his nearly transparent white dress shirt sculpting to his chest, the ink of his tattoos showing through, but Lauren had a hard time not focusing on the sculpted planes of his abdomen.

He came towards her, slowly, like he was trying not to scare her. Lauren took a step back, dropping her hands to press against the glass, feeling the coolness against her palms. He stopped just a few inches away from her, hands going up to sift through his hair, the material of his shirt stretching taut over his chest.

She thought of reaching forward to touch him, wondering about his reaction, wondering if he would touch her as well.

“Lauren.”

Her gaze snapped up to his amused one, realizing that he had been speaking to her while she had been too busy ogling him.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you wanted to change.”

Breaking eye contact, she nodded. She was just as soaked as he was. “Can I have a shirt?”

He reached into his wardrobe, pulling out one of his customary white T-shirts.

“Your bathroom?”

Lauren thought she saw a look of disappointment before he schooled his features, gesturing behind him to a closed door. She quietly excused herself, brushing by him, escaping to the confines of the bathroom, taking a calming breath as she shut the door and leaned against it.

Finding a washcloth, she scrubbed her face clean of makeup, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

“You want this,” she reminded herself. That much was true. She had thought about it plenty of times over the last few weeks.

But was she ready for that? There was nothing for her to be afraid of. She could just go for it and if she changed her mind, she wouldn’t let it go any further…but he had bought her dress, and maybe he would expect something, even if she didn’t want it to happen. Then, what if he thought she was just—

“Lauren?” Mishca called through the door, “Are you alright?”

“Fine…just a second.”

With one last glance in the mirror, she hit the light and stepped out. Mishca was seated on the edge of the bed, his shoes in a corner, his fingers fiddling with his bow tie. He paused at the sight of her still dressed.

“Can you unzip me?” She asked turning to give him her back so he wouldn’t see the blush rising in her cheeks. “I couldn’t reach.”

She blew out a breath as she heard his footsteps behind her, perceiving his body heat as he stood at her back for several seconds. But instead of going for her zipper, his hands were in her hair, removing the pins holding her hair up, sweeping the wavy strands over one shoulder.

Lauren dropped her head forward as his hand closed around the nape of her neck, not tightly, just a soft caress before he continued down. His touch was gentle, branding her as his fingers slid along her bare skin, stopping at the clasp at her spine. He slipped the button free with a twist of his fingers, pulling the zipper down and following the parting halves with skillful fingers, his hands warm against her skin.

Goosebumps erupted over her flesh as she held the material to her chest, the straps sliding off her shoulders.

As he took a step back to give her space, Lauren had a decision to make. She could either don the shirt he’d given her and play it safe, or she could do something she had never done before…

Steeling her resolve, Lauren faced him, loosening the constricting hold she had on the material in her hands. The shirt fell and the dress pooled at her feet, leaving her in just the lingerie she had picked for this night.

Mishca’s breath caught as she turned to face him, playing with the ends of her hair in nervousness. He met her eyes for one second…two…three, but finally his focus skirted lower, drinking her in. His pupils dilated and he rubbed at his jaw, but he made no moves to come towards her.

Instead, she came to him.

Lauren reached up, touching the bow tie around his neck, waiting for his nod before untying the knot and dropping it to the floor. She next started on his shirt, following his example as she traced the path with her fingertips, feeling his heart beat inside his chest, his velvety soft skin, and down past the ridges and contours of his stomach. He shrugged out of his shirt without comment, adding to their growing pile of clothing on the floor.

As Lauren placed her fingers at the waistband of his pants, he stopped her, pulling her hands away so he could step closer until they were nearly pressed together. She drew her head back so she could see his face and what she saw there made anticipation flare to life in her stomach. He was just as affected by this as she was, his pupils like saucers as he regarded her. It was different, seeing it in person than reading about it. She could see the strength of his desire, could feel it.

Careful, gauging her reactions, Mishca cupped her face in his large hands, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, just watching her until neither of them could stand it any longer.

At first, it was just a light brush of his lips against hers, like it was the first time all over again. He drew back, just for a second, tracing her lips with his thumb before setting in again, no longer hesitant.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, slowing sliding his hand over her lower back, Mishca drew her close until she was flush against him. She sighed into his mouth, looping her arms around his neck to pull him down. It became desperate a moment later, like they couldn’t get close enough. He maneuvered her back with ease, and when the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, she laughed softly as he gave her a slight push.