When the chorus starts again, I remove his shirt and bend to press my lips over his scarred right eyelid. “All your . . . imperfections.”
He takes a deep breath and cups my face between his huge rough palms, his touch so impossibly tender. I smile and, with my finger, trace a heart shape on his chest.
I can’t believe I almost lost him. The nightmares of that day still plague me, and I wake up in the middle of the night with panic squeezing my chest. Leaning forward, I slam my lips into his while my hands travel to his bare back, heedless of his older scars. But when I feel the raised round mark under my fingers, I shudder and squeeze him tighter to me.
There is not much light in the room, but, even with my slightly blurred vision, I can see the tears gathering in the corners of Bianca’s eyes.
“Baby? What’s wrong?”
She presses her lips together and touches her forehead to mine while her finger traces a pattern around the already healed gunshot wound on my back.
“Bianca, look at me, baby.”
She lifts her head, and I take her chin between my fingers. “I am okay. Can you please try to forget about it?”
Her hand rests at the nape of my neck and she nods, but I know she’s lying because one tear escapes and rolls down her cheek. I can’t take it. For years, I believed there was nothing I couldn’t endure, but seeing Bianca cry because of me . . . I can’t take that.
“Do you want me to reassure you, my little lamb?” I ask as I trail my hand down the center of her chest and stomach, then reach under her tulle skirt to press my fingers at her pussy.
She takes a deep breath and nods, and I slide my finger inside of her. Standing up from the chair, I start unbuttoning my pants with my right hand, without removing the left one from her pussy. When I manage to get rid of my pants, I take the waistband of her skirt and pull it up and over her head, then turn her around and press her back to me, wrapping my free hand around her waist.
“Ready?” I ask and nuzzle her neck.
She nods, and I tighten the arm around her, then lift her and head out of the gym. Bianca squeezes my forearm and presses her legs together, panting as I carry her. I make sure I go slow, teasing the inside of her all the way to the bedroom, and by the time we reach the bed, she is already close to coming.
“Not yet, baby.” I set her down next to the bed and slowly remove my finger from her, but instead of laying down, she climbs to stand on the edge of the bed and presses her palms onto my chest.
“I want to . . .” she whispers, “tell you . . . so much.”
“You don’t have to say anything, Bianca.” I press my lips to hers, then slide my palms down her back and grab her under her ass. I planned on savoring her in the bed but changed my mind, so I pull her up until her legs wrap around my waist and I turn to lean her back against the wall. I lower her onto my rock-hard cock slowly, loving the way her breath catches when I fill her up.
“Even half blind, I can see everything, baby.” I slide out and then slam into her. “Every.” Slam. “Single.” Slam. “Thing.”
Bianca whimpers, squeezing her arms around my neck as she inhales to the beat of me pounding into her. She usually closes her eyes when she comes, but now, she keeps them wide open, holding my gaze as she trembles and pants. I explode inside her like never before, then crash my mouth to hers, squeezing her body to mine and holding her long after we both come down from the high.
Shit. Something is not right.
I try working the dough a bit more, but it’s still sticking to my fingers. After wiping the flour from my hands on the apron, I take the phone from the back pocket of my jeans and open the message window. I promised Lena piroshki for dinner, and I need to make this dough right, damn it.
19:22 Bianca: I fucked up something, the dough looks like bubble gum. Can you check with Igor if he gave you the right measurements?
19:24 Nina: Just try adding more flour. He gives me different measurements every time I ask and I’m starting to wonder if he’s doing it on purpose. Doesn’t want anyone to get his piroshki recipe probably. I’ll tell Roman to scare him a bit, maybe he’ll succumb then.
19:25 Bianca: Please don’t. Lol. I’ll try adding more flour. Anything new there?
19:26 Nina: Roman just came from Sergei’s place. He said that the house looks like a hurricane went through it. Sergei smashed everything.
19:27 Bianca: Why? I never met the guy, but from what I heard from Mikhail, he’s a little . . . unhinged.
19:29 Nina: That’s an understatement of the century, dear. Looks like the girl he had at his place disappeared and he went ballistic. Want to come over?