“I would rather show you what you already know, Violet.”
She tipped her head down just enough to capture his mouth with hers. The soft, steady sweep of his lips, and the stroke of his tongue against the seam of her lips had her deepening the kiss. She wanted more of him then—more of him to taste, and to feel.
All of him.
Kaz never broke the kiss as he lifted enough from the floor to push Violet back to the silky comforter. He was already shoving his undone pants down along with his boxer-briefs a second before he met her on the bed. She widened her legs under his urging hands, hooking them around his waist.
When he finally tore his mouth away from hers, she only had one quick moment to take in a breath, and then he was there …
Violet felt his hand between their bodies, and his cock sliding against her slit. She wasn’t surprised that he was already hard. How could she when she was already gasping for air and wet from just the need to have him, and nothing more?
With one sharp flex of his hips, Kaz took Violet deep. The immediate rush of relief washed through her, and sent her head tipping back to the bed, exposing her neck to his mouth again. His groan buried into her skin, right along with the imprints of his teeth as her first cry came out broken and loud.
God, she ached for this man.
“Kaz …”
He grabbed onto her waist, and lifted up from her just enough that he could catch her kiss again. His tongue struck against hers hard, but it was the only roughness between them.
Their fucking had always been hard and fast. No matter where or when it had happened, it usually left her sated and tender, but still demanding more.
And this wasn’t the same at all.
But it still killed her just the same.
Slow, long thrusts that filled her, and took her higher with each one. His fingers raking down her skin while she traced the lines of his face and watched him from up above. The only sounds registering to her ears were the slap of skin, his shuddering exhales, and her whispers.
Violet tightened her legs around his waist, needing Kaz closer than what he was, if it were possible. She wanted to stay like that for a moment, chasing bliss, and watching him love her.
All that blackness she had seen coloring their world began to bleed away. Her fingernails dug into his back, raking lines over his skin.
“Love you,” he breathed.
She felt his lips tremble against hers with the words.
The tears fell, and he caught them.
“Love you,” Violet told him.
She was pretty sure she had never said anything more honest in her life.
And she probably wouldn’t ever find anything more true to say than those words to him.
Another slow stroke of his body into hers, and she was flying high, and crashing down at the same fucking time. It hit her when she wasn’t expecting it to, and that made it so damn good.
Good enough that she shook, and colors burst behind her clenched lids when she shut her eyes and her back bowed off the bed. Kaz’s mouth came down on hers, hiding the cry that crawled its way out of her throat. He pushed harder into her once, and on the second thrust, she felt him shudder as he came, her name muffled against her lips.
“Love you,” he repeated.
Violet let more tears fall.
She knew he did.
But they were still a little lost.
And that blackness was seeping back in.
Kaz couldn’t sleep, not when Violet had finally relaxed enough to go under tucked into his side, or the three hours he had lain there awake after, struggling to find peace in his thoughts.
They were out of time.
He knew that the moment she called him, nearly too afraid to put into words that Vasily had given her father more than enough ammunition to send him gunning down for Kaz. But he wasn’t concerned with what Alberto had planned for him, but rather his plans for Violet.
He didn’t doubt that her father was going to punish her for being with him. And considering the way the man treated her when she was in his good graces, he couldn’t imagine how he was going to react now.
As he knew, Vasily didn’t make idle threats. When he gave a warning, it was up to the person to understand that that would be the only one they got.
Hubris. Kaz had thought he would be able to maintain the relationship, as well as keeping it a secret from both their families. Even as careful as they had been, they still weren’t careful enough, and now … they were out of time.
Lost in his thoughts, he gently stroked Violet’s hair, finding peace within the movements. How many times had he done this very action, but took it for granted?
She, every part of her, was worth committing to memory, so in his darkest hours, he could have something that brought him calm.
After some time, however, Kaz must have fallen asleep as the next thing he knew, Vera was swinging the door open, startling them both awake as the wood hit the wall.