"Fuck, Vince," he breathed against my lips. "The way you respond to me..."
He was right. It had never been like this with anyone before. Not with Todd, not with any lover I'd had. Where those encounters had been pleasant enough, sometimes even exciting, this was a full-body, soul-deep reaction that bypassed my usual careful restraint. The way my body sang under Luka's touch, the way I craved more without reservation or overthinking… It was new territory, thrilling and slightly terrifying.
I drowned in sensation, in the heady knowledge that this dangerous, complex man wanted me with such intensity. Each touch resonated like reverence, each kiss a confession. I surrendered completely, letting him guide us, trusting him implicitly in a way that would have terrified me had I analyzed it. But analysis escaped me now. There existed only Luka, only this moment, only the crescendo of desire building between us.
"You know what I realized at the range?" Luka asked, his teeth grazing my bottom lip.
"What?" I managed, still dizzy from his kisses.
"That I've been too fucking gentle with you." He pulled back slightly, studying my face with an intensity that made my cock twitch. "I want to show you the real me. Not the watered-down version."
I swallowed, recognizing after our conversation at the range exactly what he offered. Not just sex, but a glimpse into the core of what intimacy meant to him—control, choice, power claimed rather than surrendered.
"Yes," I said, the word leaving me in a breath.
A wolfish smile spread across his face, confident and hungry. He took my hand in his, then squared his shoulders and set his jaw in an exaggerated manner. "Come vith me if you vant to live," he said in the worst Arnold Schwarzenegger impression imaginable, complete with flexed biceps.
I burst out laughing, the sound surprising even me after the intensity of the moment. "That's truly terrible."
"What, you don't think I have a future in voice acting?" he replied with a wink. "But it got you to laugh. I like that sound."
"Just don't quit your day job," I advised. "Although, wait, your day job is killing people, so maybe do pursue voice acting instead. The world would be safer."
He tugged me toward the hallway, his grip firm but not forceful. "Seriously though, bedroom. Now. I have plans for you, doc."
"Ooh, plans," I teased, following willingly. "Should I be worried that your plans for me involve the same meticulous attention you give to your murder missions? Because I'm not sure if that's terrifying or hot."
"Definitely both," he replied, eyes dancing with mischief. "Best prepare to be thoroughly debriefed, Dr. Matthews."
"Was that a pun? Did the deadly assassin just make an underwear pun? I think I'm in love."
In the bedroom, he released my hand and moved to the dresser, opening a drawer and retrieving something I couldn't quite see. When he turned back, he held a sleek black blindfold that lookedprofessional-grade, clearly not improvised for the moment but part of a collection he already owned.
"Here's how this works," he said, twirling the blindfold around his finger. "I'm going to take away your sight. And then I'm going to take you apart, piece by fucking piece, until you forget every boring, vanilla fuck you've ever had."
My mouth went instantly dry.
He stepped closer, the blindfold dangling from his fingers. "One more thing. Safe word is 'platypus'. Yell that, and everything stops immediately. No questions asked."
I couldn't help it. I laughed. "Platypus? Where did that come from?"
"What?" he shrugged, completely unapologetic. "It's weird enough that you won't say it accidentally during sex, and have you seen those things? Fucking unhinged animals. Mammals that lay eggs and have venomous ankle spurs? That's nature's way of saying 'Fuck you. I do what I want.' I respect the chaos."
Despite the intensity of the moment, I found myself laughing. The deadliest man I'd ever met had apparently given serious thought to the evolutionary rebelliousness of platypuses.
"Platypus it is," I agreed.
"You only use it if you mean it," he continued, moving even closer. "Otherwise, you take what I give you. And trust me, doc, you're going to fucking love it."
"Okay," I replied, with a shaky voice.
He chuckled, a low sound that dripped pure sin. "Nervous, doc? Good. You should be." He reached up, tracing my lower lip with his thumb in a casual display of ownership. "I've been dreaming of fucking you since the moment I saw you through my scope. You have no idea the things I've imagined doing to you."
The crude honesty should have jarred me, but after our conversation at the range, I understood its significance. This was Luka completely present, completely himself.
"Turn around," he commanded, and I complied without hesitation.
My pulse quickened, a pleasant shiver cascading down my spine as I presented my back to him. My skin prickled with awareness, hypersensitive to the air between us. Something in my chest loosened even as my breathing grew shallow.
