Thankfully, we were saved from any further discussion on the matter as our server arrived with our entrees.
When Sasha dug into his plate, overflowing with pasta, I gaped at him.
Sensing my stare, he swallowed the bite in his mouth and turned to face me. “What?”
I titled my head toward the other side of the booth he’d previously occupied. “Aren’t you going to go back over there?”
“Nope.” He scooped another heaving forkful of pasta into his mouth.
I couldn’t help but let out a disbelieving laugh. Neither of us were small people, so it was a tight fit for us to be seated on the same bench. Our thighs were pressed together, and our elbows bumped as we ate.
Sasha had given me a few keys to unlocking what made him tick, but I was still just as perplexed about the man who had pestered me until I’d agreed to this one date.
We kept the conversation light for the rest of dinner. Sasha told me more about his professional hockey team, impressing me with tales of their recent championships while making my heart long for some of the camaraderie he described having with his teammates.
Growing up, my friendships had been superficial at best. I was isolated as the niece of the current Don and cousin of the future one. Other girls born to men loyal to my family were afraid to get too close, fearing it could negatively impact their standing within the organization.
Being born a Bellini was a curse in so many ways.
I was stuck on that thought as we drove back to my place.
Sasha was this bright and shiny person. I couldn’t imagine dulling him, but that would surely happen if I allowed him to pull me down the path he had set out for us in his mind.
Escaping from my past life in Chicago was an illusion. I would never be truly free. I couldn’t change the blood running through my veins or forget the past that had damaged me beyond repair.
So, I was left with only one choice: I had to let him down easy.
But I would always cling to the memories of our one evening together when he’d treated me like an equal.
I let him lead me to my front door, and I fumbled in my purse for my keys as the nerves kicked in.
His large palm covered my trembling one, the heat radiating off his body seeping into my bones. “You don’t have to be nervous. I’ll take good care of you.”
Okay, time to shut this down.
Turning to face him, I sighed. “Look, Sasha. Tonight was fun, and you’re a really nice guy—”
I didn’t get any further before he caught me off guard, caging me in against my front door. His eyes darkened to a deep ocean blue, and he rasped, “You’re right. I am anice guy, but you know what they say about us, don’t you?”
My heart hammered against my ribcage erratically, and I stammered, “N-no.”
Sasha flashed me with a wicked grin before he dipped his head, lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “That we finish last.” He let out a low groan that had my toes curling. “And fuck, Kitten, is that ever true. I’m going to have you coming so many times that you’ll be a shaking, whimpering mess before I take a single ounce of my own pleasure from your sweet body. That’s a fucking promise.”
Those words were the bucket of ice water I’d so desperately needed.
A snort sounded, and it took viewing Sasha’s slightly amused expression as he pulled back to realize it had come from me. He stared at me expectantly, waiting for an explanation of my reaction.
Fuck it. I didn’t need to impress him by playing coy.
“It was a smooth line, and you get points on the delivery, but unfortunately, it was wasted on the wrong woman.” When he only blinked at me, I explained, “No man has ever made me come.”
Instead of backing away and accepting the rejection, he forced a knee between my thighs, causing me to gasp at the bold move. With his body pressed flush to mine, I could feel the outline of the massive erection insistent against my hip.
My mouth went dry. I knew he was packing a monster down there from the brief glimpse I’d caught that day at the rink. He’d been just as unashamed of it then as he was now.
Earlier tonight, he’d made a point to reassure me that he could make it fit, no matter how tight the space. But getting a true gauge on the size of it now, I had my doubts. Even if he could cram that cock inside a woman, it was more likely to elicit a pained response from his bed partner versus a pleasurable one.
Voice husky and low, he taunted, “I don’t need a diagram, baby. I know where all the right spots are. Don’t you worry.”
