Page 65 of Toxic Attraction
The tears come silently, soaking into his pillow, and I press my face harder against his chest to muffle the sound.
His arms tighten around me.
"I've got you," he whispers. "Sleep,Milaya. I've got you."
But he hasn't got me.
Nobody does.
I'm fracturing.
Coming apart at the seams.
And the worst part?
I don't want to stop.
Because being in Lev's arms, even while my world burns down around me, feels more right than anything else in my life.
And that terrifies me more than Patrick's threats ever could.
Chapter ten
Lev
Iwake up with a woman in my bed for the first time in five years.
Not just any woman. Valerie.
She's curled against my chest, small body tucked under my arm, wearing nothing but my shirt that she grabbed at some point during the night. The white fabric swallows her frame, sleeves falling past her wrists, hem riding up to reveal the curve of her ass.
Mine.
The possessiveness that slams through me is irrational. Dangerous. The kind that makes men stupid and gets them killed.
But lying here watching her sleep—dark hair spread across my pillow, lips slightly parted, one hand curled against my chest—I want to keep her exactly like this. Claimed. In my bed. Wearing my things.
She stirs, making this small sound that's half sigh, half whimper, and burrows closer.
The sunlight streaming through windows says it's past 7 AM. Late for me. I'm usually up by six, already coordinating shipments and reviewing security reports.
Instead, I stayed in bed watching her breathe.
Her eyes flutter open. Confusion first, then recognition when she sees my face. Fear flickers through her expression before something darker takes over—arousal mixed with terror in that twisted combination I'm addicted to.
"Morning," I murmur, hand sliding down her back to rest on her hip.
"Morning." Her voice is rough from sleep. "What time is it?"
"Late." I pull her on top of me in one motion. She gasps as she straddles my waist, my shirt riding up to expose everything underneath. "Shower. Now."
"I should —"
"No." The word comes out flat. Final. "You shower here. With me."
She opens her mouth to protest. I silence it with a kiss that turns her arguments into soft sounds of surrender.
My bathroom is all marble and chrome, glass shower big enough for six people. I turn on the water and strip while it heats, then pull her shirt over her head.
