His lips found the curve of my shoulder, pressing soft, lingering kisses. My fingers tangled in his hair as I sighed against him, losing myself in the warmth of his touch.
I had spent so long being unwanted, unloved, trapped in a life where my body and heart were never my own. But Dimitri… he didn't take. He gave. He asked, not demanded.
And I gave myself to him, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.
As his hands moved lower, slipping beneath the fabric of my shirt, his touch lingered on the bare skin of my back. I felt the heat of him spread through me, a warmth that coursed through every nerve, every inch of my body. My breath quickened, my pulse racing, but I didn't pull away. I welcomed it. I welcomed him.
He paused, his fingers brushing the small of my back, and I felt him pull away just slightly, his gaze searching mine once more.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice low, filled with a quiet tenderness.