Bonds

-Maya's POV-

I couldn't stay. Not after what my mother said. The thought of being the reason my father lost his wife, the fear of what he might do to me if that happened... It was too much. I grabbed the twins and got us out of there.

My mother's face was etched with sadness as we walked past her, still locked in a tense stand-off with my father. He glared at the children, making by clutch my hand so tightly her knuckles turned white. Even for Daniel Stone, scaring little kids was a new low.

By the time I got back to Ivan's house, I was already knee-deep in job applications again. Just another day in my life. That's when Iwan walked in.

He looked rough. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and his usual charm was missing. I sighed. "What happened this time?"

He tossed his tie on the nearest chair and started unbuttoning his shirt. My heart hammered in my chest as his toned back came into view. He turned around, a playful smile flashing across his face when he saw the blush creep up my cheeks. But then, as if remembering my question, his smile vanished.

"There was a fight. My wolves and Alex's pack. We lost five men today. Don't know how many they lost."

A knot formed in my stomach, I thought things had calmed down. Guess I was wrong. This wasn't what Ivan signed up for. He always said he wanted no part of my father's war.

I shoved the laptop aside and walked over to him. "You look beat. Sit."

He hesitated for a moment, then sank onto the bed with a tired sigh. I climbed up behind him, my hands finding the tense muscles in his shoulders.

He groaned as I applied pressure. The tension slowly started to seep out of him.

"What if..." I started, "What if you broke the merge with my father? You and your wolves could walk away. Let them destroy each other if that's what they want."

He let out another groan, and I dug my fingers a little deeper. Finally, he spoke.

"Tried that already. Daniel won't let the merge go, and my wolves...well, they're not exactly peaceful creatures. They love a good fight. Getting primal, letting the beast out, feels good to them."

"There's gotta be another way," I mumbled, more to myself than to him.

Ivan chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Maybe. But right now, I just want some sleep."

I stopped kneading his shoulders and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the exposed skin just above his collarbone. He tilted his head back slightly, surprised, and looked down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What was that for?" he asked, his voice husky.

I offered him a shy smile but didn't answer. Instead, I climbed off the bed and moved to stand in front of him. Taking a deep breath, I knelt before him, my hand instinctively reaching qut to brush a stray strand of hair from his forehead.

His eyes darkened noticeably, the exhaustion momentarily replaced by a flicker of something else. Desire. It was a spark, a tiny flame amidst the storm he was clearly in.

My own heart hammered a little faster in my chest. This wasn't something I usually did. I almost never initiated sex. I would give a subtle look and Alex would understand, it also helped that he liked being in control and why was I thinking about that right now?

My fingers, emboldened by a newfound boldness, slowly found their way to the buckle of his belt. It was warm beneath my touch. He watched me, his expression unreadable. There was no protest, no movement to stop me. His silence, however, was more a question than anything else.

"Helping you get some sleep," I finally whispered a reply.

A slow smile spread across his face, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes but there was a weariness that followed. "You sure about that?"

Was I sure? Did I know what I was doing? Could I handle it if he did nothing to prevent me from taking what at I wanted?

I needed to get out of my head so I tugged on the belt and then released it from the loop of his jeans. Then I reached for the button at the waistband, not sure how far I was willing to go. My fingers trembled. The material was soft and silky against them. I pushed it aside and eased down the zipper, praying my hands wouldn't shake so much that I ruined my resolve.

The sound of his breathing deepened as I pulled back the denim to expose him.-

The only time we had had sex, I hadn't allowed myself to focus on the size but right now that it was in front of me, I physically swallowed. He was big, very big. I ran my hand along the hard length of him, awed by its perfection. It throbbed under my touch, pulsating with need.

He let out an audible growl, which encouraged me to continue. His muscles tightened beneath my fingertips, and his hips moved slightly toward me. Encouraged, I gave him a light squeeze and released him. Another growl sounded.

When I touched him again, I felt him pulsate once more.

"You don't have to do this." His hoarse voice sounded in the room suddenly.

I raised my head to meet his gaze. His eyes were wild, glazed with desire, yet they looked like he was having an internal battle with them.

"I want to," I said softly. And I meant it.

I wanted to. I wasn't sure what that would mean or where it might lead but I needed to be certain I could take control. To do so, I had to know just how much I liked being submissive to a dominant man.

I took hold of him once more and stroked him gently. I heard a choked groan. I looked up and found his face strained, his lips parted, his eyes wild and dark with lust. He watched me with intense concentration, the tendons along his neck standing out as he clenched his jaw.

I closed my mouth around the tip of him and licked lightly. He swore and grabbed my hair. I went down on him harder, sucking him into my mouth until I could take no more. He yanked on my hair again and tried to pull me away, but I refused to let go.

Then, to my surprise, he let out a low groan and began to thrust into my mouth. One of his hands came up and gripped my head while the other held onto my ponytail. He moved in and out of my mouth roughly. My throat burned with each pass, but I continued to hold him fast, reveling in his pain, feeding off his strength.

I felt his thighs tighten and knew he was close to coming. He made a strangled noise and then stilled. I kept going, wanting to make him explode in my mouth.

Then he reached down and grasped my chin. In one swift motion, he brought me up and kissed me, his tongue filling my mouth and devouring mine. "Stop," he commanded.

I withdrew, gasping for air, his taste still lingering on my lips.

I shook my head. I wanted more. I wanted to make him come for me. "Let me finish," I rasped.

He shook his head. "No." He looked at me with so much desire in his eyes, "F*ck you are so beautiful."

I felt the wetness gather between my legs, a reminder of how turned on I was. Before I knew what waso m happening, my clothes were off me, my back hit the bed and he was inside me. I wrapped my legs around him and dug my nails into his back.

He cursed and bit his lip as he pushed himself deeper inside me. "So f*cking good," he groaned. He began to move, his pace increasing with every stroke. My hips lifted to meet him, driving him harder.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

He reached over and squeezed my breast and pinched my nipple. A sharp sting shot through me and h arched my back crying out then he flipped me over and entered me from behind. He didn't give me a chance to recover before he began to drive into me with quick hard strokes. I cried out in pleasure as he slid home.

The sounds that left my mouth were almost indistinguishable from those that escaped his. He slapped my ass hard, punctuating his paint. I shuddered at the stinging blow.

He slapped it again. "More," he ordered.

I moaned and lifted my butt higher, inviting him in. As if to punish me, he a

gripped my hip and pulled out m completely, giving me a moment's respite. He sank back in slowly. Then faster. Harder. Deeper, I fell forward against the mattress. He caught me by the waist and helped me keep my balance.

His fingers brushed my clit. "Come for me."

The words were a trigger. I arched my back and screamed out in ecstasy as I came. He roared and exploded inside me, sinking his teeth deep into my shoulder.

Then when the seconds passed and my head focused, the realization set in-Ivan had marked me.