his head to the side, eyes brightening as he saw the darkening of my expression, the hunger I allowed to show.
“I’m ready to test my hypothesis.”
He went so still the water stopped rippling. “Is that so?”
I met his gaze head on. “Yes.”
Konstantin drew closer, his hands resting on either side of my thighs. I could feel them lightly pressing against my flesh, teasing and inevitable.
“What equipment do you suppose I should use for our experiment?” he purred. His eyes had grown so dark, so heavy, that the tawny brown was now closer to the color of hickory.
I swallowed against my dry throat. “Whatever you have on hand.”
His grin grew wider, teeth flashing dangerously.
Very slowly, Konstantin reached forward and pushed my knees apart. Air brushed against me immediately, bringing with it a tickling sensation between my thighs.
His rough hands rested on each knee, not moving just yet.
“Now, lyubimaya,” he murmured, “there a few rules to an experiment, aren’t there? Would you care to tell me what they are?”
I wasn’t sure if I could speak, or think, but the answer came to me. “Controlled variables.” I sounded breathless, like I had just run a marathon.
“Controlled variables,” he repeated, his accent rolling over the words. “What are they?”
“I didn’t realize this was a quiz.” I tried to sound sarcastic, but my tone sounded too husky and hoarse.
Konstantin understood anyway. “Not a quiz, an experiment.” His fingers dug deeper in my knees, the sensation going straight down to the apex of my thighs. He smiled at my reaction and prompted, “Controlled variables?”
“They…make sure the experiment is valid…” I swallowed air.
“And what are our controlled variables?”
“The controlled variables…” My mind tumbled over the situation, but kept getting caught on the sense of Konstantin’s fingers pressing into my flesh, his chest on display, his hair sticking to his forehead— “Temperature…it is a constant.”
“We have that covered. What else?”
What else? My eyes darted to his fingers. “The subjects involved have to stay the same.”
His smirk was nothing but dangerous. “They will definitely remain the same.”
His thumbs began to move in slow circles. The stimulation stole my attention, the soft press of his thumb, the goosebumps rising along my thigh…
He was so close to the faint throbbing, so near and yet so far.
“Have we covered all our bases?”
Technically, no, but I was sick of playing his little game. I wanted to feel his fingers inside of me. Now.
I nodded.
Konstantin smiled like he had seen straight into my lie. “Well, then, shall we begin?” He stretched my legs further, pressing them into the sides of the bath.
My heart began to speed up, a rapid drumming in my chest. I could feel my gut twist in anticipation, my thighs shake in prediction.
He drew his hands up higher and higher, closer and closer, until they were dangerous close to me.
“Lyubimaya,” he purred, hands cupping my thighs. His tattoos stood out starkly against my unblemished skin, images of birds and daggers staring up at me.
“Konstantin,” I breathed.
His eyes snapped up to mine, a small smile playing on his lips. “Relax, lyubimaya. The banya is for relaxing.”
I didn’t think I was ever going to relax again. My bones were about to rip from my skin, my legs were shaking, the throbbing was increasing.
Konstantin leaned down to my left thigh, pressing his lips to my knee. Soft and warm, he trailed his lips higher and higher until he could breathe in the scent of me, see the effects of his teasing.
His smile told me he did.
But he didn’t go where my thigh directed him. Instead he pulled himself back up and paid attention to my right knee. Once again, he trailed kisses down the sensitive skin, only this time I felt the scrape of teeth, the press of his incisors.
My heart sped up further.
“Konstantin,” I breathed, both a warning and a plea.
“Patience, lyubimaya. Good things take time.”
I didn’t want him to take time. I wanted to feel his lips on me now.
Konstantin’s thumbs hadn’t stopped their rubbing, only growing harder as he pressed his lips against me.
His hands stretched out suddenly, pinning me to the side of the bath. The strength was firm but gentle.
Water sloshed as he crouched down, his muscles straining and creasing as he got into position. He was deep enough that water lapped over his shoulders, hiding his naked form from me.
“Lyubimaya,” he murmured, pressing another kiss to my inner thigh. He was so close now, so close I could feel his hot breath against the nakedness of me.