Then he’s kissing me, thrusting his tongue into my mouth as he pumps his hips faster, moaning and pulling my hair, f*****g me in a frenzy. He drops his head to my shoulder and releases my hair, wrapping an arm around my back and pulling me tightly against his chest. With one final, violent thrust, he orgasms. He groans against my neck. It goes all the way through me. I feel him pulse and throb and listen to his beautiful husky groans of pleasure, and something unlocks inside the center of my chest. The moment feels powerfully significant. I have to fight the sudden urge to cry. We stay like that, locked together, panting and shaking, until Mal rubs his beard gently against my neck. He exhales, squeezing me tight. He murmurs something in Russian. It’s achingly soft. I don’t ask what

