by Tee, Marian
Vassi sucked in his breath as Seri lowered her hands and slowly opened her eyes to look at him. She whispered, “If you fall in love with her—-” Her teeth sank into her lower lip, which was shaking hard. “I’ll be h-happy for you.”
Agony ripped through him as he watched Seri lower her head.
If she truly had meant those words, then why had she looked like she was slowly killing herself with each word she spoke?
His mind warned him that it could be another act. Things might no longer be working between her and Rockford, and it was the reason why she was trying to win him back again.
But when he saw her shoulders start to shake—-
When he heard her desperately swallow her sobs back—-
Reason no longer mattered.
Seri needed him, and he would not – he just could not – turn his back on her again.
“Seri.” Her name on his lips, the sound raw and hoarse, made her head jerk up, just in time for her to see Vassi about to reach her.
“No—-” She tried to move away, but it was too late and his arms closed around hers.
Oh God.
And then she was crying, unable to help it.
“Vassi.”
He started kissing her, and she couldn’t help herself. Wounding her arms around his neck, she kissed him back feverishly, feeling like she was in a dream that she could wake up from any moment.
Even as he lowered her to bed, she was frantically trying her best to get rid of his clothes, unbuttoning his shirt and unzipping his jeans. As she pushed his shirt down his arms, she felt Vassi grasp the neckline of her dress before tearing it away with one quick hard rip.
Her bra went off next, followed by her panties, and then he was helping her get rid of his jeans and briefs.
Their bodies pressed against each other once more, and she gasped against his mouth at the feel of his hot, naked skin touching hers.
Tears burned her eyes.
Even though something had already happened between them yesterday—-
It had still felt like forever since the last time.
And it still didn’t feel enough.
His mouth started moving down, and she arched her neck, giving him all the access he wanted. He began to suck on the tender skin, and when once she would have desperately tried to stop him, this time she welcomed it. This time, she needed it. And the moment he lifted his mouth, she pushed against him, forcing him to roll to his back so she could straddle him.
Bending down, she did the same to him, sucking hard on his neck, claiming him, marking him, knowing that for as long as this burning kiss was on his body, no sane girl would be able to bear making love to a man who was marked by another woman.
He suddenly fisted her hair, pulling her back. “Enough.”
“No!” He didn’t understand. She had to mark him hard, had to find a way to mark him forever—-
But as she started to protest, the rest of her words disappeared in his mouth as Vassi kissed her hard. He began kneading her breasts, and she moaned against his lips even as she pushed herself closer towards him.
So long. It had been so long. And oh God, how she loved this. How she loved him.
Releasing her mouth, he began sucking on her nipple, and she moaned, the sound swirling and rebounding against the walls of the bedroom. She clutched his hair as he moved to her other nipple, and she began rubbing herself against him.
His hands moved to her hips, and taking it as her cue, she lifted her hips and posed herself above his cock.
His grip tightening, Vassi slowly impaled her.
She whimpered. “Vassi.”
He answered her plea by pulling her down, inch by inch, until his entire length had disappeared into her warmth.
She threw her head back with a gasp, heat washing over her at the way he filled her so completely.
“Ride me,” he said hoarsely.
It was a command she was eager to fulfill.
Clutching his shoulders, she began to ride him, slowly and steadily at first and then faster and harder until she was bouncing over him, her knees driving hard into the bed with every instance she pushed herself down on his cock. Vassi began to move as well, his hips pumping up to meet her every thrust.
When he reached up to squeeze her breasts, she gasped, and when he began to pinch her nipples even while thrusting in and out of her, Seri’s eyes began to roll back.
“I’m c-coming.”
“Then come,” he grated out, pinching her nipples even harder.
The beautiful agony sharpened into its peak, and she came with a scream, her hips moving wildly over his. A moment later, and he was groaning as well, shooting his cum into her even as he shoved his dick into her harder and harder while holding on to her breasts.
She collapsed against him in the aftermath of their joined release, her eyes closing as a drugging sense of exhaustion wafted through her.
Her eyelids closed.
Her breathing evened.
“Vassi.” It was her last word before she slept.
Under her, Vassi remained quiet and awake.
His mind told him one thing, his heart told him another.
His hand trembling, he slowly stroked her hair.
Seri.
Tomorrow, he would ask her one last time.
Chapter Seven
His eyelashes were so long.
Seri knew it was such a clichéd thought to have, and she had read and seen the exact same scene playing out in many of the shoujo manga and anime she had read and watched because of her work.
Even so—-
Her fingers trembled a bit as she slowly reached for his face, and she bit her lip when she finally felt his soft skin.
Vassi.
He had made love to her the entire night, and oh, Holy Mother of Russia, but she had made love to him right back.
And yet, even so—-
It didn’t feel enough.
After knowing how losing him tasted, after living for two long months with the knowledge that he was thousands of miles away, despising her, she didn’t think it would ever feel enough.
Leaving the bed as quietly and carefully as she could, Seri grabbed her phone from the bedside table before padding out of the bedroom. There were a couple of texts from Davey, but it was Max’s reply she read first.
Max: Thanks for informing me. Take care.
Guilt made Seri squeeze her eyes shut, and for a long moment she could only stand there.
Oh, Max.
Her mind told her that she would never hurt the way she was hurting now if she chose to be with the other man.
But her heart didn’t want it.
Her heart, in spite of all the time she had spent trying to purge her feelings, had always and only belonged to one man.
Inhaling shakily, she opened her eyes and forced her limbs to move. As she headed to the kitchen, she checked on Davey’s messages next, with the first two having come in last night.
Davey: Emergency in uni, sorry, I gotta leave.
Davey: Oh, and I forgot to lock the door.
Seri rolled her eyes. Yeah, right. Did Davey really think she would fall for that?
The last message was just this morning.
Davey: Have you seen the news?
She raised a brow at the vague message.
Seri: What news?
Putting her phone down on the counter, Seri checked Davey’s fridge and decided on a quick morning fix of scrambled eggs, sausages, and slices of cheese. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, she thought, and Vassi did always like to start the day with a hearty meal.
As she arranged the food on the tray, she thought about her next steps. First, she would confess the truth about what she had done. And then she would—-
Seri swallowed.
And then she would take the risk and ask Vassi if they could get back together – and stay together – if Fyodor ended up not supporting their relationship.
As she squeezed some oranges, h
er phone buzzed, and Seri tapped on the screen. It was Davey, sending her a link to click.
SERI DEVEREAUX: ONLY GOOD ON PAPER?
Seri Devereaux, daughter of iconic voice actress Marianna Devereaux, is reported to have been causing extreme trouble to the cast of Drawn: His Secret Toy.
According to our sources, the project’s sound director has let the higher powers know of his frustration and threatened to quit if Devereaux continues with her unexpectedly poor performance during rehearsals. The younger Devereaux had recently enjoyed a streak of success with a string of minor projects, and both fans and critics alike had expressed their hopes that the eighteen-year-old would follow in her mother’s footsteps.
If rumors prove to be true, however, then it may seem that Seri Devereaux is only good on paper and all she’s got going for her is her last name. Companies that had been in talks with her management had supposedly retracted their offers, and plans of featuring the once-promising seiyuu on the front covers of Japan’s most popular teen magazines have been retracted.
Is this a case of Seri Devereaux biting off more than she can chew?
Or was she really never good to begin with?
One thing’s for certain: if her stepbrother, Vassi Grachyov, who only co-stars in Drawn, comes to her defense, his Russian gorgeousness won’t do him any good. He’ll only end up tarnished with the same brush.
Arielle answered Seri’s call on the first ring, saying right away, “Do you want the good news or bad news?”
“Good,” she said immediately.
“Okay, let’s start with the bad.” Her manager’s tone took a serious note. “Most of the report you saw on Seiyuu Updates is right.”
Seri paled. “M-most?” There was nothing at all good about the report.
“I was in talks with a gaming company who was hoping to get you to dub for one of its RPGs, and I had kept it under wraps hoping to surprise you once I had ironed out a couple of deals but—-”
“It fell through,” she said dully.
Her manager said quietly, “I’m sorry, Seri. I just got off the phone with them half an hour ago. They’re not interested in reconsidering either.”
The old Arielle would have yelled at her for making a mess of things before promptly telling her what she should do to turn things around. This Arielle, however, exhibited no signs of anger or even the slightest inclination to shout at her.
“And the g-good news?”
“You still keep your spot as Aya in Drawn.”
“I see.” She wasn’t sure at all that was a good thing, if the part about the sound director threatening to quit proved true, too.
“I won’t lie. I asked some questions, and it does seem Marshall made some pretty harsh comments about your performance yesterday.” Arielle paused. “What did happen yesterday, Seri?”
Seeing no point in lying, she said tonelessly, “Heartbreak, sensei. It got the better of me.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t understand why this is happening.” She had one bad day. Just one bad day – and now everything was falling apart.
“Can you think of any person who could be out to get you and pay for this kind of write-up?”
She thought about Fyodor.
“No.”
Arielle’s tone turned brisk. “If that’s the case, then it’s just plain bad luck. But we can and will weather this storm – as long as you don’t shit all over the place next week when rehearsals resume.”
“I promise.”
****
Vassi was alone when he woke up, and rolling to his back, he stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling of Davey’s bedroom and thought about what he should do.
Last night...had been more than everything he had dreamt of. When Seri had left him for Rockford, he had lived his life with a gnawing sense of emptiness, like the part that made him feel had gone missing.
Even just seeing her had made him feel more alive than he had been in the past two months. Nothing, however, could compare to having her back in his arms.
The way she kissed him—-
The way she arched her body against him—-
The way she cried out his name—-
Maybe it wasn’t love. Maybe it was just an unhealthy obsession. An addiction. Right now, only one thing was clear.
She couldn’t have responded to him the way she had last night if she hadn’t felt something for him.
And for that, he was willing to take a risk.
Dressing himself, he stepped out of the bedroom and found Seri seated alone in the kitchen with her back to him. When Vassi spied the tray of food on the table, his lips curved in a smile. “Should I go back so you can still serve me breakfast in bed?”
Jerking at the sound of Vassi’s voice, Seri hastily wiped the tears from her face.
Vassi frowned when Seri turned towards him. “You’ve been crying,” he said grimly. Crouching in front of her, he asked simply, “Why?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Seri.” He tipped her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his. “I can only help you if you tell me—-”
“But that’s the thing, Vassi.” Seri’s lips curved in a smile that cost her everything. “I d-don’t need your help. I have Rockford, remember?”
Vassi’s voice was ominously soft as he asked, “What the fuck are you saying?”
The words almost made her flinch, but it was the way the light went out of his silver eyes that threatened her control.
I’m sorry, Vassi.
I love you, Vassi.
Hanging on to her smile, she managed to say lightly, “Did you think last night would change things?” She watched him slowly rise to his feet, and she forced herself to look up.
“Are you saying last night meant nothing?”
“It was great. It’s always great, but it doesn’t change a t-thing. I’m with Max—-”
“Don’t say that.” When Vassi suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, she tried wrenching out of his hold, but it only made his fingers tighten. “Why are you doing this?” he demanded tautly. “You couldn’t be with Max and respond to me the way you did last night—-”
She forced herself to shake her head. “Y-you misunderstand.”
He stilled.
“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” she whispered. “I’m saying you’re right. Last night couldn’t have happened – it couldn’t have been the way it was if you didn’t meant anything to me. And you do. That’s one of the things I realized when I was in Tokyo, Vassi. You will always mean something to me. But it doesn’t change a thing.”
“What,” he bit out, “doesn’t change?”
“The fact that I’m with Max.” And when his fingers loosened its grip, she knew she had finally made her point clear.
I love you, Vassi.
“I can’t be yours alone, Max. You m-might not have heard it, but my c-career’s suddenly going downhill. I need Max more than ever—-”
“Whatever he can afford, you know I can fucking afford—-”
“Can you really? Can you?” He might have loved her, but they both knew he loved and needed their family – no, his family – more. “C-can you afford losing Fyodor Grachyov’s love for me?”
And with those words, Seri expected it to be all over.
But it wasn’t.
“If I say I can?” Vassi’s silver eyes stared straight at hers.
Oh God.
“What will you do if I say I can?”
She dug her nails into her palm.
I love you, Vassi.
She said simply, “Then I’ll say thanks but no thanks.”
His face turned ashen, and she fought the urge to cry.
I love you, Vassi.
“I’m not willing to take the risk, Vassi.”
I love you, Vassi.
“I can’t. I don’t want to be poor again.” She stepped forward, reaching out to him, saying, “So can’t you just share me—-”
He gripped her hand—-
She froze.
<
br /> —-and flung it away.
“Thanks—-” Vassi smiled tightly. “But no thanks.”
Ah.
Seri watched him walk away.
I love you, Vassi.
And because she loved him, she had to be the kind of girl he would never ever care to defend.
Chapter Eight
Vassi was about to step inside the elevator when he heard a familiar voice call out, “Wait up, Grachyov.” Continuing inside, he automatically pressed the hold button, and a second later Daniela appeared beside him, looking out of breath.
“Thanks.” She flashed him a grateful smile as the doors closed on them.
He eyed her curiously, taking note of her strangely unkempt appearance. Her shirt looked like she had slept in it for a week, and her face was unusually free of makeup. “Hangover.”
Her smile became brittle. “You can say that.” She combed her hair with one hand, and that was when he saw it.
He took hold of her wrist and, ignoring her cry of protest, he turned it around, palm out, and his gaze narrowed when his suspicions were proven true. There were bruises around her wrist, the kind that only someone cruelly manhandled could get.
“Who did this, D?”
She snatched her hand away. “None of your business.”
“Surely you can’t be that stupid,” he said sharply, “ to think being treated this way is—-”
Daniela snapped, “As stupid as falling for one’s stepsister, you think?”
Vassi’s lips tightened.
Daniela’s face suddenly crumpled. “I’m sorry.” Furiously wiping her eyes, she said unevenly, “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to take my anger out on you.”
“You’re forgiven,” he said easily, “but say something like that again and I will sue you for defamation of character and slander.” He paused. “Among other things.”
“I got it the first time, okay? It won’t happen again.”
He didn’t answer.
Daniela exhaled. “Again, I’m sorry. I’ve had a really bad time, and yes, I know it’s no excuse, but that’s what it is.” Looking down on her bruised wrist, she muttered, “It’s my boyfriend who did this.”
“The rocker?” With the other guy being famous and his fangirls preferring him single, his relationship with Daniela had been kept under wraps from the start. The only reason he knew about it was because Daniela had entrusted him with her secret.
