Nightfall

by Nicole Fox

  “So,” he says. “Tell me: does it count?”

  The men look at one another, searching for who the naysayer will be, but no one steps forward.

  Finally, a middle-aged Japanese man behind us clears his throat. “If Dmitry hadn’t cheated, Rurik would have won by cheating. So, I say it’s fair. The wrong cancels the wrong.”

  The men around him nod in agreement, and I can tell he’s a leader of some kind. I’ve never seen him before, but I smile, and he nods, his expression stoic.

  Slowly, the rest of the circle nods, and as everyone reaches agreement, they begin to leave.

  Dmitry and I stay standing in the middle of the room as it clears out, person by person.

  After a few minutes, we’re alone.

  I just declared myself as his wife in front of an entire room full of people, so I’m not sure why I’m nervous, but I am. My palms are clammy, and my heart races as I turn around in his arms and look up into his eyes.

  He’s going to have bruises across the better part of his face but even through all of the black and blue welts, I can tell he’s beautiful.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, staring at his chest to avoid the fire I feel in my stomach when I look in his eyes.

  His finger hooks under my chin, and he lifts my face to his. “Why?”

  I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “For—everything, I guess. I’m sorry you had to come here to save me, and I’m sorry I interfered in the fight. That could have ruined everything for both of us if they hadn’t agreed.”

  “I would have died if you hadn’t interfered,” he says plainly.

  I shake my head, unwilling to accept that possibility. “No, you would have found a way out. I should have waited and then you would have looked as powerful as you are in the face of your men. Now, they probably think I’m some power-crazed woman. I shouldn’t have challenged your abilities that way, and I—”

  “You saved my life,” he says slowly. “Screw what anyone else thinks, Courtney.”

  My name on his lips is like a beautiful song, and I close my eyes and allow myself to be carried away in the melody.

  “If you meant what you said … ” He drags his finger down my neck, over my collarbone, and around my side to my hip, making me aware of every nerve-ending in my entire body. “Well, if you meant it, then I want you to be powerful. I want my men to respect you and see how dangerous you can be.”

  “And what did I say?” I ask, curious if I actually blacked out and dreamt part of it.

  Dmitry’s large hand pressed into my lower back, pulling me firmly against him. “You declared yourself my queen.”

  “Oh right,” I say. “That.”

  He circles his hips against me. “Did you mean it?”

  I want to say that it was just for show, just to save our lives. I’m not ready to lay myself bare in front of him just yet.

  But I can’t stop myself.

  “I meant it.” I nod, biting my lower lip. “I really meant it.”

  Suddenly, his mouth is on mine.

  I’m so surprised by the move that I flinch and let out a yelp, but in an instant, I’m sinking into his kiss. His lips are soft and warm, his tongue swirling into my mouth. I breathe him in and sag against him.

  When he pulls away, I keep my eyes closed, hoping he’ll come back. I’m not ready to be done kissing him.

  I don’t know if I’ll ever be done.

  “Courtney,” he says gently.

  I open my eyes, and then step back.

  His blue eyes are pure fire looking into mine, and I’m afraid I’ll be burned.

  “If you are to be my queen, I have to insist that you never put yourself in this kind of danger again.”

  “I didn’t have much of a choice,” I snap. “I was kidnapped, if you remember.”

  “Just promise me,” Dmitry says, leaning down to nip at my lower lip.

  “What if I don’t?” I say, trying to hide my smile.

  He swipes his tongue across his top lip and arches a brow at me. “Then I’ll have to punish you.”

  My heart leaps at the thought. “What kind of punishment?”

  Dmitry rolls his eyes upwards in thought while his hand caresses down my back. When he reaches my backside, he slaps his hand against me. “Maybe a spanking would be in order.”

  “And that would be my punishment?” My lips pucker in pleasure. “Maybe I’ll have to put myself in danger again soon. I might like that.”

  Dmitry smacks me again and growls. “Let’s go home.”

  Dmitry drove himself to the warehouse, but as we’re leaving, his face is starting to swell up in concerning ways, and I offer to drive.

  “Okay, you’re really trying to emasculate me now,” he says as he tosses me the keys.

  “That’s my secret plan.”

  As I drive, Dmitry tells me about Tati staying with my father.

  “He didn’t mind taking care of a little girl?” I ask.

  Dmitry shakes his head. “In fact, he seemed really excited about it.”

  My father raised me on his own, but I always assumed I was a fluke. Aside from me, he’s never been good with kids. He’s never been interested in them, either. He always complains when people sit in the waiting room of the shop with their kids.

  “They get things all sticky,” he says.

  Tati is a special girl, though.

  She’s mature for her age, probably because she has been through more than most people experience in their entire lives.

  She’s an easy person to love, and it warms my heart that my father might come to love her, too.

  Halfway home, Dmitry closes his eyes and lays his head back against the headrest. He squeezes my fingers and I smile, knowing he trusts me as I drive us home.

  29

  Dmitry

  Courtney is still trembling when we pull up in front of her father’s shop.

  I’m not sure what to say to her. About my life. About the dangers she will face.

  At the warehouse, she announced herself as my queen, but I don’t know whether she really meant it or not. It could have been because, out of kindness, she couldn’t stand the idea of seeing me torn apart by Rurik’s men because of her interference.

  Lawrence Palillo runs out of the shop before the car is even in park. I stay in the car to towel off as much of the blood as I can off my face. I watch through the windshield as he wraps Courtney in a hug, his face buried in her hair, and whispers words I can’t hear into her ears.

  I can tell by the shaking of Courtney’s shoulders that she’s crying.

  When I’ve cleaned up as best I can, I step out of the car. Tati sees me and beams, but when she notices my injuries, her jaw drops.

  Are you okay?

  I give her the biggest smile I can muster. Just a bruise. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.

  She nods hesitantly, not sure whether to believe me.

  Did you have fun? I ask Tati, trying to keep things light with her. I don’t want her to know how close we all were to dying.

  She tells me how she and Lawrence colored, ate candy, and watched television. I even taught him a few dance moves. He isn’t very good, though.

  “I’m sure we would all love to see those moves,” I say and sign simultaneously. Courtney and Lawrence turn to us, and I twirl my finger at him. “Tati says she taught you to dance.”

  Courtney gasps in amused surprise and wipes at her eyes. “I tried to get you to dance with me for years, and you always refused.”

  Lawrence’s cheeks go pink. “I’ve grown soft in my old age.”

  Tati spins past me and hugs Courtney’s legs. Courtney scoops her up into her arms where they rub noses and giggle, and I can’t believe I ever lived without the two of them in my life.

  The reality that I might have to return to that life once again is only compounded when Lawrence walks over to me, envelope in hand. He presses it into my palm before I can refuse.

  “This is yours,” he says.

&nbs
p; “Lawrence,” I start, shaking my head, trying to push it away. “I don’t want—”

  “I don’t want there to be any imbalance between us,” he says, silencing me the way few men have ever been able to. “I made a deal, and I intend to stick to it. If the deal changes from this point on, then that’s fine with me.”

  We both glance back at Courtney and Tati, both too lost in one another to pay any attention to us, and then I shake Lawrence’s hand.

  There won’t be any further dealings between my Bratva and his shop, regardless of what happens between myself and Courtney.

  Perhaps, I too have gone soft.

  When we get home for the night, Tati is exhausted after a fun time with “Grandpa Larry,” and we put her to sleep after a bath and several books.

  As soon as Tati is out of the equation, Courtney and I slip back into silence.

  There’s so much to say that it feels overwhelming. I’m not sure where to start.

  So, I simply start.

  “Your father paid me what he owed,” I say. “I tried to refuse it, but he’s a proud man.”

  She folds her legs underneath her on the couch. “Not unlike another man I know.”

  I smirk and run a hand through my hair. She isn’t wrong.

  “You’re officially free now.” I say. “You can leave if you want. Go stay with your father. Go back to your dorm. You can do whatever you want.”

  “Whatever I want,” she echoes, forehead wrinkled in thought.

  I hope my desires aren’t written as plainly on my face as they feel in my heart. Unlike any other woman I’ve ever been with, I want whatever Courtney wants. If she wants to be with me, I’ll be the happiest man in the world. If she doesn’t … well, I’ll try to accept it.

  I stare at the log burning in the fireplace to give myself something to focus on while Courtney thinks, and I’m so distracted that I don’t realize Courtney is moving towards me until the cushion I’m on sinks slightly.

  I turn and see her crawling towards me on her hands and knees, caramel eyes liquid in the flow of the flames.

  “I know what I want,” she says, crawling over me and settling on my lap, her legs on either side of my waist.

  My heart feels like it’s swelling in my chest, and I’m afraid it will expand too much for my chest. I’m afraid it might burst.

  “You do?” I ask, wrapping my hands around her waist, keeping her close to me.

  She dips her head low, her dark hair fanning around us like a curtain. It’s still damp from her shower and smells like vanilla, and I could live in it. Her lips brush across mine, teasing me with an achingly soft kiss before pulling away and pressing her forehead to mine.

  “I want you, Dmitry,” she breathes.

  The words send a current through me, and I tangle my hands in her hair and pull her to me. Her mouth crashes over mine, and I hold the contact as I shift her sideways and lay her down across the couch.

  She’s wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of leggings, and I peel her clothes off delicately, as though they’re the most expensive lingerie.

  I lavish her body in kisses and bites and caresses, tasting every inch of her because I can.

  Because she wants to be here.

  Because she isn’t mine; we belong to each other.

  I whisper her name over and over again as I push inside of her, as she wraps her legs around my back and moans her pleasure.

  Just as her moans reach a crescendo, I slip my hand between us and circle my finger over her center.

  Courtney falls apart.

  Every inch of her shakes and trembles, and I wrap my arms around her and press inside of her with gentle persistence until it’s over.

  “Oh my God,” she says in a lazy, unbelievably sexy laugh, one arm thrown haphazardly over her face. Then, suddenly, she peers up at me, eyes narrowed, and grins. “My turn.”

  She pushes me to an upright position on the couch and presses my thighs apart.

  When her mouth slides over me, I tip my head back and shudder.

  Using her mouth and her tongue and her hands, Courtney pushes me to the edge of oblivion. And then she pulls back.

  Over and over again, she toys with me, enjoying the control. Enjoying the power.

  Finally, though, I can’t stand it anymore.

  I grab a fistful of her hair and drag her gently up onto my lap. She’s grinning, proud of herself, as I fumble to get inside of her, desperate in a way I’ve never felt before.

  Then, she slides down my length and rolls her hips against mine.

  Courtney bucks and teases and grinds onto me until my vision blurs, and nothing exists beyond her. Beyond our bodies together.

  I wrap an arm around her and pump into her faster and faster, growing more needy, more frantic with each thrust.

  Until I fall.

  Courtney smooths her hands in gentle strokes down my chest and back. She hugs my neck and kisses my cheeks as the most intense orgasm of my life moves through me.

  When we’re done, I cradle her in my arms and carry her upstairs, our clothes forgotten in the sitting room.

  The night is spent wrapped up in one another until we’re both too tired to move.

  No matter how late you stay up making insane, acrobatic love to your girlfriend, there is no such thing as “sleeping in” when an excited seven-year-old wants to see Santa.

  Courtney and I both wake up to the sound of Tati knocking on the door. Before we can even answer, she throws it open and jumps into our bed.

  I tighten the sheet around my waist and Courtney clutches it to her chest, suppressing a surprised laugh. What is it, sweet girl?

  Santa is at the mall, she says. Can we go? Please, please?

  I turn to Courtney, worried how she’ll feel about it. The last two times we went to the mall ended in disaster. It might be too soon for her to risk it again.

  But when she looks at me, I don’t see any fear. There is a steely determination as she says, It’s up to Uncle Dmitry. Whatever he wants to do.

  “Uncle Dmitry” can’t refuse Tati anything, so I relent and half an hour after waking up, we’re standing in line at the mall.

  If Courtney is nervous at all, she doesn’t show it. She holds Tati’s hand and smiles at me, and it feels like we’re any other normal family waiting in line.

  When Tati gets to go up to see Santa, Courtney follows behind her to interpret, but as soon as Tati signs to the jolly old man, he signs back to her, asking if she’s been a good girl all year. Misty-eyed, Courtney climbs down to stand next to me, watching Tati intently.

  “You’re really good with her,” I say, wrapping an arm around her waist.

  She lays her head on my shoulder. “So are you. I know you weren’t expecting to be a father figure, but you’ve been amazing with her. So patient and gentle.”

  I kiss Courtney’s temple, and we watch as Tati climbs down from Santa’s lap, hugs both elves, and then meets up with us just outside the fence.

  Well, what did you ask for? I ask, kneeling down in front of her. Part of me doesn’t want to know. Tati has lost so much this year, and I’m afraid she’ll want something we can’t give her.

  It’s a secret, she admonishes with a playful slap on my arm. If I tell, it won’t come true.

  Those are birthday wishes, Courtney says, tweaking the end of her nose. You can tell what you asked Santa for.

  Tati narrows her eyes, debating whether Courtney can be trusted. Then, she leans close, hands close to her chest. I want to go to school. With other kids.

  I’m so stunned, I don’t know what to think. Courtney reacts first.

  School? Courtney asks.

  Tati looks at Courtney as though she’s crazy. Yes. Like other kids my age. I know you guys said I have to get better. Well. I’m better. And I’m bored at home. And watching you guys kiss is gross.

  This time, I can’t keep myself from laughing. “So much for being the adults in the room,” I rib Courtney, and she grins.

  Sure
, Tati. If you’re the only kid on the planet who wants to go to school as a Christmas present, you got it.

  Tati beams. And I want a life-size unicorn too!

  Courtney pulls her into a tickle hug until Tati can barely breathe from laughter, and I can’t imagine a better way to spend a weekend.

  We have each been through so much, but when we’re all together, it feels as though our wounds are healed. As though we are slowly healing one another. And I know Courtney has played a huge part in that.

  Without her, I’m not sure where Tati and I would be, and it makes me love her all the more.

  Snuggled on the couch we made love on the night before, Courtney and I talk in the light of the fire and the Christmas tree.

  About everything and nothing.

  I’ve never been so at ease in a person’s company before, so relaxed.

  My life has always been striving and fighting and working to keep control and power. With Courtney, I can forget all of that.

  Almost.

  “I arranged for you to be my beneficiary.” I say it casually, as though it’s obvious, but I feel Courtney stiffen in my arms.

  I smooth my hands down her arms to try and relax her but it’s useless. She spins around to face me. “Why? I mean … we just … why?”

  I kiss her lips. “I want you and Tati to always be cared for. No matter what happens to me.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you,” she says.

  “It might.”

  She squeezes her eyes closed and shakes her head. I want to protect Courtney, but I can’t let her be in denial about my life. About what it could mean for us.

  “It might,” I repeat, nuzzling my face against her neck. “And if something does happen to me, I want to make sure you and Tati will have everything you need. I don’t want you to be left to fend for yourself.”

  “Like those widows you give money to?”

  Her words surprise me. “Who told you that?”

  “Rurik’s man.” She lays her palm on my chest. “That night you brought me home with you, you were delivering money to Bratva widows and their children.”