by L. L. Ash
“Where is the zipper?” he whispered, his lungs filling rapidly, heaving out breaths as he forced his hands to be calm.
“The back,” I squeaked, but he heard.
With soft touches, he turned me around and his deft fingers found the little zipper at the nape of my neck. Slowly, oh so achingly slowly he pulled it down, the cool air of the room kissing each centimeter of skin as the dress parted, exposing just a little more of me to him.
How I wanted to show him what was on the inside that I kept so fiercely locked away. I wanted to tell him about the wedding and beg him to take me away. But I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t. One night. One night was all I would allow myself.
If only I could have stopped with one night.
When the zipper was down, he spread open the back of my dress, slipping his fingers into the straps on my shoulders and slid it down my arms. His fingertips tickled, but they also sent shivers down my spine. Warm bulk pressed against my back as he stepped closer, my dress falling to my feet.
“Are you nervous, kisa?”
“A little,” I admitted, my voice nothing but a breathy rasp.
“I’ll take care of you. No matter what, I will take care of you. I promise.”
His words sent a rush of relief through me, because I knew he would. I wasn’t sure if it was something in his voice, or maybe it was just my gut instinct, but I knew that I was safe with him, and that he was the one I wanted to give this to. Not Kir, but him.
With a quick flick against my spine, my bra loosened and fell from my shoulders, dropping to pool at my feet with the dress. He had already seen me naked, but something about that moment felt different. I pressed back into him and strong, callused fingers slid down the curve of my small waist and the wide flare of my hips until they were tucked into the band of my white lace thong.
“Lay down,” his voice rumbled in my ear like an earthquake.
I dipped forward obediently and he led me toward the mattress until I was belly-down on the sheets, rear end up in the air. In one slow movement his fingers dragged my thong down until it caught on my feet.
“Fucking hell...” he breathed behind me, just standing there while I waited as patiently as I could.
Soft rustling of clothes hitting the floor had my head turning until I saw a wall of skin in my peripheral vision, but then he was suddenly behind me, his warm skin grazing against mine as he framed his arms around my shoulders. I felt his lips descent and the scrape of his cheek stubble against my fragile skin as he kissed the line between my shoulder blades.
“Max?” I whispered, not sure if I was supposed to speak during such an intimate moment.
“Yes my little kisa?” he mumbled against my skin.
“Will you use your mouth again?” I asked, my cheeks heating as the words left my mouth.
I felt the moment when his lips formed a smile, just before a chuckle rolled, deep and rumbly from his chest, ricocheting into my back.
“If that’s what you want,” he said, lips dripping to the lower dip of my back. “I would love another taste of you. Spread your legs.”
Just the simple phrase had me glowing warm with embarrassment as I stepped my feet apart to open myself to him.
Max didn’t disappoint.
His fingers dragged down my skin, stopping for only a moment to squeeze my rear in one hand, then I felt him against the insides of my thighs. Sharp pangs from his five o'clock shadow brushed across me before his fingers split my damp curls and his tongue invaded oh so sweetly.
I soft groan escaped my throat as my eyes closed, his lips, tongue and chin working me into a frenzy within moments.
“Come for me, kisa,” he growled, not stopping his movements until my thighs clenched and my whole body tensed in one massive wave of pained pleasure.
It blew through me, starting at my center and radiating out until my fingers and toes tingled as the blazing light eased from my mind.
Max made a sound of contentment as he licked me once, twice before moving up again, his chest framing my back.
“I want to look into your eyes when you come again,” he rumbled right into my ear a split second before his big hands turned me over.
His eyes met mine as I sat up a little to look at him, and a startled gasp lodged into my throat at the animalistic hunger darkening his already black eyes. It should have scared me, but all it did was feed the lust growing hot and needy in my belly.
“Then watch closely,” I said back which made his lips curl into a gluttonous smirk as he licked my fragrance off his lips.
With one heave, he wrapped his arm around my thigh and pushed me further onto the bed and turned so I was lying flat, just with my head propped to still watch. I had to see him. I needed that picture to get through the rest of my life.
Once he was satisfied with my position, he stood, back straightening as his fingers curled into the black band of his underwear. They slid down his hips and thighs, dropping out of my sight. Not that I was looking. My eyes glued on the hard cock staring at me, ready for me.
I’d seen naked men before. I wasn’t a prude despite being a virgin, but never once had I considered a cock being the one that would be inside me. And of course, I had to choose a big one for my first time.
With a gulp, I squeezed my eyes closed and prayed to God that it didn’t hurt too much.
“Open your eyes, kisa,” he demanded. “Look at me.”
They opened, of course. My eyes trailed up and down the lean muscle that made up his entire body before they landed on his eyes.
“Watch me. Pay attention,” he said simply before digging into his nightstand for a condom.
Oh good. I hadn’t thought about that. I’d been too worried about virginity to think about pregnancy.
He sheathed himself quickly then crawled over me. His hands planted on either side of me as his head dipped, pulling one puckered nipple into his mouth in a long, sensuous kiss. My lungs started heaving again, my core throbbing with the need to have something inside of it.
“Max,” I begged softly until his eyes were back on mine. “Now.”
As incredibly impatient as I was becoming, he made me wait as he greeted the other breast next, taking a long draw of it before placing soft kisses on the pillowy tops. Finally, when his face rested in the curve of my neck, his teeth nibbling against my skin, he drew my legs up to curl around him, my heels hooked together behind his back.
No warning. No gentle entry was in the plan, evidently. I felt his hand grasp his cock between us, the mushroom head glancing down my slit, and then all of a sudden he was inside me. One fast thrust and my virginity was gone, replaced by a sharp sting as stuttered, halting breaths escaped from both of us.
I gripped him so tight, willing him not to move and make the pain worse, but every breath he took caused the sting to renew and hurt me.
“You ok?” he managed, his teeth grated together as if staying so still took the effort of a god.
I shook my head, so sure that I’d made such a mistake. Surely it wasn’t supposed to hurt so much!
A tear rushed down my cheek as my eyes closed, trying to get used to the stinging sensation. “Kisa...” he murmured, his hand beside my head moving until I felt it drag across the line my tears had made, crashing across my cheek and down into my hair. “I’m so sorry...”
“K—keep going,” I stuttered, eyes still clenched shut.
He cursed under his breath before I felt him move, the sting sharpening for just a moment until it started burning...pleasure.
I focused on that, the hot pressure of him scraping in and out of me that made that tingle in my belly tighten again. He took long, slow thrusts until my legs loosened their hold around him and my eyes opened to give him assurance that I was alright.
He gave a sort of unintelligible nod before his pace quickened and he adjusted his hips, thrusting from a different angle. Oh God was it a better angle.
With every movement I felt him inside me, hitting something that made me moan
with each scrape, and it built inside my belly so quickly I was clenching around him all over again, but in heaven instead of hell this time.
I panted, breathless and tight as bliss washed over me in that beautiful mix of pleasure and pain. Max grunted, his hands gripping the sheets beside my head as my orgasm swept through me.
“Fuck!” he barked, thrusting hard one more time before he was throbbing too.
I could feel him inside me, echoing the throb between my thighs that he had left there.
We stayed that way for a long moment, then he shifted around my leg and collapsed beside me on the bed, naked and sweaty and smelling like pure male appetites. He caught his breath then pinched off the condom, tossing it away toward the bathroom before tucking himself around me.
“Won’t it stain?” I asked him, and the little sentence made him rumble a laugh against my breast.
“It won’t stain. I’ll take care of it in a few minutes. I don’t want to leave you yet.”
He pulled the blanket over our bare bodies and I curled into him, digging my face into the light dusting of dark hair on his hard chest.
Eyes closed, I could hear his heartbeat, strong and regular, beating against his pectorals like a tribal drum. Something about it was so comforting in a primitive sort of way. I’d never thought of myself as a barbarian type of woman, lost to the wild lusts of the flesh, needing the visceral feeling of skin to be satisfied, but I’d learned something new about myself. I did. I was savage and carnal and greedy and I never wanted it to be any other way. I never wanted it to be any other man.
Our supper grew cold on the tray but neither of us got up to eat. We simply stayed there on the bed and silently soaked each other in.
As I thought of what it meant; what had just happened…I considered the consequences.
I was honest with myself. Truely, brutally honest, and I knew that I would never be able to suffer a marriage with a brute like Kir. Max or not, I could not marry the man.
“Maxim,” I whispered, shattering the comfortable silence.
“Yes my kisa?” he whispered back, pressing a kiss into my hair.
“I once asked how far you would go for me. Do you remember?”
He shifted, backing away a little until we were looking into each other’s eyes.
“I remember.”
“And do you remember your answer?”
“Of course. I told you that I would go as far as I had to.”
A flicker of something crossed his eyes as he said it.
Now was the true test.
“If you truly mean it, then run away with me,” I breathed.
A sharp inhale caught in his lungs before he let it out in a long stream.
“Run away?” he asked.
“Yes. You and me. Away from Russia and Romania. Take me to France or America or...anywhere. I want to be with you, but if I stay, I cannot.”
He sat up, the sheets pooling at his hips as he looked down at me.
“When?” he asked simply.
No questions, no scorn or laughs.
He must have loved me if he was willing to leave his home for me with nothing more than my word.
“Now. Tonight. Let’s leave and never come back.”
I gulped as he looked into my eyes, then a broad grin spread where his concerned frown was a moment ago.
“Then pack,” he told me.
My heart started beating out of control with the two little words.
I hopped out of the bed and started pulling on my clothes.
Was it possible? Would we get away clean from my father and the Brotherhood?
Once my clothes were on I stepped into my shoes and turned to Max, who was crouched by his suitcase, pulling out some new clothes.
“Ten minutes,” he said over his shoulder as he looked me in the eye. “Come back here in ten minutes. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”
I nodded and left.
Nobody was in the hallway when I exited, but my room light was on, and I remembered distinctly turning it off when I left.
Once I slid my card through the door lock, I opened it to one of Tată’s men. He snarled at me and pointed to the bed.
“You’re not allowed to leave until morning, and only accompanied,” he said to me.
“What?” I demanded. “I’ll go where I wish.”
The man, Josef, frowned.
“I plan to go for a drink. It’s not late yet.”
“Then I’ll accompany you.”
“No. When I come back I’ll...”
What would I do?
I watched his eyes trail up my body the way they always did when we were in the same room, and an idea hit.
“If you do, I will let you see me.”
His eyes shot up to mine as if he thought I was teasing him.
To prove my seriousness, I reached behind my neck and started unzipping my dress.
He squirmed in his chair, the big bad drug dealer that he was, and watched with rapt attention at every move I made.
I let the dress fall to the ground around me and his eyes soaked up every part of my exposed flesh.
“Let me go, and you can see the rest when I return,” I told him.
His mouth flopped open, then closed as he considered the enticing deal.
“Fine,” he eventually growled. “One hour.”
I agreed with a seductive smile, then went to my bag for clothes to change into.
There was no time to shower, so I simply grabbed two utilitarian shirts that would be warm and useful, then I grabbed tight leggings that I would cover with black trousers. I grabbed two pairs of underwear that he didn’t notice, then a bra that would be more comfortable than the lace thing I wore before going to the bathroom to change.
When I layered it all together, it looked like a cohesive outfit, not like I had managed to layer two outfits together since I wouldn’t be able to take my bag with me.
I stuffed a few things from my bathroom into my purse, including my toothbrush and some cosmetics that I couldn’t live without like my lipstick and perfume. Finally, I went out to grab my scarf, coat and gloves, opting for the thickest of them all so I would stay warm through whatever was to come.
“That hour is ticking down, songbird,” my own personal prison guard said.
“At least let me leave before you start counting down,” I told him, giving a stern expression.
“No way. It started counting down from the moment we made that deal. And you’ll follow through, Mila. Even if I have to strip you naked myself.”
A shiver ran through my body at the horrific thought.
“I’ll return in an hour,” I told him, just trying to hurry out of there before he realized I was lying.
My boots zipped quickly up my ankles before I grabbed my handbag and headed for the door.
Josef followed me to the door and watched me leave, so I had to bypass Max’s door and head to the elevator. The moment the metal doors closed, I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and called him.
Oh God...what if Tată found out? What would happen to me? What would happen to Max?
Chapter Twelve
Maxim
It couldn’t have gone any better or any smoother. She basically did the work for me and I got a complimentary fuck that I wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Throwing a few things into my backpack, I took one last glance at my computer screen, watching Mila leave out of her room in a thick fur coat and head toward the elevators. The man at the door told me all I needed to know. She’d gotten stuck in an awkward place, and she had to redirect. That was fine. I would meet her downstairs.
My phone started ringing just seconds later, and on the line was a panicking Mila.
“It’s fine,” I told her when she explained breathlessly that she had to head to the lobby. “I’ll meet you there. Wait by the door.”
With that I hung up and watched my screen until the man disappeared back into the room, shutting the door with a loud, angry
thwack.
I stuffed the rest of my shit into my suitcase that I would be dumping at my soonest convenience and strapped my gun around my waist, covering it up with a leather jacket.
Once I got her on a plane out of Russia, my story didn’t matter anymore. But until then, I had to keep up the façade that I was the doting boyfriend, running away to be with the woman he loved.
I would get her to a safe place, lay low for a few weeks, then she was on her own.
I shoved my laptop into my bag, then slipped on my shoes.
With my suitcase hanging in one hand and my backpack thrown over my shoulder, I headed for the elevator, leaving my room key on the desk beside our uneaten dinner.
My stomach hummed in violent anticipation of a job well done, but I couldn’t celebrate so soon. There were miles to cover between us and the airport, and I wouldn’t be celebrating until I had her tucked away safely from her family and fiancé. She had literally nowhere else to run. I’d received on a silver platter the only thing that made her worth anything to the Brotherhood, and with that, she couldn’t turn to them or her family. She’d made herself an outcast and deserter the moment my cock popped her cherry.
I breathed out in disbelief of how Goddamn easy it had all been. I didn’t have to convince her to run away with me. The idea had come out of her own, pouty mouth. The woman was driving herself off a cliff and she didn’t even know it.
But I would keep true to my word. I would keep her safe. Whatever it took.
The doors opened and I looked around for her snowy, white fur coat in the lobby. I caught a glimpse of it through the front door window and found her standing in the cold, ice-laden street.
Her frown melted into a relieved smile when she saw me. She took my face and pressed a kiss onto my lips before whispering, “Where are we going?”
“The airport,” I told her, then stuck my arm out to catch a cab. No time to call a company one.
We needed out of there, pronto.
I looked at the guy driving, a rougher type, but I didn’t get perv vibes from him so we got in, my Ruger tucked under my jacket making me feel pretty damn safe no matter who he was.