by Bella Rose
“That’s not true,” Jacob argued. “I find you very interesting.”
“How?”
He gestured to her dress. “At the moment I’m completely preoccupied wondering what color underwear you have on.”
Maggie made a show of pulling out the front of her dress to take a look at her cleavage. She might have intentionally flashed him a little as well. “It’s blue,” she assured him.
“Lacy?”
“Plain.”
“I think I’d have to see it to judge for myself whether or not it’s plain,” he told her authoritatively.
Maggie couldn’t help but be charmed by his unusual sense of humor. Were all crime lords this comfortable to be around? In fact, she had the most insane desire to be playful with him. Something about Jacob made her feel brave and sexy. It was a heady combination she wasn’t quite used to yet.
She set her cell phone on the counter and grabbed the hem of her dress. Pulling it up and over her head, she tossed it onto the back of his couch. The cool air inside the room whispered over her skin, raising gooseflesh.
“Not plain,” Jacob told her appreciatively. “In fact there is nothing plain about you, Maggie.”
He moved closer, until she could feel every exhalation of his breath on her skin. Using his fingers, he traced the ridge of her collarbone before following the line of her sternum down to where it disappeared between her breasts. She felt her nipples tightening beneath the satin cups of her bra. A corresponding surge of wetness between her legs nearly made her raw with sexual need.
Stepping back, she deliberately put some distance between them. She felt ten kinds of ridiculous wandering around his place in her bra, panties, and kitten heels. But she also felt wanton. And when she glanced over her shoulder she saw that he was tracking her every move with his gaze.
“Since I wasn’t offered a tour,” she told him saucily, “I think I’ll help myself.”
Jacob was silent, but he followed the path she chose through his darkened apartment. Maggie couldn’t help but notice the art on the walls and the tidy appearance of everything. Jacob was nothing like she would have imagined a crime lord to be. There were no flunkies hovering about, though she knew there had to be guards somewhere. No blood on the floor, beatings taking place behind closed doors, or rival gangs doing drive-by shootings. Of course, it would have been difficult to arrange a drive-by shooting when the victim lived in a thirty-fifth floor penthouse.
Finally Maggie saw a pair of double doors at the end of a long, wide hallway. “Would this happen to be a bedroom?” she asked with mock surprise. “Does the crime lord sleep in a four poster bed made of the bones of his enemies?”
She pushed the doors open and found herself looking at a very comfortable, very masculine room. There were definitely no bones and no blood. The antique sleigh bed was enormous. The matching dresser, chest of drawers, and nightstands were equally sedate. Perhaps the only concession to either his roots or his chosen profession lay in the framed photographs and maps of Russia, Siberia, and Ukraine hanging on the wall.
“No gore I’m afraid,” Jacob said from just behind her shoulder.
Maggie turned around to face him. Lifting her hand, she traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips. “You weren’t what I expected before and you still aren’t.”
“Perhaps you need to stop expecting things then,” he suggested.
“I want you, Jacob,” Maggie told him softly. “But this can only be for tonight.”
“Why?”
“Your life and my life are not compatible.” How could she even attempt to explain it? “Please just accept what I’m offering?”
He nodded. “For now.”
Chapter Six
It was possible that the experience of having Maggie naked in his bed ranked near the top of Jacob’s list of most amazing things in life. The first time they had been together, things had been almost rushed. Now they lay together under the sheet with the soothing darkness almost embracing them.
She was snuggled up against his side with one leg thrown over his hip and her cheek resting against his chest. Jacob placed one hand on her thigh and let it travel slowly up the length of her body. He felt the contours of her hip and her ribs before encountering the firm, round fullness of her breast.
Jacob slid the pad of his thumb over her nipple and reveled in her response. Maggie’s breath hitched and she arched into the contact. Her leg moved restlessly over his body as if she needed more. He circled her areola and felt it pucker with the attention.
“That feels good,” she murmured. “More please?”
“What’s the magic word?”
“You promised me I’d get laid tonight?”
Jacob chuckled even as she inched her way up his chest until she could kiss him. Her lips brushed his jaw before traveling over his cheeks and nose. The attention made him shiver. There was a certain tenderness in her actions that had been lacking in every other interaction in his life.
Then her lips covered his and Jacob forgot anything but the sensation of her kiss. She pushed her tongue inside his mouth. It rubbed sexily against his as though mimicking the way his cock thrust in and out of her pussy. He let her lead as she continued to explore his lips and teeth. Finally her mouth moved away from his and continued its quest down the length of his body.
“Maggie, you’re killing me here,” he grumbled.
She glanced up at his face, but the nuance of her expression was lost in the darkness. “So die happily and get over it.”
Her lips tickled his chest before passing over his right nipple. Jacob sucked in a quick breath of surprise. He’d never enjoyed it before, but apparently the sensation of her teeth nipping his chest was like sensual torture. Then she applied the flat of her tongue to his nipples and he thought he might lose control then and there. Blood rushed to his groin and he throbbed with the need to be touched.
“Maggie, please,” he begged.
“Please what?”
He fumbled for her hand, pushing it toward his cock. Her low laugh was hoarse and sexy. Then she palmed the length of his shaft and gave him a squeeze. Jacob groaned in relief. It felt so good when she touched him. How could he accept this as the last time for the two of them to be together?
I’m not going to think about that.
Maggie kissed his belly. His abdominal muscles reflexively shrank away from the contact. When she reached the coarse hair at the base of his cock, she banded her fingers around him and held tight. The pressure was exquisite. He’d never felt anything quite so erotic. Then her lips closed over the tip of him and he forgot how to breathe.
“Oh God, Maggie,” he groaned. “You spoil me. Nobody knows what I like the way you do.” The words spilled out of his mouth unchecked. “Suck me, sweetheart. Please?”
She swallowed the length of him to the back of her throat and Jacob grunted with the effort it took to remain still. He wanted to grab her head and fuck her face, but he liked the way she was taking the lead and he didn’t care to mess it up.
Then she pulled back, letting his cock leave her mouth with a soft pop. She put her palms on his inner thighs and began licking his cock and his sac. The attention nearly pushed him over the edge. He wanted so badly to come inside her pussy, but he was having a tough time fighting back the need to spill his seed across her tongue.
“Maggie, I want to be inside you,” he told her raggedly. “Put me inside you and let me fuck you. I want to make you come.”
Jacob looked down the length of his body and saw Maggie draw back. He could see a smile curving her sensual lips. Then she dragged her full breasts up over his erection, across his belly, and up to his chest. She let her soft skin rub against his in a way that made him mad with need. The sensations were intensely satisfying.
Maggie straddled him and Jacob realized she meant to ride his cock. He bracketed her hips in his hands and helped her find her balance astride his body. She reached between them, putting his cock into position before lowering he
rself slowly. As he impaled her softness Jacob could think of nothing but how badly he wanted to bring her pleasure.
She began to move against him, rocking as she lifted herself on her knees. Jacob drank in the sight of her. With her head thrown back and her breasts slowly bobbing in rhythm with her movements, she was the sexiest sight he’d ever beheld. Her long hair trailed over one shoulder and he reached up to brush at the tangled strands. She was perfection and she belonged to him whether she knew it or not.
“Jacob!” Her tone was hoarse, perhaps even a little desperate. “I need. Just something. Please?”
Jacob found the place where their bodies were joined. Delving between her swollen pussy lips, he found her clit. The tiny bundle of nerves was pulsing with her heartbeat. He placed the pad of his index finger against her clit and rubbed gently in a circle. Seconds later she dissolved into a powerful orgasm that left her gasping and screaming. Her pussy squeezed his cock until the friction was almost painful. Still he wanted more.
Maggie felt as though she were flying. Her climax tore through every muscle in her body until it seemed she would keep coming and coming until she collapsed with the pleasure overload. Her rhythm against Jacob became jerky as she lost control of her movements. She grew almost desperate with the need to continue and frustrated that she couldn’t manage it.
Before she could even process what was happening, Jacob rolled her onto her back. He loomed overhead in the darkness, his features strangely familiar. How could she feel so free with him though they barely knew each other?
“Jacob,” she murmured. “Please?”
He cupped her cheek gently in his palm. “I know what you need.”
Then he surged deeply inside her body, and Maggie decided he knew exactly what she needed. Lifting her knees, she spread herself wider and felt the satisfying sensation of deeper penetration. His cock brushed the sweet spot inside her body and she cried out in pleasure.
She wrapped her arms around him and felt each muscle moving as he thrust into her pussy. Digging her nails into his shoulders, she was rewarded with a satisfied grunt from Jacob. She wanted to mark him like that, to score his skin with her nails and make him hers.
Heat began building at the base of her spine. Her clit rubbed maddeningly against the base of his cock. Each movement sent a pinpoint of friction over the little bud until she was panting with the need for a second orgasm.
She felt Jacob’s cock grow firmer inside her. He slowed his pace, his strokes long and hard as he fucked her with deliberate intent. Then she saw every muscle in his belly grow taut. He slipped one hand beneath her right leg and lifted it until she was nearly folded in half.
This new position changed the point of contact and pushed Maggie over the edge. She screamed in ecstasy as her orgasm thundered through her veins. Closing her eyes, she let the sensations rage until she could barely breathe.
“Maggie!” Jacob shouted. “I’m going to come. I can’t hold back any longer.”
“Hold back?” she gasped. “Make me yours, Jacob. Please?”
Her words seemed to push him over the edge. He surged hard against her as if he intended to split her in two. Then he gave one last thrust and convulsed. Maggie parted her lips in wonder as she felt the hot pulse of his semen spurting inside her body. It was oddly gratifying. For now this was her man and she was his woman. Beyond that, nothing else mattered.
Jacob rolled himself to the side and hit the mattress as though he couldn’t even hold his own bodyweight anymore. He reached over and pulled her in close before groping around for the sheet. Once he’d tugged it over their bodies, Maggie tried to relax and allow herself to enjoy the sensation of snuggling after sex.
“I think coming inside you actually makes me high,” he told her hoarsely. “This is either an aneurysm or the best buzz I’ve ever experienced.”
“Let’s hope you’re just buzzed,” she murmured. “I would really hate to have to explain to Sasha that I assaulted you with my pussy and killed you off.”
Jacob’s bark of laughter brought a smile to her face. “Yes. That would probably get his panties in quite the wad.”
“Who is he exactly?” Maggie wasn’t really sure she wanted to discuss this topic, but it seemed prudent.
“I suppose Sasha could be considered my lieutenant. He’s my second in command.”
“He’s grouchy.”
“That’s his job, although I have to agree with you. Sasha can be rather dour.”
“I get the feeling he doesn’t like me.” Maggie thought about the way he’d approached her at Club 599.
“It isn’t about like or dislike.” Jacob gently caressed her hair. “It’s more that Sasha feels my duties as head of the Dolohov crime syndicate put me in a position that doesn’t allow for this sort of frivolous interaction.”
“So crime lords don’t get one-night stands,” Maggie teased. “That sucks. What does Sasha suggest? Order a Russian mail order bride?”
“That would probably be his preferred method. Yes.”
“You would be bored in a week.” Maggie wasn’t certain how she knew that, but she did.
“Yes. But Sasha doesn’t feel as if boredom is really a bad thing.”
Maggie made a face. “I can’t picture you doing the whole boring relationship, coming home every day and doing the same exact thing, never having anyone challenge you or tell you no.”
“I have a feeling Sasha is apprehensive that a relationship with someone like you will result in my doing things he feels are unwise.”
“Oh what? Like having fun?” Maggie speculated. “Or is Sasha jealous of you?”
“I’d actually never considered it quite like that,” Jacob mused. “You might be onto something there.”
Maggie yawned. “I’m not just a pretty piece of fluff, you know.”
“I have never thought that.” There was a pause while he ran his fingers idly through her hair. “What do you do for a living, Maggie?”
“I’m a paralegal.”
“Do you like it?”
“Other than it makes the concept of dating a criminal very uncomfortable for me?” She shrugged. “It’s a job.”
“What sort of law does your firm practice?”
Maggie groaned. “Family law. What else?”
“Ah, so the good old marriage, divorce, custody, and living wills sort of thing?” Jacob seemed to be considering this. “I’m sorry but that sounds mind numbing.”
“Other than some of the more interesting cases where people do crazy mean things to one another. Yes. It is most definitely boring.” Maggie thought about all the things she had seen in her years doing this work. “I think that’s why I’ve never been in a serious relationship.”
“You’ve seen too many of them go bad?”
“Yes.” She hated how badly she wanted to cling to him in this moment. “So I seem to purposefully choose relationships that are doomed to fail before they’ve even gotten started.”
“Like us?”
She sighed. “Exactly like us.”
“We have tonight.”
“But that’s all we have, Jacob,” she told him. “I meant what I said.”
“I know.”
Chapter Seven
Maggie opened her front door and found herself face-to-face with a very angry Courtney. There was really no excuse for Maggie’s insane behavior the night before, or the bad decision she had made to spend the night with Jacob. Of course, Maggie didn’t really owe Courtney an explanation either, but her friend’s expression suggested she most definitely expected one.
Courtney shut the front door behind her and gave Maggie a hot glare. “I am so angry with you right now I think I could kick your ass!”
“Look, there’s no need to be so dramatic.” Maggie intentionally headed for the kitchen. She’d been making herself some chicken stir fry before Courtney had texted that she was coming up.
“Dramatic?” Courtney’s tone was exactly that. “You spent the night with a freaking mafia
boss! How is that okay?”
“It was just a one time thing.”
“Funny thing to say when it was the second time,” Courtney shot back. She hopped up on a stool in front of the island in Maggie’s tiny kitchen. “What will your excuse be the third time around? How about when the two of you are married raising your mafia babies? Will you be trying to convince me that it’s not serious?”
“Whoa! Slow down, will you?” Maggie held up her hands. “You’re freaking out for no reason. I told Jacob last night that this had to be the last time.”
Maggie’s stomach growled and she shoveled a bit of the stir-fry into her mouth. The teriyaki sauce was spicy, but there was some other flavor in there too that didn’t quite match.
Courtney crossed her arms, looking belligerent. “You told him that this was the last time. Great. You think you can actually stick to that?”
“Of course!” Maggie took a deep breath. Something in the flavor of the chicken was weird. She felt her gorge rising. “It would be insane to consider a relationship with a guy like him.”
“Uh-huh.” Courtney was staring at Maggie as though her head was about to pop off.
Maggie suddenly felt the urge to vomit so strongly that she dropped the spoon she’d been holding and bolted for the bathroom. She skidded across the bathroom tile on her knees and banged into the toilet. Holding on with both arms, she was violently sick.
“When was the last time you had a period?” Courtney yelled from the other room.
Once the illness passed, Maggie flushed the toilet and sat back on her heels. When had her last period been? She counted backwards, trying to remember the last time she’d gone in for a birth control shot. That was when Maggie realized that it had been more than six months since her last shot, and probably a month or more since her last period.
Not good.
“Maggie?” Courtney called. “At least tell me you’re alive and you haven’t died of some weird food poisoning, although given your eat-everything-you-see take on life lately, that wouldn’t be a shock.”
Maggie got up from the floor and rinsed out her mouth. She stared in the mirror and wondered how she was supposed to deal with this latest hiccup in her life. If—and that was a big if as far as she was concerned—she was really pregnant with Jacob’s child, that meant she had to make a huge decision where he was concerned.