The Russian's Proposal (Friends Forever Book 3)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Then she did something even more amazing. She leaned in and kissed him. After spending a week with Katia, he knew with absolute certainty that she’d spent her teenage years focusing on surviving. She’d never been with a man, didn’t know the first thing about seduction. And yet, when her soft, trembling lips touched his, he felt seduced in ways he didn’t understand.

  “Katia!” he groaned, and took over their kiss.

  They stood like that for a long time, just kissing as the water swirled around them. The waves lifted her up, pressing her body gently against his and causing his mind to spin with that delicate friction. It was so subtle, he hadn’t even realized what was going on until she’d pulled away, her eyes glazed over with desire.

  “I need you,” he growled, carrying her out of the surf. He’d planned to carry her up the beach and into the house, wanting a bed and privacy from the servants. That was his plan, but reality had other ideas because she just felt too good. They only made it to the beach chairs before he couldn’t wait any longer. Thankfully, the chairs were shaded by the canvas cabana, so they were hidden from the house and the servants.

  Laying her down, he looked at her, taking in all of her lush curves and pink skin. The pink wasn’t from the sun this time. She had a soft tan after a week in the sunshine, but he’d made sure she put on heavy sunscreen every time she ventured out. Now she looked healthy and happy. And filled with almost as much lust as he was.

  “You’re beautiful,” he told her. Then something hit him. “Protection!” he snapped. A moment later, he stood up, then bent down and lifted her into his arms.

  “I’m sorry?” she asked, startled as he carried her into the house and up the stairs. That wasn’t a short distance and she wasn’t a twig. But when he set her down in his bedroom, he wasn’t even breathing hard.

  “Protection, honey. I’m not putting you in danger by risking a pregnancy.”

  Katia stared up at him for a heartbeat, then smiled brilliantly. “Thank you,” she leaned in and kissed the center of his chest. “I hadn’t even thought about that. But you did and I appreciate that.”

  She heard his sharp intake of breath and smiled again. “You taste good,” she told him, then leaned over and kissed him again. This time, she let her tongue slip out slightly, amazed at how much she liked this. Letting her hands drift higher, she skimmed her fingertips along his muscles, doing what her mind had dreamed of doing so many times over the past several days. But touching him, feeling the rough hair and amazing skin under her palms was even better than she’d anticipated. It was nothing like in her dreams. It was so much better!

  “Katia!” he growled, then took her hands and pulled her back. “Not right now, honey,” he told her in a gravelly voice. “Later,” he said as he pushed her backwards. She felt the side of the bed on her legs and tumbled backwards. “Much later!”

  A moment later, he joined her. Katia had thought that he would immediately dispense with their bathing suits, but he didn’t. In fact, he did nothing more than kiss her and touch her with his hands. For a long time, they simply kissed on the bed - discovering, enjoying the increasing tension.

  In the end, she had to take his hand and move it to her breast, irritated that he wouldn’t take the initiative and do it himself. But as soon as she did that, he laughed softly and took control once again. She realized that he’d been waiting for that kind of signal. But any other thought was gone as his fingers caressed her breast, skimming over her nipple. He even moved his mouth from her neck to the top of her breast, but the stupid bathing suit material was in the way. Impatiently, she tugged at the knot behind her neck and pulled the still-damp material out of the way. Then grabbed his head and guided him back to that place.

  She thought he might have smiled, but didn’t care. Not anymore. Not when his mouth closed over her hardened nipple. The heat! The intense heat was too much and she pushed his head away. Or tried to, at least. He might have waited for her on each step of the way, but once she conceded that path, he took control. Katia screamed when he brought his teeth into the mix, nipping ever so slightly at her nipple. The sensation went right to her groin, causing her whole body to jerk in reaction. He must have anticipated that move because he barely budged, and he didn’t release her nipple, continuing with the intense torment.

  “Please!” she gasped. “No more!”

  With that, he moved to her other breast, but she’d only pulled the material away from one breast. When his mouth suckled the nipple through the material, she sighed in relief. But very soon, it wasn’t enough and she whipped that triangle out of the way, only to receive the same mind-blowing treatment on that throbbing peak. She felt his hand slip under her back and, a moment later, the bathing suit top was gone, tossed onto the floor somewhere. With that, she felt more free somehow and arched into his mouth, whimpering as his other hand teased her first breast, his fingers drifting over the peak lightly, then coming back to pinch ever so slightly. She loved it! His hot mouth on one breast, his fingers tormenting her other…she was in heaven.

  “More!” she pleaded, her hands moving over his shoulders, his back and down his arms again, feeling all of the muscles there, moving over his skin and testing every area for sensitivity. Nothing she touched on his body seemed to have the same effect on him as his mouth on her breasts had on her. She didn’t like that, but nor could she figure out how to deal with it at this point.

  “Much more,” he promised and moved lower on her body. He stood up and dispensed with his bathing suit and Katia lifted her head, wanting to see everything that was finally revealed. When he was fully naked, she held her breath, thinking he was perfectly formed. The large erection jutting out from his groin should be horrifying, but in her mind, he looked magnificent!

  “Can I…?” she started to ask, but he reached over to the bedside table and pulled out a box of condoms. An unopened box of condoms. Katia had no idea why, but the fact that it wasn’t opened seemed significant somehow.

  “Not now. Later, I’ll enjoy it, but right now, I need you too much,” he told her and put a hand on each of her knees. “I want to see you, Katia,” he told her, his fingers sliding up and down her legs. “Will you let me?”

  Katia took a deep breath, then nodded, allowing him to press her knees wider. As soon as he did, his hands slid from her knees all the way to her hips, then back up again. Lowering his head, he pressed a kiss right to the center of her stomach. But because his broad shoulders were between her legs, she had to shift her legs wider, gasping when she felt his chest against her body in such an intimate way.

  And then he moved lower, his mouth teasing, tasting, kissing his way lower. When he reached the edge of her bathing suit, his fingers tugged at the strings on the outside of her hips. “Are you ready?”

  She thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head. “Please,” she whispered. For years, she’d wondered what it would be like for a man to see her like this. Bare. Exposed. She’d always assumed it would be either nothing at all, or embarrassing.

  The reality – it was hot. She loved the way Sergei pulled on the bows outside of her hips, then tugged the material out of the way. His eyes never left her body as he tossed the rest of her bathing suit behind him. She could feel the liquid heat of her body as he stared, obviously transfixed. But then he reached out a fingers, sliding it down her core and she gasped. Frozen for a moment, but then shifting her hips, wanting him to do that again. “Please?” she asked, holding her breath as her eyes begged him to touch her again.

  When he fulfilled her plea, she dropped her head back against the mattress, arching her back and her body into his touch. “Again,” she said, but this time, it was more of an order.

  And once again, he complied. But this time, his fingers slid up and down, spreading the moisture along her pink folds. When she started to pull away, he laughed softly. “Here, this might help,” he told her and took her hand. She had to shift against the mattress slightly, but when he wrapped her fingers around his shaft
, she was shocked by the feel of him. He was hard and yet, still soft. But then his fingers moved back to her, sliding one finger inside her heat and she unconsciously squeezed her fingers, causing him to hiss.

  Instantly, her fingers loosened but he shook his head. “Don’t stop,” he told her. “Just react.” He took her hand and wrapped her fingers around him again. “When your fingers tighten, I know that I’m doing something right,” he explained. “You tell me what you want me to do by doing it to me, okay?”

  She nodded her head, sort of understanding. But then he slid his finger against that nubbin and she gasped, her fingers tightening once again. “Sergei!” she yelled out, only to receive a soft laugh for her honesty. When he pulled away, she rubbed her thumb against the area just underneath the top of his erection. Then smiled when she heard his sharp hiss again, his eyes closing as he leaned over her. He opened them again, and now his eyes were even hotter than before. “You’re a fast learner,” he murmured with a smile, which made her heart stutter slightly.

  Then he slid two fingers into her core and she gasped, trying to wiggle away. Especially when his thumb came into play, teasing that nubbin. She grasped his erection, trying to both get closer to his touch, and find a way to stop the incredible torture. But within only moments, her body had decided for her and was splintering apart, reacting to his touch in ways she’d never experienced before.

  Sergei watched, using every ounce of his self-control to keep himself from spilling into her hand. She was so hot, so beautiful as she climaxed with just his fingers, he wanted to slam himself into her.

  Holding back, he teased her body slowly until her shivers eased up. He knew she was finished when her hand released his erection. But he wasn’t done. Not by a long shot!

  Tearing open the condom wrapper, he watched her breathing slow as he rolled the condom down his length. Giving her time, he bent over her, kissing her stomach and hips, enjoying her fingers in his hair. When her lips curled up into a satisfied grin, he knew that she was back with him. “You liked that, huh?” he asked. Sliding his fingers along her thighs.

  “Yes. Thank you!” she replied, then giggled when he tickled her side.

  “It’s not over,” he told her.

  She sighed and lifted her legs, rubbing her inner thigh against his waist. “I know. I’m ready.”

  He looked up into her eyes, sensing that something wasn’t exactly right. “Oh, you think the next part is all for me?” Her eyes widened slightly and he laughed. “What have you heard?”

  She shook her head, licking her lips when his hands moved up her waist, cupping her breasts. “Oh, well, I haven’t spoken with anyone about it, but I read a lot of articles online. I know that only about fifteen percent of women can…well…” she blushed, unable to finish that statement.

  Sergei understood exactly what she was not saying. “And you think that you’re in the eighty-five percent who can’t climax through intercourse?”

  He moved into position between her legs, lowering his head to nibble at her neck. He loved the way she shivered when he did that, especially when his teeth gently scraped against that spot right at the base of her neck.

  “Well, I just…I didn’t really think about it.”

  He lifted his head and saw the truth in her eyes. “Liar,” he teased. But he moved again, poised right at the entrance to her core and smiled. “How about if we find out?”

  She licked her lips and he just about groaned. “Okay,” she finally replied.

  He moved slightly into her, then pulled back out, watching her eyes for any response. As he pressed deeper into her tight heat, her mouth fell open and she wiggled her hips, trying to take him deeper. But he only pulled out, savoring the moment as she arched her back. He almost laughed when her fingers moved to his hips, trying to pull him in, guiding him, but her fingers felt too good and he couldn’t hold back this time. He pressed deeper, almost all the way, but the barrier was there and he didn’t want to hurt her.

  “I can’t,” he said, sweat beading his forehead. “I won’t hurt you, Katia.”

  She was breathing heavily now, but she wasn’t giving in. “You’re not going to hurt me, Sergei,” she promised, and lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist. “Just…” she took another breath, her fingers pulling at his hips. “Just help me.”

  He couldn’t hold back this time and pressed deeper. All the way inside of her until he was fully embedded. He felt the pop and held very still, but the smile on her beautiful features told him that she was okay. “I didn’t hurt you?” he asked.

  She shook her head, her fingernails digging into his back as she urged him to move. Sergei threw back his head as he thrust into her tight, incredibly hot sheath, loving the way she felt, the way she tightened around his shaft. But he wasn’t going to let her down. No way! She’d convinced herself that she couldn’t achieve a climax in this way and he was determined to prove her wrong.

  Even if it killed him.

  Pulling back slightly, he pressed his thumb against that nub, watching her eyes widen as the additional friction added to his thrusting. He felt more liquid surround him and noticed her eyes widen in shock. But she didn’t pull back. In fact, he moved faster and he watched as her mouth fell open, her eyes glazed over. And in that same moment, he felt her inner muscles tighten even more. She felt so incredibly good, it took everything inside of him to hold back on his own release.

  Thankfully, a split second later, she screamed his name, her fingernails digging into his skin and that sensation only added to the moment. As he watched her experience her first orgasm with a man, he couldn’t hold back any longer. His body simply let go and he pounded into her, hoping like hell that he wasn’t hurting her.

  When the storm was all over, he collapsed down on top of her, then quickly rolled to his side, taking her with him, still intimately connected because he just didn’t want to pull out just yet. He knew that he’d have to, not wanting the condom to leak. But chert, she felt incredibly good!

  Her fingers fluttered over his chest. “Is it always that good?” she asked, still more than a little breathless.

  His arms tightened around her as he shook his head. “No. It’s never been that good,” he answered honestly.

  Chapter 11

  Sergei felt Katia’s soft breath on his skin, loving the way she was curled up next to him. The past several days, he’d been amazed at her generous affection. Normally, he was a man who didn’t like to be touched, eschewing any kind of snuggling as unnecessary. When a woman started to want that, he considered that to be his signal to end the relationship.

  Not true with Katia. In fact, the more she touched him, the more he wanted her to touch him. It was like she was some sort of drug and he was becoming more addicted to her as the days continued.

  He should leave her, he thought, even as his arms tightened around her. He should send her off in one of his planes, ensure that she was protected, and get back to work. He had a mission, a goal to accomplish. And yes, he’d hired the best of the best and they were all doing their jobs. But Sergei…

  For too long, he’d manipulated events to arrive at this point. So why was he content to let others handle things? Why was he thousands of miles away instead of savoring his victory?

  Sosta’s world was crumbling. From the reports Sergei had read over the past several days, the man’s business associates had abandoned him, he was out of financial resources, and even his bodyguards had deserted him since their last payroll had been denied. The guards had been employed under a separate business entity, not a real one, while funding was siphoned off from the legitimate businesses to pay their salaries. Without those funds, they weren’t being paid. And after years of abuse, Sosta’s employees, especially those close to him, were ready for a change and were abandoning ship faster than rats.

  The man was cornered. And that meant Sosta was going to do something drastically dangerous.

  Sergei sighed, knowing what he needed to do, but for the first time
in decades, he didn’t want to do it. He wanted to stay here and be with Katia, to get to know her even more deeply. He wanted to learn her quirks, what made her laugh, the foods she preferred. He wanted to come home from work on Friday evening, pour her a glass of wine, and sit with her to watch a movie.

  He wanted…with a sigh, he admitted that he wanted forever, children, and a dog that chased the cats throughout the house. With Katia. He wanted the dream.

  But that was too dangerous. Thinking about something like that was crazy. Unrealistic.

  This was their bubble. They were here in an idyllic world and once they returned to life, everything would change.

  He knew it, but he didn’t want to face it.

  And just that, his desire to avoid reality, shook him to his core. Ever since his parents had been murdered, he’d faced reality head on. He’d formed a plan based on realistic advances towards a goal.

  So why was he wanting something different now? At this moment, with Katia curled up next to him and memories of the night so vivid in his mind, he wanted…a different goal.

  That startled him. A different goal?

  He thought about that, tossed it around in his mind. A goal of…Katia as his wife. The idea was more than appealing. It was as if someone had thrown a bomb in his mind and exploded all of his routines, all of his definitions of life.

  A goal of having Katia by his side, forever? Children. Happiness.

  Could he? Did he dare?

  The idea was so delicious, he couldn’t get it out of his mind. He thought about all of the problems, the obstacles. Sosta was the main one. Yes, with Sosta still around, the man would never stop in his pursuit of retribution.

  If the man were gone…?

  No. Sergei was not a murderer, but if Sosta were imprisoned…?

  “What’s wrong?”

  Sergei looked down at the woman he thought had been sleeping. Of all the moments of the day that he loved, this moment, watching her slowly come awake, had to be the best. She was soft and warm, her body still half asleep and so incredibly alluring…he couldn’t resist.