The Russian's Proposal (Friends Forever Book 3)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Katia laughed and cried a bit more, then hurried over to the older woman who was standing up and rubbing her wrists. “Goodness, dear. That was magnificent! I can’t believe how perfectly you took down that nasty man!”

  Katia held the woman’s hands, looking into her eyes. “Are you okay? Did my father hurt you at all?”

  “Oh no! Your father put a gun to my head, which is the only reason your man and his guards were caught. So, it was my fault. I was just….”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Martha,” Sergei assured her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be looking into security here in the building. I’ll find out how that man got in here and hurt you.”

  The woman sighed, still rubbing her wrists. “You know what we all need now? Food!’

  Sergei shook his head. “Why don’t you take the week off? You’ve been through an ordeal.”

  Once again, the woman shook her head. “No, no. I need to cook. It relaxes me. Soothes me. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to just…” She waved towards the doorway, and with a nod, headed out.

  Katia wanted to look at Sergei’s head, make sure that he was okay.

  “What happened?” she asked, reaching up to gently touch his forehead.

  Sergei leaned into her fingers, feeling her gentle concern all the way to his toes. “He somehow got into the penthouse while my men and I were discussing something. He told us that he’d shoot Martha if we didn’t allow him to tie us up. When we were trussed up to his satisfaction, he hit me.”

  “Bastard!” she whispered, wanting to kick her father again for the pain he’d caused Sergei.

  “It’s nothing,” he assured her, as his fingers ran along the bruise that was already forming on her cheek where Sosta had struck her. “Are you okay? We need to get some ice on that.”

  “I don’t need ice,” she argued. “I just need…” she didn’t finish that sentence. Instead, she simply wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his chest. “I need you to be okay, Sergei. I need…you.”

  His arms tightened around her back and she burst into tears. “I’m fine,” he assured her, running a strong hand up and down her spine. “I promise, I’m fine.”

  “I’m sorry!” she sobbed. “I’m sorry that I brought all of this down on you.”

  “Hey!” he said, gently lifting her chin so he could look into her brown eyes. “None of this was your fault. Your father is a criminal. And now he’s going to prison.” He watched her eyes, trying to make sure that his message was getting through. “He’ll be in prison for a long time, just based on our testimony. And that’s not including the charges that are being filed on him already. We can now add kidnapping, breaking and entering, assault, not to mention prostitution and human trafficking, which were added while you were sleeping.” He paused, watching her carefully as he said, “Yep. All of the evidence is there. And so much more. We got him, Katia. And our marriage is what made it all happen.”

  The doorbell rang at that moment and they stared into each other’s eyes. “That’s probably the police. I’m sure my guards already called them.”

  “Good,” she whispered, her throat tightening at the realization that this was almost over. She didn’t want it to be over, because that would mean that they wouldn’t need to be married any longer. She’d go back to Virginia. Back to her friends and her coffee shop. She could live openly now, but…without Sergei, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

  Chapter 13

  Ten hours later, Sergei closed the door to his penthouse. The police were gone, his guards had called in a security company for reinforcements and were now stationed strategically all around the building. Sergei’s legal team had handed over piles of evidence against not only Sergei, but several of his executives and henchmen. The original idea had been to use the executives to help convict Sosta, but too many of the top men and women in each of the companies were intimately involved in most of the crimes. Besides, everything had been strangely well documented, so their testimony wasn’t necessary.

  Sosta was charged immediately with kidnapping and attempted murder, assault, and breaking and entering. He was sitting in a jail cell and denied bail because he was considered a flight risk.

  Martha had soothed herself, and everyone else, by providing a continuous stream of food. She’d cooked for all of the police officers, legal personnel, guards, and anyone else who might need some nourishment. Martha was an extremely good cook and, by the time Sergei had ordered her to go home, with a guard to help reassure her that she was safe, she’d cooked more food than Katia had ever seen in her life!

  Night had fallen, creating a cozy atmosphere in the now-silent penthouse. Katia stood near the windows, but she wasn’t looking at the view of the lights glittering around the city. She was watching Sergei’s reflection as he approached. He had a large snifter of brandy in each hand and, when he reached her, he handed one to her.

  “You look like you’re about to fall over,” he said softly. Taking her free hand, he led her over to one of the long sofas. Flicking a switch, flames appeared in the gas fireplace, adding a bit more atmosphere. “Tell me the truth,” he urged, his finger tracing along the dark bruise now apparent on her cheek. “Are you really okay? I’d still like a doctor to check you out.”

  Katia smiled up at him, her eyes glancing at the spot on his head. The blood had been washed away, but there was still a mark and she knew that a bruise would form there as well. “I’ll go if you will,” she promised, then laughed when he grimaced at her offer.

  His only response was a growl that she knew was supposed to intimidate her, but Katia only laughed softly.

  “You’re a stubborn woman,” he told her, but she smiled as he leaned in to give her a kiss.

  “Yes. Well, I’m stubborn but I’m…” she stopped, afraid the words she’d been about to say were too revealing.

  But he obviously saw the hesitation and lifted her chin. “You’re what?” he asked, his voice deeper again. “My wife?” he asked.

  The realization that they really were married, that she was his wife, struck her like a ton of bricks. Katia held her breath, trying to think of a flippant response. Unfortunately, nothing came to her. “Well, um…I guess we don’t need to be married to catch my father any longer, do we?” she asked, holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

  His eyes looked down into hers for a long moment. “No. We don’t need to be married to catch your father any longer, but…” he looked at her lips. “But I don’t think I can let you go, Katia.”

  She felt her heart stutter inside her chest. Hope burst inside of her. She tried to tamp it down, but it was there. Hot and heavy. “You don’t?” she whispered.

  He shook his head. The only sound was the pounding of her heart as she stared at him.

  “Do you want to leave?” he asked.

  Katia wanted to ignore his question, but the look in his eyes asked for honesty. After a moment, she shook her head. “No,” she confessed.

  “Good.” He took the glass of brandy she’d barely touched, setting it off to the side with his own. When he turned back to her, he pulled her onto his lap, facing him so that she was straddling his hips. “So…you want to make this marriage…real?” he asked.

  Katia trembled, feeling both very vulnerable and extremely powerful. “Only if you feel the same way, Sergei. I won’t make any demands on you. You’ve given me back my life and…”

  She couldn’t finish that sentence because he’d tipped her over and was kissing her. She laughed, delighted with his plan and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and showing him how much she loved him.

  When he lifted his head, he had a funny expression. “How do you feel about kids?” he asked.

  The confusion slowly shifted to happiness, a grin spreading across her features. “I would love to have kids,” she told him softly. “How many?”

  He shrugged and Katia giggled with delight. “Five or six?” he suggested.

/>   That brought out a huge laugh and she shook her head. “Five or six kids?”

  He lowered his head once again, nibbling on her neck, right where he knew she liked. “How about we practice for five or six kids?”

  She shifted against him, agreeing completely with his plan. “I think that’s a great goal. Lots of practice,” she gasped when his hand slipped underneath her sweater.

  “Lots of practice.”

  A long time later, she kissed his naked chest, once again feeling completely sated. “I love you,” she murmured, and froze, shocked that she’d admitted that to him.

  He lifted his head, saw the horrified expression in her eyes and threw back his head, laughing. “I love you too,” he told her. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.” He kissed the top of her head, mindful of the bruises she’d received earlier. “I love you and I am just as surprised as you are. But I’m not letting you take it back, Katia.”

  She released the horrified breath she’d been holding, letting the sudden burst of intense happiness consume her once more. “I can’t believe it either. You’ve turned my life and all of my perceptions about the world, men, and…well, everything, completely upside down. I think you’re an amazing man and I love you, Sergei.”

  “I want to marry you again, Katia. But this time, I want to say it and really mean it. I want the world to know that you’re my wife. Forever.”

  She smiled, thinking that was a very sweet idea. “Can I have my friends with me?”

  “Absolutely. As long as they can get to our honeymoon destination fast enough.”

  She laughed, thinking about their first honeymoon. And she was in complete agreement with his second honeymoon plans. “It’s a deal then.” She kissed him again. “Can we get a dog?”

  He stopped nibbling on her neck and looked at her. “A dog?”

  She shrugged, feeling silly now. “Well, not if you don’t like dogs. But I just…when I was growing up, I always wanted a dog, something fun, fluffy, and cute. But…I didn’t want to bring any other living thing into my father’s sphere.” She ran a hand over his chest, enjoying all of those muscles. “He’s in jail now. And I…”’ she looked at him, startled by his surprise. “You don’t like dogs,” she sighed, trying to hide her disappointment.

  “I love dogs.” His eyes shuttered slightly. “I had a dog when I was a kid. I had to give him to the family down the street because…I couldn’t feed him.”

  With that, her heart ached for the little boy who had lost so much in such a short period of time. “Then…we can get a dog?”

  “Hell yes!” he growled, then tumbled her backwards again. “We can get ten dogs, honey. Whatever makes you happy.”

  She beamed and lifted up to kiss him. “You make me happy, Sergei. Happier than I’d ever thought possible.”

  He grinned right back at her, an inner light of mischief heating up his blue eyes. “Oh, if you think the last two weeks were good, wait until you experience the rest of your life!”

  Epilogue

  “Hurry up!” Katia called. “We’re going to be late!”

  Sergei stepped into the bedroom, a toddler in each arm and a golden retriever on each side of him. “Honey, we can’t be late. My plane won’t leave without me.”

  She turned and peered at him over her shoulder, laughing when he adeptly avoided getting the mysterious contents of a sippy cup spilled on his shoulder as their son, Yusef, and twin daughter, Emilie, fought behind his head. They weren’t really fighting. Just…causing mischief, which was their favorite pastime. At two years old, it seemed as if that was all they did. Well, besides chasing the dogs, who both loved the game. There were times when Katia walked into their house in London and was bombarded with barking and screaming kids. Their nanny was about to pull her hair out, but Katia knew that the woman loved the kids almost as much as she did.

  “Your plane might not leave until we get there, but I don’t want to miss out on a moment with my friends.”

  He plunked the twins down on the bed, the dogs immediately jumping up to join in the fun. When Katia hurried past to shove “just one more thing” into her suitcase, he reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

  “Honey, slow down. Viktor called me a moment ago. He, Hayden, and the kids just left Virginia an hour ago. So, we’ll still beat Hayden there.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Natalie and Javier will be leaving just about the same time we do, so we’ll be landing in Triar about the same time as their brood. They’re in Barcelona, so it’s really just a few hours south. Don’t worry!”

  She huffed a bit, but wrapped her arms around his waist. “I know. It’s just…well, I haven’t seen Alejandro in months. And the kids have such a good time when we all get together.”

  He laughed, rolling his eyes. “And you’re eager to see Arianna, Hayden, and Natalie. I get it.” He smacked her bottom playfully. “Go for it. Stuff whatever else you need in your suitcase and let’s go. My pilot is standing by, so we can leave whenever you’re ready.”

  She looked around the room, trying to see if there was anything else she might have forgotten. But everything looked cleaned up and ready to go. “Okay, I think I have everything,” she told him, slipping her arms around his waist and putting her cheek against his chest. Besides her children’s laughter, his strong, steady heartbeat was her favorite sound.

  “I love you, Katia,” he murmured, holding her tight.

  She relaxed and smiled up at him, hugging him back. “I love you too. And you were right.”

  His eyebrows shot up with that confession. “I am? About what?”

  Katia laughed at his wary expression. Laying a hand on his chest, she went up on her toes and kissed him. “You’ve made me happier than I’d ever thought possible.”

  With that, Sergei ignored his twins jumping on the bed and the dogs barking as they joined in. A confession like that deserved a kiss. Or two. “I love you too.”

  Excerpt from One Night with the Sheik

  Coming March 16, 2018

  The stone bench was cold. Hard.

  Arianna looked around, trying to calm down and focus. Her determination to confront this man, this horrible person who thought…

  She stopped, taking several deep breaths as she once again tried to calm her anger because she needed this man’s help. She’d tried to do this on her own, not wanting to be within five hundred feet of the man ever again, but, that wasn’t to be. The past several days had shown her that cooperation came at a price, a price she couldn’t afford.

  But oh the anger felt good. Rejuvenating even! For too long, she’d avoided the man, but no longer. She needed his help and…

  A stranger sitting across from her smiled, obviously trying to reassure her. Or maybe he was making a pass at her. Arianna wasn’t sure, nor did it really matter. She pulled her eyes away from the stranger and looked back down at her knees, hoping they would stop trembling when the time arrived for action.

  An action she seriously didn’t want to take, but at this point, she had no alternative.

  Her angry eyes moved up to the dais, looking at the powerful man as he benevolently listened to yet another person who had been waiting for hours just to speak with the illustrious jerk. Her wavering determination solidified as she watched all of the people here and the reverence they seemed to give him. Granted, the man had been doing this for hours but…well, there was just something about him, the blank expression in his eyes perhaps or maybe the long fingers that were resting against the arm of the gilded chair. She didn’t know him well enough…okay, so she’d had only a few “dates” with the guy…and their interactions really shouldn’t be considered dates so much as just…meetings.

  Shaking her head as she tried to stop the ridiculous need to define what they’d had during her last visit with her father. That was in the past and, obviously, it hadn’t meant as much to him as it had to her or he would have…Arianna stopped, not sure what he should have done. He was ruler of Triar, a fabulously powerful
country. They’d had dinner twice and she’d attended a gala as his guest.

  That didn’t obligate him to anything more than…nothing. Nothing at all.

  Arianna sighed, shaking her head. They weren’t lovers…and she ignored the sensual shiver that thought produced. They were mere acquaintances.

  Looking back up at the man, she sensed that he was impatient. Yes, he was listening intently to whatever the speaker was saying, but…she knew that he was frustrated and bored.

  Turning away, Arianna looked up at the ceiling, ignoring the amazing painting that some artist had painstakingly created for that space because her anger over this man and their past was making her crazy. For the past several months, months of silence on her part, she’d told herself that she was over him. Repeatedly.

  Even during the dark hours of the night when she’d been staring up at the ceiling, thinking about what it would be like to have his hands…

  She blinked and shook her head again, taking a deep, cleansing breath.

  Rhys Sabad del Isolm was simply another guy she’d dated and things hadn’t worked out.

  But the truth was…she hated him! She hated his blank expression and the crazy sensations she felt all over her body whenever she looked up at him. She hated all the power he wielded. She hated that he acted as if he owned the world but…!

  Okay, so maybe he truly did own the world – or at least a very large chunk of it, but His Highness Rhys Sabad del Isolm, Sheik of Triar…he was her last hope and letting thoughts of anger and hatred flit through her mind wasn’t going to put her in the right frame of mind to ask him for help. And yeah, she truly needed his help. The past few days, trying to find her missing father on her own had proven that she couldn’t do this by herself.

  Once again, Arianna mentally lectured herself on patiently presenting her case to the man and…sweetly asking him for his assistance.

  And ignoring the gut-clenching desire to kiss him again.