She’d let him. No reservations at all. Whatever he wanted, she’d give it to him.
Something—his thumb?—pressed against her clit.
Haley gasped. Her whole body went rigid then she shuddered, groaning her release as she came hard. From a touch. One touch and she was done.
“Did you just...?” Konstantin lifted his head, his too-blue eyes seeming to shine in the low light. “Did you just come?”
Her cheeks blazed. “Yes.”
His lips curved into a grin.
God, she was lying on the sofa with Zasha’s room right there. She could walk out, see this, and then what? Haley barely knew what was going on. She wasn’t about to try to explain a complicated maybe relationship to a little girl. A relationship that could very well just be in her head despite Konstantin saying he wanted to kiss her.
“I, uh, Zasha. I should...”
Konstantin pulled his hand from her pants, but didn’t move. “Hey?”
“Can we just...sit up?” Haley had to be able to think. He always made her feel, but right now she needed to use her head.
He pushed up and took her hand, helping her straighten despite her spinning head. Her insides were loose, relaxed, while her main muscle groups were tense, creating an unsettling sensation of being off balance.
“Hey?” Konstantin tugged on her hand.
She glanced at him and her chest seemed to swell with emotion. He wasn’t anything like what she’d expected him to be. Konstantin was a kind, thoughtful man behind that wall of ice. And she loved him.
“Come here,” he said.
He didn’t exactly give her a choice. This close, he slid one arm under her legs and pulled her over until she was on his lap.
“There.”
“But, Zasha?” She glanced at the hall.
“Look at me?” He took her face in both hands, once more giving her no option but to look at him.
The dissent inside of her grew quiet looking into those eyes. She felt hope and excitement looking back at him.
He kissed her once more with gentleness.
“This might... Emotions are complicated,” he muttered.
She chuckled, which was better than sobbing. God, her insides were starting to twist and twine together.
“I’m in love with you,” Konstantin whispered.
Haley gaped at him.
Had she just imagined that?
“What?” she heard herself say.
“I’m in love with you,” he said it this time with more conviction, as if he liked the sound of it. “I know that might not make things easier, but... I want to figure out how you stay part of this family. If that’s something you’re interested in.”
Haley gripped his shoulder.
Was he serious? Was this a dream?
No, she’d never allowed herself to contemplate a future where she got it all.
He loved her.
KONSTANTIN WAS SURPRISED he’d managed to get this far without sweat pouring off him. He’d faced down board meetings and other high-powered executives alongside congress men and women who had nothing on Haley.
Part of him wanted to take those words back, but only a small part that feared Haley leaving. He knew full well that she could feel differently. In fact, he fully expected her to pat him on the head and say it wasn’t that serious for her.
Instead she stared at him with eyes gone round.
Had he sprouted a second head? Or had she come so hard her brains were scrambled?
He liked to think he was good at pleasing women, but he didn’t think he was that good.
“I, um... You?” She opened and closed her mouth.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her at a loss for words.
“Yeah?” He tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned in a tiny bit.
She didn’t shy away from him.
He kissed her lips, the corner of her mouth. She shoved a hand into his hair. He was beginning to crave that.
Haley sat up suddenly. “Zasha.”
“She’s asleep.”
“But...”
Konstantin stood with Haley in his arms.
Zasha rarely got up in the middle of the night. She’d always been a solid sleeper, but he didn’t exactly want to challenge that right now.
He carried Haley through to his condo and into his bedroom. The door shut almost silently.
No more distractions.
He set Haley down, realizing only then that he couldn’t recall her ever being in his room before now. There’d been no point. But she didn’t seem to notice.
She looked up at him, the moment drawing out.
He wished he could look inside her mind, understand what she was thinking or feeling rather than just waiting.
Haley reached down and grabbed a handful of her shirt, hauling it up over her head.
His dick throbbed at the sight of her in black, form fitting pants with only maroon lace covering her breasts. He could make out her nipples clearly through the so-called fabric.
“I just wanted privacy,” he said in a voice gone rough with lust.
“And I still want you,” she said.
Fuck.
He couldn’t say no to that.
She pushed his shirt up and he quickly got rid of the thing.
Haley leaned against him, kissing his shoulder before tipping her face up.
He kissed her, letting go of some of the restraint he’d held onto. She met his need with her own.
Her hand wrapped around his erection. He groaned and his brain went fuzzy at the feel of her hand on him.
“Mm, fuck,” he muttered as his sweatpants hit the floor.
She pushed at his shoulder and he sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Condoms?” she asked.
“Shit.” He had to think.
“Any reason why we would need one?” she asked, watching his face carefully.
“No.” That was something he could say without question.
“Okay.” She leaned in just enough to buzz his lips with a kiss. “I’ve been on birth control most of my life.”
“I’m sure there’s one around here.”
“I don’t want it,” she said, her tone firm.
That was the moment he realized he didn’t want anything between them either.
He loved her. She was maybe the only woman he’d ever love.
Konstantin kissed her and hoped she understood that he was serious.
Haley’s nails raked softly down his chest as her other hand stroked him.
He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her yoga pants and pushed them down. He’d never been so damn happy about a woman not wearing panties as he was tonight. She kicked out of the pants then straddled his lap.
Another day he’d have his taste of her, but right now he just wanted her. He wanted days, weeks, months and years of this. He wanted to laugh with her, hold her, be there for her like she’d been there for him. But they’d start with this. Right now.
He gasped at the feel of her wet heat on his cock. Haley cupped his face with one hand, staring into his eyes as she slowly lowered onto him. She panted for breath, showing that he wasn’t the only one affected.
Konstantin wrapped an arm around her waist to better steady her.
“God, you feel so damn good,” he muttered.
“Yeah. You, too.”
He ducked his head and licked her breast through the lace.
Haley groaned and her pussy tightened around him. Her nails dug into his shoulders, a bright counterpoint to the pleasure she gave him.
Her body tensed and she rose, stroking his cock while he made love to her breasts. It was his turn to shudder as she sank back down.
“Oh, my God,” she muttered.
“You okay?” he managed to get out.
She clutched at his shoulders. “Yes. Yes, just give me a second.”
He swiped his thumb over her nipple. She gasped and he felt the quiver of her body on his cock.
“No. No more of
that.” She covered his hand with her. “That’s just too much. Right now... I need you to come so I can.”
He looked back at her, feeling every drop of lust. “I think I can manage that.”
“Oh. Good.” She leaned against him, going limp.
He clutched her to his chest and rolled, putting her on her back under him. Her hands immediately slid up and down his chest.
“I like this, too,” she muttered.
He leaned down and kissed her. “Good. I want to do this a lot.”
A flash of something darkened her face for a moment. “You can’t say that and not mean it.”
“Oh, I’m very serious.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then her brow. “I’ll show you how serious I am five times a day.”
That got a chuckle out of her.
He moved then, gliding out of her and thrusting into her wet, hot heat. With the lamps on, he could take in everything about her. The way her eyes widened, her gasps of pleasure, the way she’d tip her head back and groan.
He fucking loved her.
Haley’s hand found his. He took it, twining their fingers together.
Nothing had ever felt more right in all his life than being with her. He hadn’t been looking for a partner to share his life with until she was just there. If he could go back and kick his own ass for waiting this long to do something, he’d do it in a heartbeat. Instead, he intended to make the most of every day going forward. And someday he’d win her heart.
That was his goal. To be the man worthy of her love.
“Oh—Kon!” Her voice hitched and he felt her pussy tighten.
“Fuck,” he muttered and ducked his head to kiss her. “I love you.”
Her nails bit into his skin as he drove into her, harder and faster.
“Oh my—Kon.” She fisted the sheets with her free hand while holding onto him tight. “I love you. I love you. I fucking love you.”
He came listening to those words wash over him and holding onto the woman who meant the world to him.
For several long moments they lay there in a tangle of limbs, barely managing to breathe, all while those precious seconds replayed in his head.
She loved him.
Even if it was just a statement made in passion, it was a start. She felt something. He could work with that.
Her fingers traced the barely visible scar on his brow. “I just said I love you and you say nothing?”
“I wasn’t sure if we were acknowledging you said it or not.”
“I said it, didn’t I?” Her cheeks were pink, either from orgasm or something else, he didn’t know.
“You did.”
Konstantin knew most relationships were different. He’d never had a day of normal in his life, so why start now?
“Do you want to talk about it?” He knew she was a woman of action, but at some point they were going to have to discuss what this actually meant.
She pulled him down for another kiss.
“Yeah,” she said against his mouth. “We should talk. But not talk in a bad way, just...talk.”
“Okay.” He kissed the tip of her nose again.
They separated and she ducked into his bathroom while he sprawled on the bed.
Ivana was gone.
Natasha was no more.
His father wasn’t the bogyman.
And Haley loved him.
There were a lot of changes coming to them.
Haley opened the bathroom door with a smile. “All you.”
Despite the words they’d both said, there was still a barrier there. He wanted over or through it, but didn’t know how to make that happen. So he excused himself to the bathroom and took the world’s fastest shower while trying to think of something that would bring him and Haley into step together.
If she needed proof that he was going to be better, it would take time.
Tomorrow the florist was bringing by a plant he and Zasha had picked out for Haley. But he could do more.
When he finished, Haley wasn’t waiting for him in the bedroom. He was a little disappointed she wasn’t waiting for him in bed.
He found her in the kitchen, dressed again and measuring cocoa powder into a steaming mug. There was another already mixed with little marshmallows on top. He leaned against the counter, unsure if he should help or let her do this.
“These are a lot of big, intense feelings,” she said, still staring into the mug.
“They are.”
She sighed.
“Haley?”
She lifted her face and looked at him, her eyes so big and dark with emotion he’d never seen. It almost took his breath away.
“I know things have been mostly one-sided. If you’re worried about that, I know everything needs to change.”
Haley chuckled. “One sided?”
“You do so much for us. For me. And not because it’s your job.”
“Where in my contract does it say you have to donate and pretty much fund the drive at my brother’s activity center so they could get a new van?”
He frowned. She knew? “That was a private donation.”
She thrust her finger at him. “I knew it!”
“You just said...”
Haley lifted the mug and smiled. “I knew a single, large donation was made to the fundraiser which is run by my mother’s best friend. She never said anything, but dropped so many hints and thanked me so much it was impossible to not figure out.”
Shit.
Konstantin scowled at his own mug. “I didn’t do that to score points.”
“I know that.” She reached out and cupped his cheek. “What I’m saying is that you’re the kind of guy who happens to overhear about a need and meets it. Like when my mom was in the hospital so you made sure to send a bucket of fried chicken to my dad on Sunday because she always fries a chicken on Sundays. You’re thoughtful.”
“It made you not worry as much. And besides, I didn’t do it for you. I...”
Haley smothered her laugh behind her hand. “That’s just it. Me? I don’t need anything. My family is my soft spot, and you’ve always taken care of me and them. You say this relationship is one-sided, and yet I’m over here thinking, I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve him.”
Konstantin stared at her and let that information sink in.
“So you’re saying you don’t want Christmas presents? Did I hear that right?” he asked.
Haley shook her head. “Sure. Yeah. That’s what I said.”
They had just said they loved each other, but did that make things official?
“Does this mean you’ll be around for me to give you a Christmas present?” he asked.
Haley looked at him with a sober expression. “I’m still quitting.”
“What? Why?” Things weren’t broken. Why change it?
“Okay, how do you envision this working?” she asked.
“Um, well...”
“I think it’s a bad idea for professional and personal to be this mixed up. I love Zasha. A lot. But part of me is worried that she’ll get to an age and realize that the most important people in her life are paid to be here.”
“She loves you. She’s old enough to know it’s real. I want you part of our lives.”
“And I want to be part of this. I love you both, but we need to do this the right way.” She took a drink of her hot chocolate.
He frowned down into his cup. “What I’m hearing is that the only way to keep you is to fire you.
“You aren’t firing me, I’m quitting. There’s a difference.”
“But if I fire you, you could claim unemployment.”
Haley rolled her eyes. “I’m still employed by Aegis Group, I’m just quitting this contract.”
Which meant she’d take another one.
She recoiled a little bit. “What’s that scowl for?”
“I don’t want you taking a contract that has you sleeping in another man’s house.”
“Oh.” She chuckled. “I was thinking I might just.
..take a break.”
“Take a break? I like the sound of this. Tell me more?” He edged closer, backing her into the corner.
The smile faded from her face, leaving her serious. “Zasha is going to need more attention once all this settles in. I was thinking we just move forward, only you aren’t paying me to be around anymore.”
“Around? So you wouldn’t be living here?” Like hell he’d go for that.
Haley rolled her eyes. “Okay, so I’d be a freeloader who home schools your kid, cooks you breakfast and if you’re really lucky...”
He took her mug and set them both down on the counter.
“Lucky, hm?” He could live with this plan. Hell, he’d live with it for the rest of his life.
She looped her arms around his neck while he palmed her ass.
The idea that he’d wake up with her in their lives was the best damn thing he’d ever heard.
“Very lucky,” she whispered.
Konstantin kissed her, savoring the flavor of chocolate on her lips.
She was talking about moving into his life in a big way. Giving up work to focus on his daughter and their lives was a lot to ask of her. And she was the one who wanted to do it.
“Dad?”
Haley jolted, breaking the kiss.
Konstantin groaned inwardly and lifted his head while Haley hunched over, face buried against her hands and his chest.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He smiled at the sleepy looking girl squinting up at him.
“Haley’s letting you kiss her now?” Zasha asked.
Konstantin looked at Haley then back at Zasha. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected his daughter’s reaction to be to this development, but a deadpan stare wasn’t it.
“Yes. Yes she is,” he replied.
“Finally,” Zasha groaned. “Is that hot chocolate?”
“Yes. Want some?” Haley offered Zasha his mug.
“Thank you.” Zasha took the mug in both hands then turned and shuffled into her bedroom.
Haley glanced back at him, smothering her laugh with her hand. He grinned back at her.
His life had never been so full. He’d gone from living for his daughter to living his own life, all because of Haley. She was the light in his darkness.
Epilogue.
A month later...
Haley fidgeted with the zipper on her jacket.
Just Business (Aegis Group Dangerous Ladies Book 1) Page 22