Retribution

by Lietha Wards

“I’m feeling oddly possessive for one.” He wouldn’t have ever taken it that far if he’d known about her chastity. As it was, she was ready for him; wet as hell. This was uncharted territory for him. How she could be so beautiful and remain untouched was beyond him. Yet, she gave herself to him and only him. He couldn’t have her care about him, but he knew it was too late.

  She smiled. “I like that.”

  “I meant,” he looked down at her, “This could make things more dangerous. I have to stay focused. Emotion getting in the way compromises this.”

  “You care for me too, don’t you?”

  “I do, or we’d never gotten this far,” he admitted reluctantly.

  Her heart leapt around in her chest. She didn’t expect him to answer. She actually expected him to sidestep the conversation. Something, she was discovering, that he was good at. She slipped her fingers into his hair and tugged his mouth to hers.

  He moved on top of her pulling her thighs over his hips and made love to her slowly this time. Something he should have done in the beginning. She was slender and flexible, so he took his time memorizing every inch of her, caressing her, arousing her, until she started begging. Oh, he could definitely get used to that. She had the sexiest voice when pleading.

  The next morning she awoke with a heavy weight on her. It took her a moment to focus. It was big, warm, hard, and muscular.

  Ryan.

  He was still sleeping, half across her, naked, warm and heavy. They were facing each other and she took a moment to study him. She was in heaven. Nothing ever made her feel like this. She watched him. Even in sleep he was as handsome as the devil. She turned her head and looked at the clock. It was just after five am. She was sure he got up to jog around this time. She couldn’t move if she wanted to. He had her trapped beneath his big body. Not that she wanted to move. She felt so secure and comfortable.

  At that moment he stirred and opened his eyes.

  “Hi,” she murmured shyly. She was blushing.

  “Different the next morning isn’t it?”

  “It is. I’m feeling quite shy.”

  “Any regrets?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Good to hear.” He lifted his head and looked at the clock. She took the opportunity to look at him again, and unconsciously ran her tongue over her bottom lip. His grey eyes focused back on her and saw the movement and his finger went to her mouth and a playful expression crossed his face. “Down, girl.”

  She actually giggled.

  For him, it was refreshing. She seemed completely relaxed even after what had happened yesterday. “Shower, get dressed, and lets go for a run. We both smell like sex, and anyone can look at your just-fucked hair and know what I’ve done to you.”

  His bluntness had her laughing again. “Join me.”

  “Ah, what have I created?”

  “Yes, it is completely your fault. Please.”

  One of his brows rose. “Begging? I could get used to that.”

  Her expression turned saucy.

  This time he chuckled. “All right. Go get wet, and I’ll join you in a moment.”

  Her eyes brightened and she scrambled out of bed to go do what he asked.

  After she left, he moved over and sat up on the side of the bed. He looked toward the open door to her room, then ran his hands over his face.

  What the fuck are you doing, Ryan?

  This is so unfair to her. He was letting emotion get in the way, and this was interfering with everything. He couldn’t help it. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met, and undeniably incredible in bed. That was a surprise especially knowing now that she never had sex before. It was uncanny how open she was. Yet, here he was, possessive, and emotionally attached because of it. He didn’t have relationships, ever. There were too many risks, and he didn’t like attachments. Yet, she was unlike any woman he’d ever known, and he was the only one she’d ever been with. It shouldn’t affect him so deeply, but it did.

  He lifted his head and looked toward the open door again. He could hear the shower running and he already had an erection from just imagining that beautiful body getting soaped up. He stood up and headed through the door pulled by some unknown force. By the time he stepped in next to her, he was hard as granite. He turned her around so she faced the glass and fucked her from behind. He couldn’t get close enough, deep enough in this woman. Her harsh pants of pleasure sent him over the edge. He could feel her tightening around him as her orgasm hit. Then his own, and it was primal as hell and sexy as fuck. You’d think he hadn’t been laid in a month. His arm moved under her breasts and he pulled her back against him, so he could whisper in her ear. “I’m looking forward to the things I’m going to teach you.”

  She sighed and nodded, too spent to disagree. She knew she would be sore after that, but it was well worth it.

  He reached by her and turned off the shower.

  She turned around and faced him.

  He lowered his head and kissed her; it was slow and affectionate.

  “Are we still going for a run?” she murmured.

  He smiled down at her. “Do you honestly think we need the exercise now after that marathon?”

  “I don’t even know if I can stand, let alone run, so, no.”

  He laughed. “Careful darling, my ego is big enough.” He stepped out of the shower, retrieved a towel from the rack and slung it around his hips. He then grabbed another and dried her off slowly.

  She loved it. It was almost as if he was cherishing her, and she never knew that feeling before.

  “Lift your foot.”

  She did and he dried it, then the other. Finally he stood, tossed the towel over his shoulder instead of around her, placed his hands on his hips, and looked down the length of her. She stood there, naked, trying her best not to feel self-conscious. Really though, his eyes held something akin to deep appreciation, so how could she? He made her feel so beautiful with that look. “Are you quite done?” She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

  His gaze met hers and a sexy smile spread across his handsome face. It was that playful look again. Yes, he could certainly get used to this. “Get dressed, I’m hungry.”

  “I think you say that a lot.”

  “I do. Now I have another appetite.”

  She sighed heavily. “We’re in trouble, aren’t we Ryan? This is wrong in so many ways.”

  He pulled her naked body against his and lowered his forehead onto hers. “Like I said, I think that started awhile back.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “This one is on me anyway. I shouldn’t have crossed that line, but I did. I’ll protect you with everything I have.”

  “I know you will. I trust you.” But who’s going to protect me from you? she thought to herself.

  “Get dressed,” he repeated and slapped her ass before he left her alone.

  “You’re too bossy,” she called after him. Her answer was a deep chuckle.

  He was bossy, and she would be resistant as always, but she did get dressed because rebelling by walking around the house naked, just didn’t work for her.

  She walked back into his room as he was doing up his tie. He was so immaculate. She felt her body tingle just remembering how he felt. What if her father does something to him? What if he does something to both of them? She had a whole new world of stress to deal with. Ryan was right, they crossed a line. The consequences if her father found out would be catastrophic. “What’s going to happen to us, Ryan?”

  He approached her while smoothing his tie, cupped her face and tilted her head up placing his forehead on hers. “I don’t know, but let’s get out of here after breakfast so you can breathe for a bit.”

  “Where? Can we go to the gravel pit again?”

  “Anywhere you want, but just you and me this time. We don’t need an audience. I’ll get a car from your father.”

  She would love that.

  Only they didn’t make it. The car Ryan was driving was suddenly t-boned by an older SUV. It came out of nowhere.r />
  Shortly before that, he’d seen the familiar sedan following him at a distance about ten minutes after they left the house, then it disappeared around a corner. It hadn’t reappeared yet, but something was up.

  “Ryan?” He’d suddenly become serious and she remembered that same demeanor when they had breakfast after she registered for her semester. Something was wrong.

  He didn’t answer.

  “Ryan. What is it? And don’t lie to me.”

  He really didn’t want to tell her. He sighed heavily. “We’re being followed.”

  She stiffened and looked behind them. “I don’t’ see anything.”

  “They’ve gone, for now.” He suspected they were still being tailed though.

  “Oh…God,” she whispered softly.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.” he flicked a sideways glance at her. “Do you got that?”

  She nodded quickly doing her best not to freak out.

  He drove around for a while longer, to see if he was being tailed. Then the SUV burst out of a side road, striking the side of the car. The older vehicle was made of metal, and a had big bull bar on the front. The sports car Ryan was driving was just modern fiberglass. The impact was catastrophic and crumpled Ryan’s side like brittle plastic. The explosion of airbags deafened him right before he lost consciousness.

  When he came to, he was disorientated but was able to figure out they were upside down still in the car, so he couldn’t have been out too long. He could smell gas, antifreeze, and burning rubber. There were faint voices approaching the wreck and knew they didn’t have any time to get away. He reached over and shook Katya to see if she was alive. To his relief, she moaned, but he couldn’t see how badly she was hurt. There was a noise outside of the vehicle, boots on gravel. Now, beside his shattered window. He turned his head to see. Next thing, a face appeared; dark skinned with a birthmark. Then he saw the Taser. Before he could react, everything went black.

  ***

  His senses were a mess and his head was spinning. A loud ringing in his ears made him know that his head took a substantial knock from the accident. He gave his head a shake to try and dispel the sound and force the blackness away, with it came a pounding pain in his temples. He groaned. A concussion.

  Where was he?

  Then he remembered the Taser.

  Katya!

  He tried moving, but he could feel his wrists and feet were immobile. His fingers touched metal. They were handcuffs.

  It took him a moment to notice that he was sitting, upright in a chair. It certainly didn’t help the dizziness he was experiencing. A wave of nausea swirled in his gut. Shit, he was a mess.

  “He’s waking up.”

  It was a male voice, heavy accented. The blackness started to fade, and then came a blinding light when he tried opening his eyes. They were spotlighting him so he couldn’t see anything. He felt a sharp pain above his right eye and the familiar warm feeling of blood oozing down the side of his face. Most likely that was from the accident.

  “I don’t know you. Who are you?”

  This time, female, no accent.

  It felt damp and smelled musty where he was. It was then he realized where he was. Katya had described it to him. This is where she was kept when she was kidnapped. Christ, she must be terrified! He tried to move despite his bound hands and feet, but the chair didn’t shift. It was bolted down. Well, this wasn’t good.

  He also felt like he was hit by a train, so his mood wasn’t great either. Damn flimsy foreign cars. He quickly assessed the pain in his body to see if anything was broken. So far, he didn’t have that kind of pain. There was a sharp knife twisting one when he finally took a deep breath. Maybe a cracked rib. Not bad for what he’d been through. He worried about Kat. She wasn’t as strong as him and could be injured. That made him angry. At least he didn’t lose his courage. “Go fuck yourself.”

  A granite fist connected with his jaw for his belligerence. He grunted.

  “Now that wasn’t very nice. I asked you a question.” Female, again.

  Ryan spit a wad of blood out of his mouth and tried to focus beyond the bright lights. He looked down at his chest. His feet were bare and the floor was cold—cement. He was also bare from the waist up. Well, at least they left his pants on. They may not realize it, but they gave him an advantage. Then his eyes went to the man who hit him. He still couldn’t see him, just a dark outline, but he knew where he was standing. “I’ll kill you if you do that again.” It was in perfect Arabic.

  The shadow actually took a step back and exchanged looks with, who he assumed, was the woman still hidden behind the lights.

  Ryan grinned at it. Then he turned his attention to the voice toward the bright lights. “Anna, I presume. Did you kill your sister this time? Because you sure as hell tried.”

  There was a pregnant pause.

  “Enough. This is useless. Turn the lights on,” the woman said irritably.

  The spotlight went off and the overhead light came on. He squinted his eyes until the blind spots started to fade. He was in a small room, cement walls and floor, no windows and no bigger than a cell. There were three men in there, all of the same race; dark skinned, dark hair, black eyes. His eyes focused on one in particular. He had a birthmark under his eye.

  “You and I aren’t done,” he said to him. The other man didn’t even look slightly taken aback, but his eyes narrowed at the threat and the corner of his mouth pulled up mocking him. Of course he was tied up at the moment…for the moment, but he was going to wipe the smirk off of that man’s face sooner or later.

  Someone set a chair in front of him while his eyes were still adjusting, and Anna Nickolov sat in it crossing her legs. She wore a short black leather skirt, fashionable flower print blouse and high heels. She was so close that her legs were in between his knees. Her eyes slowly went down his bare muscular torso than back up to meet his, they were as cold as night, but there was no mistaking the admiration in them. “So, you know me. You’ve got my attention.”

  Ryan never said anything.

  “I know everyone that works for my father, but you. You are new.”

  He tilted his head keeping eye contact but not speaking. There was definite defiance in his gaze.

  She sighed answering his question. “My sister is fine. She’s a little banged up but nothing broken.”

  Ryan felt instant relief but didn’t show it and kept his eyes on hers. Anna was just as beautiful as her sister, in an evil bitch sort of way. She had short black hair, and icy green eyes, but again, that family trait of soullessness seemed to be inherited in them. The only one it seemed to have missed, was Katya.

  “Because she is my sister, she is dear to me and I still need her. I wouldn’t harm her. You, however, don’t have that immunity if you don’t tell me who you are.”

  Ryan smiled, unaffected by her threats.

  “Now who are you to my father, where did you come from, and why are you here?”

  “I’m no one to your father. He hired me as Katya’s bodyguard.” It was obvious why he was with her so there was no harm in responding. Besides, he needed more information from her.

  She nodded studying him. “That makes sense. You are a hard man to kill.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Still, though, Mr. Casey, you are here, and where is Katya?” She looked amused. “You aren’t that good.”

  His brows rose.

  “Yes, I know who you are.” She lifted her chin and smiled coolly. “I can find anything out.”

  He scoffed.

  “I can.”

  “My name is nothing Miss Nickolov. Don’t be so impressed with yourself.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “You shouldn’t be baiting me, Mr. Casey. Your fate isn’t in your hands right now.”

  “This isn’t over.” His eyes went past her to birthmark meaning he still intended on dealing with him.

  “I think it is.” She studied him for a moment. “However, you may be useful. I’ve
seen you protect Katya in the boutique even though it wasn’t her I was after. I will pay you twice what my father is paying.”

  “No deal.” His response was quick, quick enough to let her know that he wouldn’t even consider it.

  She showed disapproval in her expression. Obviously she wasn’t refused very often. Another family trait. Then she leaned forward to look at him more closely. “Are you fucking her, Mr. Bodyguard?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “I’m asking because, one, no one says no to me that easily, and two, she’s desperate to know what happened to you. I’ve never seen her so frantic. She’s practically clawing down the door as we speak. My poor angelic sister.” She leaned closer. Their noses were almost touching while she looked him in the eyes. “I’m thinking she might just be a little in love with you.” she clucked her tongue and leaned back a little to see if she affected him. “My poor love starved sister.”

  His heart constricted in his chest. Still, he said nothing and gave nothing away his expression. His eyes remained on hers.

  She sat straight, sighed, and nodded to the big man beside him again.

  Another hit to the jaw. He was sure that one loosened a molar.

  “Again, who are you? You are not the usual Chechenia born brute.”

  “You can burn in hell before you get an answer out of me,” he answered through gritted teeth. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.

  She sat straighter staring at him. “Is that right?”

  “It is.”

  She thought about that for a moment, then started shaking her head. “Well, see then, we have a problem, because I’m used to getting what I want.” She nodded to the men around the room. “I’ve made some friends as you can see, and you’d better let me know what I want, or I’ll rip you to shreds.”

  “I see that sociopathic tendencies run in the family.” He smiled.

  “Why are you insisting on making me angry? I could make this much easier on you.”

  He shrugged.

  She looked around at her men. “I’m getting nowhere with this man.”

  “We could cut off his fingers,” someone suggested.

  “Or something else.” She stared at Ryan for a moment then lowered her eyes to his crotch before meeting his again. “I bet you’re just as impressive down there too.” She raised a single brow.