by Leslie North
Salko gave him a flat stare. “I could try. Maybe Danny Charman should be my first attempt.”
“Danny and his family are working to get the money together to pay off his debt, at least partially. They are a safe risk. Give me until Friday with them and I’ll get your money. I can work out a series of installments, with interest, until the debt is paid in full. I will even front their first payment myself, to show I’m serious about collecting their debt.”
“I don’t want your goddamned money, Kaz. Besides, Danny Charman proved he was a shitty risk when he skipped his payments.” Salko spat on the floor beside his desk, his expression disgusted. “Why the fuck do you think I gave you this case in the first place? So you could play your softhearted routine again?” Scowling, he pushed off the desk and paced the room. “Nyet. Enough. Fuck Danny Charman and fuck his family. Get my money from them, not you, or he’s dead. Understand?”
“C’mon, man.” Kaz inhaled sharply. “What about the Pakhan? Does the big Bratva boss agree with turning away a partial payment no matter who it’s from? Money is money.”
Salko was at his side in an instant, fisting the front of Kaz’s shirt in his beefy fist. His stale breath heated Kaz’s face and made him cringe. “Are you challenging me, boy? You think you can cross me and live to tell? Go ahead. Call the Pakhan. Tell him what a pussy boy you’ve become with your clients. Tell him how soft you are. Go on, do it. I’ve been bringing in millions for the family for decades. You really think the leadership is going to choose your side over mine? Do you?”
Saliva glistened on Salko’s crooked, slightly yellowed teeth and Kaz’s battled the sudden urge to smash them all in with his clenched fist. Kaz ground his teeth so hard he feared they’d break and forced himself to relax. Much as he hated to admit it, Salko was right. The Bratva was likely to side with Salko on this matter, at least until Kaz had the cash. He relaxed instead of fighting back, knowing it was his best bet to get out of the office alive.
After several seconds, Salko shoved him back in his chair. “Fuck it. There’s no way Danny Charman will be able to pay in full on Friday.” Salko walked back around his desk and plopped back down in to his seat, his dark gaze narrowed on Kaz. “But I like this game better. Because I will force you out of this softness you’ve developed for these lowlifes one way or another.”
Kaz swallowed, not liking the sound of that at all, but keeping his silence just the same.
“I’ve given you my instructions. Payment in full on Friday or Danny is a dead man. And you will be the one to kill him if he doesn’t come up with the money.”
“Wait a min—”
“You’ve brought this on yourself, Volkov. No more excuses. Charman pays in full or you kill him.” Salko grinned, his expression pure evil. “If you fail to do so, I will kill you. It’s that simple. Any questions?”
Allie opened the door that evening to find a man who looked like he carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. “Come in.”
He walked past her and held up two white plastic bags. “Wasn’t sure if you’d eaten or not, so I brought dinner.”
“Thank you.” She hadn’t been sure what to expect at tonight’s meeting, but dinner wasn’t it. Still, she was touched by his thoughtfulness. Allie took the bags from him and set them on the kitchen counter before gathering plates and silverware from the cabinets and drawers, chattering the whole time to fill the silence. There was no logo on the bags, but from the smell of garlic and cheese, she guessed he’d gotten Italian again. Or maybe French? There was a new little bistro that opened about two blocks from her apartment. Her hands shook as she set the plates on the counter, her nervous mind tossing up random facts in her head to fill the heavy silence.
“Salko is refusing to accept partial payment to bring your brother’s debts current,” Kaz said, his somber tone severing her speech. “I have enough in my savings to cover a down payment but not the whole amount, with interest. I’m sorry.”
Allie swallowed hard and turned slowly to face him, her pulse drumming loud in her ears. Mouth dry, she tried to wrap her head around the implications of what he’d just said. “So, what does that mean for my brother?”
Instead of answering, Kaz just looked at her, the hopelessness in his eyes telling her all she needed to know.
“Oh, God. No.” The silverware in her hand clattered to the granite countertop and her knees felt like they would give way beneath her. She’d tried to call Danny earlier, several times, but he was either not getting service or wasn’t answering. If anything happened to her brother, their mother would never survive it. Allie wasn’t sure she’d survive it either. Yes, she had issues with her brother, what family didn’t have problems? But she still loved her brother fiercely and would do anything to save his life.
Kaz was by her side in a second, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her as he guided her around to the front of the breakfast bar and got her settled on a stool. He sat across from her and took her icy hands in his, warming them as best he could by rubbing them between his big, rough fingers. “I know this isn’t the outcome you were hoping for, kotenok, but I have another plan. One that will hopefully change my boss Salko’s mind.”
“I-I don’t understand,” she said, frowning. Her head was swimming right now with too much adrenaline and information. “I thought that if I agreed to your plan then this would all work out and Danny would be safe.”
“I thought it would be a sure thing too,” Kaz sighed, “until I got called into Salko’s office today. He thinks I’ve gone soft, that I’m putting the welfare of the clients I collect from ahead of his profit. So, he’s trying to teach me a lesson here, courtesy of your brother.”
Her brain caught up with what he was saying and snagged on his earlier statement. “Wait. You tried to pay off Danny’s initial payment for him? Why?”
“It wasn’t for him.” Kaz let her go and sat back shaking his head. She missed the heat of his touch almost immediately even as her stomach dropped to her toes. If he didn’t make the offer for Danny’s sake then why would he do it? The realization sucker punched her right in the heart. He’d done it for her.
Kaz scrubbed his hand over his face. “Maybe Salko is right. Maybe I am getting soft. I’ve used my own funds to pay for other clients before, to keep them safe and avoid trouble. I thought it would save your brother and save your store.” Her heart squeezed at his words, but he still refused to look at her. “Stupid, right? It’s just that you’re so passionate about your store, about your business. I hate to see you lose it over something that isn’t your fault or responsibility.”
Allie was speechless. To have him make such a sacrifice for her was stunning. She’d grown up second-best to Danny, was used to being the one giving up things to make her brother happy. Still, they weren’t out of the woods yet. “What’s the contingency plan?”
“What do you mean?” He pushed off his stool and stalked back into the kitchen. “You’ve had quite a shock. You’ll feel better with food in your stomach.”
“You’ve got another plan, right? Another way to save Danny?” she asked, moving into the living room to take a seat on the sofa, staring at the TV news without really seeing it. Much as she appreciated Kaz being willing to pay part of her brother’s debt so she could keep her store, a part of her was still wary of such a gift. In her family, such things always came with strings attached. They’d kissed the other night and it had rocked her world. She wasn’t going to lie. He’d set her entire body on fire with his touch. If he asked her to go to bed with him tonight, she just might say yes. But not out of obligation. Out of pure, unadulterated lust. Lust that didn’t diminish because of the shock of his news about Danny’s loan or the fact that right now, they might not have a Plan B. If anything, she wanted him more now, knowing he wasn’t the ruthless thug she’d first taken him for, but was instead a kind, caring, compassionate man who was doing the best he could under difficult circumstances.
Her thoughts kept circling back to their phone conversa
tion earlier and his remarks about the gene therapy. He was only collecting fifty dollars from that man because he was paying the rest himself. Fresh warmth shimmered through her. Kaz’s boss might call him soft because of that, but she called him a hero.
“Here we are,” he said, carrying in two heaping plates of pasta and setting them down on her dining room table. Kaz returned to the kitchen for a bowl of garlic bread and a bottle of wine, two glasses tucked under his arm. “Come and eat, kotenok. We can talk more afterward.”
She did as he asked and took the seat he held for her across from his. He’d gotten them each an order of spaghetti and meatballs and the rich tomato meat sauce and salty beef hit just the right spot. At first, she just pushed her food around on her plate, too stressed to eat, but the longer they sat there, the more she was tempted to try a bite, then two, then a few more. They ate in silence for several minutes until she asked, “What does kotenok mean?”
“What?” he asked after a sip of red wine. “Oh, it means kitten in Russian.”
“Hmm.” She chewed a bite of crusty garlic bread and gave him a small smile. “You think I’m catty?”
“No. I think you have sharp claws you’re not afraid to use, if needed.”
“Pretty apt description.”
“I’m a good read of people,” Kaz said, smiling at her over the rim of his glass, the darkness in his eyes fading as warm heat took its place. “In my work, I have to be.”
“I can see that.” She pushed her half-finished plate away “So, let’s discuss a Plan B to cover Danny’s debt?”
He exhaled slowly and sat back, his own plate empty. Where he put all that food on his lean, muscular body was a mystery to her. There wasn’t a spare ounce of fat on the guy. “To tell you the truth, I don’t really have a plan to cover his debt yet. I assumed Salko would take my deal. So, I’ll need more time to figure something out. I do, however, have a plan to buy us some additional time to pay the debt.”
“How?”
His gaze flickered to hers then away again fast. “I don’t think you’ll like it.”
Her heart sank.
“I need to prove to Salko that I’m not soft, that I am still the dependable warrior he needs me to be as head of his collectors. To do that, I will need to rough Danny up a bit.”
“Rough him up?” her voice shook along with her hands. “What does that mean?”
“Beat him up, make it look like I’m serious about collecting his debt.” At her pained gasp, he reached across and took her hand. “I know, kotenok, but a man like Salko only understands violence. I promise not to cause any serious lasting injury to your brother, but beating him up might be the only way to save his life at this point.”
“Oh, God.” Allie shook her head and blinked back tears. “When the hell did life get so off track? A week ago, I was planning what designs I was going to produce for next year’s resort lines, maybe thinking of expanding my online retail footprint. I never expected to be sitting here now with a gorgeous Russian thug talking about degrees of harm to my brother.”
Kaz snorted, then gave her a crooked grin. “You think I’m gorgeous?”
Allie gave him a flat stare. “Really? Out of the entire conversation, that’s what you remember?”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re gorgeous too.”
His soft and sincere words caused something knotted tight within her to unfurl. Tomorrow, this man would do what he must to save her brother’s life. Tomorrow, he’d rough Danny up, hurt him enough to prove a point to his mafia bosses but not enough to kill him. Tomorrow, the warmth she felt pulsing through her bloodstream from his touch and his words and his kindness toward her might change. But tonight? Well, tonight they were alone in her apartment, a bubble of quiet intimacy surrounding them in the hours before the storm. Tonight, she didn’t want to be alone, she didn’t want to send him away, she needed him to be with her, emotionally and physically, so she would be strong enough to face the dawn and what was going to happen to Danny.
Without second guessing her actions, Allie leaned forward and pressed her lips to Kaz’s. At first, he seemed shocked, not moving or reacting at all. Then his mouth brushed against her, soft and warm and infinitely inviting, and he hauled her off her stool and between his thighs, deepening their kiss.
She gasped and he took advantage, sliding his tongue into her mouth to slide and dance with hers. He tasted of oregano and garlic and rich red wine and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get enough. His hand tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck, angling her head and keeping her close, as if he feared she’d disappear.
When they finally broke apart again, Kaz rested his forehead against hers, their heavy breath mingling in the small space between them. He looked deep into her eyes and asked, “Are you sure this is what you want, kotenok?”
In answer, she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, savoring his answering shiver. “More than anything. You need to relax and I need the comfort. Let’s do this, for each other.”
“Da,” he said, the word low and gruff as he pulled her tighter against him and kissed her deeply. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on tight as he carried her through the apartment to the bedroom area in the opposite corner. Once he’d placed her in the center of her queen-sized bed then stretched out beside her, his hands seemed to be everywhere at once—touching, stroking, undoing, removing things.
“You are so beautiful,” he said once they were both naked. He leaned over her, his weight resting on one elbow as he traced his fingertips reverently down the center of her chest, between her breasts, over her quivering stomach, all the way down to the slick heat between her legs. With a shaky moan, Allie parted her thighs for him and sighed at the first touch of his long, talented fingers against her tender folds. “That’s it, kotenok. Let me see your passion, let me see you come apart in my arms.”
She pulled him down for another heated kiss as she ground herself against his hand. He inserted first one, then two, fingers inside her, spreading her wetness, getting her body ready to accommodate him. His thumb gently circled her throbbing clit and soon, Allie was teetering on the edge of climax.
Kaz bent and took one of her taut nipples into his mouth, sucking before grazing the sensitive peak gently with his teeth. The added sensation was enough to send her spiraling over the cliff. Every muscle in her body clenched and Allie bit back a joyous scream as she arched hard beneath him, riding wave after wave of exquisite pleasure. He continued to stroke and coax her through her orgasm, teasing out every single last bit of sensation for her until she rested limply in his arms, sleepy and satisfied.
Smiling, Allie slid her hand down his torso to take his hard cock in hand. “Your turn.”
“No, kotenok,” he said, but she refused to listen, pushing him over onto his back then straddling his thighs with hers. He was bigger and stronger than her and could easily have pushed her off, but she knew what he really wanted, what he really needed. Bending over him, she kissed a slow trail down his muscled chest, stopping to admire the intricate tattoo across his neck and shoulders—a Celtic-looking design interspersed with stars and crosses. She teased his small brown nipples with her nails, rubbing and flicking them through the light smattering of dark hair on his pecs. Then she stopped and stared at a raised white scar over his heart, bisecting the tanned skin from his solar plexus to just over his ribs on the right side.
“What happened?” She touched it gingerly with her fingertips, not wanting to cause him any pain. “Who did this to you?”
He looked down at her and smiled. “Do not worry yourself, kotenok. It is an old injury. From a knife fight years ago.”
“They could’ve killed you,” she said, reverently kissing the puckered skin along the scar. “I never would’ve met you.”
Kaz slipped his fingers through her hair, his words escaping on a low moan of pleasure. “No, kotenok. I was in no danger. You should’ve seen the other guy.”
Except the
last thing on her mind right now was other men. Kaz had completely taken over her thoughts and her senses. The salty taste of his skin, the spicy, clean scent of his cologne, the addictive sound of his moans and growls. Oh yeah. A girl could definitely get used to this.
Allie continued her erotic trek down the ridges of his taut stomach, stopping to kiss each of his hip bones before tracing her tongue down those muscles that formed a delicious V all the way down to his hard cock. He was big and so ready, a pearl of pre-cum glistening on his tip. Staring up into his warm green eyes, she licked him, taking that salty drop of his essence into her mouth and savoring his flavor. His nostrils flared as crimson dotted his high cheekbones and his fingers tightened slightly against her scalp.
“Do you like that?” she teased, licking him again, this time from root to tip, spending a bit of extra time on that sensitive spot behind his crown.
He groaned low and rough, gritting out his response. “Fuck, yes! Please, kotenok.”
“Please what?” She took him into her mouth and sucked him deep. He thrust gently against the roof of her mouth and closed his eyes, his head tipping back and his expression pure ecstasy. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a sexier sight in her life.
She released his cock from her mouth with an audible “pop,” then grinned up at him. “Tell me.”
Within seconds, he’d grasped her by the waist and rolled her beneath him once more, putting him firmly back in charge again. He reached over and grabbed his jeans from the side of the bed and pulled out a condom, putting it on before covering her body with his.
“Nyet, kotenok,” he said, raising her legs on either side of him then positioning himself at her wet entrance. “I will show you.”
In one long thrust, he buried himself hilt deep inside her. Allie bit back a gasp. It had been so long since she’d been with a man, with her busy life and career, that it took a moment for her body to adjust to the size and width of him. But soon, her muscles relaxed around him and they found their rhythm. She met him stroke for stroke, pulling him down for another hot, deep kiss.