My father is moving me into the position of captain, so Novak is essentially doing his job. He’s as serious as my father is when it comes to our Bratva cell. His presence here tonight reminds me of my lifetime commitment to ensure the Bratva legacy continues. I need to view Logan as a job, nothing more. My father wants me to guard her and that’s what I will do. This is a crucial point of my life and I’m not going to let a woman be my demise. More than once, a woman has been the downfall of a Bratva man, and I refuse to be that guy.
I’ve had enough. I grab her shoulders, turning her body and pinning her against the wall. “I want to know what the fuck you’re up to, Logan, and I want to know now,” I hiss as I lean in close to her face. “You’re playing with fire, and it’s more terrifying than anything you’ve ever imagined.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says so quietly that I can barely hear her.
I bury my face in her hair and can’t help but breathe in her intoxicating scent. She’s got to stop fighting me. My frustration pulls a deep growl from my throat. “Liar!” I bark angrily as I pull away.
“What?” she whispers, and her voice holds an undercurrent of desperation.
I lock eyes with her as I twirl a lock of her hair around my finger in a deceptively calm gesture. “Did you know that the Russian word for liar sounds a lot like ‘bullshit’? Are you a liar, Logan?”
“Yes, no -- Damn it, Kodiak!”
I cradle her jaw in my hand so she can’t turn away. “You’re hiding something and you want to tell me, but you don’t think you can.”
“Yes, but I’m going to fix it.”
“That’s funny, Logan, real fucking funny. You don’t fix things when you’ve been touched by Bratva. The only person who can fix whatever it is you’ve gotten yourself into…is me.”
I slide my hand down around her neck as I have done several times before. She knows my touch now, understands that I am serious. My grip is firm even as my thumb strokes gently back and forth along her jaw. “Sooner or later, Logan, you’re going to have to trust me. I just hope it isn’t too late when you do.”
Logan
I’m relieved when he removes his hand from my neck, but I question my sanity when I miss the warm pressure of his touch. The stress must be getting to me, there is no way that’s a turn on. But the flood of heat between my legs would indicate otherwise. Kodiak gives me a knowing smile, more of a smirk really, then slips his arm through mine. He leans in to softly whisper, “The woman walking toward us is my mother. Don’t underestimate her, she’s as insightful as the men in my family, if not more so.”
I take a deep breath and brace for yet another introduction, possibly the most important one of all. I swear it will be a miracle if I make it through this night of meeting Kodiak’s family. I’m relieved to see that she’s smiling when she reaches Kodiak and offers him her cheek for a kiss. She really is stunning with her red hair and fair, porcelain skin.
“Kodiak, she’s lovely,” she says serenely as she observes me a little too closely. Does everybody in this family have to be so observant? I never factored in their personality traits when I decided to write the article, but then again I also hadn’t planned on getting this close to one of the main players in the game. Kodiak’s eyes rake over me possessively and I blush under his heated perusal.
“Yes, she is very lovely. Mother, this is Logan. She just started working at the gambling house as a dealer. Logan – my mother, Kathleen Glazov.”
I note that his stare goes cold when he directs his attention back to me. Though he’s speaking to her, he’s staring at me, locking me down with that intense gaze he gets when he sets his mind on something. Though I haven’t been around him very long, I’m learning him quickly. Right or wrong, I’ve become a quick study.
“He asked me to keep an eye on her, and that’s exactly what I’m doing—I’m keeping a very, very close eye on her. Isn’t that right, Logan?”
I know I’m blushing an even deeper shade of crimson because I can feel the heat permeating from my chest and painfully making its way up to my face. I hate my body for betraying me to these people. I’ve never been one who could hide my emotions because whatever I’m feeling always shows on my face. What a contradiction that I want to get into a field of work where a poker face is required. I chastise myself as I think about being a journalist that a perfect stranger will be able to read. It isn’t like I have time to learn either because I’ll be working at the gambling house to pay for school. This whole issue with this stupid expose’ has escalated to the point I’m questioning if I’m even cut out to be an investigative journalist. I shake myself out of my thoughts and answer him, but direct my words to his mother.
“Yes, ma’am, that’s what he’s doing.” I’m relieved when his mother picks up on my awkward feelings and responds in an effort to put me at ease.
“The men in our family can be very intense, my dear – especially this one.” She glances at her son with affection. “Don’t let Kodiak scare you away.”
“She’s not going anywhere…Are you, Logan?”
“No, ma’am, um, I’m looking forward to starting my new job.” It’s the only response I can think of. I know his mother is attempting to avoid the elephant in the room. Kodiak’s dominant nature is shining through in his possessive stare and the firm grip he has on my arm.
“You’ll do fine, I’m sure.”
She pats my arm reassuringly, gives Kodiak a direct look, and walks regally across the ballroom toward the restroom. She doesn’t seem to notice that Glazov is right on her heels. He is so intent on following his wife, he doesn’t stop to speak to any of the people vying for his attention as he cuts a brisk path across the ballroom. I’m sure that’s where Kodiak gets his dominant nature, having grown up with his father’s obsession with Kathleen. I stifle a gasp as he follows his wife into the restroom.
As minutes tick by, the Glazovs remain ensconced in the lavatory, doing God knows what. I’m beginning to wonder if there is something in the Kool-Aid around here or, in this case, in the vodka. I grab a shot off the tray as a waiter goes by.
Chapter Twelve
Kodiak
Well, I have to give it to the girl, she made it through the night. After introducing Logan to my mother, I was ready to get out of there too, so I brought her up to my suite of rooms. She’s not the only one being scrutinized tonight. Even though I’m used to it by now, I have other things on my mind, like getting to know my little prey better.
“Sit down. I don’t bite, at least not right away.” I’m amused by her shocked expression as she bites her bottom lip and fidgets in her seat. I cross the room to the end table and open the bottle of champagne I had requested before we left the party. I slowly pour the golden liquid into the crystal flute, then unhook my tie as I walk over to stand in front of her.
“Are you scared of me?”
“Should I be?”
I pass the champagne into her trembling hand.
“Yes, you should. You’re walking a very thin, very dangerous line. I just can’t figure out what could be so important to you that you would be willing to put your life in danger. Because, you know, that’s what you’re doing.”
I lean down, placing my hands on the arms of her chair. I like pinning her in, knowing she can’t escape my gaze. It’s just one step away from restraining her, which I’m very much looking forward to when the time is right. “What I want to do is fuck it right out of you. I want to open you up and feed on all of your secrets.”
“Why don’t you?” She’s looking at me so earnestly and I feel her words shoot straight to my cock. Unlike most men who are turned on by artifice and overt sexuality, I find that huge tits and puffy collagen lips don’t do it for me anymore—Logan’s innocence is what does it for me.
I take a finger and lift her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Don’t play with me, sweetheart. I’m not the kind of man you can lead on and then change your mind. If I fuck you, you’re mine.”
“Will you protect me?”
I shake my head and smirk as I answer her. “What, do you think you have to sleep with me for me to protect you?”
She shifts in her seat, once again fidgeting. “Look, I can’t be open with you about what’s going on. I mean, if I ever were to do anything, it would be better for you if you could honestly say you didn’t know. And, yeah, I’m scared.”
“But you see, it’s too late for that, sweetness. I staked my claim in that ballroom tonight. As far as my father and my family are concerned, your sins are my sins now. So you have to tell me, baby. What are you scared of? What have you done that’s so awful?”
“I’m scared of your family. Most of them have been nice to me, but I know what they’re capable of.”
“Really. And what, exactly, are we capable of?” I ask carefully. “What do you know, Logan?” She wrings her hands in her lap and looks away. My little one is skittish like a colt.
“Nothing, really. You just hear things. Merchandise disappearing. Cars being delivered but the driver disappearing. People disappearing. I’ve looked into a few things, I mean, it’s what I’m training to do -- but I’m not interested in sending people to jail, Kodiak. I’m just…naturally curious?”
I don’t think she believes her bullshit any more than I do. “Well, curiosity killed the cat, didn’t it? And you,” I murmur as I lift her from the chair and rub my hands up and down her arms, “you are my kotyonok, my little kitten. What will it take for you to understand that the safest place you can be right now is in my arms?” I pull her to me and the feeling of her little breasts pressed against me is strangely soothing. “I want you, Logan, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. But no matter how much I want you, I’m not tricking you into sleeping in with me. You will come to me of your own accord, not because of what I can do for you. I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime.”
“That isn’t what I meant. Are you willing to protect me even though I can’t open up to you?”
“You’re forgetting that my father mandated that I am your bodyguard.” I grin smugly as I look down at her, “You should be flattered. A lot of people would pay a lot of money to have a young, handsome Bratva bodyguard like me. You can’t be any more protected than you are right now, here with me.”
“Kodiak, I’m serious. Can you protect me from him?”
“When it comes to Alexander Glazov, I’m the only protection you have. Tell me, are your secrets worth getting killed?”
“No! Nothing like that, it’s just…”
“Then, if this is true, I will allow you your secrets for a while longer. But you will tell me, Logan, and then I will be the judge of whether this gamble of yours has paid off. And if you won’t tell me what I want to know, I will find out another way. Pray that it is me who does.”
Once again she’s looking at me like a wide-eyed innocent doe and it’s all I can do not to give that dress one hard tug that would rip it in two and send it to the floor. The time for talking is over. “It’s your choice, Logan: I call Lukyan to take you home, or you spend the night here. In my bed.”
Logan
Like a lamb being led to slaughter, I can’t help myself. I give in to the impulses I’ve been fighting since I first saw him and wrap my fingers in his hair, pulling him close. Then a dam bursts inside both of us in a single, heated moment. His mouth covers mine and once again he is plundering the depths of my being. Possessively kissing me like he’ll never let me go. I’ve been kissed before but never like this, as if our worlds collided that night at the gambling house, melding into something neither of us can control.
Kodiak is dispelling everything I’ve ever believed about connections developing over time. I’m finally face to face with something I’ve never seen before: the truth. When fate brings two people together, the passion it unleashes takes on a life of its own. I feel that passion now as his hands heat my skin through the fine silk of my gown. In the next instant, the gown drops to the floor. Cool air whispers across my breasts and I fight the urge to cross my arms to conceal them. Every insecurity I’ve ever had about them being small disappears at his obvious pleasure when he cups their slight weight and runs the pads of his thumbs over my nipples. His touch sends shards of heat shooting over my skin as he continues to work the tiny buds and caress the slight curves with his hands. He’s looking at them like he’s in a trance.
“You are so fucking perfect.” He picks me up out of the dress that has pooled around my feet and gently lays me on the huge king-size bed. He never takes his eyes from mine as he lifts my left foot and then my right, removing my shoes and pressing kisses along the arch of each foot. He slowly unbuttons his shirt and lets it drop to the floor, and I marvel at my first look at his body. He is all muscle and sinew, his body lean and perfectly proportioned. He is beautifully made. His regimented workouts are evident in the cut of his muscles. I can see the clear outline of his erection as it presses against the pants he is unzipping, and I turn my head when he drops the final garments and his cock springs free.
“Look at me, Logan,” he orders quietly. I take a deep breath and, as he urges me on with softly whispered words of praise, God help me, I obey him. My gaze locks on his impressive erection where it lays heavy in his hand. He strokes his cock with a slow, sensual rhythm, his breathing becoming labored with his pleasure. “Look at what’s yours. I’m going to make you feel better than you’ve ever felt. I can’t stop thinking about getting inside you and staying there.”
He moves up the bed toward me and my legs fall open beneath him. I’m eager for more of his kisses but he has other plans. My legs nearly clench back together when he positions his shoulders between my thighs, but he merely looks up at me and shakes his head in warning. He never takes his eyes off mine as he presses slow open-mouth kisses along my thighs in a relentless path toward my pussy. I’m beyond drenched, my arousal making the thin fabric slick as he passes his hand over my mound. With a confidence that far exceeds what I have at the moment, he buries his nose in the fabric of my G-string and inhales, moaning approvingly. He lifts his head, smiling wickedly up at me before he hooks his thumbs under the fabric and tears it off.
He slides his tongue up and down my slit, his eyes locked on mine. He reaches up with both hands, stroking my breasts and lightly pinching the nipples as he buries his tongue deep inside me. He begins alternating his technique, rapidly flicking his tongue over my clit then gently sucking it between his lips. Heat rolls through me in waves and I just want to move, do anything to ease the pressure that’s building deep inside me. My fingers clench the sheets, searching for purchase as I drown in the frenzied pleasure my body and mind are experiencing beneath his touch.
“Kodiak…,” my voice comes out as a pleading gasp, begging for something but I have no idea what. I’ve never felt this good. For an instant I worry that my inexperience will be a disappointment, that I don’t really know what to do except receive what he’s giving. But the sounds he makes and his whispered descriptions of everything he’s going to do to me make it clear that he’s enjoying my body as much as I’m enjoying his. He slips a finger inside me as he continues to gently suck and lick my clit. I can feel the climax building until the explosion of sensation shatters every preconceived idea I’ve ever had about sex. I writhe beneath him, my hips bucking against his mouth as he works me out, staying close to me as his tongue goes exactly where I need it as I ride the final waves of my orgasm. He gently rolls his tongue through my folds and my body melts into the soft mattress. I’m barely aware of him positioning himself on top of me. My legs open instinctively, inviting him in.
He braces his weight on his elbows and rakes his fingers through my hair, gripping handfuls of it with hands that tremble slightly. He pushes into me until he encounters my barrier. He’s motionless, holding himself in tight control, eyes gleaming with a possessive, satisfied warmth.
“Baby, why didn’t you tell me?”
There’s no hiding what he already knows. “Becaus
e I knew you wouldn’t make love to me if you knew.”
“Too late to turn back now, kotyonok. This right here,” he says with a slight push of his cock that makes me gasp, “just took things to a whole different level. If you thought I was possessive before, you haven’t seen anything. I’m taking this pussy because it’s mine and no one else’s. I want you to remember something, because you may need to draw on it later.”
“What? Kodiak, please!” I gasp, just wanting him to get on with it. I feel so empty, I just want him to give me what I need. I roll my hips under him as I try to ease the ache and get at what I want.
“I don’t know where we’re headed, but you’re mine now. Mine. Not just for tonight. Do you think you can remember that?” he murmurs, rocking the broad head of his cock in and out of me in tiny movements that drive me insane with desire.
“Yes!” I scream, my head turning back and forth in pleasured agony.
“Good,” he says as he takes my lips in a mind bending kiss that leaves me wanting more. “That’s good, lyubov moya,” he purrs smugly as he rubs his nose against mine. “Because tonight I’m making love to you like I care about you…because I do. But there will come a day when I’ll fuck you like I hate you. That, too, is the Bratva way. When that day comes, remember tonight.”
“Why won’t you tell me what lyubov moya means?” I moan as I writhe wildly beneath him.
He smiles cryptically, as he always does when I ask that question. “Say it again,” he commands fiercely as he begins to apply more pressure at my hymen, the discomfort making me grimace even as I feel the rush of liquid heat that will ease his entry. “Say it!”
Expose' (Born Bratva Book 3) Page 7