by Maisey Yates
“No, it’s not,” she said, “but there’s press everywhere.”
“All the more reason to make a visible exit. To show the necklace off.” He touched the jewels at the base of her throat, his hand hot, sending liquid warmth rushing through her body.
The press. One of her very personal demons. And Aleksei wanted her to walk out, on his arm, her boss’s arm, looking very much like they were headed upstairs to do exactly what they were headed upstairs to do.
So does fear still control everything? Or do you?
“I do,” she said under her breath.
“Are you ready?”
She met Aleksei’s dark gaze and her heart beat strong, steady. She knew what she was doing. She was doing exactly what she wanted, and she wasn’t letting her fear win.
“I’m ready.”
He put his hand low on her back as they ascended the stairs, and walked out of the ballroom. Aleksei stopped at the double doors and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She saw a camera flash out of the corner of her eye.
She did her best not to flinch.
He put his hand on the back of her neck and soothed the tension there as they walked out of the ballroom and into the expansive corridor. It was packed with people too, eating canapés and drinking champagne, clustered around the small jewelry displays and admiring the different pieces.
“You don’t like the press?” he asked, his voice low as they wove through the crowd.
“Not at all,” she said tightly.
They were stopped by several people, women who wanted pictures with him, and who wanted to examine the necklace Maddy was wearing. It really was a show-stopping piece. Of course, Aleksei was rather show-stopping himself, in Madeline’s opinion.
And he was hers. For a while, he was going to be hers to explore, to pleasure… Her body tightened, ached, with need.
“Let’s hurry,” she whispered, when they escaped another group of gawkers.
“I knew I hired you for a reason.”
The crowd thinned around the curved staircase that led to the guestrooms. Aleksei took her hand and led the way up the narrow passage and Maddy followed, breathless, laughing. Happy.
When was the last time she’d been happy? She worked. She had drive. She had goals and ambition. She was content. But happiness? She wasn’t sure if she’d ever been truly happy. But she was now. She felt…free. For the first time in her life, the chains from her past, a past that went well beyond her disastrous affair with William, didn’t seem to be holding her down.
“My room is this way.” Aleksei gestured to another staircase at the center of a long hallway.
“You have a tower room too?” she asked.
“Of course. The castle penthouse.”
She laughed and gripped his hand more tightly, leaned in and pressed her face against his shoulder as they walked quickly up the next flight of stairs.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old-fashioned key and put it into the lock. She watched his hands as he turned the key, watched his olive skin stretch over the muscle and tendon. He was so strong. So masculine. Sexier than any person had a right to be.
Internal muscles clenched as she remembered just how masculine he was everywhere. As she remembered what it was like to be filled by him.
He opened the door and she grabbed his hand, pulling him inside. He shut it quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist, twirling her and pressing her back flat against the wooden door.
His kiss was urgent, hungry. There was no restraint. Which was good, because she was fresh out of restraint herself.
She fumbled with his tie, jerked it to the side and loosened it, letting it hang slack while she worked at the buttons on his crisp white shirt. She nearly whimpered out loud when she revealed that toned, muscular chest.
This time she was really going to explore him, take her time and enjoy that gorgeous body. She spread her hands over his chest, felt his heart raging beneath her palms.
“You really do want me,” she said, sliding her hands from his chest, down to where his erection was pressing against his black slacks. She cupped his heavy weight and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“I do,” he said, teeth clenched.
“Take me.”
He didn’t waste any time accepting her invitation. He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed, depositing her gently on the edge. He worked at discarding his tie, jacket, and shirt, throwing them into a careless heap on the floor. Then he kicked off his shoes and socks.
She reached out and put her hands on his belt, undoing it quickly before she shoved his pants and underwear down to the floor.
She wrapped her hand around his hard length, stroked him, reveled in the grunt of pleasure he made in the back of his throat. The desire to taste him, to do what he’d done to her in his office, overwhelmed her.
She’d never wanted to do this for a man before. Had only ever tolerated doing it for the one man she’d been with before Aleksei. But she wanted Aleksei. Wanted so badly to pleasure him. And she wanted it for herself.
Leaning in, she flicked her tongue over the velvety head of his shaft, her hands still cupping him. He jerked, a raw sound escaping his lips. Emboldened, she continued to explore him with her lips and tongue until he gripped her wrists and pulled her away.
“Not like that. Not this time.”
She shook her head. She was on the same page with him, one hundred percent. She needed him inside of her.
He sat beside her on the bed, pulling the zipper on her dress down. She stood and let it fall into a pool of black taffeta at her feet. She was gratified by the heat in his gaze, by the pure, undisguised hunger she saw etched into every line of his gorgeous, naked body.
“You didn’t have anything under that dress all night?” he asked, voice rough.
She gave him her best seductive smile. “I had a mission. Underwear wasn’t conducive to my end goal.”
“Vixen,” he grated.
She reached around to grasp the clasp of the necklace.
“Leave it,” Aleksei ground out.
She dropped her hands to her sides. For a moment he only stared at her. Her nipples peaked, ached, and she was so hot and ready for him it was amazing. The fact that she didn’t want to cover her body was a testament to how bold, how different he made her feel.
“Come here, Maddy,” he said from his place on the edge of the bed.
She complied, toeing off her high heels and kneeling on the bed, straddling his body. He put his hands on her hips and tilted his face up so he could kiss her. Slowly, thoroughly. She gripped his shoulders to keep herself from melting at his feet.
He moved his attentions lower, pressing a hot kiss to the curve of her neck, her collarbone just above the necklace.
Then he turned his attention to her breasts. He stroked one nipple with the flat of his tongue before drawing it into his mouth. His teeth scraped the necklace, and her flesh, lightly and she shivered.
He turned his attention to her other breast, where he was just as thorough. He lifted his head for a moment. “I forgot to do this last time, and it has been the staple of my fantasies ever since.”
“It was a good one,” she said, her voice shaking.
He lay back on the bed and brought her with him. She was astride him, his erection pressing against the part of her that was slick with her desire for him. He scooted them both back and reached into the nightstand that was positioned by the big bed. He grabbed a condom out of the drawer and handed it to her.
She tore it open without wasting any time and rolled it onto his hard length, protecting them both from any consequences. That was the last thing either of them needed.
He put his hands on her hips and helped guide himself into her body. They both made noises of pleasure as he slid into her.
She was almost frantic in her movements at first. She was so desperate for release. Now that she knew what she was after, it was much easier to find the right rhythm. It helped that Aleksei was
stroking her clitoris with his thumb as she moved.
“Like that?” he asked, his dark eyes locked with hers.
“Yes, oh, yes,” she panted.
He moved his other hand up her back, caressing the dent of her waist before cupping her breast. He teased one hardened bud, moving one of the gems from the necklace over her sensitive skin. The chill from the gold contrasted with the heat of his touch, the stimulation enough to send her over the edge.
As she cried out her release, Aleksei took control, rolling them so that he was in the dominant position and she was on her back. He thrust hard into her and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, the aftershocks of her orgasm still pulsing through her as he established his own rhythm, brought himself to the peak of pleasure.
All she could hear was their mingled breathing and the pounding of her heart. Aleksei drew her into his arms and maneuvered them so that she was partially on top of him, their bodies no longer connected.
They stayed that way for a moment before Aleksei sat up. She sat too, intending to collect her gown and get dressed again before heading back to her room.
“No,” he said firmly, standing from the bed. “I’m going to take care of things.” Meaning the condom, she assumed. “And you’re staying.”
“You want me to share your bed?” It seemed an intimacy farther than they should take it, and yet part of her wanted to stay with him. Stay near his warmth. Maybe wake up to the kind of pleasure they’d just shared.
She’d never actually slept with a man before. The hazard of having a married lover. Something always came up. Something that meant he had to leave the hotel room. Another clear and obvious sign she’d missed.
She shook her head. She wasn’t going there.
“Okay. I’ll stay.”
CHAPTER NINE
IT WAS still dark when Maddy woke up. Aleksei’s arm was curled around her waist and she was fitted snugly against his body. For a moment she just enjoyed the feeling. Being so close to someone else. Skin to skin. Breathing the same air.
It was amazing.
And then, suddenly, the intimacy of it felt like too much to handle.
She wiggled out of his grasp and climbed out of bed, unsure of what she was going to do. The bathroom was the logical first stop. She tiptoed into the room and closed the door behind her.
She took care of the necessities and then washed her hands before pooling cool water in her palms and splashing it on her face. She stood and faced her reflection. She looked thoroughly seduced. Her hair was a disaster, there were remnants of last night’s eye makeup on her cheeks and she was still wearing a necklace worth more money than she would ever see in her life.
Reaching around, she unhooked the necklace and decided that figuring out where Aleksei was keeping valuables was next on her to-do list before she made her escape.
When she crept back into the bedroom, gray light was filtering in through the large windows. She swore under breath when she noticed her black gown in a pool of fabric on the floor.
There was nothing else for her to wear. She had come to Aleksei’s room in a ball gown, and panty-less, and now she had nothing to return to her room in. There were probably still guests and paparazzi milling around.
The walk of shame indeed.
She looked back at the bed, at the man sleeping there, the covers pushed low on his hips, his upper body bare. What she really wanted to do was crawl back into bed and wake him up in a very creative way.
Instead, she decided to clean up the mess they’d made the night before. She placed the necklace on the nightstand. Aleksei could put it in a safe when he woke up.
She sighed and bent down, picking up her ball gown and shaking out the wrinkles as best as she could before laying it over the back of a chair. She kicked her shoes under the writing desk, then picked up Aleksei’s pants, placing them over her dress.
When she went to pick up Aleksei’s suit jacket, she noticed a short length of chain lying next to it. She picked it up and moved her hands over it. It wasn’t just chain, but in the dim light it was hard to tell what it was.
She turned on the lamp that was on the writing desk and held her find beneath the light. It wasn’t a simple chain at all. It was art. Twisting vines, complete with thorns and subtle small flowers sculpted into the leaves, the centers made from varying shades of pink gemstones, the petals fashioned from seed pearls and diamonds. There were hundreds of blossoms, each so delicate and tiny that the little piece of necklace wasn’t gaudy at all. It was a study in subtle beauty. It was only on closer inspection that the labor, the design, was evident.
Aleksei had made it. Had started it. It was obvious. The jewelry he designed was more beautiful than any she’d seen, but this surpassed even what she’d seen of his work. There was something more in it.
“What are you doing with that?” Aleksei’s voice, clipped and harsh, startled her and she whirled around to face the bed.
He was sitting, his dark eyes locked onto the small piece of jewelry in her hands.
“It was on the floor,” she said.
He looked at her for a long moment and then held out his hand. She crossed to the bed and dropped the length of chain into his upturned palm. He didn’t say anything and neither did she. He ran his thumb over the chain, his expression still, eyes distant, mouth tight.
“It is designed to look like salsola,” he said, his voice rough. “A common weed in Russia. Common in many parts of the world.”
“It’s too beautiful to be a weed,” she said.
A soft laugh escaped his lips. “Yes, some people think that.” He let out a heavy breath. “My wife thought so. They grew outside of our home in Russia. She would never let me destroy them.”
Her stomach twisted. Wife? He didn’t have a wife. He couldn’t have a wife. No one, not even she, was that stupid to make the same mistake twice.
“You…you’re not married,” she said, her voice barely a shaking whisper.
“No, I’m not,” his tone was heavy. Final.
Silence settled between them. The question of what had happened hovered on her lips, and yet she couldn’t make herself ask. Because she knew, by the way he’d said he wasn’t married, that the union had not been dissolved by the court system.
“How long?” They were the only words she could force around the lump in her throat.
“Six years.” He set the necklace segment on the nightstand. “I was making this for her. It was meant to be a surprise.”
But she’d never got it. And he had never finished it.
It had been in his jacket pocket. Close to his heart.
Maddy put a hand to her chest, to where her own heart felt battered, bruised and bleeding. Not for herself, for Aleksei. Just as she’d felt his humor resonating in her the night before, she felt his grief now. Real. Raw. Deep.
“I…I didn’t know.”
“It’s not a secret. I don’t make conversation about it, but it was in the news when it happened. Though, at the time, my success was limited, and my name was only really known in Russia, which means it likely wasn’t international news. Although, I honestly couldn’t tell you. Media coverage wasn’t on my mind at the time.”
Six years. It had been six years since he’d designed a collection, until recently. It suddenly made horrible, painful sense. He hadn’t designed, but he’d grown his company. Had found worldwide success.
But he’d lost his wife.
“Paulina was killed in a car accident,” he said. “I knew you wouldn’t ask. It’s why this can never be more than this.” He gestured to the bed. “I’ve done commitment. I’ve done marriage. I won’t do it again. I can’t.”
Her throat was tight, aching. For him. “I don’t…I don’t want you to. I don’t want to marry you. I don’t even believe in love.”
“I do. But that part of my life is over.”
She gritted her teeth, fought against the pressing weight of pain she felt for him, and against the sense of debt that she felt now.
This was why she hadn’t wanted to know the reason he didn’t do relationships. Because of the emotions churning inside of her.
Because then she would have to tell him why she didn’t do relationships. Would have to lay bare the most humiliating moment of her life. Would have to reveal her stupidity, her weakness. Would have to admit why she’d been vulnerable to a man like William in the first place.
Her stomach lurched.
“Madeline, come here.”
She moved to the bed, her heart hammering so hard she was sure he could hear it. She climbed up and got under the covers. He pulled her to him and kissed her.
“The past doesn’t matter. It’s over,” he said. “What we have is right now. We both understand what this is. We both want the same thing.”
She kissed him desperately, passionately. She could handle this. Sex. Need. Lust.
She shoved all of the pain to the side, all of the things she was feeling, for him, for herself, and just embraced her need.
It was all she could handle.
That Madeline had withdrawn after she’d found out about Paulina shouldn’t bother Aleksei at all. And yet he found that it did. He didn’t talk about his wife. He certainly didn’t show anyone the piece of the necklace he’d been designing for her.
He didn’t carry it out of grief. Paulina had been gone six years, and while he still regretted her death, the acute pain had faded a few years ago. He carried it as a reminder of what happened when you let yourself love someone.
When someone became your whole world and that world crumbled around you.
Paulina’s death had nearly destroyed him at the time. He’d spent a year drinking too much and trying to forget, wallowing in his misery.
And then he’d realized he was going to die along with her if he didn’t move forward. Since that moment, he’d moved forward. He’d picked up where he’d left off with his fledgling design company, had finally found the worldwide recognition he’d been trying to achieve before Paulina’s death.
He’d succeeded in business. He’d made millions. And while none of it was what he’d dreamed it would be when he was a young man, it was better than falling into the abyss.