Cornikup smirked as he released another long breath of smoke.
“Watch yourself, Vincent. Like that I can end it all for you.” He snapped his fingers and then stood up. His guards accompanied him off of the veranda and through the house.
Vincent took an unsteady breath. There was something about dealing with this guy that scared the crap out of him. Vincent hoped it was worth it. If Cornikup didn’t kill Karlicov and the men guarding his daughter, then those men would come for Vincent, and all of these sacrifices were worth nothing at all.
* * * *
“Are you sure, Viktor?” Nina asked as she held his hand and he introduced her to the men who would be watching over her.
“They’re good men, Nina. Well trained, very loyal to our family and personal friends of mine. It will be temporary, while my team and I work things out with Nalia and where we’ll be living.”
“But right now you’ll be near this place, Salvation?” Nina asked.
“Yes. Not too far from where the house is that you’ll be living in until this is over,” the one man, Corona, added.
“Nina, I know you’re scared, but you can trust these men. They’re retired soldiers, and this is what they do. They were planning a bit of a vacation from everything and offered immediately for you to come with them. They knew Zinc and Cobra well. I trust them.”
She looked at the one who Viktor said was their leader, Corona. He was big, very fit and muscular with tattoos, and looked ready for action. She didn’t let on that she recognized two of the other men from the club she worked at. She’d met them separately and they had flirted with her. She didn’t let on that she remembered them. She wouldn’t want to send them the wrong signals.
“Okay, Viktor, I trust you.”
Viktor gave her a nod and then he looked at Corona. “We’ll be heading back to the house in Salvation tomorrow. Maybe in a few days once you’re all settled in, you can bring her by the house to meet Nalia. I think it would be great for both of them,” Viktor said to him.
“Whatever you think is right. We’ll do our best to protect her.”
Viktor gave his buddy’s shoulder a slap. “I know you will. Keep me posted and good luck.” Corona nodded and then helped Nina with her bags before they got into the SUV and headed to the airport.
* * * *
“We’re getting closer. I fucking knew we would, Viktor. There was some chatter that Vincent was giving up some territory to Romeo on the east coast. There’s some kind of deal going down in the next several days.”
“What kind of deal, Cosivan?” Viktor asked. He took a seat in the chair in front of the desk. His heart was heavy for having to ship Nina off, but the good thing was that she wouldn’t be too far from their own house where Nalia was. A thirty minute ride or so. He rubbed his arm where the stitches were. He missed Nalia. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
“I’m going to pull some of our old buddies and put them on this. They have those connections in New York. Maybe they’ll pick up on something.”
“Good. I can’t wait to get back to Salvation and see Nalia.”
“And explain about those stitches,” Cosivan said and raised his eyebrows up at him.
Viktor shrugged his shoulders. “She’s going to be upset, but we’ll keep her busy,” he added and winked. Cosivan shook his head and barely smirked. That was Cosivan.
* * * *
Karlicov sat in the office talking to Nicolai.
“Don’t worry, my friend, you’ll get to see her soon. We’re getting close and will take care of Lapella and Scarlapetti.”
Karlicov nodded.
“It was all so unnecessary. I gave Nalia and Danella up to protect them. Danella is dead, and Nalia could have died, too. She is still in danger and always will be.”
“But now she has her men. You made the right decision in allowing Team 13 to claim her and love her. It was meant to be.”
“I didn’t want her to have this life.”
“Sometimes decisions are made for us and fate steps in. Cosivan and his men are well trained and one of the best teams we have. They will protect her with their lives.”
Karlicov was silent as he thought about them. They were so much older. But Nicolai was right. There was no way of fighting fate. His daughter loved those men and it was obvious when Cosivan and Viktor talked to him and told Nicolai that they loved her, too.
“When all this is over we’ll celebrate. After all, our friendship is now bound by blood as my nephew Viktor is part of Team 13,” Nicolai said and winked.
Karlicov chuckled. “And to think how much trouble you first thought Viktor was going to be. He turned out to be the best soldier, the most loyal of all.”
Nicolai smiled with pride.
“We were very lucky to be able to grab Viktor when my brother was killed. I almost lost him a few times to people, enemies that still live and breathe free.”
“We’ll always have our enemies, Nicolai. We can’t let our guard down. They’re out there, watching, waiting to strike and take what is dear from us. We must be diligent in protecting those so close to us.”
Nicolai nodded. “We are doing the best we can.”
“That we are, and you have your son, Viktor, and now I have my daughter, Nalia, to love and protect.”
Nicolai gave a nod, but he couldn’t fully smile. He had yet to find Malayna, a daughter he hadn’t even known he had until it was too late. For all he knew she was dead, but there wasn’t any proof. Her mother was murdered and Malayna taken from her home in Lozova in the Ukraine three years ago. She would be twenty-one now if she were still alive. His heart was heavy, his desire to find her still strong, yet all his leads failed to be successful.
Nicolai’s phone rang and he answered it. “Really? he said and then smirked at Karlicov. “Take care of that and let me know when things are done.” He disconnected the call.
“We got word from an unconfirmed source that Lapella and Scarlapetti are in Florida.”
Karlicov clenched his teeth.
“My men are on it. If they are there, then this situation ends sooner than we hoped.”
* * * *
Nalia couldn’t help the tears that flowed the moment Cosivan and Viktor arrived. They hadn’t even said they were coming home and as she got out of the bathroom after showering and saw them standing there in the bedroom she cried. Nalia ran across the room and Cosivan lifted her up into his arms and kissed her. He ran his hands all over her body as if seeing if she were real and she did the same to him. Of course she only had a shirt on. Cosivan’s, actually. She nearly forgot how big Cosivan was and now he was back here with all of them.
“Sweet heaven, I missed this body,” Cosivan told her and he caressed along her ass and then squeezed her to him. She hugged him tight and then smiled at Viktor, who waited not so patiently to kiss her hello next.
“We missed you, baby. God, you feel and smell so good,” Cosivan said against her neck, suckling and kissing her skin. She giggled as she reached for Viktor. As he stepped closer she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Cosivan released her to Viktor and Viktor picked her up and kissed her deeply. She felt him sit on the edge of the bed and she pulled back to look at him. He smiled wide.
“I missed you so much,” he told her and ran his hands along her arms and then under the shirt she wore.
“Hey, isn’t this my shirt?” Cosivan asked, pulling on the hem, and she smiled then clutched it to her chest.
“Yes it is. I told you I missed you guys,” she said.
“She sure did. She’s been alternating between your shirts each night. But she never has them on long,” Chatham teased and he reached out and stroked her cheek before he leaned down and kissed her. She lifted up to kiss him back and Viktor began to undo the buttons on her shirt.
“I need to see all of you. Damn, I’m going to kiss every inch of you, sladkaya,” he said and then pressed her shirt away from her body.
“Hmmm…this is more like it,” C
osivan said as he sat down next to Viktor, cupped her breast, and leaned forward to suckle her breast. She moaned softly, felt the tears in her eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair.
Viktor played with her other breast and she held his head there and exhaled.
They feasted on her slowly, enjoying her breasts while she rocked her hips on Viktor’s lap. When both men pulled back she reached for Viktor’s shirt and began to unbutton it. Cosivan stood up to undress.
The second Viktor pulled off his shirt she saw the bandage on his arm. She gasped and gripped his arms.
“What happened?”
He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer against his chest. He looked so serious her heart began to pound.
“It’s nothing.”
She looked at the others who were straight faced and still in the room watching over them, then she looked at Cosivan before she stared at Viktor. They all knew what this was. Something happened to him and no one told her. She sat up straighter. “What happened? Tell me now,” she demanded.
“Later,” Viktor said firmly and ran his hands along her thighs and her hips.
“Viktor.”
“Shh, not now. Now I need you. To feel you in my arms and know you’re safe and sound. I need to be inside of you where everything is perfect. Later, baby. Right now, I want to make love to my woman.”
“I do, too,” Cosivan said and lifted her up into his arms and kissed her.
He ran his hands all over her and she couldn’t focus on anything but their sensual attack on her body. Cosivan lay down with her on top of him and kissed her deeply. She lifted her hips and he aligned his cock with her pussy and she immediately sank down on his cock. She lifted up when he released her lips and she moaned as she rocked back and forth on him.
“Sweet, sweet Nalia, I missed you so,” he said as he held her hair and head, his forearm stretched out to brace her. When his hand landed on her throat as she rode him up and down she felt restrained, controlled and sexy. Cosivan was a master at seduction and she loved him.
She jerked only a moment when she felt the cool liquid against her anus. Then she shoved backward against Viktor’s fingers and he stroked her immediately.
She and Cosivan moaned.
“Viktor, are you okay? It wasn’t serious, was it?” She couldn’t help but to ask. Cosivan used his thumb to stroke her throat but kept control of her with his hand on her neck and shoulder. She reached up and covered his forearm as she tilted her head back.
“No questions,” Viktor said, pulling his fingers from her ass and replacing them with his cock.
He slid into her slowly and gripped her other shoulder and neck with one hand and hip on the other side with his other hand. Both men now had very possessive holds on her and she loved it. So much that after only a few strokes from both men she came, moaning and shivering as her orgasm hit her.
“That’s right, Nalia. Remember the rules. All you need to worry about is loving us, being here for us, and completing us,” Cosivan said. He and Viktor thrust into her pussy and ass, setting a rhythm that had her moaning and feeling overwhelmed.
“Oh God, please. Please,” she moaned louder.
“Holy fuck, she loves being restrained. You look incredible, Nalia. So fucking perfect,” Dusty chimed in.
“She sure does,” Boian added and Chatham swore under his breath. Cosivan and Viktor continued their slow, deep thrusts and then she started pressing back and down then up and forward.
“Oh hell,” Cosivan said and then he and Viktor increased their thrusts and Nalia couldn’t move. She felt her body explode again and again and then finally Viktor and Cosivan came inside of her at the same time. They were panting for breath and she held on to Cosivan as Viktor slid from her ass. Cosivan rolled her to her back, pulling out of her pussy, and Chatham was there with a washcloth and towel to clean her up as both men scattered kisses along her skin.
“Damn, being away from you was pure hell,” Viktor whispered and kissed her thigh.
“Worse than hell,” Cosivan added and then kissed along her waist and then her belly. He used his fingers to stroke over her skin after Chatham cleaned her up. His lips touched her tattoo and then went along to where the stitches had been. “Nice and perfect. I barely see the marks,” he told her.
She ran her fingers through Cosivan’s hair. “Because my sexy, capable soldier knew what he was doing.”
He lifted up and held her hips as he looked at her.
“I know how to do a lot of things, malyshka.” He tickled her sides and she giggled until he stopped and stood up. Viktor took his place and pulled her against his side.
She immediately looked at the bandage and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She softly touched the outer part of the bandage on his upper arm.
“Nalia, let me hold you. I missed not being in bed with you.” He pulled her close and she snuggled against him, absorbed his cologne as she kissed his skin and then Cosivan slid in behind her. He ran his palm along her ass and then her hip, before he kissed her shoulder.
“Ahh, now this is more like it,” Cosivan said and the others chuckled.
“We’ll see you guys in the morning,” Boian told them and then each of them came over and kissed Nalia. First Boian, then Chatham, and finally Dusty. Her five American soldiers were safe and back together again. Everything felt perfect.
* * * *
“How is he really?” Chatham asked Cosivan.
Cosivan took a sip from his mug of coffee. “He needed thirty-five stitches, but you know Viktor,” he replied. Chatham whistled low.
“My God, if that guy got him in the fucking chest,” Dusty said.
“He didn’t, so there’s no need to think about that. He is fine and we took care of those assholes. What we need to do now is hope we get the phone call from Nicolai staying that Lapella and Scarlapetti are no longer a problem. Then we can make some concrete plans with Nalia,” Cosivan said to them.
“She really likes it here in Salvation. She has plans with Aspen tomorrow and we already spoke with Corona and the guys about getting together with Nina so she can meet Nalia,” Boian told him.
“That’s great. I guess we can decide what we want to do and make some plans. Once this situation is resolved we might be able to work out having a place here as like a vacation home or weekend getaway or something,” Chatham suggested.
“It’s something to consider. Let’s see what happens,” Dusty added and Cosivan heard his cell phone ring. He glanced down and saw it was Nicolai.
“Fingers crossed, brothers,” he said and then answered it.
* * * *
“Seriously?” Nalia asked and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Nalia, calm down.”
She lifted her hand palm forward at Viktor and turned away from him.
He licked his lower lip and placed his hands on his hips.
“Just get into the shower,” he told her and she shook her head. The water was running, they were going to shower then have breakfast with the others downstairs. He wrapped his arms around her midsection and pressed against her back. “I’m fine. It wasn’t serious and it’s not a big deal.”
“Thirty-five stitches? You were stabbed, Viktor, and on top of that no one told me a damn thing.” She turned around and he snagged her close before she could walk away. Her eyes landed on the bandage, now covered by waterproof tape.
Viktor ran his hand along her ass cheek and squeezed her to him. “I didn’t want you to worry so I asked Cosivan to not tell you. Think about it. You would have been worried sick and then you couldn’t see me to see that I’m perfectly fine.”
“I want to know how it happened. Every damn detail, Viktor,” she stated firmly. He raised one of his eyebrows up at her and she pulled her lip tight and then lowered her eyes.
Smack.
He spanked her ass. “Get in the damn shower. I’ll explain everything,” he said and then got into the shower with her and helped her get lathered up wi
th soap. He explained in little detail about the night they arrived. He should have left that part out, she was even more furious. But as he explained what happened and how they were able to handle the men responsible she seemed to get quiet.
“You need to learn that we can’t tell you about every little detail of our jobs. If we get some sort of injury or scar, you don’t need to know how.”
“That’s not really fair. It means you can keep secrets from me,” she said and then rinsed the conditioner out of her hair. He turned her around and pressed her against the wall. He lifted her arms above her head and she gasped. Keeping a firm expression, he stared down into her gorgeous dark blue eyes.
“I love you, Nalia. I’ve never said those words to any other woman ever. I have gone through things in my life I will probably never tell you about. Things that changed me, made me the man I am today. Letting go, having a woman like you who cares and who loves with all her heart is going to take some time getting used to. Can you please give me some slack here? I’m stubborn, used to handling this shit on my own and keeping things inside of me. I don’t trust easy, and I can count on both hands how many people I fully trust with my life, and with yours. So I’m only going to tell you this once. When I say no questions, it means no questions.”
He couldn’t tell if she was accepting, upset, or what. But then she held his gaze and nodded.
“I love you, too. I appreciate your honesty and that’s all I really want. To know that you are okay. I’ve been through a lot, too. I never told a man I loved him, never mind five men. I gave my body to you, and my heart and soul. That means you’re part of me. So if you hurt, I hurt. If you’re happy, then I’m happy. It’s something new for both of us.”
“Ya lyublyu tyebya, my Milaya.” He kissed her deeply then brought her arms over his shoulders and hugged her tight. She kissed his neck once he released her lips and he knew that she was the most important person in his life. He would love her forever. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe, to protect her from harm and from ever feeling fear or pain again.
The American Soldier Collection 13: Her Lucky Number Thirteen (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 13