by Daiko, SC
Tonight, Zoe wasn’t wearing the halter-neck dress. She appeared in figure-hugging jeans and a blue cotton blouse that set off the topaz in her beautiful irises. After declining a glass of wine, she sat next to me, shooting me a look from under her dark lashes.
Mrs K arrived with our starter course, a fresh vegetable salad made with cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. She served us and returned to the kitchen.
I swirled the wine in my glass. “I’m sorry if I was a little abrupt when we said goodnight yesterday.”
“Abrupt? You were more than abrupt.” Her eyes flashed. “You were downright rude.”
“I’m not a nice man. I don’t do ‘nice’. I can’t.”
“Why?”
Ever forthright.
“If I show any weakness, I’ll be finished.” I lifted my fork and speared a tomato.
She took a sip of water. “Being nice isn’t the same as being weak, I don’t think.”
“You are right, rybka. It isn’t.” I shook my head. “I guess I’ve just gotten out of the habit.”
She chewed some salad and swallowed. “Were you horrible to your wife? Is that why you got divorced?”
“None of your concern,” I snapped, slamming my hand down on the table. Dishes rattled and the water in Zoe’s glass sloshed over the edge.
She shot me a withering look. “There you go again, being a prick. I’m only trying to understand you, Taras.”
There was uncertainty in her expression, despite the directness of her words. My name on her luscious lips had gone straight to my dick. Fuck, she was beautiful. Beautiful, and sweet and so goddamn sexy. Remembering how she’d given herself to me last night had kept me in a state of painful arousal most of the day.
Tell her what you are like, Taras. Scare her away. She’s too good for someone like you.
“Nina said evil coiled inside me like a snake,” the words came out of my mouth like I was spitting venom. “It was after I killed her lover.”
Zoe’s gaze crashed into mine, her face suddenly pale. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.
“He was supplying her with cocaine,” I added as if that would make it alright.
“God, Taras, I’m so sorry. I mean, about Nina being a user,” Zoe’s voice shook.
Mrs Konin chose that moment to enter the dining room with our main course. She cleared our appetizer and served us with chicken Kiev, fresh green beans and mashed potatoes. The distraction gave me time to gather my thoughts.
“My world isn’t like yours, my sweet.” I looked deep into her eyes. “Any woman who becomes a part of it has to accept me for who I am. Nina couldn’t do that, and the realization I wouldn’t change for her was something she couldn’t handle.”
Zoe pushed her wine goblet toward me. “I think I need a drink. Red, please.”
I reached for the decanter and filled her glass. “Have I shocked you?”
“The fact you killed your wife’s lover is shocking. Murder is awful,” she looked down at her plate.
I moved my hand to her face and lifted her chin. She flinched but raised her eyes to mine. “It was self-defense. I caught them in bed together and he came at me with a knife.”
I’d grabbed it off him and plunged it straight into his motherfucking heart.
“Where is Nina now?” Zoe asked in a trembling voice.
Quietly, while we ate, I told her the sorry saga of my train wreck of a marriage. How Nina had hated America. How she’d suffered three miscarriages trying for a second child; how she’d refused birth control in the belief that next time she’d go full-term; how I’d opted for a vasectomy to put a stop to the whole messy business; how she’d started using when she found out what I’d done; how she’d lost her sanity and had tried to kill Emma when her lover had died; how she was still psychotic even after all these years.
Zoe questioned me from time to time, not passing judgement. Her face maintained a neutral expression and I had no idea what she was thinking.
Soon, we’d eaten our main course and Mrs. K arrived with dessert. I thanked her and said, “We’ll take the dishes through to the kitchen. You can go to bed.”
“Dobroy nochi,” she wished us goodnight, leaving Zoe and me to finish our meal.
Rybka dove into her lemon soufflé. “After what you’ve just told me, I should have lost my appetite. But this is delicious.”
She licked her spoon, and the sight of her tantalizing pink tongue sent a jolt to my balls. “What are you thinking?” I had to ask.
She chewed on her lip. “I’m worried you’ll want to send me home to the UK early.”
I creased my brow. “What brought you to that conclusion?”
“You said you wanted to talk about us. What else could I think?”
I leaned toward her, breathed in her fresh natural scent. “I don’t want you to leave,” I answered quicker than I would have liked. My guts twisted painfully at the possibility of her departure.
Another catch at her lip with her teeth. This woman was driving me insane.
“I won’t be your fuck toy, Taras.”
“I didn’t imagine that for one second.”
Her expression was wary and watching, but she kept quiet.
I placed my hand over hers. “This is new territory for me. Can we take things one step at a time?”
“What kind of things?” she slanted her head to one side, still eyeing me warily.
We were silent as we stared at each other. I lowered my gaze to her luscious lips. Fuck it, I had to kiss her. “This, for a start,” I groaned, bringing my mouth down onto hers. Christ, she tasted delicious. Honey and lemony. I delivered a possessive kiss, capturing her tongue and biting.
Breathless, we drew apart.
“Let’s take our plates through to the kitchen,” she said quickly, gathering the dishes.
I picked up the glasses and followed her. She was leaning over the dishwasher, her rounded ass so fucking tempting I made no effort to fight it. I looped my arms around her waist and pulled her into me, nuzzling the back of her neck. “I can’t get enough of you, Zoe.”
She turned in my arms and put her hands on the side of my face. “If I agree to this, will you promise not to hurt me?”
Goddammit!
I felt my chest tighten so much I could barely breathe. How could I lie to her and did I even want to?
“I will try.”
“There is no such thing as try, only do,” she countered, gazing at me hard. “Despite what you’ve told me about your marriage, my heart wants to trust you. If you promise not to hurt me, you’ll be validating my faith in you.”
I felt a sudden lightness at her words. “Then, I promise.”
A smile tugged at her lovely lips and I found myself kissing them again. Hot deep kisses filled with longing.
“I want you to sleep with me tonight. I want to wake up with you in my bed,” I rasped.
Her eyes grew huge. “But… what about Emma?”
“I’m always up at dawn. She’ll still be asleep. and you’ll have more than enough time to rouse her.”
She answered by leaning in for another kiss. Her body melded to mine. I was tempted to take her here in the kitchen, but I respected her too much for that.
Zoe Addison was working a powerful magic on me, bewitching me, fucking with my head and unravelling me.
Me, Taras Melekhov, the hard man.
Who would have believed it?
Me, least of all…
I took her hand and led her upstairs. She stood on the carpet in the center of my room, seeming uncertain of what to do. I walked up to her, slowly undid the buttons of her blouse and tossed it on my chair. I unclipped her bra and her breasts sprang free, her nipples peaked and reddened. I lowered her to her knees and kneeled in front of her.
She gazed at me, her hands fisting my hair while I sucked hungrily at one pebbled nipple and rolled the other backwards and forwards between my fingers. She writhed, and I looked up at her, saw she was moving her l
ovely head from side to side. I drew her entire breast into my mouth, grazing it with my teeth.
She let out a long moan. “Please…”
“Soon, rybka, soon…”
I unzipped her jeans, pulled them off with her panties before undressing myself. Smiling, I lifted her in my arms and carried her over to the bed.
She lay back with a sigh and I kissed my way down her divine body until I arrived between her legs. God, she smelled wonderful, sugary like molasses. She squirmed against my face as I wriggled my tongue into her. “Spread your legs wider, my sweet,” I spoke against her sopping wetness.
She did as I asked, and I opened my mouth to lick at her syrup. I inserted my tongue again and she lifted her ass, so I could go deeper. She mewled out a breath.
“Good girl.”
I turned her onto her front. With a grunt I slipped a pillow under her and thrust my cock into her swollen pussy from behind.
All the way in.
“Fuck, you are so tight,” I hissed. “Fucking perfect.”
She clenched around me like a vise. My balls tightened, but I gritted my teeth. Didn’t want to blow my load too soon.
I tugged at her hair, arching her neck backwards. “Turn your head sideways, Zoe.”
Angling my face, I kissed her, my mouth crashing against hers, my tongue pushing between her lips deep and hard.
She moaned for me, and the sound tugged at my heart, making it ache in my chest. The feeling was alien to me, disconcerting.
I pulled out and flipped her over onto her back. Her arms looped around my neck as I lowered myself on top. Her topaz eyes stared into mine.
I slid back into her, keeping her fixed in my gaze. “You’re so beautiful, rybka.”
With a smile, she snaked her hands around my back, feeling me with her fingertips. Then she wrapped her legs around me, rocking her hips, urging me deeper, taking me so fucking deep I swear I was touching her womb.
My heart pounded, and my breath grated. I fucked her like a man possessed, driving her into the mattress. I bent and kissed her, plunging my tongue into her hot mouth.
Her hands gripped my shoulders and her fingers dug into me.
My racing pulse filled my ears with the thudding of my heart.
I kissed her again, our panting breaths touching while I slid out and pushed in, again and again.
Her eyes glowing, she stroked my face with such tenderness it brought a lump to my throat.
She strained beneath me as I fucked her harder and faster; she held me tight, her lips on mine. I was so close, but I wanted her to come first. I slid my hand down to press on her clit. She gave a choked breathless moan, jerking against me, drenching my cock as she climaxed.
The pressure in my balls built until I could contain it no longer. I exploded with a bellow and spasmed inside her, the relief intense.
Smiling, I stroked her face in awe. “You were incredible.”
She giggled. “You weren’t too bad yourself.”
Her hair fanned out over the pillow and she lifted her arms to me. A torrent of warm sensations raced through my veins.
My heart was melting for this woman. Melting like it had never done before. Not even for Nina.
No, Taras. You’re making a huge mistake. You’ll end up tainting Zoe with your darkness.
She rocked me in her hold, kissing me up and down my neck.
I felt a calmness I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Chapter Fourteen
Taras
The sensation of calmness was short-lived. I fell into a vivid nightmare, a replay of events six years ago.
I’d undergone the vasectomy after the umpteenth time Nina had ripped the condom off me before we started fucking. Subsequently, she became deeply depressed but wouldn’t seek help. A couple of months later, her behavior changed. She’d vanish in the house for short periods and, when she returned, she’d appear excited, act more confident and become extremely talkative before collapsing into depression again.
At first, I had no idea what was happening to her. I thought she might be bi-polar, so I took her to see a doctor. It was he who diagnosed cocaine abuse. Back home, we had a massive fight when she wouldn’t reveal her source of supply. I discovered it was a junkie associated with the motherfucking Italians. Demyan soon got rid of him for me.
I tried to keep watch over Nina, except I needed to travel overseas frequently. Still do. I couldn’t expect Mrs. Konin to cope with my wife on her own, so I ordered one of my bodyguards, Lev, to never allow her out of his sight.
Turned out he followed my orders to the letter.
Oleg brought me home from the airport on a warm July evening. The fifteen-and-a-half-hour business class flight from Hong Kong had been relaxing enough, and I was looking forward to spending time with five-year-old Emma. I ran up the steps to the front door. Mrs. Konin was waiting for me, pale-faced. “Nina and Lev have disappeared together,” she blurted out. “I’m so sorry. We only discovered their absence this morning. Demyan is out looking for them.”
I slammed my fist down on the hall table, my heart pounding. “Why the fuck didn’t anyone call me?”
Mrs. K. placed a consoling hand on my arm. “I tried but couldn’t reach you while you were flying. Once I knew you’d landed I thought it would be better to tell you face-to-face.”
I inhaled a slow breath. “Where’s Emma?”
“It’s okay.” Mrs. Konin clutched at her hands. “My sister and her daughter are here with her. She’s asked for her mama a couple of times, but they’ve managed to distract her.”
My cell vibrated in the pocket of my dress pants. I pulled it out and stared at the caller ID. Demyan. “I’ve found them, Boss,” his voice came down the line. “A contact in the police department trawled through CCTV footage of the roads to identify your wife’s car. They’re holed up in an apartment in Greenly,” he named a suburb on the outskirts of Fairwood. “What do ya wan’ me to do?”
“Send the coordinates and meet me outside the building.”
“Are ya sure you don’ wan’ me to handle it by myself?”
Despite everything, I needed to protect Nina. My plan was to take her away and let Demyan deal with Lev. Demyan was the only person I’d trust with the task. If he’d handled it on his own, however, Nina might have gotten hurt.
“I’ll see you there,” I responded.
I called for Oleg and soon we were speeding toward Greenly. The apartment block was low-rise and unassuming. We had no idea which unit they’d be hiding in. The only way to find out would be to go from door to door. We started on the ground floor, pretending to be political canvassers. Eventually, there was only one apartment left that we hadn’t checked. All the others were either occupied by people spending the evening at home, or empty. We found out the latter by picking the locks and verifying for ourselves.
“They gotta be in here,” Demyan licked his lips as we arrived at the final door. He inserted his tension wrench and pick into the key hole.
It didn’t take long for him to get us inside. Guns raised, we went from room to room. Where the fuck were they?
We found them in the bedroom, curled up together on the bed, naked with white powder around their nostrils. Demyan aimed his Glock at Lev while I ran to Nina. She lay with her long, curly red hair fanned across the pillow, so out of it she didn’t make a sound. I went to gather her in my arms, but before I could do so, damned Lev flew at me, a fucking knife in his hand. Before Demyan could do anything, I’d grabbed it from him and, burning with rage, plunged the blade deep into his heart.
I’d been consumed with the need to kill, the need to make the cunting bastard bleed. Betrayal was the cardinal sin, to my way of thinking. I’d trusted him, fucking trusted him with my wife.
It was then that Nina started screaming.
I clasped my hand over her mouth to shut her up before someone called the cops.
She bit into my palm and I swore.
“You are evil, Taras,” she spat the words. “
Evil coils inside you like a snake.”
The replay of events in my nightmare then morphed into the surreal. I’d fallen into a pit of slithering vipers. They wound themselves around my feet, my calves, my thighs. I swatted at them in desperation, squirmed in a vain attempt to extricate myself, sweat beading my brow.
Without warning, I felt arms holding me. I pushed them away, but they kept returning.
“Wake up, Taras, you’re having a nightmare.”
The voice was familiar. A British voice. Calm and reassuring.
Zoe.
I’d thrown off the sheets when I was trashing about, and her naked body was covering mine.
She stroked the hair back from my face, soothingly. “It’s alright. I’ve got you.”
I groaned, noticing dawn light coming through the window.
“What were you dreaming about?” she whispered, still stroking me.
“Snakes. I guess you could say I’ve developed a phobia about them.” I grimaced.
She brushed a soft kiss to my chin. “I understand completely. Spiders terrify me, even in my dreams,” she shuddered.
“What else don’t you like, rybka?” I was unexpectedly curious about her proclivities, and a foreign feeling of tenderness invaded my bones.
“I like most things,” a smile teased her lips.
“You like fucking?” I nuzzled the curve of her neck.
She giggled. “What kind of question is that?”
“A serious one. Do you?”
She huffed out a breath. “I like it with you.”
“What about your ex? Did you like it with him?” I surprised myself by wanting to know.
“Not so much,” she blushed, leaning away from me and raking her eyes hungrily over my nakedness.
I was suddenly bereft of her. “Come here,” I held out my arms.
She sat astride me, leaned down and held my face in her hands. The crush of her kiss to my lips made my heartbeats race. I stared up at her divine body. Truly she was a goddess. “Ride me, my sweet. Take it nice and slow.”
Her eyes shining, and a playful smirk tugging at her mouth, she lifted her hips with surprising impatience and impaled herself on my dick. “Like that?”