Vadim narrowed his gaze. “And how does he propose we do that? Would he like us to kick Alena Dudko’s door in, shoot Belinsky in the head point-blank, and take her hostage?”
They both knew that wasn’t going to happen. The goal was to get what they needed while drawing the least amount of attention from the FBI. If they had to take Alena with them to do so, fine, but only if they couldn’t be detected. And that opportunity seemed unlikely considering she was never alone.
With fucking Anton Yenin constantly interfering in everything, none of the Russians were ever alone. They had FBI all up their asses every second of the day. But they also had Yenin’s men, the police, the FSB, and probably the CIA on their tails. It was a wonder all of them even fit on the road most days. Everywhere they went, an entourage of cars followed Gromov’s fighters and their women like a fucking funeral procession.
Too bad they couldn’t just kill Yenin and eliminate him from the picture. For one thing, they had yet to set eyes on him since they arrived. For another, they were under strict instructions not to touch the man. The FSB wanted him alive.
Fedor chuckled. “Don’t need to go to that extreme. I have a plan.”
Chapter Ten
Ivan pretended to watch the sports channel. He pretended to watch a sitcom. And then he pretended to watch the center of a movie that had started half an hour before.
Mostly he watched Alena though, staring at her out of his peripheral vision, perhaps not so subtly. Suddenly today things weren’t the same. She was still Alena. She was doing all the normal things she did every day of the week. But it wasn’t the same.
She moved around the kitchen cooking and setting the table just like always, but she glanced at him often, and bit her lower lip when she did so.
By the time dinner was on the table, Ivan was nervous. He was never nervous around women. Never. Why now?
Because you don’t want to fuck this up with Alena, that’s why. Courting her, or whatever, wasn’t trivial to him. She wasn’t a conquest he wanted to see if he could lure into his bed and then get into her pants.
She was Alena. He’d been half in love with her for weeks.
He nearly jumped when she finally spoke. “It’s ready. You want to eat in there?”
“No.” He flipped the annoying TV off and pushed himself to standing. On his way to the table, he dropped his empty beer bottle in the trash. “Smells delicious.” Her food was always good.
The steaming rice, vegetables, and pork chops made his mouth water. He pulled out her chair first and let her get situated before taking his own seat. The black bag he’d set on the table was still there, pushed back a few feet to get it out of the way.
She hadn’t been so bold as to look inside, and he was glad. The temptation was there, and she’d resisted.
“How was the clinic today?” he asked as he took the first bite.
“Good. The same. Busy. I don’t know if I’m that useful to Katie yet, but I appreciate having something meaningful to do anyway.”
“I’m glad.” It had been a tough decision letting her go to work with Katie every day. Ivan, more than perhaps even Mikhail, had worried about her safety. But in the end, the guys had decided it was safer there than anywhere else she could be. At least the FBI was always outside.
They finished their meal, and he told her to stay in her seat while he cleaned up. It broke from their normal routine, but not by much. He’d never left dishes or clothes lying around as if she were his maid. Hopefully he’d been at least relatively respectful of her as a person for the last few months.
When the kitchen was back in order, he turned toward her, watching the way she fidgeted with nervousness. He leaned against the counter, casually eyeing her.
“Mind if I change now?” She looked down at her scrubs. “Honestly, I don’t want to look at these when I’m at home. They’re boring. Wearing them all day at the clinic is enough.”
“Depends,” he responded.
“On what?”
“On what you intend to put on instead. A short towel? No. One of those skimpy tank tops with no bra? No. A tight, see-through blouse with a dark, lace, navy bra? No. Do you have some sort of granny nightgown and maybe a robe?” He had to fight to keep from smiling.
She rolled her eyes. “No.” And then she turned and left the room.
A few moments later, she returned wearing exactly what he didn’t want to see—a white tank top, no bra, short sleeping boxers in pink.
Why did she always do this to him? Tonight wasn’t the first time she’d taunted him with her lack of clothing, but it was the first time she’d done it with new intentions. Or perhaps he was wrong and her goal had always been the same.
He could practically see her nipples through the material, her pert breasts firm and high even without a bra. He tipped his head back toward the ceiling and groaned.
“What?” she asked.
He lowered his gaze and met hers.
“This is what I always wear in the evenings. How is today different?” She cocked out one hip.
Sassy as hell.
“Used to be I just imagined what color and size your nipples were. Now I know.”
“So?”
“So go put something else on over that. A sweatshirt. Pants. Socks. Anything.”
She giggled and then grabbed something from the fridge, bending farther than necessary, flaunting her ass in his direction.
That was the last straw. He grabbed the bag off the table and headed down the hall.
Alena followed him. “Ivan?”
When he got to the end of the hall where his room was on the right and hers on the left, he turned toward her room. He flipped on the light. A moment later, he sat on her bed, waiting for her to catch up.
She looked a little nervous as she stepped up to him, a foot separating them. “What’s in the bag?”
“A few things I thought you might like.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened.
He dumped the contents on the mattress beside him, keeping his gaze on her while she let hers wander to the bed.
The look on her face when she realized what she was seeing was priceless. Her eyes widened even more. She licked her lips. And then she flushed a deep shade of red. She opened her mouth but didn’t speak.
“You said you never had a vibrator. I realized that wasn’t fair. I’m sorry none of us thought about your needs beyond the most basic. It was rude and inconsiderate. I wasn’t sure what kind you might like, and you probably aren’t either, so I got you three sizes and shapes.”
She didn’t move, not even to lift her gaze. He wasn’t sure she even blinked yet.
“Alena?” He wanted to chuckle, but he wouldn’t.
“You didn’t,” she finally mumbled.
“I did.”
Finally, her eyes flew up to meet his. “Ivan, that’s not a normal gift. It’s embarrassing.”
“Why? Women use them all the time. You’ve been deprived. You said so yourself.”
She shook her head. “You think I could,” she shook a finger in the direction of the vibrators, “use that stuff in this room with you across the hall? Is this supposed to mollify me because you won’t sleep with me? You think it’s some sort of substitution?”
“Hell no. There’s no substitution for the real thing. But women should have vibrators and know their bodies and enjoy themselves.”
She stepped backward. If her face could turn any redder, it did.
“If you’re worried about me walking in on you, lock the door.”
She jerked her gaze to his again. “Seriously? Ivan, there’s no way in hell I could do that. Those things must be loud… Don’t they make noise? And then when I… I mean, when I…” She shook her head. “No. Just no. I mean, thanks for thinking of me, but…no.”
He cocked his head to one side. “You said—”
She interrupted. “I was just spouting at the mouth, Ivan. I didn’t want you to go to the store and buy me an electronic boyfriend. Are y
ou planning on making me wait so long to sleep with me that you think I’ll need to take matters into my own hands?”
“No. I’m imagining you wanting to own a vibrator to use anytime you want. Not as a replacement but in addition to sex.”
She stepped back again.
Wow, she was really embarrassed. He should have factored that in. Instead he’d been cocky and thought she would be excited and throw herself at him with a giant hug and kiss. What had he been smoking?
Alena backed up several more steps until she was in the bathroom. She shut the door, escaping.
Shit.
A few minutes passed. No way was he going to leave her and drop this subject. It might take him months to get her to ease up and not be so embarrassed at the drop of a hat, but he had nothing but time.
The toilet flushed. The water ran. The water ran again. She was probably brushing her teeth.
Finally she came out. She didn’t meet his gaze, but she did walk toward him. “Do you mind if I go to bed now? It’s been a long day. I’m tired.”
He wasn’t about to leave her like this, flustered and mortified.
When she reached his side and he didn’t budge to move out of her way, she spun around on an exasperated exhale and headed for the other side of the bed. She tugged the comforter and sheet back and sat on the edge facing away from him.
“Alena…” He twisted his body around sideways so he could see her. “Baby… Talk to me. Communication is the key to our survival. I’m sorry if you’re stunned by my gift. Maybe the timing wasn’t right. But honestly, I was just trying to right a wrong.”
She spun around on her butt to face him. “Right a wrong? I’m sure I’m not the only woman alive who doesn’t own one of those things.”
He shrugged. “I want you to have them, though. Men… We…” He glanced down at his ever-growing cock and waved his hand in that general direction. “We can easily take care of ourselves. Women… Sometimes they need a little…help.” Was he making things worse or better?
Worse.
She was now a darker shade of red.
And damn if she wasn’t sexy as all get-out with innocent embarrassment flushing her skin.
What he wanted to do was use those new toys on her himself. But maybe she needed time alone. He stood, wiped his palms on his jeans, and then glanced down at the boxes. She would never take them out of the packaging and risk him knowing she’d done it. So he decided to take that out of the equation too. He opened all three packages without looking at her.
The guy at the store had put fresh batteries in two of them. One was charged. So he knew they worked. As if he wasn’t sure, he picked up each one individually, turned it on, tested the various speeds and settings, and then opened the top drawer of her bedside table and slid them inside. He gathered the wrappers and boxes, stuffed them in the black bag, and set the bag on the floor. If she wanted to pull anything back out to look at the packaging or read the instructions, she could.
With a deep breath, praying to any deity who would listen, he rounded the bed, cupped her face with his hands, and tipped it back to meet his gaze. And then he lowered his face and kissed her briefly. “I’ll leave you alone.”
It took every ounce of strength to walk out of her room, but he did it, shutting the door behind him. Maybe his tactics were out of whack, but he wanted her to know her body better. Hell, maybe she knew it just fine from using her own hand. But in his experience, women insisted there was nothing that could compare to a good battery-operated toy.
For several moments, he leaned against the wall in the hallway next to her room, trying to catch his breath. Yes, he would definitely use those toys on her himself. But he also wanted her to be able to experience them alone.
And he sure as shit didn’t want her to feel prudish about it. He didn’t think she did since she was the one who mentioned she didn’t have a vibrator, insinuating such a thing was sorely lacking from her life. But if there was any chance in hell she didn’t think she should be using a vibrator on herself, either alone or with him, she was about to learn otherwise.
He smiled, pushed off the wall, and headed to the great room to shut off the lights and check the alarm.
∙•∙
Alena couldn’t breathe. It didn’t seem as though she had breathed for ten minutes. Not since Ivan strode into her room and emptied the contents of his secret bag. Had that really happened? She was pretty sure if she opened the drawer on that little table, she would find the answer was yes.
And her reaction? Shit. She’d been unable to control her shock.
Vibrators? Three of them? Jesus.
They hadn’t even slept together. Twice he’d seen her naked. Once he’d made her come so hard she lost her mind, but not a single time had he made love to her.
He’d insisted he would do so on his timetable—not hers. And to a certain extent, she was okay with that. It was endearing coming from him. She’d given up on the notion he didn’t want to have sex with her and forced herself to believe he was being chivalrous.
She didn’t know if she wanted to cry or giggle over how incredibly thoughtful the gesture was. Three? He’d chosen well. Three sizes and styles. She’d seen them online. She understood the concept. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to grasp the idea.
But she’d also been thoroughly abashed. No way could she use one of them alone in her bedroom with him possibly just outside the door listening.
Could she?
He’d even taken them out of the packaging, and she understood now why—to make it so there would be no way to tell if she’d tried them out.
She stood on shaky legs, crossed the room, and flipped off the light.
Afterward she climbed under the covers, stared blankly at the dark ceiling, and tried to grasp how she wanted to play this out.
He’d left her. That wasn’t how she’d seen the evening going. What she’d wanted to do was at least make out with him. Kiss. Touch. Explore maybe? Would he let her check out his body the same way he’d covered every inch of hers?
Doubtful. But that had been her hope for tonight.
And now he was gone, and she was alone. And it was barely after nine. She strained to hear the noises from the rest of the apartment. Nothing. Not even the television.
No way he’d gone to bed. But maybe at least his room.
Deep breaths. Her entire body was alert from being in his presence for several hours. She’d always reacted that way around him, but it had gotten worse since her antics yesterday morning.
What the hell had she been thinking opening this can of worms? Oh right. She’d been thinking it was time to jump Ivan’s bones. And that wasn’t weird. The man was hot. And she knew her physical reaction to him wasn’t simply a result of him being the only man available to her. She was around dozens of men every time she went with him to the gym. No one else turned her eye like he did.
What was the best course of action here? Go to sleep? Hunt him down and make some more useless demands?
Or torture him mercilessly by beating him at his own game?
Yes. That was the best option.
She smiled, rolled onto her side, and yanked open the drawer. It was too dark to see what she was doing, but it didn’t matter. Whichever one she grabbed in the dark was fine.
She wrapped her palm around the first toy she came to and brought it to the bed. She was already hot from the arousal of just being with Ivan, so she kicked off the sheets, pulled her tank over her head, wriggled out of her panties, and spread herself open.
The door wasn’t locked. She didn’t care. It was intentional. She hoped the vibrator was loud. She hoped her moans were too. Served him right.
As she turned the dial on the handle, she instantly felt the vibrations. Even on the lowest setting, the friction would be intense. Closing her eyes, she lowered the tip of the toy to her opening and swirled it around.
“Oh. My. God,” she muttered, tipping her head back farther.
She was so wet. Moistur
e leaked out to run down toward her ass.
The power of the vibrator pushed her closer to orgasm in seconds. Nothing that intense had ever touched her. Her fingers could not compare. Damn Ivan for being right about that. She hadn’t even touched her clit yet or pushed the phallus inside her, and already she was on the edge.
Dragging her wetness to the bundle of nerves that most wanted attention, she circled her clit. With her teeth tightly clenched, she allowed the tip of the toy to graze the swollen nub.
Mercy. Jesus.
It was almost too much. Who on earth would need this thing on a higher setting?
Her knees shook violently, and her mouth fell open. She was vaguely aware of the low moan filling the room. It wasn’t a tone she’d ever heard before coming from her own mouth.
And then she concentrated on the position of the vibrator, testing every spot around her clit. It was so engorged, every slight graze made her nearly jump out of her skin.
Amazing. Nothing better.
She settled the tip on a spot below her clit and pressed against her skin. That was all it took. Two seconds later her body was convulsing, the orgasm so strong it took effort to maintain contact with the spot. But she did her best to hold her hand steady and keep the pressure.
Because it felt so damn good. Wave after wave of release.
Nothing like it.
Ever.
Panting, she finally lowered the vibrator to her side, letting her hands drop to her sides. Her knees still shook, spread open and resting on her hands. A thin sheen of perspiration covered her entire body. She couldn’t catch her breath.
But she smiled into the darkness as she realized how loud she screamed when she came. Loud enough to disturb the neighbors. And certainly loud enough to catch Ivan’s attention.
The man didn’t come into her room, however.
His willpower was amazing.
For long moments, she simply lay there unable to move an inch. The vibrator was still on. She was too exhausted to turn it off. That would require lifting her other hand.
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