by Ariel Arnold
“So how did it turn into you investigating him then?” Amanda asked.
“Detective Callahan saw us together and he informed me who Ilya really was. Then all of a sudden, there was the captain, and an FBI agent and they were asking me to do things, and I couldn’t say no,” I replied desperately. “Honestly, I was just trying to do my job, and what I thought at the time was the right thing.”
The two women who had gone on to become my closest friends watched me uncertainly. I wasn’t sure if they would be able to forgive me and I didn’t know if a friendship was still possible now.
“But you have genuine feelings for Ilya?” Yaz asked, almost looking hopeful.
My face began to heat up as I wasn’t exactly comfortable with admitting how much I actually cared for him. “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter. He hates me, and even if he didn’t, a relationship between us would be impossible.” I really couldn’t see any way that the two of us could be together, especially not with the job I had. “I’m not sure if you will be able to forgive me, but I’m sorry. I really am,” I said, looking between Amanda and Yaz. I never wanted to hurt either of them.
“Come on, let’s go up. I’m sure those detectives are gone now,” Amanda said, giving me a slight smile.
“Ughhh, I can’t stand them,” Yaz replied.
Upstairs, the hallway was empty, except for Aleksandr and Nikolai. They stood in front of what I assumed was Ilya’s room. Amanda and Yazmeen immediately abandoned me, going into their men’s arms. “How is he?” Yazmeen asked.
“Surprisingly, sleeping,” Nikolai answered her. “Looks like he was exhausted. As soon as he wakes up, we are getting the hell out of here. Too many pigs,” he said, eyeing me disdainfully.
“Niko, stop it,” Amanda said, smacking him in the chest. “Did his attending officer say if he was allowed visitors now?” When Nikolai nodded, she turned to me. “Go on ahead in, Nana.”
I took a step forward but was stopped when Nikolai put his hand up. “Wait a minute. He’s my cousin, shouldn’t I get a say in who gets to see him or not?”
“No, actually, you don’t, so just shut up, Niko,” Yaz told him. “Hurry up and see him, Nana, before you have to leave,” she told me.
Ignoring the groups arguing, I entered the silent hospital room and closed the door. Ilya laid in the hospital bed, eyes closed as the heart monitor beeped steadily. I crossed over to his side and admired his handsome features, glad he was still alive. Tentatively, I reached out and touched his arm, letting my hand rest there. It felt so good to be able to touch him again, feel his warm skin under mine.
“I’m glad you are okay,” I whispered, not wanting to wake him up. I didn’t want to stay long, afraid that he would wake up and be angry that I was there. I used my hand to push some of his hair back and gave him one last lingering look before I kissed him softly on the forehead and exited the room.
Chapter Thirteen: Ilya
It was the day of Yazmeen and Aleksandr’s wedding, and everyone was excited and happy. Love was in the air, and I felt like the one ruining everyone’s mood. My side was still hurting from the stab wound I had received three weeks ago, and I knew that I was going to have to face Nana today. Yazmeen had warned me that she was still attending and apart of the bridal shower. The three girls weren’t back to their old friendship, but I guess Amanda and Yazmeen were trying to forgive her slowly.
The last time I had seen Nana was three weeks ago, and it wasn’t even fully. I’d had my eyes squinted open after hearing the commotion in the hall. When Nana entered the room, however, I closed them, curious as to why she was there and how she knew I was in the hospital. I’d wanted so badly to open my eyes and take her in my arms, preventing her from leaving, but I didn’t.
A gangster and a cop could never have a happy ending.
The wedding was beginning to get underway. Amanda and Nikolai were standing in front of me, arms linked. They would be the first to walk down the hall. Amanda grinned at Nikolai. “Doesn’t this feel like we are the ones getting married?”
“Is that a hint that you want me to ask you to marry me?”
“Well, not if you don’t want to,” she said in a huff and I couldn’t help but grin. I give them a month before they were engaged. I’d already seen Nikolai looking around for rings. I felt someone slide up beside me and from her scent, I knew it was Lydia.
“Where is your partner?” she asked. I was assuming it was Nana, even though we’d never rehearsed or anything, and she was nowhere to be found. “If you need me to, I can be,” she said, running her finger down my arm. Lydia was a great girl, down to earth, beautiful, and sincere, but she just wasn’t Nana.
“Lydia, get back with your partner. Ilya has one already. She’ll be here any moment.” Just as Amanda said this, the sound of heels rapidly running down the hallway could be heard. I turned to see the beautiful sight of Nana, out of breath, almost sprinting towards us.
“Sorry I’m late,” she huffed out, looking at Amanda, avoiding eye contact with me.
“You’re just in time. You’re with Ilya.”
She nodded and stood beside me, still averting her gaze. She looked amazing in a sage green colored dress that looked like it was made of barely-there sheer fabric. “You look gorgeous,” I couldn’t help saying. She finally turned her head to look at me, her hazel eyes with its mysterious green flecks taking me in.
“Thanks. You look really handsome,” she said quietly.
“Okay, places everyone, we’re starting!” someone yelled out. I held my arm out for Nana and she slipped hers in between mine.
Walking down the aisle with Nana on my arm was surreal. I hated that I could imagine this being our wedding that we were about to pledge ourselves to each other forever. Through the whole ceremony, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. When she started to tear up as Aleksandr and Yazmeen said their I dos, I wished I could cross over to her and offer her a handkerchief.
The wedding was beautiful and I had never seen Aleksandr happier than when he could officially call Yaz, Yazmeen Prakenski.
The wedding banquet was filled with rowdy Russians, drinking and trying to flirt with as many women as possible. Yazmeen and Aleksandr’s parents were conversing happily as they celebrated their children getting married. Yaz’s mom and Alek’s dad were already talking about grandkids, sending Yaz running to the other side of the room. All the while, I took everything in, my eyes inevitably returning to Nana. So, when she stood to slip out of the ballroom, I noticed, and followed her.
When I caught up with her, she was standing in a deserted hallway, her back against the wall, eyes closed.
“You’re missing the party,” I told her.
Her eyes flew open and she regarded me warily before shrugging. “I just needed some time alone.”
We stood there silently, watching each other and the faint sounds of music could be heard drifting towards us from the ballroom. “Dance with me,” I told her, not giving her the option to say no. I needed her in my arms, to feel her skin against mine once again. I pulled her into my arms and she didn’t protest as she looked up at me.
One hand settled on her lower back while the other held her hand in my grip. We swayed slightly to the music, each of us I guess lost in our own thoughts. Slowly, my hand drifted down and cupped her ass. I couldn’t resist. That one single moment I had with Nana wasn’t enough. My mind and body were tortured with the way she felt, the way she moaned my name.
Nana’s own fingers were slowly dragging over the back of my shirt. I’d already earlier abandoned my suit jacket. Having Nana in my arms again, with nothing else in the world interfering, was just perfect. All I wanted was for this dance to last forever. I stepped back, separating our bodies a little. Nana looked up to see why I had moved back and I moved in, my lips closing in on hers. I forcefully kissed her, my tongue gently probing between her lips. She had no resistance and opened her lips to me. It seemed like we had been kissing for hours, clinging to each other, neither wanting to b
e the first to let go. She held my head in her hands as our kiss slowed down. Once our lips parted, we looked each other in the eyes and smiled.
This was what I wanted. Just me and Nana, like this.
“Ilya,” she said my name in a needy pant. It was too much, and I snapped. I grasped her to me again and attacked her lips. My tongue dominated her mouth, making her moan as her hands clutched my shoulders.
“I need you,” I told her, not caring how desperate I sounded. I nuzzled into her neck, kissing and biting, making sure there would be a memory of me on her skin. “I missed you so damn much,” I murmured, not sure if she heard me. Nana pressed herself into me, my erection pressed against her stomach and I groaned at the sweet torture. All I wanted was to be sheathed inside her once again. Pushing her, I backed her up against the wall and gripped her left thigh, lifting it, wrapping it around my waist. I thrust against her core as I kneaded her breasts through her dress. She moaned and her head fell back against the wall. While she was distracted, lost in her own pleasure, I began to lift her dress higher to bunch up around her waist. She wore a small pair of thin lacy thongs that easily tore in my grasp. Nana gasped and opened her eyes. She looked at me and then down the hall.
“Wait. We can’t do this here. What if someone comes?”
“Just don’t be too loud and I’ll be able to hear if someone comes,” I told her. “Don’t worry,” I said as I unbuckled my pants and pulled my cock out. She must not have been too concerned, caught up in the way we were making each other feel because she easily complied and closed her eyes again. I positioned myself at her entrance and prepared to push inside when she halted me. “Wait!”
I groaned in pain and pressed my face into her neck once again. “You’re killing me, Nana.”
“It’s just…,” she started to say before trailing off. I lifted my head and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. She blushed and bit her lips. “Uhmmm, I’ve just had this fantasy of you and me, and you behind me,” she said shyly. I grinned.
“That can be arranged.” I let go of her leg and spun her around, her front up against the wall. I then gripped her hips and pulled her closer by the waist. With one quick movement, I plunged into her cunt.
I heard a startled intake of breath from her, then her fist curled against the wall as she rocked back against me. The motion pushed me deeper inside, the heat of her lips wrapped around me, making my knees weak. I squeezed her hips and started fucking her. I wanted to take things slow, make love to her, but we were in the middle of a hallway at our friend’s wedding. There was no time for slow, only fast and furious.
Bent over how she was, Nana’s pussy was tight and hot, so it was hard to stay quiet. I gritted my teeth and groaned as quietly as possible as I pumped in and out. Judging from her ragged breathing, it wasn't easy for her either, but other than a muffled squeak or moan now and then, there were only the quiet, wet sounds of me entering her.
Suddenly, she arched her back further out and placed her hands palms up, allowing me to hit a new angle. She moaned a little too loudly and I quickly glanced around, hoping that we hadn’t been discovered. “Shit, Nana,” I said lowly.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “God, you just feel so good inside me.”
I moaned and looked down at where our bodies were connected. I could see some of her pussy cream around the base of my shaft, which turned me on even more. It took everything inside of me not to cum right then and there. I wanted this to be quick so that we didn’t get caught, but not that quick. She had to cum first.
Nana’s head was turned slightly, forehead resting against the wall and I could see that her mouth was open and she was breathing heavily. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she focused on the feeling of my cock sliding in and out of her body. Nana’s breathing was starting to become rough, and I picked up my speed. My orgasm was approaching, and I was hoping she was getting close when suddenly, I felt her body tense up. I looked up into her face, and she was staring right at me. I felt her pussy clench around me, and she broke her silence to whisper my name as she came.
That was all it took to push me over the edge. I gripped her tightly and pressed as deep into her as I could. Just as her pussy stopped twitching, my cock started spasming, pumping my cum into her. My whole body shook with each spurt, and as the orgasm faded, I ran my hand up her spine to grab her shoulder and pull her up.
She slowly straightened, my cock slipping out of her, and turned to face me. We wrapped our arms around each other and kissed, then rested our heads on each other's shoulders for a moment.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe we just did that,” she said with a disbelieving laugh.
Nana was such an innocent. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had sex up against a wall, but with her, it was different. And I was sure that I didn’t want to do this with anyone else ever again, just her.
“Go get cleaned up. I’m going to make excuses to Yazmeen and Aleksandr, then meet you at the exit.”
“We can’t just leave,” she said, shaking her head, eyes wide.
“Yes, we can. We need to talk, and I want you again,” I told her, taking her lips slowly. She moaned and then nodded her agreement.
“You’re right. We do need to talk. I’ll meet you after I’m done in the bathroom.” I watched her until she disappeared the rest of the way down the hall to the bathroom.
I’d decided that I didn’t care about anything else. I wasn’t letting Nana Valencia go. She was mine.
Chapter Fourteen: Nana
I blushed as I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. I couldn’t believe that I had just had sex for the second time in my life, and it was up against a wall in a random hallway at my friend’s wedding. I shook my head in disbelief as I grinned. It was amazing, though, and he said he needed me again. I shivered, imagining all the things he would do to me once we left.
I washed my hands in the bathroom sink and turned to leave when the door opened.
“You little hussy,” Amanda said as she stood there, grinning. Right behind her was the bride of the day, Yazmeen, who also had a smile on her face.
“What?” I asked, feigning confusion.
“Me and Aleksandr are getting ready to leave, so we wanted to find everyone to gather and say goodbye. And of course, we noticed that you and Ilya were missing,” Yazmeen said.
“So, me and Yaz go to look for you and can’t help but happen upon you and Ilya, in the hallway,” Amanda said gleefully.
I covered my face with my hands and moaned. “Oh God, I can’t believe you guys saw us.”
“Virgin no more, I see,” Yazmeen said, cackling evilly.
“So, what does this mean?” Amanda asked on a more serious note. “Are you guys together officially now?”
I shrugged. “I have no clue. All the old reasons we shouldn’t be together are still there, but he wants to leave and go somewhere to talk, so I guess we will figure that out.”
“But do you want to be with him? Despite everything keeping you apart, do you still want to try?” Yazmeen asked me and I nodded without any hesitance.
The three weeks I hadn’t seen him after I saw him last at the hospital had been torture. I’d been depressed constantly thinking about him. I hadn’t realized how much he had embedded himself into my daily life. I couldn’t go to work in the morning without expecting him to be waiting for me with coffee. I always expected to see him waiting outside my apartment once I got home from work. I absurdly missed his cooking, seeing him laying around my house, treating my furniture like it was his own.
Yazmeen smiled. “Good. How amazing would it be if we all ended up married to Prakenski’s?” she said with glee.
“Ilya is a Volstolv,” I reminded her.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, they’re still related and are like brothers, so it doesn’t matter. You’re missing the point,” she said, exasperated. “Anyway, come see Aleksandr and me off before you and Ilya disappear.”
Amanda, Yazmeen, and I made our way to the
front hall where the guys and a group of family and friends stood, waiting to see the couple off. Aleksandr immediately pulled his new wife into his side and smiled down happily at her. They were so in love, and I wanted that for myself. To be that happy. I looked over at Ilya to see that he was already watching me.
The entrance doors opened and everyone turned to look. Who would be arriving at the wedding this late? My eyes widened and a sinking feeling spread through me. Nothing good could come of this. Walking straight towards us was Detectives Callahan, O’Reilly, and two uniformed cops. Callahan held what looked like a warrant in his hands and I blanched. I couldn’t believe that they were really doing this on Aleksandr and Yaz’s wedding day, at the ceremony no less.
The detective stopped in front of our group. “Ilya Volstolv, you are under arrest under the suspicion of murder,” Callahan said as he began to read Ilya his rights. One of the uniformed cops took out his cuffs and began to handcuff Ilya’s hands behind him. I stood there in shock, watching helplessly as Ilya was handcuffed.
“Murder? What murder?” Nikolai asked angrily, stepping forward. Amanda had grabbed his arm and prevented him from stepping into the detective’s faces.
“That information is on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know,” O’Reilly told him. “Let’s get out of here. I hate weddings,” he said with a smile on his face as he turned to leave. “Oh, and Alek, I wouldn’t be planning on a honeymoon. You’re not allowed to leave the state. That goes for you too, Niko,” he said with an almost elated smile, before walking away.
I watched helplessly as Ilya was led away.
“What just happened?” Yazmeen asked in a soft voice, looking like she was on the verge of tears.
“Shit,” Nikolai grumbled.
“I’ll call the lawyer,” Aleksandr said as he rubbed Yazmeen’s back, trying to comfort her.