by Leona Lee
Maybe they had a chance. If the FBI kept their side of the bargain and he was safe from prosecution, perhaps they could escape to an island somewhere or a chilly retreat in the mountains that required snuggling for warmth.
Exiting out into his apartment, he took a deep breath. He smelled roasted garlic, onion, bread. When he walked into the kitchen, he found a sea of pots and pans, with Bethany standing in the middle of it. Rubbing her head, she looked up to see him standing in the doorway.
“You’re early,” she said simply as she looked around, lost.
“I can see that. Did you have a plan or were you winging it?” he asked her as he crossed the floor to join her at the counter. She looked adorable with flour on her arms and face, although he would have much preferred to see her wearing nothing but an apron.
Pointing to her tablet that sat perched on the counter, she explained, “I was watching some videos and they made it look so easy.”
He scrolled through the videos, a smile spreading across his face. “You are making this for me?”
“Unsuccessfully, yes. I really wanted to surprise you,” she ended with a sigh.
He kissed the top of her head and rubbed the flour off her face. She rubbed her face in irritation, adding yet more flour. Resisting the urge to laugh, he solemnly rubbed her chin again before reaching for an apron.
“Show me how far you’ve gotten.”
With Vadim’s help, he showed her how to make the dough for the Pelmeni, a Russian ravioli, and together they wrapped the dumplings before throwing them in the pan to cook.
As the raviolis were baking, Bethany began to load the dishwasher, but Vadim stopped her. “Have I told you how sexy you look covered in flour?”
Leaning into him, she answered “I really wanted to surprise you.” She tilted her head up to kiss him.
“And you have.”
“I mean, by you not having to cook.”
“I like cooking, and I’m touched that you wanted to try. Perhaps next time, we can do something together.”
“I’d like that, but in the meantime, I should clean up.”
As Bethany turned again, Vadim wrapped his arms around her, “What’s the rush?” he asked her before capturing her mouth.
Bethany rocked forward and wrapped her arms around his waist as he held her tightly to him. Reaching up to the band on her hair, he pulled it loose, letting her long straight hair tumble down her back. As he ran his fingers through it, he settled his hand on the back of her head and held her still.
His other hand drifted down her back as he cupped her ass, pressing her tightly against his erection. “Oh, what you do to me, Malyutka,” he crooned as he kissed her face.
Reaching for the ties on her apron, he tugged it loose and pulled it over her head. Her dress was next, and he looked down at her in surprise.
“You aren’t wearing anything under your dress,” he commented as she smiled up at him.
“Well, I was hoping that I would be dessert,” she answered. He growled in response.
“I think I’d rather have you as an appetizer.”
Lifting her up, he settled her on the counter as he pushed the dirty pans to the side.
She gasped when he swirled his tongue up her slit before sliding it inside. With each swipe of his tongue, she twitched in his hands as he tightened his grip on her hips, careful that she not get hurt lying on the counter. Sliding his tongue up and down, he wrapped his lips around her rapidly swelling clit and sucked hard. She screamed out his name and gripped the edge of the counter as she came hard.
Vadim slid one of his hands underneath her, pushing two fingers inside her pussy as Bethany shook in his grasp. Her thighs tightened around his head, and he used his forearms to give him some breathing room while he lashed at her clit with his tongue before sucking on it. She cried out again as another orgasm rocked through her. Pumping his fingers quickly inside her, he sucked at her juices as more flowed down his arm.
Fuck, she’s sexy when she comes! he thought as he wrung another orgasm out of her. Picking his head up, he looked up at her, as her head was tilted back, her eyes closed. He pulled the apron loose and tossed it aside before reaching for the clasp on his pants. Dropping his trousers around his ankles, he kicked them aside and stepped back toward her. His cock brushed against her thigh as she twitched in response. She sat up and slid forward on the counter as he guided her toward him.
His erection, already standing tall, slid easily inside her as she wrapped her legs around his hips and locked her ankles behind him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard, opening his mouth to find his tongue eager to dance with her as he slid her off the counter to lean up against it. Holding her to him, he plunged in and out, as she held tightly to him. She loved the feel of his cock as he easily moved inside her, her body already slick with multiple orgasms throbbed against his erection as he rubbed against all her sensitive spots.
With a cry, she clamped down on his cock, slowing his movements as he attempted to keep going. Pleasure swept through him as the spasms from her orgasm took him over the edge and he came hard. Buried deep inside her, he possessed her mouth in a devastating kiss as she continued to shake in his arms.
A beeping sound broke through their reverie. Picking his head up, he realized it was the oven. Still holding her to him, he reached across the counter to slap the off switch before kissing her nose.
“I believe dinner is ready,” he announced as she pressed her forehead against his chest and drew in long breaths.
“About time,” she finally managed to say, “I have worked up quite the appetite.” Laughing, he set her down, still holding on to her to make sure she was steady on her feet.
“Then let’s eat.”
Chapter 4
Bethany’s phone beeped impatiently as she looked down to see whom it was from. It was yet another call from her mother. Clicking ignore, she pocketed her phone, grabbed her coffee, and headed toward her first class of the day. She had hoped that since she was now doing duty as a pseudo double agent, she could stop taking classes at the University of Texas, but both Turner and her handler were insistent that she maintain all current appearances. As she sat down in class, her phone beeped again, indicating a text message. Smiling apologetically at the professor, she turned her phone off.
After class, as she was heading to her car, she remembered her phone and turned it back on. There were half a dozen messages from her mother asking her to call and one from Vadim telling her that he missed her. As she was about to return Vadim’s text, her phone rang again, this time from her Aunt Melissa. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before accepting the call.
“Hi, Aunty, how are you?”
“Your mother has been trying to reach you.”
“I am well aware of that, but I have nothing to say to her.”
“It’s about your stepfather.”
“What about him?”
“He’s been released from prison.”
“What?”
Bethany stopped walking and sat down on the nearest bench. How could this be? Her stepfather was supposed to be completing a life sentence for the murder of her twin brother, Davis, when they were twelve. In a state that allowed for the death penalty, he had been given life with no opportunity for parole.
“Bethany? Bethany talk to me, sweetheart.”
“How…how is this possible?”
“He had a damn good lawyer.”
“When did this happen?” Bethany asked as she dug her nails into her palm.
“He was released last week.”
Bethany closed her eyes as pain slammed into her body. The loss that she had worked so hard to stuff down surfaced with a vengeance as she hugged her body.
“And my mother? Why does she want to speak with me?”
“I’ve no idea.”
“I, I have to go, Aunt Melly. I’ll talk to you later.”
Bethany disconnected the call before her aunt could respond
and rushed to her car. Sliding inside, she locked the door and buried her face in her hands. How could this happen? What sort of technicality could release a murderer? Her body began to shake as she fought to keep from sobbing. She had to get off campus and some place where she could fall apart safely.
A knock on her car window startled her as she looked up with haunted eyes. Peter Parker was standing there with a smile on his face, which quickly went away when he saw her. She rolled down her window, about to speak.
“Geezus, Michaels, what’s going on?”
Holding her hand over her stomach, Bethany panted, “Now is not a good time, Peter. I need to go.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
She fought back the tears as she started her car. “My stepfather is out,” she told him before she put the car in reverse and backed out of her parking space. He could either move or be run over, she didn’t so much care at the moment. As she drove away, she looked in her side mirror. Peter was still standing there, but he was now talking on his phone.
As she drove home, she swore loudly as she slammed her hand against the steering wheel. How was this even possible? Who in their right mind would represent a man who abused children and killed one in a fit of rage? Sobbing, she managed to make it back to the apartment and drove into the parking garage.
When she entered the penthouse apartment, Vadim walked out of the kitchen, surprised to see her.
“Malyutka?”
With a sob, Bethany collapsed on the floor, her body shaking as she cried. Vadim rushed to her side, scooped her up, and brought her over to the couch. Sitting down, he held her tightly in his arms as she sobbed into his neck. As he stroked her back, he crooned softly to her in Russian, assuring her that she was safe, until her sobs eventually died down. Her body continued to spasm as she hiccupped violently. Rubbing her back harder, she burped loudly, before snorting at her noises.
He lifted her chin and pushed the damp hair off her face and wiped her tears.
“Tell me,” he said simply.
“My mother has been trying to reach me, but I’ve been ignoring her calls. My aunt finally called. My stepfather. He’s out.”
“When?”
“He was released last week.”
“What can I do?”
“Hold me, moya lyubov. You make the world fade away.”
Smiling down at her, he kissed her lightly on the lips before folding her back into his arms as he rocked her.
Chapter 5
Bethany had fallen asleep in Vadim’s arms before he carried her to the bedroom to put her to bed. Calling Boris, he did the one thing he had never done before – not go into work. Grabbing his tablet, he settled in bed next to her as she slept fitfully. When Bethany awoke several hours later, her throat felt swollen and she had difficulty swallowing. She stretched and bumped against Vadim, who reached his hand down to rub her head. Looking up, she was surprised to see him in bed with her.
“Have you been here all this time?”
“Dah. I did not think you should be left alone,” he responded as he handed her a bottle of water.
She sat up, popped the cap, and took several long swallows. The water felt so good against her raw throat. Setting the bottle aside, she slid up against him as he wrapped his arm around her.
“Do you wish to talk about it?”
Shaking her head no, she said, “I’m not sure what there is to say. I’m shocked.”
“Your mother continues to call you,” he told her as he pointed to her phone on the nightstand. “Do you think that it’s time to talk to her?”
She pulled tighter against him. “I haven’t spoken to her since I was in school and she decided to forgive him for killing her son and beating me. I don’t even know what to say to her.”
“You don’t need to talk. Maybe just hear her out.”
Before Bethany could respond, her phone beeped again. Reaching for it, she saw the caller ID said it was her mother. When she clicked accept, she heard her mother’s excited voice before she put the phone to her ear.
“Bethany? I’m so glad that you finally answered. I have good news. Your father has been released.”
Closing her eyes, Bethany clutched tightly at the phone as she took shallow breaths.
“Bethany?” her mother called out. “Say something.”
“I can’t tell you how often I wondered how you could ever forgive a man for doing what he did. Every time I look in the mirror and I see the cigarette burns, the scars from welts, the hot oil burns, I wonder how you could have turned such a blind eye to what was going on in your own house. That man is not my father. He has never been my father. What he is, is a monster that should have been put down, and now he is free.”
“He isn’t free,” her mother rushed to answer before she could continue. “He has cancer, and he doesn’t have long. The State decided it would be cheaper to let him out than have him die in prison. He isn’t the same man, honey. He wants to see you. I want to see you.”
Bethany stared at the phone in shock as Vadim squeezed her arm. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, and then looked back at the phone. Her mother was expecting the impossible. She had told her years ago when her mother elected to forgive her stepfather that she would have nothing to do with either of them and now she wanted this?
“The only way I will see my stepfather again is when he’s strapped down and is being injected.”
“Bethany!”
“No, Mother. I am not interested in some sort of happy family reunion. Any chance of that ended long before Davis was murdered. You chose your side and it wasn’t mine. Please, don’t call me again.”
Before her mother could respond, Bethany ended the call. As her body began to shake, Vadim reached out, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her face lightly as she cried. Holding tightly to him, she cried for a life that she might have had. For a brother she could have grown up with. For a father who didn’t die. For a mother who put her children before the man who beat them. She cried until there were no tears left and still Vadim held her.
She reached for the buttons on his shirt, tugging them loose before sliding her hand underneath to rub his chest. Lifting her head, she kissed him, nibbling lightly on his lower lip before licking it. When he opened his mouth to speak, she quickly silenced him when she thrust her tongue into his mouth to dance with his. He groaned and pushed her back so he could look at her.
“Are you sure?” he questioned.
She nodded and leaned forward to kiss his neck as her hand continued to rove across his chest. He ran his fingers through her tangled hair as she kissed her way to his chest. Scooting forward on the bed, he rolled her under him as he pinned her down. She looked up at him with big eyes, too worried that if she spoke, she might cry again. She was done with crying for her past. It was time to move forward.
Cupping the side of her face, he kissed her forehead before trailing kisses to her eyes and then down her face. Her skin still tasted salty from her tears as he licked her cheek.
As he rested his hand on her head, the other moved down her body as he found the hem of her shirt. Lifting it up, he stroked her soft skin. He gave her an odd look before pulling her into a sitting position and pulling her shirt over her head. Reaching for the clasp on her bra, he snapped it loose before pulling it off her shoulders. He sat back and reached for the waistband on her pants and tugged it over her hips. He looked at her as he got up from the bed and shed his own clothes.
Climbing back on the bed, he laid next to her. “You are beautiful, Malyutka,” he told her as his eyes roved freely over her body.
If it were anyone else, Bethany would have been squirming in embarrassment, but they had shared so much together that when she looked at him, she knew that he meant it. He didn’t see her for her scars. He saw her. She was beautiful.
When he leaned toward her, their noses touched before he kissed her. Gently. Lovingly. Bethany moaned at his soft touch. She knew that he could be gentle. He h
ad showed her that time and time again, but this was almost reverent as he explored her mouth before kissing back down her neck.
Sliding his hands under her, he held her in his arms as he kissed his way across her shoulders. He lifted one of her hands and kissed the palm before trailing feather-light kisses up her arm as she sucked in her breath. Kissing her chest, he held each breast in his hand as if he were holding a delicate object. He smiled in satisfaction as her nipples both puckered to stiff peaks when he rubbed them with his thumb, eagerly awaiting his hot mouth.
Not one to disappoint, he sucked first one and then the other into his mouth as he laved them with his tongue. Bethany moaned and arched her back, as she offered herself to him. Her head dropped back to the pillows as he touched and licked and kissed every scar on the front of her torso.
Bethany felt as though she were on fire as he worshipped every part of her body. She gasped when he dipped his tongue into her navel, and her fingers found their way to his hair as she rubbed his head.
Working his way down, he settled between her legs as he sat back on his knees. He lifted one leg and held her gaze as he kissed her instep. Bethany gasped when he nibbled on it before working his way up her leg. He repeated his kisses on her other leg before sliding down on his stomach and kissing the inside of her thighs.
Moaning, she clutched at the sheets as she stared at him. She had never felt so alive except when she was with him. She jumped with a gasp when he ran his tongue up her slit, sliding it inside to bathe her with his mouth. He rubbed his hands up her thighs as his thumbs moved up and down along her slit before pushing it open for him to see. Her clit had popped out from her hood and was throbbing as he blew on it.
He swirled his tongue around her tight nub as she bounced on the bed in response. Wrapping his lips around it, he blew more hot air on it before he sucked on it. Each pull of his mouth was followed by a swirl of his tongue, which had Bethany panting.