“Luka, I don’t know much about you, so I can only go on my experiences with you. When I needed you, you were there. When I didn’t, you were still there and wouldn’t leave. And if that’s how you are with me, I know you would do three times as much for Alex. So if you were expecting me to tell you to stay away from Alex, you came to the wrong person for that. I’m sure you get enough of that from Mish, and half the time I think he just says it because she’s still his little sister.”
“I’m going to hurt her,” he said pointedly, not a question but a fact.
“How?”
“With the truth.”
“And how will that hurt her?”
He laughed, the sound echoing his frustration. “The truth always hurts.”
Lauren nodded. “Yes, but you know what’ll make it better. You telling her. Whatever’s haunting you, whatever you think is going to ultimately ruin whatever the two of you will have, you need to be the one to tell her. No one else. It may hurt at first, but it’ll be easier coming from you than anyone else.”
Luka dropped his arm, staring up at the ceiling.
No matter how he tried to rationalize it, there was no way he could tell her the truth about what brought him to New York. No, he wasn’t proud of his life within the Organization and the shit he’d had to do to survive there, but he couldn’t see that being the thing that tore them apart.
Having to explain to her that he’d intended to torture the hell out of her brother and would have ultimately killed him, but because of technicalities that no one could have seen coming, had ended up dishing most of this out on Klaus.
“You’re obviously in a mood today,” Lauren commented, tapping his arm so he would look at her. “What changed?”
Luka licked his lips, contemplating how he was going to answer that. He would never betray Alex’s confidence, not even to Lauren. If she wanted them to know about the past few months and the problems she’d struggled with, then that was her story to tell, otherwise, only the pair of them would know.
But Lauren wasn’t dumb enough to think that he had just seen the light one day and was finally tired of sitting on his ass and not doing anything about what all this was he felt for Alex. There was obviously a reason…but he couldn’t think of any lie that wouldn’t sound like a lie.
“Nothing.” He couldn’t say that she was giving him more of her. She always had. But having her so close…he wasn’t ready to give that up. “Nothing has changed.”
Rising to his feet, he kissed the top of Lauren’s head before going for the door.
“Glad I could help,” she called after him, the amusement clear in her voice.
Now, there was one thing he had needed to do before he said fuck all to Mishca’s rules and did the very thing he told himself he would never do.
____
The house Luka pulled up in front of was pretty large, not uncommon in the neighborhood he was in. Locking his Jeep, he walked up to the front door, ringing the doorbell twice before standing back and waiting.
It had taken a few seconds before he heard the soft patter of feet, then the heavy oak door was pulled open by a girl no older than twelve in a bright green summer dress. Her eyes widened slightly as she took him in, but she smiled.
“Hi, can I help you?”
Before Luka could call out to him, he heard the good doctor walking, asking who was at the door. When he appeared behind his daughter and saw who was standing in his entryway, he visibly paled, his hand coming to rest on his daughter’s shoulder.
“Why don’t you go see what your brother is doing, Lea.”
She nodded, taking one last glance back at Luka before she disappeared in the house.
The doctor’s hands were shaking as he spoke. “Please, I haven’t borrowed any money. I’ve never spoken a word about—”
“Relax, doc. This is a social call. I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
Luka shrugged, glancing around him at the houses lining the street. “Are you going to invite me in?” When the doctor looked more afraid, Luka lifted his shirt, just enough to show the waistband of his jeans. “If it helps, I’m not armed.”
That, of course, did not mean he didn’t know how to use his bare hands to get the job done, but he thought it would be better if he didn’t mention that fact.
Reluctantly, the doctor stepped to the side, letting Luka breeze through, the door closed and locked behind him.
“My office is this way,” he said, directing him through the house toward a back office that was decorated in shades of gray.
Though it was abundantly clear that he was still nervous, he put up a good front as he sat behind his desk, trying to look composed as he waited for Luka to explain why he was there.
“I need you to run my blood.”
“Pardon?”
Dropping down in his seat, he gestured to his arm. “You’ll probably need to tie my arm off, wait for a vein to pop out, stick a needle in, fill a couple of vials with blood—you do know what that is, right?—and run it.”
Clearing his throat, the doctor nodded. “What am I looking for?”
“Need to make sure I’m clean, Doc.” When he still didn’t move, Luka clapped his hands together. “Anytime today.”
He moved, reaching in a back lower cabinet for a medical kit. Luka held out an arm as he got close. Once he realized that Luka wasn’t a threat to him, he went to work, though he did seem to be extra careful with his work, making sure to point out how every piece of equipment he used was freshly opened right in front of him.
His blood drawn, and his arm wrapped up, Luka reached into his back pocket, pulling out the wad of cash, setting it on the edge of the desk.
“I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us.”
Whether he heard what Luka said, the doctor’s eyes focused on the money. “Of course.”
“Contact me when you get the results.”
Luka went to let himself out, but came up short when the same girl was waiting for him by the door. When he got close, she held out a sucker wrapped in clear plastic.
“When I go to the doctor, I always get one of these. This’ll make you feel better, too.”
Smiling, Luka accepted the gift, pulling the wrapper off and sticking it in his mouth. It tasted like pure sugar and artificial flavoring, but she beamed and he ate it anyway.
26
____
Give Me Everything
After working so hard on Luka’s place, an urge struck Alex to do something about her own. Ever since she had moved in, she’d pretty much left it the way Mishca had decorated it, only moving in her own things, but now she wanted something more.
She made a plan for checking out swatches for the walls, thinking over a new color scheme for the bedroom, and while she did this, she rooted through the hallway closet where she had placed most of the junk she didn’t know what to do with and found a rather large box she hadn’t remembered placing there. It was obvious it was hers since she’d scrawled her name across the top in her own handwriting.
Pulling it free, she swiped her hand along the top, brushing away some of the dust. It was amazing how much had accumulated in the short time it had been in there. She removed the top, a bittersweet love filling her as she stared down at the contents.
An old pair of pointe shoes was at the bottom, surrounded by other paraphernalia of her life back in Paris. She had forgotten how much she had enjoyed it there until this moment when she no longer had it. Pictures, snapshots of a time when the most she ever had to worry about was showing up to practice on time.
That life had been simpler, yes, but even then, she wasn’t completely fulfilled. She had still craved something more than what she had.
The doorbell’s sudden chime made Alex frown. She double-checked her phone, making sure she didn’t have any missed calls before she dropped the shoebox on the floor and headed for the door.
Her confusion only grew when she looked through the peephole to see who
was on the other side.
“Luka?”
“Alex?” he asked in the same way she had, moving around her to enter the apartment.
Sighing, she pushed the door closed, looking back at him. “Sure, by all means, come on in.”
He scanned the living room, lingering on the boxes that she’d left on the floor, her stuff spilling out of them. Whatever he thought of what she was doing, he didn’t say anything.
Dropping down into one of the three chairs, he shrugged out of his jacket, immediately picking up one of the boxes that littered her floor and peeked inside.
She snatched it away from him, but he had already seen what was inside.
“You taking up ballet again?”
“No,” she said carefully, reclaiming her spot on the floor. “I was just cleaning out my apartment.”
“Thank God. It looked like a fucking crime scene the last time I was here.”
Rolling her eyes, she looked back up at him. “Is there a reason why you’re here now?”
He gave her that charming half-smile. “Would you believe me if I told you that I missed you?”
Yeah. She was definitely charmed, even if she didn’t want to be. “Maybe.”
“Good. Now back to the dancing thing. Could be good for you, no? Start back doing something you love again.”
“How would you know?” she asked looking up at him, her fingers tightening around the one pointe shoe she was still holding. “What if I enjoyed it then, but I wouldn’t now? I’m not the same girl I was back then.”
Shifting to the edge of the chair he was sitting on, he beckoned her closer, and when she was within reach, he placed his hand on the center of her chest, his skin warm against her own. And while his close proximity had made her hyperaware of his presence, his touch made her heart hammer. She didn’t doubt he could feel it.
“You feel the same to me.”
“You know what I mean, Luka.” She shook her head. “It’s been so long since I’ve danced…”
“I’m not saying you’re not rusty—probably need some work—but you can do it. I believe in you.”
She wondered if he knew what those words meant to her?
On a whim, she decided to tell him about Amerie and their conversation. She wanted to believe that she told him just so she could have someone tell her she shouldn’t do it, that she would need more time. But Luka wasn’t that person.
“Well, shit. We needed to get started then, right? We can’t have you embarrassing the both of us when you try out.”
“Righttt. Like I don’t have enough to look forward to.”
“I’m usually the voice of reason. Anyway, I’m hopping in the shower.” When she frowned, he shook his head. “I like to be clean. Is that so bad?”
“As much as you’re staying over here, you might as well move in.”
He scoffed, heading for her bedroom instead of the guest one as he usually did. “Darling, you’d be moving in with me, not the other way around.”
“Why do all guys feel like the girl has to move in with them?” And were they really having this conversation? She wasn’t ever sure if they were joking or not.
“You don’t like my house?”
“Of course, I like your house.” Even before they had fixed it up, she’d liked it. Before, it had just been a bit…sterile. “But—”
“And would you really want Loki to relocate? He’s so used to having room to run around.”
“Of course, but—”
“Not to mention, I hate the fucking city.”
“Fine! I get it. If I ever wanted to live with you, it would be the house.”
Heading back to her room, he turned back to her with a smirk. “If? When.”
As he disappeared around the corner, Alex had to make sure that this wasn’t all some elaborate dream she was having.
But more than whether or not he was truly entertaining a possibility of them, she was glad that he was being friendly again. This was what she loved most about their relationship, how easy it was to talk to him. She didn’t realize how much she had missed it until now.
While Luka showered, she finished sorting through the rest of her closet, sorting through the rest of the living room before he reemerged.
“What do you—”
But she stopped abruptly as she felt his presence behind her, his arm slipping around her waist, turning her so she was now facing him.
There wasn’t a second to question his actions. He just claimed her mouth as he had every right to do so. There was nothing slow and tender about it.
His tongue tangled with hers before he drew her bottom lip into his mouth, biting down gently on it, and finally, when she was sure she couldn’t feel anything more than him on her, he pulled away.
“Say yes.”
He didn’t ask, he commanded. And she was helpless not to give him exactly what he wanted. “Yes.”
No sooner had that word left her lips than she found herself crushed against him, his mouth descending on hers once more. Any resistance, or thoughts in general, scattered as she tried to remember how to breathe.
His arm slid beneath her shirt, the flat of his hand pressing against the small of her back, pulling her in even closer if that was possible. Her own went around his neck, her fingers curling into the soft hair there. And when she melted against him, he groaned, a soft broken sound that made her legs weak.
It wasn’t that easy because of their height difference, but he made up for that by lifting her suddenly, her legs going around his waist automatically.
The hand that wasn’t cradling her face slid up her thigh and around her hip, his fingers spanning over her ass, compelling a gasp from her as he squeezed.
His arm tightened as he pushed off the wall, carrying her through the living room, carefully laying her out on the floor as he went down to his knees. She always thought their first time together would be slow and drawn out—she’d even fantasized about it.
This was nothing like that. As eager as she was, reaching to yank his shirt over his head, he was twice as bad.
When she couldn’t get his shirt up any further then the middle of his chest—too busy kissing him to give much effort—he reared up, reaching behind his head, drawing his shirt up and off, tossing the material out of the way as she busied fumbling at his jeans, trying to unsnap the button, then dragging the zipper down. As the denim gave, all she saw was more tattooed skin, the trail of hair beneath his navel drifting down further.
He was just as impatient as she felt as he pulled at her clothes, getting her naked beneath him in seconds, and just like the morning when he’d startled her in the shower, he stared at her as if it was the first time all over again. When he looked at her like that, in awe as if he had never seen a naked girl before, she felt beautiful.
Reaching into the front of his jeans, she slipped her hand in, wrapping her fingers around his straining erection, feeling him throb in her hand. She’d always known that he would be big but feeling him, hard and warm, in her palm; there had been nothing to prepare her for that.
“Tell me what you want.”
Alex wasn’t shy, had never been a day in her life, but the minute he asked that heated question, she couldn’t find an answer for him, especially when she knew exactly what he wanted from her.
“You. I want you.”
“Mmm. I’m gonna need you to be more specific than that,” he said in her ear. “Do you want me to flick my tongue on your pussy? Flip you over and fuck you from behind? Tell me and I’ll give it to you.”
Her entire body flushed with heat as his words washed over her. “Both, please.”
She had to release her hold on him as he shifted down her body, his arms going around her thighs to keep her legs open.
Luka didn’t hesitate. Didn’t tease. His lips and tongue immediately found her center, and she only had a second to take a breath before he set in, giving her exactly what he promised.
She whispered his name, her legs trembling as her finge
rs drifted into the thick strands of his hair and pulled. She wasn’t sure whether she was trying to keep him there or pull him away, but it was clear that he wasn’t stopping. Not until he got what he wanted from her.
It was all the encouragement he needed because the more she tugged, the deeper he set in until her legs were trembling and his name was falling from her lips every few seconds.
“I need to cum, Luka,” she all but begged him, her senses too overwhelmed to be shy any longer.
She needed him.
And she needed him now.
But he wasn’t ready to give in yet, no matter what she said. Even when she rocked her hips, trying to force him to give her more, he merely rolled them until she was practically sitting on his face.
“Oh God!”
One of his hands snaked up her body, palming her breast, then tweaked her nipple. The other went between her legs, his thumb swiping over her clit as he sent her flying toward the one thing she’d been begging him for.
The orgasm came over her slowly, and then all at once, making her cry out his name in abandon, her legs locking up as it washed through her. And even as she came down, she knew it wasn’t enough, not nearly.
“Get on me, now.”
She rushed to obey him, and with his insistence, she moved down his body until the head of his cock was poised at her entrance. He was taut with tension, a strong need in his eyes, so she was the one to reach between them, taking hold of him, and rubbing him all along her sex.
“Now, Alex.”
She thought of drawing this out the way he had drawn it out for her, but Luka was too far gone. He didn’t gently guide himself inside her. No, he surged in, his hands so tight on her hips that she was sure she would bruise.
There was a twinge of pain, and he seemed to realize this as he held himself still, his gaze shifting up to hers. He gave her just enough time to adjust, as if he could read her body as though he had done it a million times, and as he pulled out, just until the tip breached her entrance, he thrust right back in, drawing a strangled groan from her.
With an arm back around her waist, he rolled them once more, and as he gained purchase, he sunk deeper inside her, his sweaty forehead dropping to the curve of her shoulder and neck.
Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva Book 4) Page 18