Capturing Victory (Driven Hearts Book 3)

by Nikita Slater

  Ivan snarled something at his sparring partner, who nodded sharply and stepped back. Ivan turned swiftly toward the penthouse, his long legs quickly eating up the distance. He seemed utterly careless that his men knew exactly where he was going, that he was drawn by his rebellious woman. It surprised her that he didn’t care about his reputation. Was he that much in control of himself and the men around him?

  “Well, I think it’s around my break time,” Ndari said quickly, backing away from Jaya, toward the safety of the bedroom and the doors beyond. “Not that you aren’t perfectly wonderful to spend time with, but the thunderous expression on the Master’s face doesn’t bode well for the future comfort of anyone in this room.”

  Jaya swung her leg back over the ledge and hopped back onto the patio. She waved at Ndari as the woman made a beeline toward the exit. “See you later! Maybe take the east stairwell. Ivan will be coming up from the west.”

  “She is as smart as she is lovely,” Ndari exclaimed before dashing out the door and running full tilt down the hall toward the east stairwell. Jaya was still laughing when Ivan slammed the door against the wall and strode into the room seconds later.

  “Not even fucking locked,” he snarled in disgust, throwing the door shut again and twisting the lock. He turned toward Jaya, a glower marring his ruggedly handsome face. “What’re you looking so pleased about. I intend to blister your ass for continually putting yourself in danger. Maybe if you can’t sit down, you won’t sit on the fucking ledge.”

  She bit her lip in an attempt to look more serious but knew her dancing eyes were giving her away. His gaze swept over her, a habit that he seemed to enjoy each time he saw her after a few hours’ absence, taking in her bared belly in the light green and gold sari she’d chosen. She’d left the wrap laying across the end of their bed. “Sorry, Ivan.” She tried to sound chastened.

  “No you aren’t,” he growled, taking a step toward her. Jaya’s pulse sped up in anticipation of his touch. Whether rough or gentle, her body wanted him exactly the way he was right now; annoyed, half-naked and glistening from his morning workout.

  “I could pretend I was sorrier than I really am,” she said in a sultry voice, looking at him from beneath her eyelashes.

  He stiffened, catching the drift of her thoughts. “Don’t try to distract me,” he snapped. “That’s the second time I’ve caught you up there.” That he knows of, Jaya thought, but wisely kept the thought to herself. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” she said, licking her lips. She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He reacted quickly, gripping her ponytail tightly and pulling her head back until she was forced to look up into his face.

  “What are you doing, Jaya?” he asked, his voice dropping, the anger ebbing away. She enjoyed their sexual encounters, but so far, she hadn’t initiated anything yet.

  She smiled up at him and traced a finger across his jaw, teasing the days growth of whiskers there. “I’m showing you what I was thinking while I was sitting out on the ledge.” Her voice dropped to a husky whisper, “Trust me, you’ll like it.”

  He grunted and loosened his hold on her ponytail but didn’t let go. She leaned forward, her hair sliding through his fingers, and licked him. She placed her tongue flat on the bottom of his pectoral muscle and ran it in a path over the tip of his nipple, which peaked and hardened, up to his shoulder where she stood on her toes and bit down, sinking her teeth into the muscle. Ivan groaned deep in his throat and slid his hand to the back of her neck, cupping her and holding her hard against his chest.

  “Fuck, Jaya,” he growled. “Were you really thinking about tasting me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered against him, her lips brushing his skin and sending a cascade of goosebumps across the smooth flesh, save for a small pucker inches away from her nose. She brought her hand up to touch it, dragging her nail across the scarred ridge.

  “Bullet,” he grunted, sifting his fingers through the fine hair of her ponytail. “Do you really want to taste me, Jaya?” he asked huskily, his grey eyes searching her upturned face. “All of me?”

  She nodded and licked her lips, staring up at him wide-eyed. She lowered her lashes and then looked back at him, giving him her best hit of sultry. Apparently it worked. One hand tightened in her hair while the other wrapped around her waist and dragged her into his body for a quick, stinging kiss.

  He released her lips and growled, “On your knees, sweetheart.”

  Her breath caught and her system flooded with sexy signals, urging her to do exactly as he commanded because the treats would be so worth the effort. She sank to her knees, his hand still wrapped in her hair, guiding her down. When her knees touched the floor, she placed her palms next to them too steady herself and looked up at him for his next instruction.

  “Good girl,” he growled and sifted his fingers through the ends of her ponytail. “Now take my cock out.”

  Jaya reached up eagerly. The bracelets jingled on her wrists, reminding her of her current incarceration. Instead of feeling anger though, she felt warm stimulation flood her system. Though she wanted to despise her captor, he was getting to her. The way he looked at her, touched her, protected her. Even the way he commanded her.

  He wore sweat pants for his morning workout so she was able to easily roll the top down a few inches, reach inside and grasp his already rigid cock and pull it over top of the grey material. It bounced against his flat abs before she could properly grasp the hard flesh. The moment her fingers touched his penis, wrapping around him, he gasped, his fingers tightening in her hair.

  “Now what?” she whispered.

  He cupped the back of her head and urged her gently forward. “Now lick, sweetheart.”

  She happily complied, leaning forward on her knees, pressing her toes into the stone tiles beneath her for balance. She placed one hand on his thigh to steady herself while the other one remained firmly wrapped around his cock. First she licked her lips, anticipating licking, tasting, fucking him with her mouth. The thought made her mouth water.

  She licked around the top edge, savouring the salty, masculine taste. She breathed him as she did it, wondering what kind of Ivan aphrodisiac seeped from his pores to drive her so wildly crazy. She could feel herself growing wet, her heartbeat pattering within her chest, picking up speed as her excitement grew. She flicked her eyes up and watched the heavy-lidded predatory enjoyment on his face. His granite jaw knotted and relaxed with each lick and swipe of her tongue. The hand at the back of her head just rested there, touching, not guiding or forcing her. She loved the comforting feel of his touch against her hair as she pleasured him in the most intimate way possible.

  “Fuck, not going to last long like this,” he grunted.

  She glanced up and grinned around her mouthful of hardened cock. She could feel his gradual loss of control in the tightening of his stomach muscles, thighs and ass. In the way his nails scratched against her scalp around her ponytail as though he was holding himself back from grabbing her and forcing her down his length until she gagged and choked.

  She slid her hand away from the base of his cock, giving herself more room to take him into her mouth. She choked a little, saliva pooling in her mouth and spilling out. He grunted as she bobbed up and down, further and further, using her now lubricated hand to explore his testicles. They were big, hairy and tight to his body. She felt them pulse as she raked her nails gently down them, sliding her forefinger along the seam.

  “So fucking good, baby,” he groaned, widening his legs.

  “Mmmm,” she murmured around him, vibrating him in her mouth. She lapped luxuriously at his cock and smiled again when it grew bigger, hardening further in her mouth. She loved the velvety feel of it gliding along her tongue and touching her lips. She loved playing with him, experimenting, sucking in her cheeks and seeing how he would react. Licking the ridges and then pretend swallowing while watching the ecstasy on his face.

  “Going to come
, can’t stop.” His gripped the back of her head in both hands and held her, but still he didn’t force her.

  She rolled her eyes up to watch him. He was staring down at her through half-closed eyelids, his eyes a stormy cauldron of heat. The look on his face was savage and beautiful, completely untamed. It was stunning. It stole her heart.

  The first salty jets of liquid hit her tongue. She closed her eyes and swallowed, savouring the taste. Then she opened her eyes, moved her head back a little, opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, taking the next hit across her lips and tongue. She licked her lips and swallowed the rest.

  Ivan dropped next to her, dragged her onto his lap and took her mouth in a devouring kiss. She was surprised at first, but quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and accepted him into her mouth, enjoying the glide of his tongue over hers, rough compared to his cock. When he finally released her lips, she sighed happily and smiled.

  He swiped a thumb over her slightly swollen lips and murmured, “Thank you, Jaya. That was a gift I won’t soon forget.”

  “You’re welcome,” she whispered. “I hope it was good. I don’t have a lot of experience.”

  His arms tightened around her and for a moment she thought he might get upset. He was such a possessive man when it came to her, she wouldn’t put it past him not to get jealous over the two times she’d given blowjobs years ago and demand the men’s names and current addresses.

  “It was incredible, sweetheart,” he told her. “But I must confess, it was my first time.” She stared up at him in shock, speechless. She knew she was inexperienced, but she never in a million years would have thought Ivan lacked experience. He was just so… powerful and sure of himself. It didn’t seem possible. He smiled grimly and continued to smooth his thumb over her lips and chin. “I’ve had plenty of opportunity, maybe a little desire. But women have always been a nuisance, a commodity, easily disposed. I haven’t fucked the same one twice in years, I don’t care if they get off, and I don’t stay much longer than it takes to ejaculate into a condom.”

  Disgust began to replace the harmony that had filled Jaya. This was the man Father had warned her of, the Ivan that used people and discarded them, murdered them. She tried to push him away, but his arms locked around her, forcing her to stay on his lap.

  “I’ve never trusted a woman enough to allow her to touch me with her mouth,” he growled down at her, his steel grey eyes penetrating. “Never wanted that kind of vulnerability or loss of control. Only with you, Jaya.”

  “But you can’t trust me,” she blurted out, wanting to set him straight.

  He smiled, his face hardening into its usual mask. But his eyes… they remained a heated liquid. They told her that she was wrong and that she belonged to him.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  One of the worst things about Jaya’s plan was tricking Ndari. She’d spent almost a full week in Ndari’s company and she absolutely adored the psycho Malaysian woman. She was full of funny anecdotes, great advice and she loved Haty almost as much as Jaya did. And that was the second part of Jaya’s plan that nearly tore a hole through her heart. She wouldn’t be able to take Haty without causing suspicion. If she left without the kitten then Ivan would believe she legitimately planned to come back.

  “What has your panties in a twist?” Ndari said from her upside-down position on the floor. She was laying on her back with her legs straight up against the side of the bed, her bare feet in the air. She was tossing Haty up above her head and catching her like she was a human toddler. The weird thing was every time the kitten landed or Ndari let her go, Haty came scrambling back for more.

  Jaya turned on her toes and paced back across the room, glancing down at the strange pair as she passed. “Nothing, I just hate being cooped up like this all day, every day,” she said, carefully controlled impatience leaking into her voice. “She’s going to claw you in the face one of these times.”

  “I always wanted a nose piercing,” Ndari said, tossing the kitten straight up. Haty twisted in the air, stretching her paws out in all four directions like she could fly, before allowing the woman underneath to catch her.

  Jaya shook her head at the weirdness. “I don’t think you’d get to choose where she puts the hole.”

  “And I don’t think you’re telling me the truth about your restlessness,” Ndari grouched, throwing Haty up on the bed and rolling over onto her stomach. Haty leapt off the bed, jumped on Ndari’s back and began kneading and purring. “For days you have paced this room, back and forth, too annoyed to stand still, yet unable to settle into a game or a decent conversation.”

  Jaya lifted an eyebrow at the other woman. “Are you complaining about my lack of companionship? Because last I checked, you were hired to keep me occupied, not the other way around.”

  Ndari snorted and tugged the playful kitten from its nest in her hair. “And last I checked I wasn’t getting paid for this shit show of a job. I was just given to you as a happy alternative to jail time. But I can work harder at keeping you pleased if that’s your desire.” She pushed herself off the floor and made a show of dusting off her jeans and top. “Yeah, I heard what happened to your last companion. I have no interest in disembowelment so let us try to keep you happier than she did, oh depressive one.”

  Jaya’s mouth fell open for a second and then she started laughing. “Yeah, you aren’t sadistic like she was. And holy crap, I was kidnapped! I’m allowed to be annoyed about my circumstances.”

  Ndari shrugged and began pacing opposite of Jaya. “Meh, I think you should get over it and start enjoying life.”

  “And how exactly do you suggest I do that?” Jaya asked sceptically.

  “Well, the man that holds you and has become enamored of you is also very rich, correct?” Ndari pointed out. “Start spending his money. I guarantee, there is happiness in spending. I very much enjoyed spending my brother’s money before he sent me here.”

  “I have plenty of my own money,” Jaya grumbled. “I was a world class hacker before he took me. I have bank accounts in countries all over the planet.”

  “Uh huh, well save it for a rainy day and start spending his dough. I bet it would make him happier too. He might see it as a sign that you’re finally settling down and accepting all that he has to offer.”

  Jaya tipped her head to the side and thought about it for a moment. “Good point. Alright, Ndari, how do you suggest I spend his money? Usually I would shop online, but there’s no chance that Ivan will let me near a laptop. And I doubt he’s willing to let us go shopping the old-fashioned way. So, how else?”

  Ndari grinned. “Don’t be so pessimistic. I bet he’ll let us go out with the proper escort of bodyguards with rippling muscles and a penchant towards protectiveness. You need a healthy excursion and he needs to see that he can trust you.”

  Jaya chewed on her bottom lip and then nodded slowly. “Alright, I think I agree with you. It’s time I get out of this penthouse and into Jakarta.”

  “Perfect!” Ndari exclaimed brightly and gave Jaya a shove toward the door. “Now go convince Ivan we want to go shopping. I’m bored out of my mind and this companion needs a new pair of shoes.”

  “Why do I have to ask him? Isn’t he more likely to say yes to you?” Jaya balked.

  Ndari shook her head. “My goodness no! I prefer my guts to stay exactly where they are. Off you go now love of Ivan’s life.”

  Jaya blinked as she reached for the door and exited into the hallway. She gave the guard a half smile and explained her need to see Ivan. Since there were standing orders that she be allowed to see the boss whenever she wanted, he simply nodded and waved her ahead of him. As she and the guard walked away from the safety of her suite toward Ivan’s office Jaya wondered if she had just been royally played by her royal highness, Princess Ndari instead of the other way around. The woman came across as both intensely flighty and uncannily intelligent.

  Jaya was more than a little surprised when Ivan agreed to her request with very little
argument. He seemed to believe that she could use a change in scenery and he was happy to indulge her sudden need to spend money in the bustling city. His only stipulation was that she and Ndari be escorted by his five most skilled men, including himself and Keane. Jaya was stunned that Ivan was willing to take her out on something so trivial as a shopping trip and waste such precious resources as his top men. But that was his choice and she wasn’t about to argue. She virtually flew back to the room to tell Ndari about her success.

  Ndari’s jaw dropped. “You have got to be shitting me!” she said in shock.

  Jaya narrowed her eyes. “You thought he’d say no?”

  “I thought he’d lock your ass up tighter than the crown jewels I once paid a cat burglar to steal from my brother,” Ndari replied and then threw a scarf at Jaya’s face. “Here wrap this around your head. He’s not going to want your face seen in public. I can’t believe we’re actually going out!”

  “So you sent me into Ivan’s office believing he would reject our plan and possibly freak out at me for suggesting a trip into the city? What the fuck, Ndari, you are seriously the worst friend!” Jaya grabbed the scarf and pulled it over her hair. She let it hang down and rest on her shoulders. She would pull it over the bottom half of her face later.

  Ndari made a pssshhh sound and waved her hand through the air. “Pretty sure I’m your only friend, hacker chick.”

  “I have friends!” Jaya protested.

  Ndari took her arm and pulled her from the room where half of their escort waited for them in the hall. “Uh huh,” she said sceptically. “Friends don’t let friends get kidnapped. Where were these so-called friends when you got your ass captured and caged?”