“I don’t know the guards, I don’t know anything about guns… will you keep me safe?” she asked quietly.
Roman looked down at her then, and Elena didn’t just see the determination in his eyes—she felt it.
“Yes. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe,” he told her.
She buried her face against him. His body was warm, and his pajamas were soft. Tonight, he smelled like laundry detergent and spiced soap. Roman’s presence soothed her like nothing else.
It was hard to believe this was the man she’d wanted to punch in the face only a few days before, but their time spent together had taught her that Roman was a good man, and eternally dependable.
Moments turned into minutes spent snuggled up against him. The longer Elena felt his body against hers, the more her fear faded. She wasn’t certain how long they had been sitting on the bed together when she felt his weight shift.
Elena opened her eyes to find him gazing at her with adoration. Before she could say anything, his mouth was against hers and they were locked in a deep kiss. Elena’s eyes shut and she melted against him.
Their arms wrapped around one another, embracing as their lips continued, their kiss growing more passionate as seconds passed by. Elena’s world blurred. What remained of her fear was gone, replaced now by the first stirrings of lust.
He leaned over her, slowly pushing her down into the bed. Elena moaned in pleasure when she felt his erection through his pajamas. His hardness brushed her thigh and lit fireworks in her. Wetness seeped between her legs.
“You’re not going to flake out on me again like last night, are you, chaufferone?” she whispered with a faint grin. He leaned back with a playfully incredulous expression. His hand travelled between their bodies and crept past her robe, up below her nightgown, with teasing slowness.
Elena was suddenly grateful that she slept without underwear.
A moan escaped her lips when she felt his finger against her slick sex. He probed at her with smooth motions until his finger rested against her engorged clit.
“No. Forget what I said last night—you need a distraction right now.” He’d begun to rub her with delicate, circular motions as he spoke. Each movement of his finger sent her spiralling downward into insatiable lust.
Elena’s simmering arousal boiled over. She worked her hips against him, craving the stimulation, needing him. She bucked and writhed at his touch, each breath escaping her lips as a small moan. When he had worked her to the point of frenzy, his hand teased away from her pussy and down her thigh to leave a slight trail of wetness.
She looked up at him with a pout to find him pulling his shirt off. Lean muscle and tan skin greeted her. When his pants hit the floor, she watched his erection pulse and imagined it slipping between her legs.
Roman had the perfect build, Elena thought to herself as she devoured his body with her eyes—muscular without being too bulky. He looked like a fitness model from a magazine. Who would have thought that driving would keep him in such great shape?
She noticed the scars on his knuckles then, and it occurred to her that he must do much more than just drive. Dutiful, polite Roman had a violent side.
She felt safer than ever at this realization, and as she looked him over one final time, she wanted him more than ever, too. She slipped out of her robe and nightgown; they landed on the ground next to the bed. His appreciative gaze wandered across her body, pausing at her full breasts and the hairless pink lips between her legs.
Elena spun a length of hair around her finger as she asked, “Do you have a condom?” Flushed and panting, it pained her to interrupt when all she could ever want, all she could think of, was how good his body would feel grinding against hers and how well that heavy cock would fill her.
“Yes. Just a moment.” When he bent to retrieve a small metallic square from his nightstand, she greedily stared at his tight ass.
“You know, you look pretty damn hot in your suit, but you look even better naked,” she mused while he rolled the condom along his length and secured it at the base. He turned to her with an impish expression.
“And you’re gorgeous, but sometimes that tongue is too sharp.” He climbed atop her where she lay, pinning her to the bed, and guided himself toward her entrance.
Elena tossed her head back with a groan of pleasure. The anticipation of feeling him inside of her was too great; she squirmed beneath him and leaned forward to bite at his neck while he circled her swollen pussy with the head of his cock.
Roman issued a moan in response when her teeth met his flesh. The hunger behind his eyes matched her own as he thrust forward to join them. Elena reached up to grab a handful of his hair, bucking to his rhythm. Her mouth fell from his neck, lips parted, her breathing hitched. Her legs wrapped around him in a sudden lunge, driving their bodies closer together and bringing his cock in deeper.
Time bled away as she bucked to his rhythm. The hand in his hair slipped downward so that Elena could wrap her arms around his shoulders and ride him even as he pinned her. Any semblance of self-control was gone. Elena was caught in a whirlwind of lust and could do nothing more than ride it out.
Roman had started out slow, but now he was fucking her furiously. Over and over, his length drove deep into her aching pussy, until spots danced in her vision and she felt herself near the edge of climax.
“Make me come, Roman. Oh God, I need you,” she panted. “Please make me come.” Another mewling plea escaped her lips. She arched her back, and when he thrust again, he hit just the right spot.
Roman seemed incapable of words. He issued a harsh grunt, flesh slipping against flesh, until the rush of orgasm overtook Elena. Her body tensed, and she rode out wave after wave of pleasure, and not long after, felt him jerk harshly into her with a loud cry.
Panting, a sheen of sweat on their bodies, both Elena and Roman remained in their embrace. Only when they came back down to Earth and their breathing slowed did he carefully withdraw from her. The condom was tossed in the trash. He plopped back down into the bed and pulled her to his chest.
Bliss. For a moment, Elena closed her eyes and listened to the beating of Roman’s heart. The rhythm was a comfort, as was the firmness of his body.
No matter what happened, Roman would be there for her. Even in this uncertain time, she had someone she could count on. That in itself was a blessing beyond words.
But as the afterglow of sex wore off, Elena’s mind returned to her mother.
She imagined a reunion. Walking into the nursing home, hugging her mother with tears in her eyes. They would laugh and talk for hours, catching up on one another’s lives and telling stories from the past nine years.
She would bring her mother coffee—a soy mocha, of course—and they would sip their drinks and look over photographs and magazines. She would hear her mother’s stories of the family back in Russia, would get to hear about her grandparents again, and would know that she finally had her mother back.
How many years had she spent veering back and forth between hating her mother’s weakness and grieving over her loss? How many nights had she spent as a teenager, walking around their family’s home after the move, staring at the photographs on the walls and wondering why her mother had had to have such severe MS?
Old memories and old feelings came flooding back. Elena had thought she was over her mother’s loss, but now that she knew her mother was alive, the pain felt fresh again. All this time, she could have been visiting her in the nursing home, and all this time, her father had been lying to her.
Roman shifted his weight on the bed, drawing her out of her thoughts. She looked over to him, and he gazed back at her. One of his hands gently played along her jawline as he stared at her with soft adoration.
“Roman?” Elena asked quietly.
“Mhmm?”
“Do you remember what you said yesterday—that you would help me when I decided what I wanted to do about my mother?”
“Mhmmm. I remember.”
“I… I’m thinking about going to see her.”
Roman looked thoughtful for a moment. His eyes danced across her face and she sensed him gathering his thoughts.
“I have the address. Whenever you’re ready, let me know,” he said, and then he dipped down for a tender kiss. Elena felt her body grow heavy with relaxation at his touch. She wrapped her arms around him, cuddled into him, and sighed contentedly.
“Thank you for being here for me,” Elena whispered, nearly purring. He pulled her closer into his arms and held her tight.
“Any time,” he said, and then paused. “But we do have one small problem.”
Elena looked up at him. “Huh? What?”
“It seems I failed to distract you, and I’ll have to try again.” His hands played delicately along her flesh, raising goosebumps of pleasure wherever they went. Elena’s heart skipped a beat, and even though the initial excitement was over, she felt herself warming for him all over again.
A touch like that, gentle and yet still so dominant, was all it took. She looked up at him, drowning in the intensity of his gaze, before he claimed her lips once more and rolled them over to pin her to the bed. The weight of his body was a silent statement: Everything will be alright. For a little while, Elena let herself believe that it was true. Despite her concerns, with Roman beside her, she found a modicum of peace. It was as startling as it was refreshing.
She gave herself to him, returning his kiss with fervor. Roman took control once more, and Elena forgot about the rest of the world. They made love long into the night.
11
Roman
Roman couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so well. Instead of restless dreams about his time in the Russian Army, slumber had offered blissful darkness. When he roused himself the next morning, he felt rested and at peace in a way he hadn’t known in a long time.
Then he remembered Elena. A sideways glance showed she was still sleeping. Her long, light brown hair was fanned out on the pillow, sensual and wild. Her lips had parted slightly in sleep. The color in her cheeks from the night before had faded, leaving her creamy skin beautifully pale. Roman drank her in.
How could someone with such a sharp tongue and strong will also be so vulnerable? Last night, when he had held her trembling body, and now this morning, as she slept with the grace of an angel, Roman felt as though he was permitted a rare peek behind the curtain at the softer side of this feisty woman. The more he saw, the more he wanted to see, and somewhere deep inside of himself, he knew he was starting to have feelings for her.
As though sensing his gaze or hearing his thoughts, Elena squirmed a bit in her sleep and opened her eyes. She rubbed her face in an adorable way that reminded him of a kitten, and looked up at him with a soft smile.
“Morning, Chaufferone.”
“Morning.”
Roman couldn’t help but grin. He leaned down and swept the hair out of her face to bring their lips together for a kiss. Her fingers toyed along the back of his neck, sending goosebumps prickling along his flesh.
“Sleep well?” she asked. A playful gleam twinkled behind her bright blue eyes.
“Oh yes, very. We had quite the workout last night.” Roman’s mouth trailed away from hers to trace along the delicate flesh of her ear.
Elena’s lips parted as though she wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she melted into him as he peppered her neck with a series of light kisses. His mouth continued its slow trail downward toward her full breasts. A tiny moan escaped her when he reached the sensitive nub of her nipple. He sucked at her breast with increasing pressure until she was breathless.
This beautiful, fierce and yet delicate creature left Roman breathless in turn. He moved to work at her other breast while his hands explored every inch of her body. Soft skin. Full hips. Long legs.
When his hand slipped beneath the blankets to circle the naked outer lips of her pussy, her fingers rooted in his hair.
It surprised Roman when she tugged him away to look at him with reluctance.
“Are… are you okay?” he asked uncertainly.
“I just can’t stop thinking about my mom.” Elena bit her lower lip and averted her eyes from him. Roman’s heart sank. He flopped down into the bed next to her and pulled her to his chest to plant a tender kiss at the top of her head.
It pained him to see her hurting. Perhaps that was both the charm and the danger of opening to her, caring for her. A broken family and a broken heart weren’t half as easy to fix as the cars in the garage, but comforting her now seemed to be a step in the right direction.
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now,” he said softly as he rested his head against hers.
“It’s been almost ten years. Is she still the same person? Does she still like listening to Stravinsky, like she did when I was little? It hurts not to know.” Elena turned to Roman with tears glittering in the corners of her eyes. “Now that I know she’s alive, I also know what I’m missing. Each minute that passes is a minute where I know she is out there, without me, alone and forgotten. I have to go see her, Roman. Today.”
“You’re sure… today?” He didn’t want to insult her by asking if she was calm and collected enough to go so soon, but he couldn’t help wondering.
“Yes, today. But… there’s one more thing.” Elena twisted in his arms to regard him with something akin to apology. “I need to go alone.”
Protectiveness surged through Roman. She wanted to go alone? Without him there to squeeze her hand and tell her everything was going to be alright? Ever since she had learned of her mother, he had been there for her as a rock while she’d snuggled against him for comfort, and he’d listened to her tearfully spill out her fears. Her going alone meant he couldn’t help ease her pain, and it also meant that he wouldn’t be there to protect her if something bad happened.
There was protecting Elena emotionally, yes, but also the very real threat of something physical happening. She seemed so vulnerable, so genuine, that as time wound on, Roman found it more and more challenging to question whether or not she was truly a defector. Either way, though, allowing her off the mansion’s grounds without him seemed unwise.
If she was lying about her defector status, and she had ulterior motives, then letting her go alone would mean letting her out of sight to potentially do something nefarious. That might threaten Viktor.
If she wasn’t lying, however, and had truly defected, then there was the very real threat of her father or his henchmen trying to abduct or even kill her. If that happened, he didn’t want to think about the consequences of her betraying Anatoly.
And yet, the way they were connected now… letting her go alone still seemed like the only option. For a situation as tender and delicate as this, he felt there was no other way for Elena to reunite with her mother. His presence would only hamper her reconnection.
Roman did his best to keep the hurt and worry from his face. He nodded, then pressed another kiss to her head.
“I said it before, and I meant it—whatever help you need with your mom, I’m there for you.”
Elena hugged against him tight and exhaled in relief.
“Thank you, Roman.”
“I’ll drive you to Croft Estates, though. You can go in alone, but… in case something happens, I want to be there, and I’ll be there for you when you decide it’s time to leave.” He shifted his weight on the bed and pursed his lips, looking down on her. Uneasiness still nagged at him, but deep down he knew he was doing the right thing. “When do you want to leave?”
“Right away. I can’t bear to wait another minute.” Elena’s voice was thick with pain. She gave him one final squeeze, then rose from the bed and gathered her nightgown and robe from the floor, where they’d still lain in a rumpled pile from last night’s lovemaking.
“You go get ready,” he told her. “I’ll call the kitchen and have them
make a breakfast to go, and will meet you downstairs in the foyer in… let’s say, fifteen minutes?” Roman suggested.
Elena nodded with a soft, forced smile. “That sounds perfect. Thank you, Roman. Just… thank you.”
After she pulled her robe back on and padded down the hall, Roman stood and stretched.
To think he had started with a simple mission to go pick up some cargo from Russia, and now here he was caring for a woman who he had started off loathing. That loathing had faded, and now it resembled adoration. Perhaps even love.
He stepped into his private bathroom to get cleaned up. While he waited for the water from the taps to run hot, his mind ran, as well.
For so long, he had kept himself at a distance from others for the sake of his job. Being a driver, pilot, bodyguard, and confidant for Viktor required his utmost time and focus. It wasn’t just a job to him, however; it was his purpose. His place in the world.
Originally, he had thought his place was in the Russian Army, as had been the case for his father, and his father’s father. But after his superior officer had made a poor decision that had gotten most of his team killed, and after Roman had lost his temper and attacked his superior officer for killing his team members, his friends, a dishonorable discharge had left him nowhere else to go. He’d fled Russia and ended up homeless in Boston.
That’s when Viktor had found him. Viktor, his best friend from childhood, when they’d both been growing up in Russia—by luck, he’d happened to pass him on the streets one day. Roman had been filthy and begging for scraps in those days. Viktor, however, had looked much… fancier, that was the only word Roman’s mind could come to. Their happenstance reunion had led to conversation. Conversation had led to Viktor learning of Roman’s time in the army. Immediately, Viktor had hired Roman on, and ever since that fateful day, Roman had dedicated himself to the Sokolovs.
His purpose seemed to be changing now, though. Seeing Elena’s anguish over her mother had sparked something in him, and he felt an overwhelming need to see her taken care of. The depth of his caring for her was starting to rival the depth of the duty he felt to his job.
Falling for the Mob Soldier: Sokolov Brothers Book Two Page 6