by Ivy Clyde
“Thank you for making my mom well again,” I said, reaching him. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s my job to make her better.” The elderly man’s gaze zeroed in on me for a moment. “Are you sure you’re all right though? You look pale and thinner than I last saw you.”
“I’m fine,” I said, tugging at the end of my sleeve. “I’ll go see what Mom’s up to now.” I walked away, making my way into the kitchen where she was setting up a large tray with a teapot and dishes of snacks.
“You will tire out,” I said, going to her. “Why not let someone else do it for you?”
“You won’t understand how good it feels to be doing things on my own. I’ve felt dead for so long.”
“I thought the caretakers at the health center were taking good care of you.”
“They were, honey,” she said, pouring hot water into two china cups. “But this place feels a lot different than the care center. I’m the only patient here and receive better care. You really can’t compare the two.”
She handed me a cup of tea and settled into a chair by the kitchen island. Mom talked about the changes she was experiencing since her new treatment began while my mind kept thinking how much I had to thank Nikolai Ivanov for. The job he assigned me was tough and risky but he never shied away from compensating me. I had plenty of good food to eat, enough money to take care of my needs and greatest of all, he’d managed to make Mom healthier by providing the best doctor for her and round-the-clock caregivers. At that moment, I knew I’d never betray him or Paris.
The sound of approaching footsteps made us both look toward the doorway. Next second, Christian arrived there, his gaze landing on me immediately.
“I heard you got back,” said Christian, moving inside the kitchen.
“She arrived a while back,” said Mom. “Would you like some cakes and tea, Christian?”
“No,” he answered but his gaze was stuck on me. “Would you mind if I borrowed Skye for a while?”
Mom chuckled. “Of course, not.” Turning toward me, she gestured for me to go to him.
Draining the last of my tea, I stood up and gave her a hug. “I’ll come to see you soon.”
“Sure, honey.”
I followed Christian out of the kitchen and into the living room. We barely made it out of the house when he grabbed my unhurt hand and pulled me against him in a tight, suffocating hug. I had to beat against his arm to draw his attention to me as his strength threatened to choke the air out of my lungs.
“I…can't breathe.”
He loosened his hold, taking a step back to look down at me. His green eyes were burning with an intense emotion. Grabbing my other hand, he brought it close to his face. The sleeve fell away, revealing the bandages covering the slash marks there.
“Why?” he asked. Before I could think of an answer, he drew me into another hug but it was comparatively less forceful than the last one. “I’d have killed Dimitri if something happened to you,” he whispered against my neck.
Warmth flooded my chest, not because he was threatening to murder someone but because he was being so openly caring. Before he would barely let me see through his feelings, keeping me in doubt forever but our relationship seemed to have changed now.
Cupping my face in his large hands, he leaned into me and kissed me. It started slow and soft, thoroughly warming my insides, but soon the intensity grew as he thrust his tongue between my lips. His kiss grew more demanding as he claimed my mouth completely, drowning me in a sea of need. My body melted against his as our kiss grew deeper. My fingers gripped his shoulders to steady myself as my knees shook with the force of my desire. I wanted him to take me right there.
Christian seemed to have the same thought because next moment, he bent down and swept me up in his arms in one fluid movement. Turning around, he was about to sprint back inside the main mansion but something brought him to a sudden halt.
Nikolai stood at the threshold of the entrance to the mansion. His gaze silently took in our state. Christian looked hesitant but he continued to hold me in his arms. My cheeks warmed at the raised brows on his uncle’s face.
“Business before pleasure,” said Nikolai. “Come to the office.”
Christian placed me back on my feet. Heat coiled around my gut but some of the deep throbbings that had started up in my core lessened with Nikolai’s appearance. We followed him inside the mansion and then all the way up to his vast, luxurious office space on the third floor.
Christian left my side and walked away to join his uncle behind the desk.
“Are you better now?” asked Nikolai after taking a seat in his chair.
“Yeah.”
“Good.” He brought the tips of his fingers together, his silver eyes gazing into mine. “Don’t treat your life so cheaply. Next time you face a situation where you can’t see an escape, stand tall and fight back. Never give up without a fight.”
He wasn’t as warm and caring as Paris but his words left me feeling better. “I’ll act smarter next time,” I said with a nod.
“Stay alive, kid. I still need you to stay on my side.” I grinned at his somber expression. “Did you find anything in the Novomedik database?” he asked, changing the subject suddenly.
“I did but it’s something you probably know. I am just going to confirm it.”
“What’s that?”
“Maria Volkov had millions transferred to her account from an account that is probably the one where money gets pooled in collectively from all the businesses the Volkovs conduct with the other mafia families. Those amounts were then transferred in their entirety into her bank account. You guys probably followed these transaction trails to find her out as the culprit who stole millions.”
“Yes,” said Nikolai in a grim tone.
“These transactions started about a year and a half ago and seemed to end with her death. Everyone seems to think Maria was innocent but the evidence points to her. Can you explain to me what happened to all the money she stole?”
“No one knows where the money vanished. They were all drawn out from her bank in cash and it was done by her.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “Didn’t her family think it suspicious when she started drawing millions from the bank?”
“The bank manager conveniently kept it all quiet,” said Nikolai. “David Volkov knew that if Maria ended up in the hands of another mafia family, she would be tortured for information. He had her killed before anyone could make up their minds about the whole issue. He saved her from a lot of pain and humiliation but took away the only witness who could point toward the enemy still hiding from us.”
“Couldn’t he ask for more time?” I asked, wondering why they had to decide to kill her so hastily.
“Her life was forfeit as soon as they discovered her involvement. She would either die at the hands of her own family or the enemy. Maria was disturbingly calm during her execution. I believe she’d accepted her fate a long time ago.” He took a deep breath and leaned forward on his desk. “Did you find any trace of the transaction document in their database? The one I told you about?”
I shook my head. “I searched their database thoroughly but it’s not there.”
Nikolai leaned back in his chair. “I hadn’t expected it to be there but it’s good to have confirmation all the same. Good job, Skye.”
“Err…thank you. Also, thanks for coming to rescue me when Dimitri took me away. I wish I hadn’t gotten so scared that I decided to do something so stupid.” I looked toward my bandaged wrist.
“What did he do to you?” asked Christian. His hard jewel-like eyes were boring into mine.
“He…forced me to strip,” I confessed.
Christian’s eyes narrowed, his fists clenching at his sides.
“He didn’t do anything though,” I said, feeling my own frustration rise. “He threatened rape and torture, making it so easy for me to believe him. Now that I think about the moment, it was really stupid of me to believe him. He resc
ued me from being raped and tortured on Halloween night. Dimitri wouldn’t do the same to me, right?” I looked between Christian and Nikolai. They were patiently listening to me rant about things that made no sense about Dimitri Volkov.
“Did he touch you?” asked Christian in a tight voice.
“No. He didn’t even look.” The heavy disappointment in my voice surprised me.
“So, he got you naked but didn’t even look?” asked Christian with disbelief.
“He’s a gentleman,” I ground out.
“Or just gay.” Christian’s face twisted in an odd expression that was equal parts sneer and manic grin. Heat pooled between my thighs the longer I looked into his eyes. He might have been gentle with me if we’d left for my room before Nikolai walked in on us, but now, I was sure he would be rough and demanding with me. Fear and thrill shot through me at the thought and it became a struggle to keep my focus on my boss.
“Andrei has requested you to spend the rest of the week at his home,” said Nikolai, forcing me to tear my gaze from Christian. “He called me to ask for my permission and I agreed.”
“Why would he call you?” I asked with a frown. “My mom’s still alive.”
“Both you and your mother are under my protection,” said Nikolai.
My gaze flickered back to Christian. His face remained impassive but his eyes were burning with anger.
“Be ready to go with him tomorrow morning,” continued Nikolai like he couldn’t sense the thick tension building between me and his nephew. “He will be coming here to pick you up. And while you’re there, get inside Egor’s room. Scan every nook and corner there. I am certain he’s the one behind Maria Volkov’s death. He was the happiest among those who were called to witness her execution. He couldn’t wait to get rid of her.”
The image of the broken man flashed in my mind. Everyone described Egor Romanoff as cunning and cruel, but I’d only seen the shell of the man. His mind was scattered now, his thoughts and words too jumbled to make any sense of them. It wouldn’t be too hard to search his room but the guards that infested the Romanoff Manor were the real challenge. I had to make sure no one would come in to find me in Egor’s room.
“I’ll do my best,” I said with a nod.
“Good,” said Nikolai, leaning back against his chair. “Both of you can leave now.”
“I’ll take her back to her room,” said Christian, striding toward me. Grabbing my unhurt wrist, he tugged me after him as he walked toward the door.
41
Skye
“Slow down,” I hissed as Christian hurried forward on his long legs, leaving me to jog behind him to avoid being dragged by him. We walked through the corridors of the mansion with the guards watching our every move. “I can walk fine on my own,” I shouted after a while, forcing my hand out of his hold.
“You can’t avoid me today,” he said, closing the distance between us. With one fluid move, he swept me off my feet and into his arms. “I’m going to mark every inch of you for Andrei to see.”
“You can’t!”
His face crumpled in a scowl. “I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll forget all about him.”
“Christian.” My heart was throbbing but I couldn’t tell whether it was out of anticipation or fear. “Don’t forget the mission we’re still on,” I said slowly and calmly while my heart thundered in my ears. “I still have a lot of work to get done. If you can’t be a team player, you can’t play at all.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“You need to learn to share,” I blurted out.
“What?”
“Put me down first.”
He let me get back on my feet and straighten myself. All this happened under the stares of three guards who had their eyes trained on us. It had to be the most boring job to stand there and do nothing.
We were close to my room now. I recognized the corridor where we were standing now. The door to my room was located right around the bend to this particular hallway. I sprinted forward.
“Stop running!” Christian shouted from behind me but I didn’t stop. I’d had enough of him bullying me in front of the guards. They were probably going to give colorful accounts to their boss later.
I managed to open the door to my room but Christian was right behind me. He gave me a light shove, making me stumble inside the room while he locked the door.
“Get that silly dress off,” he commanded at once. Before I could even begin to defy that order, he began slipping his shirt over his head. My traitorous gaze took in the hard planes of his muscled chest, reminding me of the times when my naked breasts had been crushed against them while he’d pounded into me. My core throbbed at the memory. Damn! I wanted him despite his demanding and possessive streaks.
While I remained buried in my thoughts, Christian had stripped completely, standing before me like a beautiful Greek god in all his naked glory. My tongue darted out to lick my lips, an unconscious gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by him.
Crossing the distance between us, he came to stand before me. I had to turn my head way back to look up at him. “Who made you wear this ugly thing?” he asked, pulling me closer against him while his hand reached behind me to unzip the dress. A shiver raced down my spine as cool air skimmed my naked back. Christian tugged the dress down, making it slip off my shoulders and cascade down to pool at my feet.
Leaning down, he captured my lips. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, claiming it completely. He was being demanding. All the sweetness from before had disappeared completely. Everything was about him laying claim on my body.
His fingers unhooked my bra and pulled it away. The cold air made my nipples hard and erect, leaving me to press up against his scorching hot skin. I moaned into his mouth as I felt his hands slip down the waistband of my panties to cup my ass cheeks. The feel of his rough skin against the cool smoothness of my globes was making me lose my mind.
“Oww!” I cried out, breaking the kiss just as Christian nipped my bottom lip fiercely. My tongue moved out to soothe the sting and tasted blood. I stepped away from him but couldn’t completely escape as his hands still firmly held me by my ass. “You can’t do this do to me,” I said, glaring up at him.
“Why not? You belong to me, Skye.”
“No.”
“No?”
“I don’t belong to anyone. Not yet, anyway.”
Christian’s hands moved up to grasp my shoulders. “You love Andrei that much?” His grip hardened painfully. “Then, why the fuck are you stringing me along?”
“I like you too.”
The anger ebbed away from his features. “You love us both?”
“Kind of,” I confessed. “I can’t make up my mind. Even though I know things between Andrei and I will never work out, I can’t seem to give up on him.” It was probably unfair of me to blurt out my innermost feelings to Christian but I couldn’t help myself. I trusted him and looked up to him. He had a way of loosening something inside me that made baring myself to him easy. “I want you too. You have no idea how painful it was when you were acting distant with me. Even when I was with Andrei, I still missed you.”
“Fuck, Skye,” he muttered, running his fingers through the tousled strands of his silver blond hair.
Tears pooled in my eyes, knowing the moment had arrived. Christian was going to ditch me. He was going to hate me for the traitorous way my heart felt. Tears streamed down my face and I could no longer look at him.
“It’s not wrong to love two people,” said Christian in an unusually soft voice.
I looked up at him as tears rolled down my cheeks.
“It’s too late for me to give up on you,” he said, pulling me against him and peppering my face with kisses. “I’ll continue you to love you and when Andrei breaks your heart,” he whispered, laying a hand over my left breast, “I’ll be the one to put it back together.” The touch of his heated skin lit a fire inside me and when he squeezed my boob, I let out a moan.
“When we’re alone, you’re mine completely,” he said.
I nodded my agreement. “Only yours.”
A boyish grin spread across his handsome face but it lasted only a second. “I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll forget everything else.” Heat spread through me as the roughness of his voice vibrated through me.
With a sudden move, he pulled me up to a sitting position before flipping me over so that my back was against his chest. The heat radiating off his naked skin warmed my back, coaxing me to press against him. The head of his hardened cock pressed into my ass cheek as his lips trailed a line of kisses along my right shoulder. His finger ran the length of my spine with a feather-light touch, drawing shivers out of me.
My head fell back against his chest as his hands came up to cup my breasts. I moaned, feeling the roughness of his palms as they kneaded my soft globes. Heat curled around my core.
He suddenly grabbed my hair, yanking my head back while his other hand pinched my hardened nipple painfully. “Why is it so hard to control my demons when I’m with you?” he growled in my ear. “I want to make sweet love to you and devour you at the same time.”
“Do what you must,” I said through gasping pants. “I’m absolutely yours right now.”
I felt his hot breath on the back of my neck, making me anticipate kisses on my shoulder and back.
Instead, he sank his teeth into the soft flesh of my upper arm. I cried out but he tightened the pull on my hair. It wasn’t painful but bordering on it, making me hyper aware of the way he’d led me onto a dangerous precipice of pain and pleasure. I’d given up the reins to him, willingly submitting to his whims but that didn’t mean I didn’t fear pain and violence.
Christian’s lips trailed soft kisses up my arm and along my shoulder before suddenly biting into the sensitive flesh of my neck. A long groan escaped me as his tongue darted out to lick the spot, soothing the sting.