by S. C. Ellen
“She is not yours to take.”
Maks chuckles, if you could even call it that. I don’t think this man expresses any emotion besides asshole. “Understandable. Just wanted to have some… innocent fun, as you Americans like to call it. I don’t need war starting out between her father and myself, no matter how much I’d like to have her under me.”
Carson moves to attack, but I hold him back.
“So, you did know who I was?” I ask curiously.
“Of course, only a fool doesn’t know every part of their competitor’s bloodline.”
I don’t have to ask to know this man is as dangerous as they come. Just the energy he emits has everyone in the room moving away from him in fear. No wonder why no one wanted to help me.
“And only a fool comes to a familia event unprotected,” Carson bitterly states.
Amusement hangs over Maks’s lips. “Who said I came unprotected? Besides, I didn’t come for a fight, I came for information.”
“You didn’t come for a fight, yet you knocked out two familia members to get in here. And who the hell said we will tell you anything?”
Maks’s eyes spark. “Any guard who gets taken out by a weaponless man deserves far worse than that, trust me.” He nonchalantly shrugs. “Besides, the fact that I came unarmed when you know I have many weapons at my disposal is a sign in itself that I came on neutral terms, yes?”
“What is it that you want, Vasiliev?” Carson asks, growing impatient.
“I think you’ll be more than happy to know it’s about a common enemy. You know how much the American bratva grates on my nerves ever since the new power came into play.”
Understanding and a bit of suspicion passes over Carson’s face. “We’ll call a meeting. This is not the time or place. I will text you later from a burner phone with an address.”
Maks gives a nod, but before he can reply, Carson speaks again. “This isn’t Russia, Maksim, you are in our territory. I know we’ve done business in the past, but times are different now. The American bratva shamed your name, and distrust is set in stone. I don’t want to have to kill you, but I will if you try to pull something on us. Or her.”
Maks contemplates something before replying. He finishes off his drink and turns to us. “There is obvious concern for our business, and yours. My word is law in the bratva life, and Dmitri has gone rogue and overstepped his boundaries. I assure you, Carson, it takes a lot for me to leave Russia to have a one-on-one. If I wanted to kill you all, I could’ve done it easily from the comfort of my own home, with or without Dmitri’s help.”
Carson and Maks stare at each other, nodding in silent agreement with one another.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Alayna. Maybe the next time we see each other it will be on better terms. I know I would love to have you visit Russia someday.”
“Not a chance,” Carson replies for me, his tense regard not at all relaxing for even the slightest moment.
Maks chuckles and walks out of the party quietly, but not before he grabs a more-than-willing woman to take with him.
“Was that…” Jase asks, coming up from behind us. His expression on high alert as well.
“Get your father and the rest of the men together. I will take Alayna and Tessa back to my house and have Lance guard them. I don’t trust that Russian fucker as long as he is on American soil.”
“I can take Tessa, it might be better if we take separate—”
“No,” Carson harshly replies. “I will take them both. I can’t have you distracted. I need you to gather everyone and meet me at Victory in an hour.”
Confusion and anger flashes across Jase’s face, but he doesn’t comment any further and leaves without another word. Even I’m a bit confused at Carson’s harshness.
“I can’t leave you alone for five minutes without you getting yourself into trouble, can I?”
I stay silent next to him, still angry at him from earlier.
Carson lets out a breath, noting my silence. “Go get Tessa, and let’s get out of here.”
It’s almost midnight when I hear Carson walk in the house and send Lance and Tessa home.
He begins to make his way up the stairs, and I quickly pull the covers up to hide half of my face and firmly close my eyes, pretending I’m asleep.
I hear some rustling around in the room before he turns on the lights and sits on the edge of the bed.
“I know you’re not sleeping, Alayna.”
Even when I’m caught, I still don’t answer. My silence is louder than anything I could ever say. He hurt me today, and that isn’t something I can forget so easily. After a few moments, he lets out a deep breath and exits the room. It isn’t until I hear the start of the shower that I sit up in bed again.
His words from earlier tonight run on constant replay in my mind. It doesn’t ever mean anything.
Yeah, well, it meant everything to me. Shouldn’t that matter?
My eyes gaze around the room. The same room he remodeled to look exactly like my one at home just to make me happy. That doesn’t sound like something a person would do if feelings weren’t involved.
I hear the sound of something falling, and I look to see what it was. It was Carson’s wallet that must have been too close to the edge of the drawer, because now the contents are spilled onto the floor.
I get off the bed, and kneel on the floor to pick it up and put it back. Yet, my hand hovers over an old photo that fell from it. I pick it up and turn it over, gasping in surprise as I take in the worn-out image.
The picture is of me. A picture that I had taken years ago on Halloween when I was dressed up as an angel. How did he manage to get this?
“When I was younger, your father would tell me stories about you. He knew I enjoyed listening to them, so he told me them often,” Carson’s voice breaks through the silence, and I jump in surprise.
He’s shirtless, dressed casually in a pair of black sweatpants with his hair slick from the shower. He leans against the doorframe, staring at the picture in my hand like it holds deep memories for him. “I had lost everything at that point. Everything and everyone were brutally taken from me, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. And then Vinny came along, with stories of the most beautiful girl the world had ever seen. How her deep blue eyes would make the sky dark with envy.”
I don’t dare say a word, scared that it might stop him from opening up to me. So, I listen, even if it causes my heart to thunder against my ears.
“It reminded me of the pictures my mother used to show me from the Bible she kept. How beautiful and perfect the angels were depicted. So pure. So innocent. That was you, Alayna. That’s what I pictured you to be every time I heard Vinny tell me something about you. It was the first picture I had ever seen of you, and there you were, dressed up like the beautiful angel I always thought you to be, and I kept that photo with me all these years.”
Tears fill my vision, “Why?”
“I like to think of it as a good-luck charm. Besides, it’s simple, Alayna. Even after all these years, sei sempre il mio bellissimo angelo.” You’re still my beautiful angel.
He kneels down next to me and takes my head in his hands. “I push people away because I know what will happen if they get too close, Alayna. I couldn’t—” He pauses, taking a deep breath to calm the storm brewing inside of his deep green eyes. “I wouldn’t let the same thing happen to you. I couldn’t live with myself if it did.”
Tears roll down my face, and he catches each one that falls with such tenderness. “I fought, Alayna, and I fought hard to push you away for the longest time, but I’m tired of pushing you away. You are the only light I have left in my life, mio angelo, and I’ll be damned if someone tries to take you away from me. I’d raise hell on Earth to get you back, and nothing, not even the Devil himself, could try and stop me.”
I hold onto his words, grasping them tightly. The words I so desperately wanted to hear from him. Still, I can’t shake the thought that has been nagging my min
d. “No, but my father can.”
He places a gentle kiss on my forehead. “After the meeting with Maks tonight, war is inevitable and the stress of it is really wearing down on him. Give me a few months’ time, and we’ll think of something to tell him once everything has calmed back down.”
Hope swarms in my chest, and I pull him closer to me. “So, I did mean something to you?”
He chuckles with genuine laughter. “Yes, beautiful girl. I believe you always have.”
He slides down the single strap of my tank top and kisses my collarbone before he trails his lips up my neck, and up to my mouth. It’s soft and warm, and the mere taste of him sends a thrill throughout my body.
He scoops me up into his arms and gently places me on the bed, hovering between my legs. He peers into my eyes before he slowly undresses me. “Your beauty still stuns me every time I see you.” With eyes bright with mischief, he places his long, thick shaft fully inside of me.
“You’re mine, baby. All. Fucking. Mine.”
And he spends the night showing me just how his I truly am, teetering over the edge together time and time again.
We finally fall back against the bed, with him holding me tightly. We stay like that for I don’t know how long throughout the night, not speaking, just enjoying the high.
I’m in pure bliss at the moment with the delicious stickiness of him in between my thighs. I turn to look at him, noticing the clock on the wall that now shows well past midnight. I smile brightly up at him, warm in his embrace, and whisper out softly, “Merry Christmas, Carson.”
He pulls me closer toward him, softly connecting his lips with my own. “Merry Christmas, mio angelo.”
Alayna
Today is the day I’m finally living out my lifelong dream. New York is so close I can taste it.
“Stop fidgeting so much. You’re worse than a two-year-old,” Carson says, closing his laptop.
I hold back a snarky comment, “I can’t help it, I am just so excited!” I happily admit, looking out of the window of the airplane.
Once we finally land, Carson takes both of our carry-ons, and a driver meets us at the front gate.
“Good to see you, sir,” the driver greets, “And nice to meet you, miss.”
The man opens the door to the long stretch limo, and we both get in. It’s a little much getting picked up in a car like this, but I don’t say anything. I’m happy to be along for the ride.
Carson grabs a bottle of champagne from the tiny bar inside, pouring us both a glass. He hands one to me with a small smile. “Welcome to New York.”
I beam up at him and find myself looking out through the tinted window. It’s ten o’clock in the morning, and life is already in full swing.
The sight of the city is mesmerizing, and the energy is contagious as the limo drives through town. People of all different walks of life fill the streets, and I giggle at the street entertainment.
“That man is dancing in between cars, in just his underwear and a hat!” I point, laughing hysterically at the sight of him.
Carson chuckles next to me. “He’s out there every day, even in the dead of winter.”
I take a sip of my drink, and my eyes find the Empire State Building. “This place is amazing. I can see why you never wanted to leave it.”
Carson shrugs, swirling the liquid around in his glass. “It was home to me for a long time.”
“And now?” I ask, unsure if I want to know the answer to that question.
His eyes soften, “I think Michigan is starting to grow on me.” I grin wide before he changes the subject. “I had one of my housekeepers set up a breakfast for us in one of the penthouses I own. It has an amazing view of the city, and the building has a luxury spa that I booked for you while I’m taking care of some business.”
“Thank you.” I say, feeling warm because of his kind hospitality and thoughtfulness.
He nods, running a hand across his chin. “If all goes well, I’ll be finished before six tonight. Find something you really want to do or see before we leave, and we’ll go.”
Joy fills my heart and I know exactly what I want to do before we leave, but I don’t tell him just yet.
Making our way inside of the penthouse, I’m more than taken back. The place is absolutely breathtaking. The house is modern and well-decorated, and the floor-to-ceiling windows captivate the most beautiful view of Times Square and the Hudson River.
The scent of pancakes, mimosas, and freshly brewed coffee fill my senses, and I find a delicious array of breakfast dishes spread out around his long kitchen island.
I stack my plate full of eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and drench them in syrup, digging in and enjoying the savory taste that follows.
Carson joins me on one of the stools, looking amused. He takes a sip of the steaming cup of coffee, watching me.
“What?” I ask, forking another piece of doughy goodness, however, before I could put it in my mouth, Carson stops me.
His finger gently glides against the bottom of my lip, catching the leftover syrup there. With his emerald eyes trained in on me, he brings his finger back up to his lips, sucking off the sugary treat that was just on my lips.
My mouth parts.
“Delicious and sweet,” he states with a smug smile.
My appetite for food is now long forgotten, and the only hunger I feel is for him.
“I’ve got something that will taste much sweeter than that,” I share, leaning my body against the marbled table.
His expression hardens, and lustful eyes match my own. “And are you talking about the lips on your face, or the ones between your legs?”
I step close to him, my body brushing against his chest. “Why don’t you find out?”
And just like that, his hands reach out, pulling me flush against his body. “My tongue would make you come in ways you’ve never thought imaginable, and I will enjoy every fucking moment of tasting your sweet release.”
His hands explore my body until I feel one of them make their way inside of my panties.
He curses out loud once he feels how wet I am for him already and moves his lips against mine with a flick of his tongue.
I lean against him as he rubs against my folds. “You like that, don’t you, baby?” His finger enters me, earning a loud moan from me.
The pressure of my climax is building, and he feels it, too. As soon as his hand finds my clit, I scream out my release against his lips and breathe harshly against him.
I can feel his thick bulge throbbing and straining against his jeans, and I move my hands against his zipper to release it.
But he stops me, placing a gentle kiss on my palm to calm my confusion. “As much as I would love to have you explore my cock, I have to get going if you want me to make it back in time for us to do something once I return.”
I’m about to say to hell with what I wanted to do later on, the only thing I want to do is him, now. But his phone chimes, interrupting any further comment. “The spa is ready for you downstairs, and I really need to get going.”
I step out of his arms. “What kind of business do you have to take care of today?” I ask, smoothing out my now-wrinkled dress.
He types out a quick message and puts his phone away. “I need to check in on a few of my businesses and have some important meetings to attend. Elliot will be here once you’ve finished up at the spa to keep an eye on things.”
I nod and follow him into the elevator. We finally make our way down into the lobby when the door opens for me to step out, but Carson unexpectedly stops me with a wicked gleam. He lifts the finger that he had pleasured me with, and brings it up to his lips, still sticky with my arousal. His tongue brushes over the tip, savoring every drop, as his eyes lower in approval.
“Definitely sweeter,” he states.
My eyes glaze over at the gesture, and before I can react, the elevator doors close in front of me, and Carson is gone.
The spa day is definitely amazing and much-needed. I feel more
relaxed than I have in a long time, and I can’t tell if it’s from the massage, or from just being here with Carson.
Elliot greets me in the lobby once I’m finished, and we ascend together in the elevator.
“Have you heard anything from Carson?” I question, breaking the silence. I know I’m being impatient, but I really hope he somehow manages to finish earlier than expected so we can tour the city together before we have to leave.
He turns to me with a weird glint in his eye. “Not yet, but I’m sure he’s just busy with things.”
I don’t press further, but a weird feeling bubbles its way up into my belly. Not only because I’m feeling a bit antsy over the time we have left here, but it’s unusual for Carson not to check in on me; however, he did say he had a lot of things to take care of today, so I leave it at that.
I plop down on the white leather sofa, as soon as we make our way back inside the suite. Elliot stands off into the corner staring at his phone.
Growing anxious, I decide to distract myself with mindless conversation. “How did things go with Liliana at the Gala?”
Tension seems to roll off his shoulders at the mere mention of her name. He sets his phone on the table and relaxes in the loveseat next to me. “She’s scared I’m going to break her heart.”
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“Because she just so happened to tell me, right before she kissed me.” A smirk works its way onto his face at that confession.
“She what!”
“Sure did. Not once, but twice. Told me it was a ‘thank you’ for saving her life.”
“I told you she appreciated it.” I chuckle before continuing with a bit of a serious expression. “Don’t hurt her, Elliot. I mean it. She doesn’t forgive lightly.”
“I’m trying, Alayna. Lord knows I’m fucking trying.”
I know he is, but from what I’ve gathered, he also looks like the kind of man who is use to a certain lifestyle, and I’d hope that he’d resist all temptation if he really wanted the girl.