“Nikolai, mind your business.”
Aleksei is extremely dismissive. The hardness is back on his face, lining his features with his eyebrows pinched together. His body language is not inviting. He sits with a straight, rigid back.
“Whatever. You guys better work your shit out before we get to New York. We need to go over the details and then you guys can get back to whatever the fuck this is,” he waves his hand between Aleksei and me. “And if I find out you fucked her, we’re going to be having some problems,” he warns Aleksei, who ignores him.
Suddenly, I feel awkward and out of place even though everything is working out the way I need it to. Aleksei had me fooled, like he was actually feeling something for me. I can’t ignore how he reacted when he woke up. He wanted me there and he let me in but just like that, his mask is back on and he’s all business. He’s back to his pissy self, dismissing me.
When he was pursuing me before he knew my real identity, I had never witnessed this side of him.
His loss.
Adjusting myself in my seat, I push back my shoulders with my confidence back in place. Nikolai and Aleksei both think I want them, yet neither of them know that I’ve had them both. They have their suspicions; they’re slowly inching closer to each other's throats.
Fucking fools, thinking only with their dicks.
We discuss our plans. Aleksei talks in a very clipped tone.
“We will be staying at a new hotel. Nikolai, you will be in the room attached to mine.” His brow furrows at his laptop. “Lyra, it’s best if you stay with me, so I know you’re protected.”
“Absolutely not,” Nikolai commands. “I am capable of protecting her.”
Aleksei shakes his head. “Lyra and I will stay together just in case anything happens,” he avoids any and all eye contact with me.
HA! I let out a harsh laugh. “No. Not happening.”
Nikolai looks back and forth between us as his grin reaches for his eyes. “Exactly. Lyra should get a say in where she’s going to sleep.”
Aleksei glares at me. “Be professional about this Lyra. We’re here to do a job. That is it.”
I stare at him, not responding until he looks away.
“I’ll be staying with Nikolai,” I concur, winking at Nik.
Mission accomplished. He feels uncomfortable which is obviously another feeling he’s not used to. He’s conflicted and torn between the two of us.
Buckle up fucker, because this is going to be a bumpy ride.
As he begins to go over the details of our mission, I put in my earbuds and turn the music up as loud as it will go. I know enough that I need to know of their plans. What they don’t know of is my agenda. We’re all here for the same thing, the same mission, but mine is a little more intricate than they’re aware of.
As much as I hate it, I begin to fall asleep. My mind as blank as my soul feels.
Chapter Nine
Aleksei
As we finish up our discussion, Nikolai directs his attention to his own laptop.
When Lyra dismissed our conversation and rudely put in her headphones, I wanted to demand this plane be turned around and for someone else to be put on this mission.
I do not tolerate disrespect. Especially from someone I am to work with and someone who I’m beginning to care for.
She had awoken feelings deep inside me. Finally finding what I’d been missing my whole life, I was overcome by many emotions and feelings. All of which I do not do.
It scared me. I don’t do scared; I do the scaring.
I lost control this morning. I blamed her when it wasn’t her fault.
It was easier that way. To blame it on her and be pissed off at her. It gave me something to use to disconnect myself from her. It makes it easier to push her away and this needs to end before it is too late. Before I lose myself in her completely. I could feel it happening after being with her for just one night.
Either of us could be killed during this mission and we can’t have our feelings conflicting us.
In this business, it’s kill or be killed. I will not allow her to kill me or have me killed.
Her soft snoring draws my attention to her. There’s no denying that she’s beautiful. Despite being in this business, she hasn’t lost that part of herself yet. And I won’t be the one to take it from her.
Nikolai clears his throat, causing me to look at him.
“Don’t be such a dick to her. If you want nothing to do with her after this, cool, that’s on you. At least play nice for now. If you don’t, this won’t work out in our favor. You can go back to your life without her in it when we get home and since we have to share her while we’re here, maybe I’ll officially make her mine when we get back.”
“Just because I can’t have her doesn’t mean you can. I will not let this compromise our mission. We get in, we get out. We do what we have to do. I will do what I need to do to get this done. Keep your fucking nose out of what we do or don’t do.”
“Then don’t put your shit out on display for anyone. What you’re fucking with isn’t yours and I’d tread lightly, brother. She needs someone who will give her more and I am just that someone. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Do what you want Nikolai. I couldn’t care less.”
Nikolai shakes his head and turns away from me.
As the hours pass on our flight, I replay what Nikolai says and what happened between Lyra and I.
Maybe he is right.
Maybe he isn’t.
I study her as she sleeps, looking for some type of answer. In return, all I get is the swelling in my heart.
She’s like a breath of fresh air. Something different, something good in my life. Instead of fighting it, maybe I should just go with it.
I’ll play nice like Nikolai said.
“Stop watching me sleep, you creeper.”
“If I want to watch you sleep, I will do as I please. Plus, I was just watching to make sure you were still breathing.”
Nothing gave away that she was awake. Her eyes remained closed. Her breathing did not change. She didn’t even move.
Shit, she was good.
“Maybe those were my intentions. I guess you’ll never know. Don’t doubt my ability to get this done the right way.”
I open my mouth to speak, but she stops me.
“No. I’m not done.”
I wait.
She takes a deep breath.
“I’m going to get this out. You can be as pissed off as you want. But you should be pissed with yourself, not me. You’re the one who is going to fuck this is up. All of this,” she waves her arms around. “Stop being a bitch about everything and get your head out of your ass. We have a job to do here.”
My mouth falls open. Who the hell is this woman? She called me on my shit like she knows what she’s talking about. This is not the place, nor is it the time for her to do so.
“I don’t expect you to respond. I gather that you have a difficult time when someone else is right.” She smirks at me.
And I still have no response.
“Finally!” Nikolai comes out of nowhere. “I might be in love with you.”
She blows Nikolai a kiss and I see red, but I give her no satisfaction in her correct assumption.
Collecting myself, I say “Let’s do what we came here to do and then we’ll deal with this when we’re done here.”
“Fair enough,” she says curtly.
The rest of the flight is silent. As we get ready to touch ground, I feel more unprepared than I ever have in my life.
Fuck me.
Our arrival in New York and the ride to our hotel is rather uneventful.
I remain silent as Lyra and Nikolai shoot the shit on the way to the hotel. Thankfully, the drive isn’t very long, or Nikolai may have been thrown out of the car. We arrive at the hotel and quietly shuffle inside to check in and retrieve the keys to our rooms. Skirting around the two of them, I make my way to the elevators and quickly hop on one withou
t them.
“Hey, wait!” Nikolai calls out, rushing after me as I turn to face him. “Want to go get dinner and drinks?”
“Can’t,” I reply as the door finally begins to close. “I have too much to do.”
I catch Lyra’s gaze through the crack as the elevator door closes. She glares at me from the other side.
She made her bed, so she’ll lie in it… with him.
Chapter Ten
Lyra
For once, Nikolai is silent, leaving me in peace as we make our way to our room. The room is vast with a small sitting room and a bedroom with a master bath. Pulling in my suitcase, I stop short in the doorway glancing around with a growing annoyance.
“There’s only one bed,” I declare, feeling Nikolai step up behind me. He lightly brushes passed me, pushing into my shoulder as he steps into the bedroom.
“Hmm,” he replies as he drops his bag onto the bed. “It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”
Shaking my head, I stand firmly in the doorway as he glances back at me with a smirk.
“No way in hell,” I scoff.
“Come on, I won’t bite,” he winks, turning to face me. “That is unless you ask me to.”
I shake off the urge to drive a knife through his throat. I’m not here for him this time—he is simply an obstacle in my way, but I can’t be irrational. I’ll play along and play the game.
Smiling at him sweetly, I enter the room, walking to the opposite side of the bed and lift my suitcase in front of me. “We can sleep together, but don’t you fucking touch me unless I tell you to.”
“Play hard to get all you want, love,” he calls out, walking into the bathroom, straightening his collar in the mirror. “We both know how tonight is going to end.”
Yeah, not with your cock inside me.
Laughing lightly, I shake my head as he believes the deception that I’ve become. Unzipping my suitcase, I dig in and pull out my clothes, arranging them on the bed.
“I’m going to the bar,” Nikolai declares, stepping out of the bathroom. “Care to join me?”
Giving him a small smile, I shake my head. “I’m going to finish unpacking and I think I might lay down for a little bit.”
Nikolai shrugs and rolls his eyes as he leaves the room. “Suit yourself,” he mumbles, as he closes the door.
Listening for the door to lock, I glance over at the clock, taking a mental note of the time before I finish sorting my clothes. A half an hour should be enough time to make sure I’m cleared to go. By that time, Nikolai will probably be two drinks in and too distracted chumming it up with some blonde with a cigarette dangling between his lips. I’ll be nonexistent in his mind at that point.
The time passes quickly as I slide an outfit into one of the dresser drawers and shove the rest of my clothing back into my suitcase. I won’t be needing half of what I packed, but I have to play along. Grabbing the ice bucket from the counter, I leave the rest of my belongings behind and slip out into the hallway. Walking down to the end of the hall, I fill the bucket with ice and head back to my room but stop in front of Aleksei’s instead.
Knocking lightly, I take a step back and wait a few moments. His strong scent of expensive leather slips out of the door as he opens it slowly, peering down at me.
“Lyra,” he says slowly with his eyebrows pinched together. “What are you doing here?”
Giving him a small smile, I shrug. “I forgot my room key and Nikolai went out and isn’t answering his phone,” I lie.
He stares at me, his gaze hard and cold, burning holes into my eyes before closing the door in my face. I listen as he unlatches the chain and the door slowly reopens. Aleksei’s back is to me as he walks back into his room, sitting down at the small table. I follow him into the room, carefully peering over his shoulder as I walk passed him, taking a seat on the couch.
Small pieces of paper are spread out around him on the table, some trapped underneath a bottle of vodka and a half-filled glass.
“You can wait here until he’s back from whatever it is he’s doing,” Aleksei mumbles, staring down at the mess in front of him. Shuffling some of the papers together, he glances at me from the corner of his eye. “Why aren’t you with him?”
Rising to my feet, I take advantage of our positions and walk over to him. Stepping behind him, I peer over his shoulder, catching sight of an address and some other random information and rest my hands on his shoulders.
“He’s not who I want to be with,” I reply softly. “There was nothing between us like he insinuated and there never will be anything between us. He knows where I stand and how I feel.”
Walking in front of Aleksei, he looks up at me as I take his face into my hands. “He knows that you are who I want to be with.” His eyes are dark, swirling with emotion as he scans my face in disbelief.
He’s looking for any indication of a lie, it’s a good thing I can act with a poker face to envy.
Grabbing onto my wrists, he rises to his feet and gently pushes me backward, out of his space. My arms fall heavily to my sides as he glares at me. “You need to leave,” he commands in a harsh tone.
Staring up at him, I meet him head-on, challenging him. I don’t hesitate as I step forward, entering his personal space again. “I’m not going anywhere,” I retort, stopping short as he holds out his hand, pressing it into my chest to halt my movement. “We both know you want me as badly as I want you.”
A low growl comes from deep inside his chest as he closes his eyes tightly. Reaching up, I rest my hands on his shoulders at the base of his neck as the pressure he has against mine loosens.
“Your body gives you away with every reaction you have to me,” I tell him in a hushed voice, slowly stroking the pad of my thumb against the side of his neck. “Don’t fight this. Don’t fight us.”
His hand slides up my chest, wrapping around my slender throat. He clamps down, tightening his grip and his eyes light up as a ragged breath barely slips out. A smile plays on his lips as his hand slides around the back of my neck and I’m suddenly pulled flush against him as his mouth crashes into mine.
Aleksei gives in, he stops fighting the pull between us, the pull that he feels is true. I give in to the game, letting my mind take a backseat as my body takes control, following his lead. He pushes and pulls, and I give and take.
We play a delicate, dangerous game together.
It’s a race against time, against the ticking hands of the clock. Our time together will be short and as much as I plan on finishing my mission, I’m going to get my fill of him first.
We move together around the room, skin on skin with our clothes in a pile kicked across the floor. He slides in and out of me with ease as I arch into him, grinding against him. We end on the bed, a mess of limbs wrapped together in tangled sheets. Together we climb higher and higher with each thrust and every stroke until we reach the brink of ecstasy. My orgasm hits me full force in a consuming rush as he pounds into me until he tips over the edge, losing himself in me completely.
“Fuck,” he mutters, collapsing onto the bed beside me. He rests his hands on his heaving chest as he struggles to catch his breath. I look over at him, smiling, as my eyes meet his. With a content look, he smiles back at me before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath. Curling onto my side, I place my hand on top of his and he wraps his around mine. I watch him as his face slowly relaxes and his breathing grows heavier. Soft snoring escapes him as he falls into a comfortable sleep.
Slowly easing my hand from his, I carefully climb out of bed, making sure not to disturb him. Searching the room, I find my clothes and quickly slip back into them before shuffling over to the table with Aleksei’s notes on them. Glancing over my shoulder, I quickly check on his still sleeping form before sifting through the papers. Finding the ones I need, I slip them from the pile and fold them up before sliding them into my bra.
Giving Aleksei one last glance and scanning the room once more, I quickly slip out of the room without a sound, l
eaving no trace of my visit behind.
I walk across the hall to my room just as the door is pulled open. A tall, thin woman with long blonde hair stumbles out, adjusting her boobs in the top of her dress. She knocks into me as I reach out to prop the door open.
“I’m so sorry!” she squeals as she regains her balance, leaning against the wall. Her eyes dart toward my hand propping open the door and back to my face. “Um, is this your room?”
“It is,” I respond indifferently as her face turns a bright shade of red. She opens her plump lips to speak, probably to throw an explanation or apology my way before scurrying away. I hold up my hand to her. “We’re not together.”
She lets out a deep sigh of relief and glances back into the room, searching for Nik.
“Don’t bother,” I tell her, stepping into the room. “You won’t hear from him again.”
Her mouth hangs open as she stares at me, processing my words as I shut the door in her face. Walking over to the bed, Nikolai is lying flat on his back in the middle of the bed snoring loudly. He got wasted like he planned and fucked some random chick, so kudos to him for getting it in one last time.
My hand dives into my bra as I slip out of my coat and tuck the papers into my purse. Grabbing a pillow and a blanket from the bed, I get situated on the couch. I nestle deep into the cushions and submit to the exhaustion that consumes me, pulling me into a deep sleep.
Pulling on my coat, I grab my purse and carefully pick up Aleksei’s notes from the coffee table, tucking the papers inside. I must have woken up in the middle of the night and moved the notes from my purse. Nikolai is still lying with his back to me as I pull myself together and quietly make my way toward the door. A rustling noise sounds from behind me as I reach for the door handle.
Forbidden: A Romance Anthology Page 19