Zel: Markovic MMA

by Roxie Rivera

  "But it's a big step, right? Moving in with him and letting him help me with school?"

  "Dude!" Lena gaped at me as if I were dumb. "The man saved your sister from two bloodthirsty gangs and fought off two armed dickheads with his bare hands! How the heck do you say no to that?"

  "She's right," Vivi agreed. "Look, I'm always the one who says be careful and stay away from guys like Ivan but not this time. I know he's not perfect and he's done some shady things in his past but he's reformed himself. He's a standup guy—and he loves you."

  I couldn't deny that. He hadn't said it outright but I wasn't blind. Ivan loved me just as much as I loved him.

  I put my head in my hands. "Maybe I'm just scared that moving in with him is going to ruin it. What we have is so special. I don't want to lose that."

  "You won't." Lena spoke with authority. "I'm not the sappy, lovey-dovey, fate type, you know? But when I look at you two? It makes me hope that someday I'll have someone like Ivan in my life." She paused. "Just without the criminal record."

  I threw a piece of pastry at her, whacking her right in the face. "Bitch!"

  She laughed and brushed the pastry onto the table. "I've got enough male criminals in my life. I don't need one sharing my bed."

  Lena said it with a smile but I could hear the pain in her voice. It couldn't have been easy to have a father who was known as the best fence in Houston or a cousin who was in and out of juvie and now working as her dad's protégé.

  "Sorry, Lena."

  She waved it off. "We can't pick our family."

  I smiled at Vivi and Lena. "No but I think we did a good job picking our friends."

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, I puttered around the apartment. I wandered by the door to Ruby's room and opened it. Nothing in her room had changed since I'd gone through and cleaned it last week. I hadn't had the heart to box up her things but if I decided to move in with Ivan it would have to be done. I wasn't at all sure how she was going to take that news. Badly, I presumed.

  But I couldn't keep living my life worrying about Ruby. I'd been putting her and her problems first for so long that I'd been neglecting my life.

  What I hadn't told Vivi and Lena was that my boss at the accounting firm had made it clear that he would have fought for me to be retained as a full-time employee if I'd been more reliable. I'd wanted to explain that cutting out of work early or coming in late had been caused by Ruby's craziness but I'd kept my lips zipped. He was right. I hadn't been reliable. I was the only to blame for that.

  A knock at the door interrupted my troubled thoughts. I wasn't expecting anyone but it wasn't unusual to have the maintenance crew come by to change air conditioner filters during the summer. I lifted up on my bare toes to peek through the peep hole. My heart raced at the sight of Ivan's face and I couldn't get the door opened fast enough.

  "Hey!"

  "Angel." Ivan grinned and slipped off his sunglasses. He tucked them into the front pocket of his suit jacket. "I wanted to take you out to lunch but something came up so I decided I'd leave the gym a little early to spend the rest of the day with you."

  I grasped his hand and tugged him inside the apartment. He kicked the door closed behind him and slid an arm around my waist. I let him drag me tight to his chest and surrendered to his searching kiss. He tasted of the cinnamon candies I'd learned he liked so much. His tongue swept mine before he nibbled my lower lip and reluctantly released me.

  "How was breakfast with the girls?"

  "Fun." I touched his hand. "You want some tea?"

  "Yes, please." He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over a chair before following me into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and reached into the refrigerator for the pitcher of sweet tea I'd mixed that morning. He wasn't a huge fan of the cold stuff but after I'd nearly blown up the microwave trying to boil a mug of water to make him hot tea during our first week together, he'd graciously decided that iced tea was just fine.

  When I turned around to offer him the glass, I found him sitting at my small dining table and thumbing through a Russian language workbook. Amusement glinted in his pale eyes. "What's this, angil moy?"

  I slid the tea onto the table next to him. "Vivi gave it to me this morning. She's going to tutor me in Russian."

  A look of utter adoration crossed his face. "For me?"

  I trailed my fingers along his strong jaw. "You already speak my language. I think it's only fair that I learn to speak yours."

  Ivan pulled me down onto his lap. His fingers sifted through my hair. "Should I work up a system of rewards for good scores on your tests?"

  A thrill of excitement raced through my belly. "Depends on the reward."

  His lips skimmed my throat. "Oh, I can think of a few things that would motivate your studies."

  "Like?"

  His hand slipped under my skirt and between my thighs. "How about this?"

  I gasped as his fingertips slid inside my panties. He gently petted the seam of my sex. "Or maybe you'd prefer my tongue here?"

  I shuddered in his brawny arms. His skillful tongue had reduced me to tears of absolute joy last night. I'd never known orgasms could be that powerful. "You know I would."

  He forced my thighs wide open and brushed his thumb across my clit. "Move in with me, Erin, and you can have this every morning and every night."

  "I—"

  Ivan kissed me, silencing my protest with his masterful mouth. "You belong with me, Erin. In my bed. In my home. In my arms. I love you, angel, and I know you love me."

  "Yes," I whispered against his lips.

  His hand went still between my thighs. "Yes you love me? Yes you belong with me? Or yes you will move in with me."

  "All of it." I captured his mouth in a sensual kiss. "I love you. I belong to you."

  "Always?"

  I whimpered as his fingers began to torment me. Sitting there on his lap, I knew there was nothing I couldn't face with my big, sexy Russian protector in my corner. I brushed my lips across his and promised, "Always."

  ***The End***

  The series continues with the full-length novel Dimitri (Her Russian Protector #2) and in FREE READS on my website.

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  Author's Note

  Thanks so much for reading Ivan and Erin's story. I hope you enjoyed the first installment of the Her Russian Protector Series!

  The series continues with full-length novels—Dimitri (Her Russian Protector #2), Yuri (Her Russian Protector #3), Nikolai (Her Russian Protector #4), Sergei (Her Russian Protector #5), Sergei II (Her Russian Protector #5.5) and the upcoming Nikolai II (Her Russian Protector #6), Kostya (Her Russian Protector #7) and Alexei (Her Russian Protector #8.)

  You can get updates on new releases by visiting my website, signing up for my newsletter or liking my author page on Facebook.

  Copyright © 2013 by Roxie Rivera

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Roxie Rivera/Night Works Books

  3515-B Longmire Drive, #103

  College Station, TX 77845

  www.roxierivera.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1)/ Roxie Rivera. -- 1st ed.


  ALEXEI

  (Her Russian Protector #8)

  By Roxie Rivera

  Copyright © 2016 Roxie Rivera

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Night Works Books

  3515-B Longmire Drive #103

  College Station, Texas 77845

  www.roxierivera.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Alexei/Roxie Rivera -- 1st ed.

  Chapter One

  “Shay, will you cover my shift tonight?”

  I glanced up from the small workstation in my bedroom where I made the leather goods I sold online and frowned at my older sister. “It’s my one night off this week, Shannon. I’m trying to catch up on orders before the Christmas rush hits.”

  “I know it’s your night off.” Wearing a slim-fitting sleeveless halter dress, Shannon leaned against the door frame and blew on her freshly painted nails. Her blonde hair was piled atop her head in fat hot rollers. “And I hate to ask…”

  “But?”

  “But Ruben called and there’s a last minute thing he can’t miss tonight. He needs me with him.” She did that batting her eyes thing that drove me crazy. “Please?”

  I didn’t want to ask what event couldn’t be missed. Knowing what I did of Shannon’s drug dealer boyfriend, he had probably received an invite to some athlete or hip-hop wannabe’s mansion as a supplier of their recreational fun. “Shannon, I hate it when you go to these parties. You know I worry about you all night.”

  “We aren’t going to a party. It’s a concert at the Arena. And Shay?” She rolled her eyes at me and huffed. “Seriously, you are going to give yourself an ulcer. You don’t need to sit up all night waiting for me. I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing.”

  “Do you?” I put down the metal punch and the leather strip I had been working. “Shannon, you just got popped for being a dog fight! It’s been less than two weeks since I bailed you out of jail. Ruben is on the hook for a felony!”

  “They can’t prove anything against him. We were just there to watch the fights. That’s it.”

  “You can pull that bullshit with your lawyer, Shannon, but I know better.” Shaking my head, I expelled a frustrated breath. “If you get pulled over or picked up with Ruben and he’s carrying again, you could go to prison. Okay? Like for real prison and not the county lockup.”

  “That won’t happen.” She said it so quickly and easily, brushing off my concerns without a second thought. “He never carries weight on him. That’s what the slingers are for obviously.” She preened proudly. “He’s very careful with me.”

  “But are you being careful?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Shannon,” I said her name in my no-bullshit tone. “I found your stash in your purse.”

  Her stance turned aggressive. “Why were you digging around in my purse?”

  “I wasn’t! Your purse fell out of our locker at work and I was picking up everything that spilled on the floor. I found a rolled up twenty and that dinged up credit card, Shannon.” My tightened and my stomach pitched with anxiety. “Are you snorting coke or molly?”

  “Both. Sometimes.” She swallowed nervously but held my gaze almost daringly. “Look, it’s just a little bump here and there, Shay. I like to roll when we party. It’s not a big deal. I know what I’m doing.”

  I had to give her credit for not lying to me but her nonchalance drove me crazy. “It is a big deal, Shannon. That’s how it starts. A little llelo at a party, a bump on a long night at work and then the next thing you know you’re a total junkie selling her ass on some dirty street corner for a fix.”

  “Oh my God!” She snorted as if I were the most ridiculous person in the world. “Do you always have to be so dramatic?”

  “I’m not being dramatic!”

  “You are such a drama queen, and you’re so out of touch with reality. So what if I like to cut loose on the weekends? I know what I’m doing, Shay. I know how to control it.”

  Irritated by the easy way she justified her use of drugs, insisted, “You promised me that you wouldn’t use Ruben’s product. You promised,” I repeated, my eyes burning as my fear for my sister’s life hit me hard.

  Her jaw hardened and her eyes went cold. “You’re not a little girl anymore, Shay, and I’m allowed to have a life. I’m allowed to party with my boyfriend and have a good time. We aren’t hurting anyone.”

  “You’re not hurting anyone?” I repeated incredulously. “Do you even watch the news, Shannon? Two months ago, there were cartel pushers dead in the streets, okay? Do you think that you’re safe from that? If Ruben screws up a deal, you could be collateral damage.”

  She scoffed loudly. “You watch too much TV, Shay. That’s not the way it works. Ruben is protected. We’re safe.”

  “Even after the dog fighting?”

  She glared at me. “You just have to keep bringing that up, don’t you? You just have to rub it in my face that Ruben made a mistake.”

  “A mistake?” I scoffed. “Shannon, he got busted and now the DA and the cops are digging around in his boss’s business. Lalo thinks he’s a kingpin. He thinks he’s some hotshot mob boss—and one of his soldiers just embarrassed him in front of the whole city.”

  “Shut up, Shay. Just shut your mouth,” Shannon snarled. “Enough!”

  I didn’t know what else I could say. She wasn’t going to listen to me. She believed that Ruben’s connections to the cartel’s top man in Houston would protect her. I wanted to believe it because I loved my sister and wanted her safe but I wasn’t naïve. I knew the score—and I suspected she did too.

  Exhaling slowly, I counted back from four. “Just promise me that you aren’t carrying anything in your purse. If you get popped with drugs in your possession, you are screwed. They will hit you with every charge they can to make your arrest painful, Shan. They’ll hurt you so you’ll turn on Ruben—”

  “I would never turn on Ruben. I fucking love him. He’s my bae, and I’ll go do my time before I betray him.”

  “Lord,” I grumbled and sat back in a huff. I couldn’t stand it when she called Ruben her bae and her boo. “Will you listen to yourself, Shannon?”

  “You know what, Shay? I didn’t come in here for a lecture from my baby sister that I raised through junior high and high school. I came in here to ask you to work my damn cleaning shift. That’s it.”

  I scowled. “Why do you always do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Why do you always have to throw it in my face that you had to raise me after Mom bailed?”

  “I don’t!”

  “Yes, you do.” I hated fighting with Shannon, but I was getting tired of hearing how much she had sacrificed to keep me out of foster homes. “I love you, Shannon, and I will never forget what you did for me, but I would really, really appreciate it if you would stop using it as a stick to beat me with whenever you’re pissed or frustrated with me.”

  She swallowed and glanced away from me. “I don’t mean to do it, Shay. Sometimes it just comes out before I can stop it. I don’t regret any of the choices I’ve made.” For a moment, she met my gaze, and I could see the sincerity reflected in her eyes. “You fought like hell to get into college. You started this business on no debt and you’ve done it your way. I’m
proud of you, Shay. Even when I’m a jerk,” she added with a lopsided smile.

  My frustration with her faded. I reached out and touched her hand. “You’re not a jerk.”

  “Softie,” she murmured and poked my arm. “Does this mean you’re going to work for me?”

  I rolled my eyes and poked right back at her. “Yes, I’ll work for you.”

  “Thank you.” She squeezed my fingers as if to let me know that all was forgiven and bent down to noisily peck my cheek. “Kylee is working tonight. At least you get to work with your best friend, right?”

  She had a point. “Be careful, okay?”

  “I will. I’m going to be late so don’t wait up for me.”

  “Okay.”

  She took one step out the door before turning back toward me. “Can you spot me a few hundred bucks?” She pressed her hands together. “Please?”

  “You just got paid on Monday!”

  “And I’ve got bills!”

  “So do I, Shan.”

  She rolled her eyes at me again. “Oh please! What bills do you have?”

  “Rent, utilities, groceries, cell phone, car insurance, health insurance,” I said and ticked them off on my fingers. I didn’t add that I had had to cover her half of the household bills for the last four months. She was going to snap at me, I was sure, but I still said, “The diner is hiring for the morning shift. The tips are good there.”

  “Not happening,” she replied and shot me a withering look. “I’m done cleaning offices and waiting tables.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’m put in my notice yesterday.”

  That was the first I had heard of this so I sagged with shock. “When did you get a different job?”

  “I didn’t.”

  I bit my lip to stop myself from shouting at her. What the hell are you thinking? “Shannon, don’t you think you should have had a better job lined up before you quit?”