by Roxie Rivera
When he neared the point of failure, Alexei pushed through for two more dips before carefully lowering his feet and stretching out his arms.
“That was good.” Ivan tossed him the towel and his water bottle. “Walk with me.”
Alexei mopped at his face and rehydrated while they walked the length of the warehouse toward the sparring cages. Ivan’s fighters were all working toward upcoming matches so the gym was a busy place even on a Sunday afternoon. Sergei and Kir, both matched in size and strength, sparred lightly in one cage. They lingered there for a few minutes before moving to the next cage where Zel, a Croatian fighter who had been the first to join Ivan’s professional stable, sparred with a fighter Alexei didn’t recognize.
Closer to Alexei’s age than Sergei’s, Zel was nearing that point in his life where it was time to hang up the gloves. Alexei sipped his water and relaxed his stance while watched Zel fight. “I thought he was done.”
Ivan held up a single finger as if to say he had one match left in him. “This next tournament is his last.”
“Vegas?” Alexei had been planning to fly out for the fights at the Mandalay Bay, but he hadn’t realized Zel was fighting. “I didn’t realize he was on the card.”
“He wasn’t, but there was an opening and the promoter and the league wanted him in that slot.” Ivan ran his tongue along the inside of his lower lip. “I shouldn’t have let him take this one, but the money was too good for him to pass up.”
Alexei cast a worried glance at Ivan. “Is Zel in trouble?”
“He still owes money on his debt to Luka Beciraj.”
“What? After seven years? Eight years?” Stunned, Alexei did the math. “He’s still paying on that shit?”
“Interest and penalties,” Ivan replied. “You know what those fucking loan sharks are like.”
Alexei turned his attention to Zel and watched him work his floor games. Zel had one hell of a standup game, but he had always been weak on the floor. Even now, he was struggling to break free from a hold.
Growling with frustration, Ivan moved closer to the cage and gripped onto the chain link. Snarling in Russian, he barked orders at Zel. “Watch that elbow! When it hits the ground, push up into him and fucking throw him off! Use your hips! Come on!” Ivan banged his hand against the cage. “Buck! Harder!”
Alexei watched as Zel finally got a good grip on his opponents’ sweat-slicked arm and did exactly as Ivan instructed. He arched off the mat and used the momentum of his move to push the other fighter up and off of him. It was a swift maneuver that sent his partner rolling onto his back. Zel quickly pinned the other man to the mat and moved into a dominant position, earning Ivan’s clap of approval.
After a few more pointers and discussing Zel’s grappling game with a trainer, Ivan returned to Alexei’s side. He seemed troubled as he watched his fighter continue his Sunday session. “He’s losing his fire.”
The words were spoken softly, but Alexei heard them clearly. Watching Zel, he acknowledged that the Croatian seemed to have lost his passion for fighting. Of course, after the hellish year he had survived, it was no wonder. “He’s had a rough year.”
“Losing his boy broke him. That kid was the reason he fought. Now?” Ivan’s lips sank into a flattened line. “Now he just fights to clear his debt to Luka and move on with his life.”
“Fighting for money is dangerous. That’s how men get hurt.” He cast a look Ivan’s way that communicated exactly what he was thinking. That’s how we got hurt.
“Yes, it is.” Ivan crossed his arms again. “I offered him the money. I even offered to speak to Luka directly to see if they would write off the balance. The boy is dead now. All that money Zel spent getting them here and then paying for his son’s medical bills was wasted. Making him pay it all off now is rubbing salt in a fresh, deep wound.”
“He’s a proud man.” Alexei stated the obvious. “Would you take the money if you owed the debt?”
Ivan didn’t answer immediately. After a while, he shook his head. “No.”
“We’ll have to help him,” Alexei decided. “I’ll talk to Besian. I’ll find out the balance and then place some strategic bets when I get to Vegas. Maybe we can make Zel enough money to clear his debts and a little bit to start over.”
“Be careful with that,” Ivan warned. “The last thing you need is to get caught up in some underground gambling shit.”
Alexei grunted in agreement.
“Are you bringing her?”
“Shay? To Vegas?” Alexei shook his head. “No.”
Ivan gawked at him. “You’re going to Vegas without your new girl?”
“Our Vegas trips are always men only.”
“Not anymore,” Ivan shot back. “I’m taking Erin with me.”
Alexei wasn’t surprised, not after what happened the last time Ivan went to Vegas. “She’s your wife. It’s different.”
Ivan made a grumbling noise. “You better be careful saying shit like that around Shay.”
Alexei shifted uncomfortably under his friend’s stare. “I don’t think Shay would enjoy the Vegas scene.”
“Have you asked her?”
“It hasn’t come up yet.”
“It better come up before you step on that plane and leave her here in Houston,” Ivan warned. “You might come back to an empty penthouse.”
“It’s already empty. She moved into my house this morning.”
Ivan seemed taken aback. “You’re really moving fast with her.”
You have no idea. Alexei wondered just how much Ivan knew about Shay and what was going on with her sister. Even though he was out of the life, he lived right on the edge and always had his ear to the ground. There weren’t many dirty deeds he didn’t hear about eventually.
As if reading his mind, Ivan said, “You should be careful with your cleaning lady.” He held up a hand to halt Alexei’s retort. “Listen to me, okay?”
Alexei relented unhappily and nodded stiffly.
“Sisters are trouble.” Ivan grasped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Take it from me. I know. They come as a package deal,” he warned. “I fell in love with Erin and married her—but that means her sister became my sister. Because she’s now my family, I owe her a fresh start when she finally gets out of lockup. It’s a burden, but I went into this with eyes wide open. For Erin? I’ll do anything—even if it means paying for protection for her sister while she’s doing her stretch or pushing around money and favors to get Ruby a job once she’s out. It’s never-ending, Alyosha.”
“I get it,” Alexei assured him. “Shay’s sister is—”
“A fuck up?” Ivan supplied.
“Difficult,” Alexei replied. “She’s difficult, but the girls had a hard life.” He had been thinking about Shannon and Shay during his workout. “I think Shannon did the best she could. Sometimes it wasn’t enough, but she tried. Shay loves her for that. She respects her big sister for sticking around and trying.”
Ivan shook his head. “You better be careful thinking like that. You need to snip those strings.” He made a scissoring gesture with his thick fingers. “If what I’ve heard is true, Shannon nearly got her sister killed twice. Don’t let her have a third chance, Alyosha. She might finally succeed.”
The chilling thought wouldn’t leave him as he gathered up his gym bag and left the warehouse. Driving across town, he couldn’t stop thinking about Ivan’s warning. He didn’t want to push Shay to cut her sister out of her life, but what other choice did he have?
When he arrived at the house, he slipped his SUV into its slot in his five-car garage and dropped his gym bag on the built-in bench in the mudroom. He found Stas eating an apple in the kitchen. “Do you ever stop eating?” he asked the enforcer-turned-bodyguard.
“No.” Stas crunched a huge bite of apple between his teeth. He gestured toward the ceiling with the fruit clamped in his hand. “She’s upstairs.”
“You can head out,” Alexei said. “We’ll be fine for the rest of the day.
”
“Same time tomorrow?”
Alexei nodded. “You can work for me until you find a different position or Nikolai decided he needs you somewhere else. I know this isn’t how a man with your skillset wants to spend his days.”
“It’s the best job I’ve had since I joined the family. Even with all the shit that went down last night,” he added.
“If you hear anything about Shay tonight—”
“I’ll make sure you know,” Stas interjected. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. Those secrets died with Lalo.”
“Let’s hope they stay buried,” he muttered.
After walking Stas out and locking the door behind him, Alexei went upstairs in search of Shay. He found her curled up on an armless upholstered chair in the master bedroom texting with someone. He didn’t want to accuse her of talking to her sister so he held his tongue and waited for her to say something.
“It’s Kylee,” she explained and flashed him her phone as if to prove it. “We haven’t said anything about last night. We’re just talking about normal things. I wouldn’t say anything that might get us all in trouble.”
“I trust you to be safe.” He spotted her suitcase still sitting where he’d left it. “Why didn’t you unpack?”
She seemed to shrink back into the chair. “Well…”
“Shay.” He pinned her in place with a no nonsense look. “What’s wrong?”
“There weren’t any hangers,” she said, her excuse sounding feeble to both of them.
“I’ll pick up some more tomorrow. Until then, you can borrow some from my side.” He could tell that wasn’t the real reason she hadn’t unpacked. “What’s really going on here?”
When she didn’t answer immediately, he crouched down in front of her and gently took her phone from her hands. He tossed it onto the bed and held her hands instead. Capturing her gaze, he said, “Talk to me.”
Hesitantly, she admitted, “It made me too nervous.”
“Nervous? Why?”
She swallowed anxiously and dropped her gaze, staring straight down at her lap as if embarrassed. “I’ve been interested in you for so long, and I used to fantasize about something like this happening. About you asking me to live with you,” she explained. “And now I’m here in your home and we’re together. and I wanted to be excited and optimistic about us—but then I remembered why I’m here—”
“You’re here because I want you to be here,” he cut in quickly and drew her gaze. “You’re here because I care about you and because I want to share my home with you.”
“My sister—”
“Isn’t part of the equation, Shay,” he insisted. “If this was just about keeping you safe, I would have left you in the penthouse. You were perfectly safe there.” Leaning forward, he kissed her tenderly. “You’re here because I wanted you in my life.” He kissed her again and relished the way she responded so sweetly. “You’re here because you’re special to me.”
Her dark eyes lit up as he described her as being special to him. “You’re special to me, too.”
This time, she was the one who kissed him. Her small hands slid along his arms, over his shoulders and up the sides of his neck until she clasped his face. He let her have control, surrendering to her searching tongue and her soft, soft lips. After his workout, his legs were killing him in this cramped, crouched position, but he didn’t dare move or complain. He would let his toes go numb before he ended this kiss.
When Shay shifted her hold on him, he answered her silent urging and put a knee onto the chair. He shivered when her hands slid under his loose T-shirt and stroked his bare stomach. The memories of her hands on his body last night were so new and fresh. Making more of them sounded like a very good idea right now, but he desperately needed a shower.
Shay eased off their increasingly more erotic kisses and smiled up at him, her expression relaxed and happy. Running her finger along his chin, she murmured, “This chair is too small.”
“I’ll buy us a new one tomorrow.” He nibbled at her amused grin. “The biggest, widest chair in the store.”
“Or we could just move to your big, comfy bed,” she suggested seductively and tapped his chin.
“Or,” he nipped at her finger, “I can show you why this chair is the perfect size and height.” Her dark eyes sparked with interest and excitement. Taking that as permission, he gently pushed on her shoulders. “Lean back, baby.”
She allowed him to maneuver her into the position he wanted. When he slid his hands under her oversized sweater and gripped the waistbands of her leggings and panties, she bit her lip in an anxious and uncertain way. He wasn’t surprised by her nervousness. This was another first for her.
As he dragged the leggings and panties down her legs and whisked them off her bare feet, he considered how fucking selfish he had been last night. He should have spent half the night with his face buried between her thighs, but he had been so focused on his needs that he hadn’t even considered that she might want more than a few teasing licks. He intended to rectify that oversight right now.
Running his palms over her slim legs, he marveled at the smooth, brown skin under his scarred and tattooed hands. Starting at her ankles, he dotted light kisses toward her thighs. He could feel the tension beneath his lips as he moved higher and higher. He assumed it was a mixture of excitement and nervousness that gripped her now.
Holding her curious gaze, he grasped her knees and pushed her thighs wide apart. He gently kneaded her inner thighs, massaging the stiffness and tension from her legs until they fell open in a relaxed way. Dragging his knuckles down her slit, he smiled devilishly at the way she shuddered. Her shaky breaths and the flush to her skin told him all he needed to know.
Using his thumbs, he explored her pussy. Soft. Pink. Wet. He dipped his thumb into her and gathered the slick heat there. Sliding easily now, he moved to her clit and traced the little pearl with the pad of his thumb. Her sharp intake of breath encouraged his movements. Drawing slow circles around that tiny bud, he teased Shay until she dropped her head back against the chair and closed her eyes.
Alexei leaned down and swiped her slit. Her taste reminded him of the sea and he couldn’t get enough. Hands on her inner thighs, he held her wide open and flicked at her clit. He took his time, nibbling and licking until she whimpered and clutched at his forearm. When he tugged the little bud between his lips, she arched off the chair, lifting her hips off the cushion and crying out as he tormented her.
Loving her reaction, he gripped her bottom in both hands and held her tight to his mouth as he feasted on her slick, soft heat. She made the wildest sounds, and he couldn’t get enough. She was always so quiet, so reserved and sweet. He wanted Shay to lose control. He wanted to unleash that wanton wildcat that he knew was hidden just beneath her surface.
Forcing her thighs farther apart with his broad shoulders, he traced her clit with steady strokes. He didn’t care if he was on his knees for the next hour. He was going to make her come and make her come hard.
Shay sucked in sharp, shaking breaths. He could feel the tension building in her legs. It wouldn’t be long now. Fluttering his tongue faster and more firmly, he zeroed in on a rhythm that made her scratch at his forearm. He would have a few more marks for Ivan to tease him about at the gym tomorrow.
“Alexei,” she whispered. “Alexei, please don’t stop.”
Always so polite, he thought with some amusement. But she didn’t need to bother asking. He wasn’t going to stop.
With a thrust of her hips, she pressed against his mouth and came with a ragged groan. He licked her right through that orgasm, cupping her perky ass and ravishing her with his tongue until she sagged against the chair. Wanting to give her a chance to recover before he pushed things to an even more intense level, he abandoned her clit and gripped the backs of her thighs. He pushed her knees toward her chest and grinned wolfishly at the way she was so beautifully displayed for him.
“What are you doing to me?” Shay’s fing
ers were in his hair now, her short nails scratching at his scalp.
“What I should have done last night if I wasn’t such a selfish asshole.” He dipped his tongue into her and smiled at her little squeal of delight. Licking a finger, he got it nice and wet before sliding it into her tight channel. Worried she might still be sore after the way he had taken her last night, he eased his way inside and pumped slowly.
He returned to that pink pearl begging for his attention and fluttered his tongue over it. She gasped and swiveled her hips, silently urging him to continue. He understood her body now and it didn’t take him very long to find the right rhythm this time. Her thighs fell open as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge. She draped one leg over his shoulder as he added a second finger and thrust deeper.
When he curled his fingers inside her pussy and stroked just so, her shoulders shot off the chair. She surged against him, and he had to hold her down with a hand firmly planted on her lower belly. Massaging a slow circle there, he worked her with his tongue and fingers until he drove her right into a powerful orgasm. Rocked by the pleasurable waves, she cried out his name until she fell back against the chair in a blissed out state.
Satisfied that he had made up for his shortcomings last night, he placed a lingering kiss right on top of her clit and then dotted a line of them right up to her navel. He slid one of his hands across her belly and under her sweater. She wore no bra under the oversized top, and he appreciated the easy access to her lush breasts. He circled one nipple and then the other while taking in her relaxed, happy smile.
Brushing her fingers along his jaw, she said, “I’ve changed my mind. This chair is the perfect size. I think we should keep it.”
He laughed and kissed her stomach. “Whatever you want, ptichka.”
Chapter Seventeen
Still thrumming with aftershocks, I leaned back in the chair and watched Alexei strip in the bathroom. His lean body rippled as he tossed his gym clothes into hampers tucked away in a cabinet. In the full light of day, I could see all the tattoos on his back and legs. Someday I wanted to ask him about each and every one of them. Even if the stories weren’t particularly nice, he wouldn’t hide anything from me.