by Raven Rivers
She came first, and again, making her orgasm seemed almost effortless for her big, sexy guy. The look on his face when she clamped down around his rod was priceless. His expression was a mash-up of pure male pride, pleasure, excitement, and a little pain. Three more thrusts and he stilled, emptying himself inside her.
When they were both spent and cuddled together she could feel his heartbeat slowing as he caught his breath. She ran her hand over his chest and looked up at him. “Thank you for allowing me into your life, Alek. I know we haven’t known each other all that long, but I adore you much more than you probably realize.”
He whispered, “I absolutely adore you as well, kotyonok. What am I going to do about you?”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not. You are perfect,” he replied. “How could you do anything wrong? I just know that after tonight I am not going to be satisfied with just casual dating.”
Delighted with his words, she responded happily, “Me neither. What can you do to get yourself here more often?”
He turned her face towards him. “I can take one full day off each week for us but I usually don’t get off work until late. At least nine. I would love to see you at night but I don’t want you to think I am just coming to sleep with you.”
“Fine, I’ll make sure you don’t get any sleep, then,” she grinned mischievously.
“How did this thing between us turn out to be so easy? Most of my relationships are awkward and I never know what to say to women.”
She curled against him and pulled up the covers. “Maybe you’ve been dating the wrong kind of women.”
“Indeed I have.”
Chapter 18
The Morning After
Sharon
Sharon woke up the next morning to find Alek draped face down across her bed on his stomach. His back was a tangle of tattoos with mostly Cyrillic lettering. Some were rough and others were quite beautiful. She’d noticed last night that he didn’t have stars on his chest, which she knew was a traditional mafia tattoo. He also didn’t have any tattoos involving tiers on buildings, which was a common one for men who spent time in jail. He had many others, though, and she wasn’t sure what all of them meant. She suspected nothing good and the thought only made her more protective of him. Gently pulling the sheet up over his body, she slid out of bed to make him some breakfast.
By the time he found his way to the kitchen, he’d managed to put on his pants and wash up a bit. He looked adorable with his hair damp around his face. Padding his way over to her, he wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed her on the neck.
“Are you well this morning, my sweet love?”
Glancing over her shoulder at him she replied, “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I worried that I was too rough,” he said, speaking quietly into her ear.
“You weren’t,” she assured him with a smile, recalling how he’d rocked her body and mind. “Sit, baby. I made a traditional high-protein and low-carb breakfast for you.”
“Thank you, kotyonok. That was considerate of you.”
They both sat down to eat and she folded her napkin over her lap before clearing her throat and speaking. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
His expression turned sour. “If you have determined that I am not for you in the cold light of day, I will understand.”
Her eyes jumped up to meet his. “No, not at all. I actually think I’ve fallen quite in love with you.”
Alek motioned for her to come to him and a soft, gentle look slid onto his face, that kind of pulled at her heart.
She walked over and he drew her down into his lap. “Go back to the part about you loving me,” he said softly. “I want to hear more about that piece. What exactly does loving me mean in your world?”
Sharon sat curled in his lap, wrapping her finger around a stray strand of her unraveling robe. “My sister is getting married tomorrow and I want you to come with me.”
I believe Victor has invited Timur and it would behoove me to focus on making sure nothing sparks between them until we find the traitor.”
“Please be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“You worry too much.”
“I finally found the man of my dreams. I love you and that means I want us to be exclusive.”
His hand came up under her chin. He tilted her face up to his and kissed her chastely on the lips. “Trust me, I love you in exactly the same way. You are sweet, kind, smart, beautiful, and all any man could ever want. Though my wish is to be all over you every minute of every day, I will contain myself. I wish to build our relationship into something that will stand the test of time.” He paused for a second, admiring her, then whispered, “You have beautiful brown eyes. Do you know that?”
Sharon smiled and tried to slide off his lap. “You probably tell all the girls that.”
Alek grasped her by the waist and hauled her back down for another kiss. “I do, but for you, it happens to be true.”
His lips gently caressed her own, teasing her to respond. Before she realized it, she had her fingers knotted in his hair and was kissing him passionately. His hands quickly began to roam.
She pulled back slightly and they took turns feeding each other small bites from his plate as she sat on his lap.
He seemed extremely content. “I honestly never thought I would have a beautiful woman cooking for me, much less feeding me. I wonder if you know how special you are.”
“After the last twenty-four hours, I find myself feeling very protective of you. I need you safe.”
Alek laughed at her protective streak. “Another first for me is having such a sweet and lovely person concerned about my safety. I am usually thought of as the expendable something one throws into a dangerous situation to keep others safe.”
“I don’t find anything about that statement funny,” Sharon frowned.
He pulled her close again, rocking her and stroking her hair. “I promise you, I will be fine. I will fight every fight just like you are watching from the sidelines and I won’t let anyone touch my… what did you call it? My gorgeous face. Save me a dance at the wedding. When it is over, I will come to you as soon as possible. We can spend the night together, yes?”
Sharon’s demeanor immediately brightened and she responded, “That would make me very happy.”
Sending Alek off for the day, Sharon headed to her room once again. She pulled open her closet and took out the long gown bag holding her outfit for the wedding. Unzipping it, she looked at the long snow-white gown. She found it odd that her sister wanted an all-white wedding. Sure, it was winter and there was snow, but it felt weird to wear a white gown to someone else’s wedding. Cassandra was hell-bent on violating all the rules, however. She packed an overnight bag and headed to her parents’ house to help her sister with last-minute preparations for the wedding. Tomorrow was the big day and she was intent on doing her part to make sure everything went smoothly.
Chapter 19
A Father’s Worries
Charles Nash
Catching Victor enjoying a quiet moment while Cassandra opened her gifts, Charles approached him. “Enjoying the wedding, Victor?”
Turning towards him, Victor straightened up and bowed his head slightly in a gesture of respect. “Not nearly as much as being married, sir.”
The man had been living under his roof for the better part of a month and still treated him like a high-ranking diplomat of some sort instead of family. “You’re so goddamn polite. Did your fancy-ass father teach you that?”
“He places more of an importance on good social skills than I do,” Victor replied. “Still, I can’t think that being a pompous prick to my new wife’s step-father is a good way to start my marriage.”
“Well, you did have the common decency to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage, so you can’t be all bad.”
“But I am.”
“Let’s hope so, ‘cause it’s the only way you’
re gonna survive around these parts.”
“You do not strike me as the kind of man to engage in idle chit-chat, Mister Nash. Is there something I can do for you today?”
“I’ll get right to the point.” Taking a drink of his brandy, he glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “I want to talk to you about my son.”
Victor replied blandly, “I am not whacking him for you. If that is what you want, then we have nothing more to discuss.”
Charles struggled to fight off the smile that came unbidden to his face as he tried to figure out if Victor was being serious. “Is that your idea of a joke?”
“I never joke.”
“Whatever. I am given to understand my son asked you to check up on a gentleman by the name of Aleksandr Koshikov.” Though Tony was the one with the most contact with Koshikov, Victor had to have dug up some information on the man.
“Yes, sir. I discovered that he was attending the university to get a degree in healthcare management when his brother screwed the Chensnokov family in an arms deal about six years ago,” Victor explained. “He has a mother who lives near Siberia. His brother stayed behind to care for her and their sister while Alek apparently offered himself until the debt is paid. They say he has over a million and a half left on that debt. He is highly valued because his fighting skills earn quite a bit for the family. I was also told he is quite intelligent and resourceful, if you know what I mean. I have already inquired about purchasing the contract for Tony but the family says they will not sell it. They think of him as family.”
“Seems a pittance to pay for such a resourceful gentleman. Why does Tony want that contract… do you even know?”
“I assume your daughter wants him free,” Victor shrugged.
“My daughters, as you well know from being with Cassandra, are not paupers. Sharon stands out in that she has put all that money in a Swiss bank account and will not spend it, referring to it as ‘blood money.’ Tony has been after her for years to give it to him because he considers it family money and insists it should be put to good use. I think he is afraid she will just donate it all to some charity one day.”
“You think if I purchase the contract for him, he will use it to leverage the money from her?”
Taking another drink of his brandy, Charles continued, “He won’t stop until he has all seven million. That is not his money. Therefore, he has no right to it. And, yes, he would blackmail his own sister. God, sometimes I can’t believe that little prick is my own son.”
Victor sighed and asked wearily, “So, we are not giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one?”
Charles shot him a disgusted expression. “Hell no. I learned not to do that with Tony long ago. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boy, but he is a shifty little son of a bitch when he wants to be. Buy the contract and put it in Sharon’s name or yours… anyone but Tony’s. Send me information on one of your receiving accounts and I will see the money gets wired first thing in the morning.”
Though Victor had said the family wouldn’t sell, every contract had a price. If anyone could, Victor would find it.
“It will be as you say. I would not fail you, your lovely daughter, or a Russian brother in need.”
“I was in a similar situation once. Early in my career I made a bad choice and spent an entire year of my life working for a total dickhead. I can’t imagine being indebted to another person for six years. He seems like a stand-up guy. God, it’s only money. I spent that much on my lake house just for a quiet place to fish.”
Victor shifted anxiously. “I will see to it immediately.”
“Not immediately. You have a wife and a honeymoon,” Charles reminded him. Victor was definitely a business first kind of guy.
“Of course, sir.”
“You’re making the right choice here, Victor. Don’t look so weirded out.”
“I have to admit this whole situation is making me uncomfortable… I’m not used to being the good guy.”
Charles laughed loud enough to draw notice from others. “I’ll be damned, you do have a sense of humor!”
Wandering off to talk with Victor’s father, Charles left his new son-in-law to enjoy his wedding.
Though the older man was suspicious and standoffish, Karl was more traditional in his thinking than Victor. Charles found him relatable. If he had to have in-laws, Karl and Genève Balakovich fell into the bearable category.
They walked outside to have a smoke and came upon his men showing their asses like they were prone to do when he wasn’t around to stop them. Sharon was walking toward the building, and Alek was leaning against Timur’s limo with his hands in his pocket. Three of his bare-knuckle boxing fighters were heading towards Koshikov, and they began exchanging words. By the time Charles and Karl walked up, Alek was saying, “Now that Sharon and I are together, we are more friends than enemies.”
Josh replied belligerently, “I know we’re not supposed to touch you, but I would almost pay a million dollars to know you’ll never have your hands on Sharon again. She deserves a man who can take care of her and treat her like a lady.” Jesus, it was like herding cats with his crew sometimes, Charles mused.
Alek opened his mouth to reply, but Charles intervened. “It doesn’t matter if Alek is with her or not,” he said sternly. “Sharon has already told you she wants nothing to do with you. It’s not his fault you can’t stop being an ass long enough for any woman to warm up to you.”
“Sorry, sir, I—”
Interrupting the ignorant man, Charles explained tiredly, “About the million… it’s not a penalty. I put a million on the head of anyone who whacks him. If you are too stupid to understand how a protection order works then you are definitely too stupid to be dating a doctor.”
Alek’s eyes jumped to Charles, then back to Josh, who was noticeably shaken.
Charles jerked his chin to Alek. “You will have to excuse Josh. Not all my men are smart enough to tell their friends from their enemies.”
Waving his fighters away, Charles held out a pack of cigarettes to Alek. Alek reached out, pulled out a smoke, and the old man tossed him a lighter.
When he tried to return it, Charles waved it back, saying, “You’ve taken up with one of the wealthiest and prettiest women in my family. Trust me, you have need of as much protection as I can give you.”
Alek looked at the lighter, running his thumb over the Nash family insignia stamped boldly onto the front and back of the shiny metal casing.
They stood smoking for a bit and Karl asked, “Why do you think your daughters like Russian men?”
The old man laughed ruefully, telling him, “I wish I knew. Maybe because you are all ballsy and brash. The real question is why I should allow any man to have them.”
Alek’s voice changed slightly, becoming harsher and edgier. “I think it is because you do not get a choice. Sharon has given herself to me and that must be good enough for you. I will not tolerate any interference in our personal affairs. And if you think to take out your frustration on her, know that if you touch her I will react as any man would when harm is visited upon the one he loves. Strip her of her inheritance if it pleases you, but if you touch her, you die.”
Charles threw his head back and laughed. “That would be exactly why I will tolerate you being with my Sharon. You love her and she loves you. You are willing to fight a mafia boss to keep her safe and you don’t care if she has money or not.”
Alek felt foolish to have fallen into the old man’s trap so readily and asked, “So that was all a test?”
“Maybe. Considering your situation, I should think that the money would certainly be of interest to you. I am curious as to why that is not so.”
Alek took a long draw off his cigarette. He seemed deep in thought. “I believe I have a way out of my current predicament.”
“You don’t look like a man with million and a half dollars lying around.”
Sighing, Alek confessed quietly, “I have something better. Firearms are
a passion for me. Over the years I have developed a prototype of a firing pin that is much more reliable than the ones currently on the market. I am of the mind to see if I can get gun manufacturers interested in purchasing my prototype.”
Whistling, Charles murmured, “Something like that might be worth a pretty penny.”
Karl had been listening with interest. “My wife’s family is a famous munitions manufacturer. We have been on bad terms since our marriage. I might be willing to be the middleman on a discussion with them.”
“What would such a service cost me?” Alek asked, intrigued.
“Considering you are soon to be family, I would not accept payment. My interest is in getting my wife access to her aging mother. The woman is frail and the men stubborn.”
“That sounds like a win-win,” Charles nodded. “You are a lot smarter than you look, son,” he told Alek, an impressed look on his face. “I know Karl will probably have your back, but I’d do some research and make sure you get compensated appropriately for your invention. Chances like this don’t come by but once in a lifetime.”
“Thank you. I think the real reason why your daughters love Russians is that we are strong and resourceful. After having a father who is a ruthless underworld figure, I don’t think lesser men quite hold their attention.”
The two older men laughed, then headed back inside to see the new bride and groom off.
Chapter 20
Throw Down
Sharon
Sharon crossed the street with a small bag of steak for her big, sexy guy. Bruno’s Butcher Shop was the finest in the area and her man deserved the best of everything, in her opinion. Entering the parking garage, she reached into her bag to pull out her keys when a vaguely menacing voice sounded off behind her.
“So far from the protection of your father and lover, are you not, little doctor?”