I know where you are, and I'm coming for you, it said.
How the hell had Aleksi gotten my new number already? I’d only had the phone for two goddamn days. I shoved the thought out of my mind. I couldn’t afford to freak out. I needed just to relax so I could figure out what to do later.
Through half-lidded eyes, I surveyed my surroundings. I had to hand it to him, Adrian's all glass shower was effective and beautiful. The high-powered spurts drumming heat into my bare flesh from several different angles felt exquisite. I'm pretty sure heaven must've felt something like it.
Even the ringing phone seemed far off, somewhere remote.
Hold up, when did the store owner say they were gonna call me back if they decided if they want to carry my clothes?
Cursing, I staggered out of the shower and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"
"This an okay time?"
I nearly dropped the phone in frustration. It was Pierce. "Not really," I said. "I was having a shower. "
"I just wanted to see how you were holding up."
"I'm doing great. Thanks."
Silence.
"You know I do actually care about you," he said.
"Yeah, you showed how much," I said sarcastically.
I scowled at my reflection in the mirror. Maybe I was being a bit of a bitch to Pierce. After all, I had also agreed that we didn’t need to get into anything too deep. It was a marriage of convenience to get me the hell out of Russia and away from Aleksi, but I still couldn’t help feeling a little betrayed at how easily he’d separated himself from me after our night together.
And even if he was apologizing for that now, I couldn’t allow myself to let him in. Not even a little bit.
"Can I go back to my shower now?" I said, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible.
"If you want," he said in a strained tone.
"What's the matter?" I said, unable to help myself. "Imagining how I look right now?"
I let out a shocked breath. Where did that come from?
"Maybe," Pierce said.
I licked my lips. If he wanted to play, then screw it. We could play. I just wasn't going to make the mistake of thinking it was anything more, like last time.
“Use your imagination. It shouldn’t be too hard since you’ve seen every part of me already anyway.”
A long, considered pause. Then, "Is your hair up or down?"
"However, you want," I shot back.
I moved so that part of my body was in the shower and its pleasurable heat of the running stream.
"Mmmm… That feels good."
A low displeased grunt. "Stop screwing with me."
"Why? Rather screw with me?"
"You know the answer to that."
"Hmm. Enjoy your blue balls. Bye Pierce."
I clicked off the phone.
I was pure evil.
27
Pierce
Damn that woman. I glared at my hard on bristling against my jeans. I was in the office for fuck’s sake.
I’d known it was a bad idea calling her from there or calling her at all.
She’d played with me, and she’d enjoyed it.
And all I had to show for it was an uncomfortable boner.
Scowling, I grabbed it. She was right, I could imagine her, she'd given me that. So, fuck her; I was going to finish what she'd started.
First, I went over and made sure the door was locked. Then I sat back down, unzipped my jeans, pulled out my dick, and got stroking.
Yeah, I could imagine her all right. I could imagine the look on her face if I just appeared in her bathroom right then, unexpectedly. How quickly that shock would turn to pleasure when I pushed her back into the shower, the hot wet droplets coating both of us as our hands grabbed and claimed each other again — picking up right where we left off.
Our lips would meet and taste; my hands would grasp those firm tits of hers and squeeze.
My cock twitched eagerly.
Oh yeah. My hand would follow the streaks of the hot water, down to her pussy which would be nice and wet and ready.
I’d pull off my jeans and pin her to the wall with my cock.
She’d gasp and back herself onto me desperately, needing more. Again, and again. We’d fuck hard and fast. The hot droplets streaming, not nearly as wet as she was, seeping down my legs, our bodies thrashing together as she came, once, again. Finally, at the climax, my cock spurt hot joy into her, and here too, my dick let off its load into an old gym towel I had in my hand.
Only after, as I sat there, did I realize just how much my ‘get Sasha out of my system’ hadn’t worked.
The rest of the day I was on autopilot. I called up potential contractors for more expansion quotes, then went home and ran a couple of errands. I stayed busy enough to successfully avoid calling Sasha the whole night.
But the next morning, as soon as my phone was in my hand, ostensibly to shoot Adrian a text, I found myself calling Sasha instead.
"Calling for round two?" she said in a teasing tone of voice.
You have no idea, I thought.
"Want to go out for lunch?" I asked instead.
I heard her sharp intake of breath.
Then, quietly, she asked, “What are you doing, Pierce?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I just want to see you. Talk, figure things out."
"There is nothing to figure out," she said. "You said it all, remember? I’m Adrian’s sister, off-limits. Not to mention that I'm not in a great place emotionally right now."
I closed my eyes. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"
Silence.
"Let's just talk,” I said, “And if it doesn't go well, if we can't come up with anything, then I promise I'll leave you alone. Just one lunch. I’ll pick you up in thirty."
The long pause that followed wasn't promising, but then Sasha said, "Fine."
Only when she hung up did my hands unclench and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
When I picked her up thirty minutes later, Sasha was wearing a pretty skirt and a determined frown.
"Don’t look so happy to see me," I tried to tease.
"I don't understand what the point of all this is," she said.
The car was at a stoplight, and she turned to face me head on. "What are you trying to do? What happened to us needing to keep this an arrangement only? What happened to me being off limits?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it. How the hell could I explain it to her, when I couldn’t explain it myself?
My phone buzzed. It was Adrian.
A horn blared behind me, and I pulled away from the light. As I drove, I read the text - what's up bro?
I clenched the steering wheel tighter. Sasha was right. I had a duty to Adrian, and I’d betrayed that duty, but I could still make it right.
I yanked the car into a U-turn as Sasha gaped at me.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry," I said. "You're right about everything. We’ve made our choices, and I can’t keep confusing the issue. I'll just drive you home now."
She said nothing. Part of me wanted to tell her the truth; even though it had been a crazy short period of time, I felt something for her and wanted to see if we have more than a fake marriage of convenience. But it was for the best that I let her go.
Once I got to Adrian's apartment building, I pulled over, and Sasha opened the car door.
"Sasha," I said.
She paused as our gazes met.
Dammit, what those liquid honey eyes did to me.
She got out of the car without bothering to look at me again. "Goodbye," she said.
"Goodbye," I echoed, but she’d already slammed the door behind her.
28
Sasha
Wasn't getting away from your dangerous ex supposed to make you sleep better?
I glared into my bedroom ceiling. Maybe I just needed my own apartment. I’d made some appointments for the next day to check some places out at least.
I got another pillow and shoved it under the first. I didn't want to look and see what time it was. That would just make me more frustrated.
Really though, it was all Pierce's fault. The way he kept going hot and cold was screwing with my head.
And earlier that day, when he'd been dropping me off at Adrian's apartment, he had been about to tell me something, but he’d held back.
I ignored the butterflies in my chest. It wasn't the time to give into the first attraction I'd had since Aleksi. It was the time to get my life in order, my head together, and stop falling for guys who were bad for me.
I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep.
But the only thing that entered in my head was that text I'd received the other day, the one that had freaked me the hell out.
I know where you are, and I'm coming for you.
It was from an unknown number, but I didn't need to see the caller ID to know that it was Aleksi. The only question was, had he been telling the truth or just bluffing? If he’d gotten my new cell number, what else was he capable of?
If there was one thing about Aleksi, it was that he was a doer, true to his word. All I could do was hope that it wasn't the case here. I hadn’t told Adrian yet; I wanted to do it in person, tomorrow, so he wouldn't lose his shit and enforce some kind of crazy quarantine on me.
I closed my eyes again and prayed for sleep to come.
When I opened them, I knew it was too late. Aleksi’s hands were around my throat.
"I warned you," he said. "I told you. You’re mine. Only mine."
I open my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The fear was cloying.
I thrashed wildly, jabbing out. But those hands of his were merciless, squeezing the life out of me until I woke with a jolt.
I would've cursed, except there was light peering through the slit at the bottom of the window shutters. I had managed to sleep until morning.
I got out my phone to see a missed call from my parents.
I called them up, and my mom answered.
"Sasha!"
"Hi Mom," I said.
"How is it?" she asked in Russian. "Adrian said he's been trying to get you a job, but you won't budge."
I laughed. "You know how he is. I’ve got this business thing handled. Already have several stores who are going to sell my stuff. And I'm going to update my Etsy page again soon too."
"That's great," Mom said. "Your brother’s been bullying us too, as you probably know. Forcing us to take his money." She sighed. "Your father's a proud man, but we do need it. Direly. So, it's very welcome."
"I'm so glad," I said. "You guys deserve every penny for how crazy he was growing up."
Mom chuckled. "That he was. When he broke Aunt Edna's favorite tea dish, I thought I'd never hear the end of it."
"I don't think we ever did," I said. "Didn’t she mention it last year when she came over for Easter?"
We laughed.
"Well, I'm glad you're settling in okay," Mom said carefully.
"Me too," I said. "Is that everything?"
"No," she admitted. "There's something else. Your father doesn't want me to tell you, or worry you, but it's Aleksi and those boys of his. They haven't been seen around here since you left. It's only been a few days, and I'm sure they'll turn up, but I just want you to keep a lookout in case they followed you there."
I swallowed a sick lump in my throat. "You're probably right; they’ll come back around soon I’m sure," I forced myself to say. "But I’ll keep an eye out anyway." There was no way I was telling my mother that Aleksi had already managed to threaten me in New York.
"I better let you go," Mom said. "My busy worker bee daughter."
I chuckled. "Thanks, Mom. Talk to you later."
I hung up with trembling hands.
Oh, shit.
Mom didn't know Aleksi and the boys the way I did. They lived to see and be seen. As far as I knew, there wasn't a day that they didn't go out on the town, making some sort of ruckus or scene wherever they went. Them not being seen for days was a bad sign.
If they weren’t being flashy around town, that meant they probably weren’t in town.
But how could they have found out where I'd gone so fast?
I sat down on the chair. I had to tell Adrian, that much was obvious.
Hearing him freak would just make me more scared, though. And I didn't want just to stay cloistered inside, trapped like an animal as I’d been back in Moscow. Even when I had been in Aleksi's good graces, I felt like a brittle doll, ready to fall apart or be swept up by Aleksi at a moment’s notice.
I picked up my phone, scrolling through the few contacts I had. Who would be able to make me feel better?
When my finger stopped on Pierce's number, I pulled it away. No way. Not him.
He was right; we had to stay far, far away from each other.
The only question was, who else could I turn to?
29
Pierce
I shoved my phone angrily in my pocket. It was the third time that day I had been aimlessly finding myself inching toward the ‘call Sasha’ button. I had already messed things up with her badly enough. I needed to let her go.
Anyway, there wasn't time now. Adrian and some of the climbing boys and I were headed for the gym.
"You guys ready to break a sweat?" Adrian said in his put-on high-pitched gym instructor voice.
"Hell yeah!" all the men declared, pumping eager fists in the air.
And so, it began. We descended on the gym with the fury of maniacs, but only I stayed in the mindset. I went for the heaviest weights first, two weight classes over my usual one. And even as pain and rebellion ripped through my body, I lifted.
From press station to curl station, barbell to barbell, move to move, I went like a machine.
At one point, Adrian passed by and watched me with raised brows. "You trying to kill yourself?"
I barely heard him. I lifted and moved, and I only stopped when I realized I was the only one left in the gym. Everyone else had finished.
"Was wondering when you'd show up," Adrian said as I walked into the locker room, taking a swig of his water bottle while his brow danced my way. "You trying to be the next Arnold?"
I shrugged. I was in no mood to think about it.
"You Adrian?" A pale well-muscled guy, who did actually look like he could give Arnold Schwarzenegger a run for his money asked.
"Yeah," Adrian answered.
"You know Aleksi?" he asked.
Adrian nodded, his shoulders tensing and his hands balling into fists at his side.
"What about him?"
"We heard he’s looking for you," said another beefy guy, coming up to stand beside the first. "Be careful, bro."
"Where did you hear that?" Adrian asked as they were walking away.
"From friends," the first guy shrugged nonchalantly.
After they left, Adrian and I stood there for a long moment.
“Who the hell were those guys?” I asked.
Adrian shrugged, staring off in the distance, his face frozen.
"So, he’s really in town," he said slowly, shaking his head. "This is bad. Really, really bad."
He got out his phone, muttering to himself, "I tried talking to Sasha more a few days ago, but couldn't get much out of her. Finally, she got fed up and told me some name. Aranovsky or something."
Adrian opened YouTube on his phone and typed in ‘Aranovsky, Russian mob.’ As soon as we saw the video picture, my fists tightened instinctively.
Adrian clicked on it and we watched in silence.
The words they spoke were in Russian, but I didn't have to speak the language to know what was going on. Five guys, with bicycle chains, against one. If this was who Sasha’s ex was running with, she and Adrian were both in a world of shit.
"Do you want help looking after Sasha?" I asked quietly.
"Maybe. I’ll let you know," Adrian said. "Maybe I can goad my building manager into installing
an extra security guy for the next few weeks if I pay for it."
"Okay," I said.
"I have to go," Adrian said, rushing away.
I went to my car. My building had way better security than Adrian’s by far, but that didn't mean it would be the right place for Sasha. I meant to do what I’d promised myself – stay away from her for her own good.
But what if she was in danger?
Fuck that. I couldn't see her hurt. That. Could. Not. Happen. Not on my watch.
I drove in a thoughtless fury, and it was only when I pulled up to Adrian's apartment building that I realized I hadn’t been heading home.
Seeing Adrian get out and walk toward the door, I relaxed in my seat.
Adrian said he had it handled. There was no point in me hanging around where I wasn’t needed.
30
Sasha
"Thank God you're alright," Adrian said as soon as he got in the doorway.
I walked out of the shower with the towel wrapped around me. "What's up?"
"You don't answer your phone, is what's up," Adrian said, half hysterical. "I've been calling and calling and texting and recalling for twenty fucking minutes!"
His eyes were bulging saucers, his face red, his eyebrows flung up.
"What happened?" I said, a feeling of dread in the pit of my belly.
"At the gym," Adrian said in a voice tight with anger. "Some guys came up to Pierce and me, said that Aleksi is looking for me. They warned me to be careful."
"A warning?" I said, my heartbeat ramping up to a thousand. "What does that mean? Is he here?"
Adrian's head bowed. "Must be."
"Shit." I steadied myself on the wall behind me. Suddenly, the room was spinning. This couldn’t be happening.
"That's not all," I said quietly. "I got a text too."
"You what?" Adrian exclaimed. “When?”
"I was going to tell you today," I said. "I just didn't want you worrying unnecessarily."
"Worrying unnecessarily? In what world, where the Russian mob is after my little sister, would that be worrying unnecessarily?"
"I don't know," I said miserably as Adrian looked at the text.
"This is bad," he said, "Really bad. I don't know if it's safe here for you."
My head snapped up. "No. No. I do not want to go in hiding. Adrian, I've been making contacts. I've got some businesses that are gonna carry my clothes. I like it here."
Protecting Sasha Page 7
