King’s Ransom: A Dark Bratva Romance (Ruthless Doms)

by Henry, Jane

  I’m so angry, I can hardly see straight. I grind my teeth together so I don’t say something I regret. I’ll have her alone shortly, and she will tell me exactly what the fuck she was doing. It’s bad enough she left my side without permission, in blatant disobedience to my commands. But when I saw that man’s hands on her—fuck, I need to hit something. Break something.

  My muscles contract and sweat forms on my brow, my body vibrating with anger as I escort her out of the room. What the fuck was she thinking? She better have a good goddamn answer for what she did. I’m about to redden her ass so badly she won’t sit for a damn week.

  I never should have brought her here. Never.

  Thankfully, no one follows us as we make our way to our room. And what a fucking waste. I found out literally nothing in that little private party than I knew before I came. Has this entire visit to the ship been in vain? We should’ve flown straight to Moscow.

  But if I hadn’t brought her here… my mind goes back to that scene we shared before she left, and hell, my dick’s hard again just thinking about it. Would she have done what she did?

  Daddy.

  I shake my head and open the door to our room. I don’t care how sweet that moment was or how sexy, I have rules for her, and for good reason, and this little girls in big fucking trouble.

  I drag her in the room and slam the door.

  “Stefan,” she begins, but a swift slap to her ass has her quickly amending herself. “Daddy!” We are not on equal footing here and we might as well get that cleared up.

  I spin her around and pin her against the door before I grasp her shoulders. I want to pound this door with my fist, until it splinters and shatters, find that motherfucker who came near her and knock his fucking teeth down his throat. “What were you thinking?” I say, my voice taut with anger. “You disobeyed me. You risked your safety. Christ, Taara, if I hadn’t come in there right then—” I want to shake the truth out of her before I take her across my lap for the spanking of her life.

  “I had to,” she says. “Please. Listen to me. I’ll tell you everything. Please, daddy.”

  My cock hardens and instead of punishing her, I frame her face in my hands and bring her mouth to mine. I give thanks for this moment, that she’s safe with me, that I found her in time, and that no one hurt her. Her soft, sensual mouth melds with mine, her hands wrapping around my waist as if to steady herself. She moans, and one lone tear falls down her cheek. With great reluctance, I pull my mouth away from hers and whisper in her ear, “Why, Taara?”

  “She had answers for me,” she whispers back. “I have the location and time we need.”

  I close my eyes. “It wasn’t worth the risk to your safety,” I tell her. “If I wasn’t so angry with you, I’d take my belt to your ass for this. Hell, I still will. You’ll learn that daddy says what he means.” I kiss the softest part of her cheek. “Always.” I can’t believe she has the power to make my anger evaporate so easily. A moment ago, I wanted to throttle the girl for what she did, but now, I want to wrap her up and tuck her away. Take her to a place where no one will ever find us. Strip her clothes off and make sweet, lazy love to her until she comes beneath me, then falls asleep beside me, her body one with mine.

  There’s no use denying what’s between us anymore. I’ve never allowed myself to have feelings for her. She was too young, too innocent. But now that we’re alone in this… the two of us thrown together in a situation where neither can back out now… I have to accept the truth. I’m falling in love with this woman.

  “I—I believe that you meant what you said,” she says in a soft voice, the sound skittering along my skin like fairy dust, almost, almost weaving me into its magic. “And I knew you’d be angry. But please listen to me, daddy. I had to do it.”

  “Like hell you had to.”

  “I did,” she says, and a fire lights her eyes when she looks at me. “And I’d do it again.”

  That does it.

  “Oh, really?” I ask, pulling away from her and standing her in front of me. “Would you?”

  This is not okay. Not at all.

  And that little firecracker puts her hands on her hips and flashes those beautiful eyes at me. “I would. Because it’s important. And because I need to prove to you that you can trust me!”

  “By disobeying me?” I ask, reaching for the buckle of my belt.

  “Yes!” she says. “Well… I mean…” and then her gaze travels to my hands, and she watches in wide-eyed fascination as I unbuckle my belt and tug it through the loops.

  “By helping you,” she says.

  “Go on,” I say, folding my belt into a loop and giving it a good, hard snap, which make her jump.

  She backs toward the bed, and now I’ve changed my mind. I like the tiny size of this room. There’s nowhere for her to go.

  In one step, I’ve caught her.

  “Stefan!” she protests, when I flip her over and push her belly down on the bed. “Don’t!”

  “Don’t what?” I ask. “Whip your pretty little ass for disobeying me? I’m sorry, little girl. I think you’ve woefully underestimated me.”

  In one quick tug, I rip the little dress and it practically disintegrates in my hands. A firm hand on her lower back pins her in place and with the other, I snap the folded leather across the fullest part of her ass.

  “Ow!” she howls. My dick’s a steel rod at the sight of the red stripe on her creamy, gorgeous skin. I lash her again, and again, ignoring her mewls and howls of protest. The way she wriggles beneath me makes me even harder, but I don’t let up. This little girl is going to learn that I mean what I say, if I have to take my belt to her every damn day.

  “You’ll obey your daddy,” I tell her. “Am I clear?” Our mission is urgent and deadly, and I won’t let her strong sense of justice and fearlessness endanger her life.

  “Yessss,” she wails, as I whip her again, the thwap of leather and her protests making me almost lose my resolve. “Yes, daddy.”

  I bring the belt down three more times in quick succession, red stripes lining her pretty skin.

  “Will you ever go against my instruction again?”

  Thwap.

  “No, daddy,” she wails. “I’m sorry, daddy!”

  “This matters, Taara,” I lecture. “This fucking matters.”

  She howls when the leather falls across the crease at the top of her thighs. “I know,” she moans.

  “Then please, Taara. Never again. You’ll do what I tell you.”

  Thwap.

  “You’ll trust me to take care of you.”

  Thwap.

  “Do not disobey me.”

  She’s mewling little protests into the bed and nodding her head. She’s had enough. I lay the belt down beside her and run my hand along her heated, reddened skin. She still bears the marks of the caning I gave her, and now my belt. At first, she flinches and moans, until she relaxes into my touch. Allowing me to make it better.

  I massage her tender skin, my palm cupping each of her ass cheeks as I rub out the burn and sting. My cock’s aching for release, straining against the zipper of my pants, but I need to tend to her. A daddy’s job is more than enforcing rules. I have to be sure she’s okay.

  “Come here,” I murmur, turning her around and lifting her up into my arms. I cradle her to me and walk to the head of the bed, sitting down and holding her to my chest. I rock her, whispering soothing, calming words.

  “I don’t care how urgent you think it is,” I tell her. “You don’t know the evil some of these men are capable of. How easily they would end your life.”

  And as I hold her to me, rocking her back and forth in consolation, I know. She’s more than my charge. I’ve cared for Taara for as long as I remember, but not in this way.

  I love this woman. Love her.

  “How could I have found out what I needed to?” she asks, her voice shaking.

  “You could’ve trusted me to find out. Or told me who I needed to speak with. I could have
at the very least orchestrated you talking to the girl without the danger of someone accosting you.”

  She doesn’t speak at first. “I suppose that would’ve worked,” she finally admits with a sigh, and I actually laugh.

  “I suppose,” I concede. I sigh. “Taara. When I saw you were gone, I thought the worst.” I close my eyes, remembering when I realized. I looked to my left, then my right, and over every inch of the small, private room before I heard a commotion near the bathroom. And when I saw that asshole breaking down that door, I knew. I fucking knew she’d be in there.

  I kiss one cheek, then the next. She took that spanking without shedding a tear. Taara is my brave girl.

  She watches me, wide-eyed, her eyes bright and damp.

  “You thought the worst?” she whispers. “What do you mean?”

  “That you were gone,” I say, my voice choked. “That someone hurt you. These men are capable of terrible evil, Taara. They don’t even think twice.”

  Her eyes drop to my chest, and she runs one finger along my shoulder, as if testing to see if I’m real. That she didn’t make this up. Like she’s fantasized about this very moment.

  “They are,” she whispers. “Which is why I want to defeat them.”

  “I’m not an innocent,” I tell her. “I’m not a good man. But I will do whatever I need to protect you.”

  “You killed that man because you had to,” she says, her voice stronger now. “If you didn’t—”

  I put my finger to her lips. “I never, ever take a life without good reason. But we will not sugarcoat who I am or what I do. We do not justify what I’ve done. Ever. Do you understand me?”

  I know then the spanking I gave her got through, because she nods submissively and swallows hard.

  “We don’t ever justify my actions. I’m the leader of one of the most dangerous organized crime rings not only in this country, but this world. You know that, don’t you?”

  She nods again. “Yes,” she says, then she pushes herself up on my lap so she’s facing me. “But I want you to know something. I’m not as naïve as you might think, and anyway, I…” I watch as she swallows hard before she says with conviction, “I… I lo--I still care about you anyway.”

  She was going to say I love you.

  Christ. But she held herself back.

  She has to. I have to. Fucking hell, we both do.

  “I...care about you, too,” I tell her, feeling like an idiot. But I do. I fucking do. “It’s why I punished you just now.” My voice breaks when I admit the truth to her. “Because if anything ever happened to you—if anyone had taken you—” I can’t finish the sentence.

  I take her in my arms and lean her back, silencing her with a gentle, tender kiss. She tastes like fine wine in summer, decadent and sumptuous, and with her tucked against me like this, all feminine curves and exotic temptation, molded to my body, she feels as if she belongs here. Just like this, just this way, and the very thought of anyone taking her from me fires me with conviction.

  I will keep her safe, no matter the cost.

  With that knowledge, I deepen the kiss. When her lips part I slide my tongue between them in exploration. She sighs into me, her hands grasping for purchase around my neck. Standing, I take her with me and lay her on the bed, still locked together in a kiss. In silence, we declare our vows to one another, held in this unbreakable bond.

  My hands ride up her body, bunching what remains of her tattered dress in hand. I release her mouth so I can tear her clothes off over her head, but as soon as she’s divested of the dress, I go back to kissing her. When my lips are locked with hers, I can breathe more easily, my breath and hers one. Unwilling to take my mouth off hers, I cup her jaw and mentally tell her everything I want to say. What I wish I could.

  I love you.

  I will protect you.

  I will keep you safe from whatever threatens us.

  This is no mere girl I’ve just met, but someone I’ve watched grow to be the woman she is now. Fearless and brave, brilliant and loyal.

  But I can’t let myself fall for her. I won’t.

  She’s supposed to be my fucking prisoner.

  The need between us builds, and I don’t bother to stop her hands gripping my shirt, yanking it up my body. I tear my mouth off hers with great reluctance but find solace in the fiery eyes that meet mine.

  “Take your clothes off,” she whispers.

  “Your ass is still striped with my belt and you’ve got the nerve to tell me what to do?” But my lips twitch. She wants this as much as I do, and it’s goddamn electrifying.

  “You bet your ass I do,” she whispers, gripping my ass cheeks in her hands. “You bet this glorious, tight ass I do.”

  “Naughty girl,” I say with a cluck of my tongue. “Such a naughty little girl.”

  I take the hem of my shirt and yank it over my head, loving the way her eyes drink me.

  “Oh Lord, have mercy and salvation,” she whispers, running one long, tapered finger over my shoulder, tracing the faded ink there. “I was probably in grade school when you got these.”

  “That matters?”

  She shakes her head. “No,” she says. “It makes me want you all the more. Something tells me you’re like whiskey. You get better with age.”

  I chuckle, tossing my t-shirt to the floor, where it falls into a tumbled heap while I allow her to continue to explore my body. Her hands roam up and down my sides, over my abs, and as she explores my muscles and ink, my cock aches to be in her.

  “Wow, you are so damn hot,” she says. I chuckle, lift her hand to my mouth, and kiss each of the tips of her fingers.

  “I like your hands all over me like this,” I say. “But if I have to wait one more minute to feel your pussy wrapped around my cock, I might have to punish you again.”

  She giggles, and it’s the cutest damn thing I’ve ever heard. “That isn’t fair.”

  “Fair? No. Necessary? Yes.”

  “Then let’s take care of that, hmm?”

  Our hands meet at my waist, mine fumbling with the clasp of my jeans and hers helping push them down. They join the t-shirt and I take one quick second to give her a reassuring squeeze. When my cock springs free, she grasps it in her hand, stroking it with her eyes on mine.

  “Daddy likes what he sees, hmm?” she teases. I love this side of her, all saucy and sweet and bold.

  She strokes harder and faster. I can only groan in response, rocking my hips into her perfect touch. I cup her breasts and skim my thumbs over her peaked nipples. Her hips roll beneath me, and she strokes me faster.

  “Stop,” I groan. “Stop, Taara.” She obeys, and I give her a smile of approval. “That’s daddy’s good little girl.”

  “Oh, God, that’s so hot,” she moans. “Are we really going to do this?” she whispers. “Or am I dreaming?”

  We’re locked aboard a ship with men ensnared in evil, her body still bearing the marks of my punishment on her. I dragged her from her home and brought her into the middle of danger, and she wonders if she’s the one dreaming?

  “Shh, Taara,” I whisper, my finger to her lips. I fetch a condom from my wallet, her little mewl of displeasure from losing my touch making me that much harder.

  “Patience, babygirl.” I come back to her and slide the condom on, kneeling beside her. “Trust me, Taara.”

  A pretty little smile plays on her lips. “Yes, daddy.”

  My cock twitches in response, and she bites her lip, her eyes on mine. Leaning down, I capture her wrists in one hand and secure them above her head. My voice at her ear, I whisper, “We do this in silence, little one. Understood? No more talking.”

  Her eyes gleaming, she nods slowly, but mouths the words, yes, daddy. She looks at me with such adoration, such hope, I want to make every wish she holds in her heart come true. The utter trust and adoration she gives me fuels me. I can do anything when she looks at me like that. I anchor myself above her, holding onto her wrists, and line my cock up at her entrance. S
he bites her lip and I bend down, kissing the tension away. “Trust me,” I whisper in her ear. She parts her legs, welcoming me closer. I’ve forbidden her from speaking. This is her showing me trust.

  The first stroke shakes me to the core, it’s so fucking perfect. Her tight pussy milks my cock with ease, and she moves her hips while I rock against hers. I thrust, and she moans, I press her wrists harder and her hips rise to meet me. With every stroke of my cock her lips part wider, every thrust and her mewls get more frantic. Silently, like a lover’s waltz, her hands clasped in mine with her pinned beneath me, we chase heaven.

  I could come just like this, just from her hot cunt wrapped around my cock and her sweet, supple body bending to mine, but I wait, I hold on until her head falls back and her eyelids flutter closed, her lips part in a moan, and I warn her. “You ask permission before you come, little girl.”

  “Please, daddy?” she whispers, and those words make my cock twitch inside her.

  Fuck.

  Flushed cheeks. Parted lips. Sweet, seductive moans of pleasure.

  Jesus fuck.

  I groan out loud, “Come, babygirl,” and when she throws her head back in climax, I lose my mind. I come so hard my vision’s blurred, I’ve lost my voice, she’s moaning and wriggling in my grasp. I groan out my own climax, rocking my hips with hers. On the tail-end of her climax she writhes again, a second spasm overtaking the first, and her voice rises in pitch. So fucking passionate. So fucking beautiful. So graceful and impassioned, I’m losing myself to this woman like I never have before.

  I never let myself imagine that Taara could be mine. She is too innocent, too sweet, and way too damn young. But when I kiss her lips and touch my forehead to hers, I know.

  Tarra was created for this moment. Taara was created to be mine.

  I roll over and bring her to my chest. “Come here.”

  She tucks her head under my chin, hikes one knee up on my legs, and drapes her arms around me as if to put every cell of our naked bodies next to one another. It isn’t until I feel dampness on my chest that I realize she’s crying. She took a whipping with my belt and didn’t shed a tear, so I wonder where this comes from.

  “Baby,” I whisper. “Are you okay? What is it?”