Vadim left the car keys in the bowl on the table near the front door. She had access to their shared bank account if she needed funds, and wherever she went, she knew he’d be watching her from the shadows.
Too bad Eve didn’t want to be anywhere but here. Why would she want to travel out of the country, to see the world, alone? Grabbing a robe from the bathroom, she tied it around her waist and padded outside with her cellphone.
Seeing zero messages, her worry intensified. Vadim had left that morning, telling her he’d be back in a couple of hours. She shivered despite the thick material of the robe. Vadim told her he planned on taking out the trash.
Eve was no fool. She understood what he meant, what he planned on doing. Vadim planned to take the head of the snake and kill Gustav, and yet she didn’t stop him from leaving. Part of her still thirsted for vengeance against the man who murdered her kin, had planned on eliminating them all for years.
She spotted Vadim’s binder containing information on the Petrovich family by the side of the couch, forgotten over the past few days. Vadim had the information in an online backup somewhere else she knew, but he liked seeing the information on paper so he could make connections.
Realizing she wouldn’t be able to sleep, especially with the knowledge Vadim might be out there in God only knew what state, she fixed herself a hot cup of chamomile tea. Eve sat on the kitchen counter, staring at her cellphone screen.
Eve knew some part of her had been flawed, like her mother claimed, for falling hard and fast for a man like Vadim, but she’d lived with a family of killers. Family came first, her father always insisted, but some men had backstabbed him and betrayed him in the end, too. They’d been his flesh and blood, too. Besides, she came to the realization that she had no right judging Vadim.
She gripped her cup, until no more steam came out. The liquid tasted cold on her tongue when she took a sip. Her nerves hadn’t settled at all, but when the front door rattled open, she jumped, ran to it, then halted.
What if it wasn’t Vadim?
A bandaged hand shoved the door open. Relief filled her at the sight of her man, but Vadim practically staggered in. Eve took quick stock. Bloodied, bruised, but her man was alive, and only that mattered. Had he been shot? Hard to tell yet, but she needed to tend to him soon.
She let him lean on her and felt the press of his lips on the side of her neck a moment later.
“You need to sit. Come on.” She led him to the living room couch, bidding him to sit. “Wait here, I’m getting the first aid kit.”
She retrieved the supplies from the bathroom. Eve had some first aid training. She’d thought the skill useful in case one of her father’s men dropped in the house, injured but refused to go to a hospital.
“Take off your shirt and the vest,” she ordered, helping him peel off the soaked fabric. Since he couldn’t reach the straps, she undid his bullet-proof vest. She winced at what lay underneath, drying blood and blossoming bruises.
“It’s not bad as it looks,” he muttered. “Were you always this fussy?”
“Hush, I need to focus.”
She worked in silence for a bit, but had been relieved to see that aside from a few bullets that sliced through skin but didn’t penetrate or rapture any important organ, Vadim was fine. Eve let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She placed the bandages and disinfectant back in the box, and threw away the dirty gauze and bloody cloths, only to find the couch empty.
The door remained open. Heart kicking, she padded out only to see Vadim’s profile under the stars. She approached him, tentatively at first, before wrapping her arms around his waist. He startled, then rubbed at the goosebumps that appeared over her arms.
“You shouldn’t be walking around.”
“Are you ordering me back to bed?” he asked in an amused voice. “No serious injuries.”
She glowered at him, and he turned, spinning her so they looked at each other in the eye. Unable to hold her tears, she let them fall, and pounded her fists against his chest. It felt like punching a wall. Vadim let her, though, until all the anger and frustration melted away.
Vadim closed his hands over her wrists, pulling her close to lick her tears away, before angling her mouth for a rough, wet kiss that made her insides melt. When he pulled away, she stopped crying.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” she demanded, only for Vadim to lean in close again, the kiss slow and tender, surprising her.
Vadim pulled away.
“You can’t keep doing that to solve problems,” she complained.
“What about sex?”
She blushed. Eve didn’t often have nightmares anymore. It was as if Vadim’s presence chased all the ghosts and demons away. She slept snugly, with his limbs wrapped possessively around her body, sometimes with his cock buried deep within her. When their bodies were joined, she felt like a new person, stronger and braver.
Eve had loved her family, even though they thought of her as an inconvenience. She’d continue to mourn for them, but when she tried to think of any good memories, she came up with few. Her parents had been too busy to raise Clarissa and her, and none of the family paid much attention to the chubby girl who had no value save the Valentin family name.
She’d felt invisible her entire life until Vadim saw her. One didn’t choose their family, but Eve could choose her man.
Eve leaned against him, and he wrapped those corded arms around her, holding her as long as she needed to be held. Over his shoulder, she saw the thick cluster of trees that made up the walls of their fortress, their home, his and hers. Beyond the forest, was the curve of a mountain, and above it, silver stars streaked across the inky darkness of the night sky.
Beautiful, she thought in wonder. For two souls raised in the underbelly of violence, standing here with the one man who owned her, body and heart, she felt nothing but contentment. Peace. At last Eve could close the door to the past and cast her gaze to the present.
He rested one hand on the curve of her back. “It’s done.”
“Done?”
Oh, she understood Vadim had been honed since young to take lives, but part of her still couldn’t believe the man who’d murdered her family rotted in some unnamed grave.
Vadim nuzzled her neck before answering her.
“Gustav is dead, and without the family head, his lieutenants would be scrambling for power. We’d be safe for a while, but I’ll remain vigilant. Let them come for us. I’ll fucking kill everyone.”
“Will the cycle of vengeance ever end?” Eve asked, although she knew the answer to that. The answer might be never, but it didn’t matter, because as along as she had her man by her side, they were going to be okay.
“I love you,” she murmured, running her hands up his body, resting them over the heart that beat, calm and confident. Hers. This gorgeous and lethal male belonged to her as much as she to him.
Vadim grazed her bottom lip with his teeth. “I fucking love you, too, princess.”
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Eve curled herself on the patio swing facing their yard, book in hand and a cool glass of iced tea in another. The cool autumn breeze felt nice on her face, and she’d dressed appropriately for the weather, too, in a light sweater and jeans. Eve had done everything she needed to do for the day. She’d sent multiple job applications that morning and finished up the rest of the household chores the rest of the day.
She didn’t open her book immediately. Eve set the items on the small table next to the swing and looked out at the yard. For now, it just had grass and an old maple tree that came with the property, but she could see the patches of brown earth where she planted seeds the weekend before with Vadim’s help.
Never in her wildest imagination did she envision this—building a home with a man she loved, far away from the violence of the city. Thinking of Vadim stoically standing on one side as she explained that she wanted an edible garden made her giggle. For a man who cla
imed his only skill involved taking lives, Vadim turned out to be pretty handy with gardening tools.
In a few months’ time, their yard would, she hoped, be lively with fresh produce. Eve shut her eyes, leaned backwards, enjoying the peace and quiet. So much had changed since the night Vadim returned with news Gustav Petrovich was dead.
Had it really been only three months ago since they opened up a map and chosen to settle down in a remote small town near the mountains?
It felt much longer. Before moving to the town of Wilworth, they’d had one assassination attempt from a low-level Petrovich hitman, which Vadim had no trouble dealing with. They hadn’t encountered any problems so far. Vadim left that hitman’s mutilated body as a warning to the others. To her surprise, Vadim also struck a deal with the FBI. Eve didn’t know what went down in that particular meeting, but Vadim now worked as a consultant for them.
Being attached to the Feds would also dissuade any hothead from the Petrovich family from coming at them again. Gustav’s death had scattered the once powerful family, and Vadim predicted they had more important manners to be concerned about.
The swing dipped, and she didn’t need to open her eyes to guess who the added weight belonged to. Vadim placed his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close. Opening her eyes, she linked their fingers together. They said nothing for a few moments.
“How was your day, baby?” he asked.
Eve lifted her head as he began rocking the swing slowly. “I sent out a few more resumes, but I managed to score an interview for a job at the local library.”
His gaze met hers, and he broke into a huge grin. “Fuck, baby, congratulations!”
“Thanks, I hope I get the job. As you know, I love books, but if not, there are other jobs,” she answered.
Vadim scoffed. “Of course. They’re idiots if they don’t hire you. If they choose someone else, I can pay the interviewer a surprise visit during the night, put a gun to his head.”
Eve knew Vadim was joking though. She liked seeing Vadim like this, able to laugh easily and be completely relaxed around her. She teased him back. “Don’t do that. I want the townsfolk to like us.”
“I’ll wear a disguise.”
“You’re impossible,” she retorted. Eve rose to her feet, aware of his intense gaze, raking her up and down. The hungry look on Vadim’s face told her his thoughts were of the dirty sort. “I need to get dinner ready,” she reminded him.
He grabbed her arm, pulling her close. Eve straddled his lap, locking her arms around his neck.
“I think I want dessert first,” he said. Vadim placed one hand on her lower back, supporting her.
The other he used to yank up her sweater and push down her bra. Cool air brushed her tits, but Vadim lowered his mouth to her left nipple, sucking on it. She moaned, her core heating up. Her pussy clenched, getting wetter as he easily unworked her jeans and slipped one big hand down the waistband of her panties. Vadim fingered her clit, then bit down on her nipple, leaving his teeth-marks there.
She shuddered, moving her hands down his chest, to his belt buckle.
“Missed me, baby?” he asked, lifting his head, cocky grin on his face. “Or my cock?”
“Both.”
His deep and sexy laugh seemed capable of melting her insides. She felt like jelly in his arms, groaning when he slid two fingers into her tight cunt. He pushed them in and out, making her want something bigger inside her.
“We should go inside, in case the neighbors hear us,” she managed to whisper.
Miraculously, he stopped. She hopped off his lap. Vadim stood, placing one possessive hand on her lower back as they retreated inside the house. They made it as far as the kitchen. Vadim pinned her against the counter, turning her by the shoulder so her ass rested on his crotch. She groaned, aware of his massive erection. She turned her head, only to feel his mouth on hers, the kiss rough and demanding. Vadim pulled her jeans down, followed by her panties.
“Mm, lace,” he commented. “I fucking love it.”
She blushed, gasping when he positioned his dick between her slick pussy lips, then entered her without warning. Eve was more than ready for him though. She dug her nails into the counter, moaning as he began thrusting in and out of her. He rode her, deep and deeper. Good thing, too, because neither of them would last long, she could tell.
Eve gasped, back arching as he brushed against her sensitive spot. Vadim’s hand found her tits and began fondling them, pinching her hardened nipples as he kept slamming into her G-spot.
“Come for me, baby,” he commanded, breath warm against her ear.
The pressure inside her burst as he shoved her over the edge of oblivion. Her mind floated in a sea of haze as he pumped several more times inside her, before filling her pussy with warmth.
“I fucking love you so much, baby,” he whispered as she slumped against his hard frame.
Every muscle in her body felt completely sated.
“I love you, too,” she replied, a small smile on her lips.
The End
BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER
THE HITMAN’S OBSESSION
Ivanov Crime Family, 1
Winter Sloane
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
Dimitri took another round about the room, his footsteps quiet despite his size. He was a big motherfucker and could hit like a truck, but as muscle for the Ivanov family, he knew how to move silently in a crowded room.
Cigarette smoke clouded the room. Loud and brash voices were occasionally interrupted by screams and pleas. Cocky grins soon turn to agonized wails. Dimitri couldn’t count the number of times he’d seen arrogant bastards fall.
The moment they realized they’d lost everything, gambled their most precious possessions—car, pretty wife, and offspring, to the Ivanov family for a good hand of cards.
They disgusted him, yet Dimitri depended on these scum to keep his job. Good for fucking and killing, nothing else, his father told him once. Maybe that was true for all the men in the Ivanov family.
Sensing someone approaching, Dimitri turned, hand resting on the hilt of his modified Beretta. The lackey in the cheap suit took a step back from him, gaze lingering on the grinning skulls and crossbones of his signature weapon.
“Problem, Johnny?” he asked. Johnny had worked under him, a good kid. Well, Dimitri called all newbies that. Johnny worked hard, played hard, and was loyal as hell. These days, loyalty was hard to come by.
Johnny relaxed. “It’s time, Dimitri.”
Dimitri nodded, hooded eyes lingering on the floor. “Keep a watch on the blackjack table number three. You’re in charge while I’m gone.”
Johnny’s eyes widened. “Not Anatoli?”
Dimitri shook his head. “Not after he screwed up the Rossi job.”
Striding away from the main casino floor, he headed to the door with the sign “Employees Only” on it. The two men on guard gave him a curt nod, letting him pass. Dimitri took a left turn. More guards stood watch here. The boss merely wanted him to oversee procedures, to ensure this fucker Mitch Wyatt coughed up all the money he borrowed, plus interest.
Dimitri wasn’t the family bookie, but according to Vasily, this rat bastard needed watching. Wyatt had slipped from their radar once, not wanting to pay back what he owed. No one fucked with the Ivanov family and got away with it.
Giving the two suits a nod, Dimitri entered Vlad’s office. Cigarette smoke slipped out, along with the stink of fear. The source came from the thin balding man. Dimitri noticed all the signs—sweat soaked shirt and the way Wyatt’s trembling hands held onto a leather suitcase for dear life.
Wyatt took up the couch facing the desk. The young woman sitting beside him caught Dimitri’s attention. Frowning, he leaned against the door.
He made sure to keep his suit jacket unbuttoned, so the rat bastard had a perfect view of his guns. Threats always worked well. Fear drove men to do the right thing. One look at Wyatt and Dimitri understood why the
boss man wanted him present for this meeting.
Who did Wyatt bring with him, collateral damage? Dimitri only had eyes for the woman. She must be in her early twenties. Her white-blonde hair had been tightly constrained in a long single braid that fell over one bare shoulder. Her heart-shaped face looked stiff, blue eyes staring carefully at nothing.
Dimitri raked his gaze lower, from the tempting curve of her luscious lips to the generous swell of her breasts, peeking from her top. Fuck, but he could imagine those pouty lips wrapped around his cock, those tits bouncing while he fucked her senseless. She had fine curves, too, under that thin top. Dimitri bet she had a shapely ass, too.
Fuck.
It wasn’t just her body that kept him mystified, but the way she held herself. Unlike Wyatt, she didn’t cower, or slink in defeat. She turned his head, as if noticing the brunt of his stare.
Eyes he’d thought were blue turned out to be bi-colored. The other iris was a bright emerald green. Both blue and green blazed with hatred, then wary resignation.
Dimitri knew absolutely nothing about this woman, but he saw the steel in her spine. She bit down on her lower lip so hard it began to bleed. Looking away from his gaze, he noticed her rubbing her palms over his jeans. Anger surged through him.
Something so pure, so blindingly hard to look at, didn’t belong in a place like this.
What was going on with him? Dimitri shouldn’t lose his mind over a woman. He never married, never committed to any kind of relationship. No time for something like that and besides, emotions made a killer weak. Yet seeing this mystery blonde put strange suggestions in his head.
“Why is the Ivanov Hound here?” Wyatt asked, looking nervously at him. Wyatt couldn’t hold his gaze for long. Most people flinched, seeing the scars.
“Calm down, Wyatt. Dimitri is merely here for security’s sake, to make sure you wouldn’t run again,” Vlad stated, rubbing his hands together.
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