by Bella Rose
“I imagine Mikhail sees other benefits,” Josef said lamely. The old man was right. Where was the real advantage in this arrangement? “But I can tell you that Igor has not changed at all. He is the same man. He is the same as when he was a young boy.”
“Why would Mikhail deceive me?”
The tone of the old man’s voice tugged on Josef’s heart. He was also starting to feel more than a little disloyal to his friend. It was a bit like tattling and it didn’t set well at all.
“You love my son.” The old man reached out with one papery hand.
Josef gently took the hand offered. “Yes. Mikhail is like my brother.”
“I want you to discover why he is doing this.”
Josef’s belly knotted with apprehension. This was going to put him in an untenable position. “Sir?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t understand,” the old man admonished. “You are uniquely positioned to discover the truth of this matter. Mikhail trusts you. Find out if he truly has ulterior motives for deceiving me about Igor’s character, or if he has been misinformed.”
“You’re hoping that’s what this is about?” Josef asked softly.
“As are you, Josef. Neither of us wants to believe Mikhail capable of lying to our faces.”
Chapter Nine
Dani sat on the tree branch, waiting to see if Josef would appear in the yard below. She half hoped he would, and yet dreaded his appearance. What if he had discovered something bad when he’d spoken with her father?
The night air was cool on her cheeks. The spicy scent of the tree was almost overwhelming. Her butt was just starting to go numb when she heard the back door open and close down below. A few moments later she caught the scent of cigarette smoke over the tree’s pungent aroma.
“Are you going to attempt the climb down tonight?” Josef’s low voice drifted up from the ground.
She peered down into the dark shadows of the yard, careful not to accidentally pitch forward. “I was thinking about it, but the getting back up is so problematic.”
“Ah,” he mused thoughtfully. “Yet we managed.”
“I was standing on your shoulders so awkwardly that I think I might have actually stepped on your face.” She recalled the incident with mixed feelings. “It was fun, but kind of embarrassing.”
“You put far too much importance on projecting an image of complete knowledge,” he informed her.
“What does that even mean?” she asked with a laugh. Grabbing a tiny twig complete with leaves, she tossed it down at him.
“It means that you’re obsessed with making everyone think that you absolutely know what you’re doing.” Surprisingly, he caught the twig. Twirling it between his fingers, he walked closer to the base of the tree. “I would think that would be exhausting, but that’s only my opinion.”
“What did my father say?” she asked, finally unable to hold back her curiosity any longer.
“I wondered when you would ask.”
“So?”
“I believe that you were right.”
She realized that his words were vague. “Wait. So Papa is okay that I don’t want to marry Igor?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“If Mikhail lied to him, then why wouldn’t Papa change his mind about the marriage?” It seemed like a no-brainer to Dani.
“He has trouble believing that Mikhail would knowingly deceive him.”
Dani was outraged. “Oh, but I would?”
“Look, I just do what I’m bid.” Josef seemed frustrated. “Fortunately for you, the wedding day isn’t tomorrow.”
“Yeah? Well what am I supposed to do? Wait two years and then worry about it?”
Josef made a little growling sound in his throat. “Give it some time.”
“Papa doesn’t have time!” Dani felt almost panicked. “What happens when he passes away and Mikhail makes promises on my behalf?”
“As you pointed out, this is not the Dark Ages. You’re a modern, independent woman. Right?”
So why did she feel so helpless about this situation? Carefully standing up, Dani put her hand against the main trunk of the tree to steady herself. The bark was rough beneath her bare feet. She focused on that tactile sensation and not the strange feeling in her heart.
“Dani?”
“What?” she snapped. She sent a hot glare below.
“I usually come out here to smoke around now.”
Dani paused in the act of going back over the railing of her balcony. “Wait. Are you telling me that because you want to hang out with me or something?”
His low laugh made her shiver. “Or something.”
“What does that mean?” she demanded. Leaning over the balcony, she struggled to see Josef’s face or body language in the dim light. “Don’t pretend you don’t want to see me again.”
“I’m not pretending.” He stepped into the glow of the carriage lamps and she could see that he was staring up at her with a very intense expression on his handsome face. “I know I want to spend more time with you. I know I shouldn’t. I know that it’s putting me precariously close to violating Mikhail’s trust.”
“Hanging out with me is violating Mikhail’s trust?” Dani didn’t exactly buy that.
“Not the hanging out part,” he teased. “We only hung out for a few hours last night. The rest was decidedly more.”
Dani inhaled sharply. Yes. Everything else last night had most definitely fallen under the heading of more.
* * *
Josef turned and walked back up the steps and through the back door of the house without giving Dani any more of an answer to her half-asked question. He still felt incredibly conflicted about the line he was crossing by exploring his infatuation with her.
“There you are,” Mikhail said, his tone almost grouchy.
Josef glanced around the kitchen. It was just the two of them this evening. “No cards tonight?”
“No. There is a shipment coming in tonight, and Vasily and Boris were going to handle that problem with the bookie across town.” Mikhail sat down at the kitchen counter with a bottle of beer and a huge slice of cake. He suddenly gestured to his impromptu snack. “Help yourself, Josef. What’s mine is yours.”
The words needled Josef’s already tender conscience. He swallowed back a lump, feeling uncomfortable. “I spoke with your father today,” Josef began slowly. He took a seat on a stool beside Mikhail. “He asked me what I thought about your sister marrying Igor.”
Mikhail snorted, shoving a huge bite of cake into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “What could the old man mean by asking you that? Why would you even have an opinion?”
“I think he was more interested in being certain that Igor is a good man.” Josef felt as if he were tiptoeing across a tightrope suspended over a thousand feet of open air.
“Igor!” Mikhail slammed his bottle down on the counter. “That little shit? If I didn’t want immunity from the fees he slaps on anything that comes into port, I wouldn’t think him worthy of marrying into the Mikalevich family.”
“So you don’t think he’ll make Daniella happy?” Josef felt his hopes plummet. This was not going well.
“Happy?” Mikhail scoffed. “That spoiled princess can be happy on her own time. She needs to fulfill her duty to the family just as everyone else does. Happiness is a privilege to be paid for. It isn’t earned or given.”
“You do realize that you can’t actually make Daniella marry Igor, right?” Josef wondered what else his friend had up his sleeve.
“You sound like a feminist.” Mikhail belched loudly and gave a hearty laugh. “Shall I get you a bandage for your bleeding heart?”
“I’m just pointing out the obvious.” Josef lifted his hands in surrender. “You can’t force anyone into marriage.”
“I can make their life a living hell if they don’t do what I want,” Mikhail said belligerently. “And that’s what Daniella is going to discover
if she doesn’t cooperate.”
Josef stared at his friend until Mikhail finally met his gaze. “She’s your sister,” Josef said quietly. “Why would you do anything to deliberately hurt her?”
“I keep thinking that there is some reason you seem to be taking her side in all of this.” Mikhail’s words came slowly.
“The two of you have been my family,” Josef said quickly. “That is all. Your father tasked me with looking out for her when we were young.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. Although Josef was pretty certain that sleeping with Dani most definitely didn’t fall within the boundaries of that request.
“No. This is more.” Mikhail leaned in closer, until Josef could smell the beer and sugar on his breath. “If I discover that you are somehow going behind my back to destroy this alliance with the Rusnaks, you and I will have a problem. Do you understand?”
The hair lifted on the back of Josef’s neck. His own alpha male instincts were roaring at him to get in Mikhail’s face and remind him which one of them was more dangerous in a fight.
“Do you get me?” Mikhail curled his lip, the aggression rolling off his body in waves.
“Do not mistake loyalty for cowardice,” Josef said quietly. “I have responsibilities to the entire family. Never forget that. And never forget that until your father passes away, he is my boss.”
Mikhail blinked in surprise. “My father?”
Josef inwardly cursed his stupidity in drawing attention to that detail. He could see the wheels turning in Mikhail’s head. No doubt his friend would work things out and realize that the elder Mikhail had asked Josef to investigate.
“Know your place,” Mikhail said suddenly. “Or you might find that it is not as secure as you once believed.”
Josef watched in shock as Mikhail rose from the counter and exited the kitchen. It was the first time that Mikhail had ever alluded to the power differential that existed between them. They were friends, but Mikhail would always hold a more important role in the family hierarchy because of his position as the heir apparent.
When they were younger and the elder Mikhail was healthy, Josef had been Mikhail’s partner. They had completed numerous jobs together, cut their teeth in the business together, and always watched each other’s backs. Apparently times were changing.
Josef got up from the counter and stretched. It was time to go home. It was time to get some perspective. But first he had to report back to the elder Mikhail.
The house was dark and still as Josef carefully and silently climbed the stairs to the second floor. He still couldn’t see the nurse that should have been on duty. There was a night shift and a day shift, but they seemed to be conspicuously absent from their posts since early this morning.
Josef pushed open the door to the older man’s room. The darkness was broken only by the glow of a small yellow lamp on a side table. Josef approached the bed and gently took the old man’s hand. He could feel a pulse fluttering beneath the thin skin.
The elder Mikhail’s eyes fluttered open. “Josef?”
“Mikhail deceived you,” Josef whispered. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand why, but I do know that there is some part of this alliance that he has not been open about.”
His ravaged face drooped even more. “Thank you, Josef. You have been like a son to me. I only wish I could have done more for you.”
Josef knelt and placed the old man’s hand against his face. “You’ve done enough, and I’m grateful for that.”
Chapter Ten
Josef stepped out the back door. The wind had gotten considerably warmer in the last four weeks. Summer was in full bloom, though the temperatures were still pleasant enough in the northeast. Flowers grew in the beds beside the stairs and in the window boxes. He knew that Dani took her flowers very seriously. He’d seen her tending them repeatedly in the last month.
Josef lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply. It was odd, but this had become his only cigarette of the day. It was a single smoke that had no other purpose than to bring him out onto the back steps of the Mikalevich home.
“There you are,” Dani’s sweet voice drifted down from the treetop. “I was beginning to think that Mikhail would keep you in that meeting forever.”
“Not forever,” Josef murmured. “Are you ready?”
“Oh yes.” She eagerly began swinging down out of the tree.
Josef watched her progress with admiration. “You’ve gotten pretty good at climbing that thing.”
“Just as you’ve gotten a lot better at boosting me back to the lowest branch.” She dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch.
“I see you’ve learned to protect your knees.” Josef grinned. With the longer days, he was able to see her quite clearly, even though it was nearly nine o’clock at night.
“Of course!” She gave the body parts in question a rueful rub. “It only took a few jarring landings for me to learn to squat at the perfect moment.”
“You’re getting athletic enough that I might start to worry you’ll be able to best me.” Josef actually felt some pride at that thought.
“So, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” She cocked her head, curiosity plain in her expression.
“I thought we were going to get ice cream.” He took her hand and tugged her closer. “Since you’ve developed quite the demanding appetite for the stuff.”
She grinned, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his midsection and nuzzle his neck. Josef bit back a groan. His body responded to her almost instantly as it always did. Using her lips, she teased the skin over his throat and then the flesh exposed by the open V of his dress shirt.
His cock swelled to full hardness. He shifted uncomfortably. Keeping his libido under wraps had been torture, but he’d managed it. And Dani hadn’t really been helping him out. She took every opportunity to rub up against him, touch his skin, tease him with her lips, and basically make it obvious that the celibacy in their relationship was all on him.
“We’ve been”—she used air quotes—“seeing each other for nearly a month, Josef.” She held the tip of her index finger against the middle of his chest. “I’m tired of waiting for you to want to make love to me again.”
He was dumbfounded. “Do you really believe that I don’t want to?”
“Well you’re certainly unaffected.”
Unable to resist the temptation, he took her hand and placed it on the hard ridge of his erection beneath his slacks. She made a tiny noise of surprise. Then her hand cupped him and she began stroking the shape of his cock with her soft palm.
“This is what I’m like whenever you’re around,” he told her hoarsely. “You have only to smile at me and I’m ready for you.” He brushed a kiss over the sensitive shell of her ear. “But I still respect the bond I have with your brother. I don’t want to disrespect Mikhail.”
“So when does it become okay?” There was almost a pleading tone in her voice. “I’m so tired of waiting, Josef. I want you.”
The naked longing in her voice destroyed what was left of his self-control. Josef crushed her lips beneath his. Sweeping his tongue between her lips, he made love to her with his mouth until there was nothing for him but Dani’s moans and the feminine flesh that yielded to his touch.
She lifted her leg, spreading her crotch against the top of his thigh and rubbing the outside of his leg with her calf. The promise of more was too much. Josef had to have her. Now.
He pulled back, breaking contact. “I’ll boost you into the tree. You go back to your room. I’ll go through the house and meet you there.”
“Really?” The excitement in her voice was palpable.
He swung her into his arms, easily lifting her onto his shoulders. He moved into position beneath the lowest branch. She gained her balance and stood up. The feather-light pressure of her feet on his shoulders lasted only a moment as she shimmied her way up into the branches of the tree.
“I’ll see you in just a minute,” she call
ed over her shoulder, the sound of her gentle voice was carried on the night breeze.
Josef watched to make certain she made it back to her balcony before turning to head back into the house. He squared his shoulders. There was no reason he shouldn’t be able to navigate the house without raising suspicion. Still, his conscience was screaming that he was about to cross a line that should never be crossed…again.
It was quiet in the house. Josef could hear the sounds of a television playing in the media room. Judging from the muffled grunts and yells, it was likely to be a MMA fight of some kind. That was Mikhail’s preferred form of entertainment.
Josef stole through the house on catlike feet. He took the stairs carefully, avoiding the squeaky spots. When he reached the landing he turned left toward Dani’s room instead of right toward her father’s suite. For some reason, this deliberate choice hit him hard. Dani was right. They had been “seeing” each other for almost a month. Other than that first night at his house, there had been no sex. It was time for him to choose a path. Looking at her door, he walked in that direction with a purpose. This was what he wanted.
* * *
Dani’s excitement was making her so turned on that she was afraid she was in danger of scorching the sheets. She had stripped naked already. There was no need for modesty, and she was so horny that a cute little striptease while wearing lingerie was out of the question. She wanted Josef and she wanted him right now.
His light knock made her belly quiver with anticipation. The door opened and he slipped inside her bedroom. He managed to close the door without making a single noise.
“Obviously you’re a pro at the break-and-enter strategy, hmm?” she teased.
He raised an eyebrow. “And you’re naked.”
She felt no shame. Kneeling on her bed with her legs slightly spread and her breasts heavy with arousal, she crooked her finger and beckoned him closer. “Hell yes I’m naked. You think I’m going to waste a single minute with you?”
