by Nic Saint
Before he could ravage her again, she was on her feet and racing for the door. “First one there is a loser!” she yelled out, grabbing her bathrobe from the bed.
They were at the elevator at the same time, and stood panting while they waited for the cab to arrive. The moment they stepped inside, she was in his arms, his hand slipping between the folds of her robe, and when he splayed his fingers around her nipple, squeezing it lightly, she moaned. God, she was hungry for him again, just as hungry as he was for her. But then the elevator dinged, and she quickly rearranged her robe. Darting barefoot across the terraced floor of the pool area, she was pleased to find it deserted. At four in the morning, even the staunchest party people had turned in for the night. They had the pool all to themselves.
The surface shone beneath the moonlight, and she wondered if the water would be cold. A dip with her toe told her it was just fine, and then she watched Erik let his robe slip to the ribbed tile. Awed, she thought his majestic body was hewn like a statue, the plains and ridges of his face and every rippling muscle of his warrior frame clearly illuminated by the pale light of a crescent moon.
He watched her with anticipation, and she swallowed. The last few days had been so far removed from her ordinary life, that this one last adventure was something she would eagerly embrace. Her eyes never leaving his, she allowed the robe to slide from her shoulders, and then she was naked, her nipples already hard like pebbles, and she saw his eyes go dark with lust. Before he was upon her, she gave a squeal, and jumped in.
The water closed over her head, and she was relieved to find it warm, the day’s heat perfectly captured by the pool. The moment she broke the surface, his hot hands were on her, and then he lifted her up, his mouth devouring her breasts, sucking her nipples. She felt herself expand, the heat rising in her core. With a grunt, he heaved her onto the edge, and before she knew what he was up to, he’d spread her legs and his mouth was on her wet cunt, his tongue piercing her flesh, the soft velvet wide open, and she allowed herself to move back on her elbows, her chest heaving wildly as he fucked her with his tongue. Christ, the man was like a drug. She simply couldn’t get enough of him. And he clearly felt the same way about her.
Suddenly, she wanted to feel him in her mouth, wanted to touch all that heat and power he was packing between his legs. She slipped into the pool again, his tongue moving up along her body until their lips met. She slid deeper into the water, closing her mouth around his burgeoning cock. She reveled in the thickness of him, the sheer girth on her tongue. She couldn’t stay under very long, but still long enough for her to feel his cock twitch at her touch, like liquid steel.
Then she rose with him, and it was his turn to perch on the edge of the pool, while she fastened her lips around his hardness, and then she was sucking him hard, spearing him into her mouth. The sensation of all that raw male power on her tongue had her giddy with desire. Before long, he eased his lance from between her lips, and bent over to kiss her, his breath coming in ragged jabs. He cradled her face in his hands. “Christ, honey,” he croaked, “you’re fucking amazing.”
She smiled her sweet smile, but her eyes were lustful and dark, and when he slid into the pool, he pinned her to the wall, his hands on either side of her head, and she allowed herself to drift up against him. As of its own accord, his cock homed in on her center, and then he was inside her, sliding in all the way as if they were made for each other. She heaved a soft moan of pleasure, and placed her hands lightly on his shoulders while he held on to the edge of the pool. And then he was gently moving in and out of her slick cunt, her breasts bobbing on the surface, their eyes locked, heat and lust and desire reflected on their faces.
“I can’t get enough of you, Jackie,” he breathed. “I will never get enough of you.”
“Me neither, Erik,” she whispered, a catch in her voice as she gazed upon his beautiful face, and felt him stir deep inside her belly.
Suddenly, his expression took on a pleading note. “Stay with me, honey.”
“What?” She blinked as she tried to process the words.
“I love you, Jackie,” he ground out, pressing her up against the wall, and gazing at her with such a look of devotion on his face, she was momentarily stunned. Suddenly, she felt wetness stream down her face, and it wasn’t pool water. Her lips moved, but no words would come.
“I love you, Jackie,” he repeated. “I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you at the bar that first night. I want you in my life, always. I can’t stand the thought of losing you.” His voice broke as he touched her cheek. “Be mine, honey. Be mine forever.”
Her lips moved as a jumble of emotions rocked through her, then she spoke on a sob. “Yes.” The word was almost inaudible, so she repeated it, trying to steady her voice. “Yes, I’ll stay with you, Erik.”
His eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe his good fortune. “You will?”
“Yes,” she repeated, as if it was the only word she was capable of. Then she placed her hands on his neck, and touched her brow to his. “Yes, yes, yes.” Suddenly, as if a dam burst, the words tumbled out. “I love you, and I will be yours. I am yours. Have been from the first, you infuriating man. Even though I fought it hard, fought you hard, I fell for you.” She fixed him with teary eyes. “I love you, Erik Petrov.”
“I love you, honey,” he grunted. “I just figured—”
But whatever else he’d wanted to say was drowned out by her lips as she pressed a passionate kiss to his. If there was any doubt in his mind that she wanted him, she made sure the searing heat of her embrace removed it.
“Oh, honey,” he murmured against her lips. “You can’t believe how happy you’ve made me.”
“And me,” she muttered, then let out a very untypical whoop of joy, and they both laughed like kids, and he swung her around, forgetting for a moment they were still immersed in water, and tangled up in each other.
When they both resurfaced, they were still laughing.
CHAPTER 28
Anna Petrov wiped her hands on her apron. Since breakfast, she’d been cooking up a storm. All eight of her kids were coming home for dinner, and she wanted to prepare them a real treat. She’d been awaiting this day with hope and trepidation. Erik wasn’t merely the most serious of her sons, but the one with a heart most easily bruised as well.
Oh, he’d had girlfriends over the years, but nothing had ever come of it, and he’d had his heart stomped on more than once. It was a real miracle he’d finally found Jackie Bouchard, according to her other sons a very nice girl. They’d joked that Erik had gotten exactly what he deserved, and Anna had worried he’d made the wrong choice again. Especially when she heard he’d hooked up with the woman at one of these Mexican holiday resorts. In Cancun.
But she knew her Erik. He would never bring a girl home unless he was serious about her. And her boy would never fall for some trashy bimbo at some trashy resort. Not her Erik. So she’d merely smiled when Rob had joked about Erik having fallen hard this time. Hook, line and sinker.
It was just like Robert to talk trash about his older brother. He’d been hurt himself when things hadn’t worked out with his girlfriend, and now he had a hard time believing in love. Just like Diana, who’d had her heart broken, and still hadn’t quite been herself since the ordeal with that lawyer guy she’d been seeing.
There had even been talk of marriage, before the asshole decided she wasn’t good enough for him. And had dumped her. Just like that. With a breakup text message if you please. For the first time since she fell off her bike when she was five, Diana had run home crying, and Anna had found herself nursing not one broken heart, but two.
Valery had a long father-son talk with Robert, while she’d sat with Diana. The upshot had been that both of their kids had moved back home. At least for the time being they needed some serious TLC, until they were ready to face the world on their own again.
While Anna busied herself with her pot roast, Valery took care of the barbecue outside, a
long with Robert. She welcomed Diana into the kitchen when she returned from the supermarket with two bulky bags laden with groceries and other necessities for the revels.
She gave her daughter a worried look. Diana was still brittle, though she’d insisted on helping out Erik when the call came that he was in trouble and needed his family. She hadn’t said much of what had happened out there. Apparently, she and her brothers had managed to take down a gang of thugs, and the action had done the young woman a world of good. She hadn’t felt much use to anyone since moving back home, and going out there and kicking some serious butt had perked her up considerably. At least her eyes had lost that puffy look, and the mauve smudges that told Anna she still cried herself to sleep at night.
Anna shook her head, a frown marring her brow. That asshole lawyer had really done a number on her little girl, and it pained her to see her like this. Diana was a strong and independent young woman, cheerful and energetic and with a zest for life she’d inherited from her parents. She would be fine, Anna kept reminding herself. She’d come back from this and be strong again. She just had to get this guy out of her system, that was all. And perhaps meet someone new. Someone who deserved her.
Diana dumped the bags on the kitchen table, and took a good long sniff from the pot roast, then pursed her lips. “Smells good, ma. But do you really think it’ll be enough? You know how the boys like to eat.”
She did know her boys, but pot roast was not all that was on the menu tonight. “Your father and Rob have been fiddling with that barbecue for hours now. I think between their pile of meat and my pot roast, we’ll be fine.”
She stared thoughtfully out the kitchen window into the backyard, where a cloud of smoke attested to the fact that the news from the barbecue front wasn’t all good. She wondered if she shouldn’t have asked Mike to take care of things. Her eldest was the official barbecue master, and would have wasted no time getting the thing fired up and ready to do some serious culinary damage.
She checked the large kitchen clock. Her guests would be here in under an hour, and from the looks of things, Valery and Rob had done nothing but mess around. “You better go out there and see if you can speed things up,” she suggested.
Diana had joined her by the window and winced as she watched the black cloud of smoke obscure her parent and brother from view. “What in hell are they up to?”
“Beats me.” Anna chewed her lower lip. “Valery got rid of the old barbecue when he found this one on the internet. Said it was the latest and greatest.”
“Doesn’t look all that great to me,” Diana muttered, and kissed her mother on the cheek. “I’ll have a look-see,” she promised, and briskly stepped out the back door.
Her arms folded across her chest, Anna watched her daughter move toward the conflagration. Like all Petrovs, her daughter was tall, but unlike her brothers, she was willowy not stocky, with blond tresses inherited from Anna’s side of the family. Though her own hair had gone gray, she still wore it long, like her daughter. The blue eyes she’d also taken from her mother, unlike the Petrov green that her brothers shared.
Anna shook her head, and decided that today she wouldn’t worry about any of her children. It was a habit to ponder their fate, and she found it hard not to trust that whatever power ruled over their lives would give each exactly what they needed to grow in life.
She turned from the window when the front doorbell rang, and her face lit up. It was Erik, she knew, punctual as usual.
CHAPTER 29
Jackie stood on the doorstep with some trepidation, a bottle of wine clasped in her clammy hand, Erik’s hand in the other, as she listened to the echoing sound of the doorbell. The house was a sight to be seen. It stood three stories, and looked as if its builder had gone through a hard time deciding what style he would adhere to. The ground floor was sturdy red brick, with a large bay window with neat curtains. This was the parlor, she knew. In Erik’s words, the place his mother ushered guests into she wasn’t yet sure she would like or not.
Once she decided she considered them friends, they were welcome in the rest of the house. Most importantly the kitchen, the real heart of their home.
The second floor was sided with clapboard, sturdy gray boards interrupted by three windows. The one on the left had been Erik’s room, and he’d shared it with Michael. Rob and Alex had taken the room in the middle, and Diana the right one. Behind those lay his parents’ bedroom, and a bathroom big enough to accommodate a family of ten.
Her eyes rose to the third floor, which had been haphazardly slapped on, and consisted of gray cinder blocks, as if the builder had figured he’d add a layer of plaster later one, but had never found the time. Two windows revealed the twins’ room and Peter’s. Apart from Diana, Peter had never had to share a room with his brothers, a fact they’d never stopped reminding him of.
More to the back, there was a large family room, where the Petrov brood had played as kids. And on the ground floor, between kitchen and parlor, the living room, where Jackie could imagine Erik and his brothers lounging in front of the TV, or playing board games on long winter evenings.
Jackie had never met any boyfriend’s parents before. Well, she’d never really been in a relationship that was serious enough to induce her to meet them. It was a sign her relationship with Erik was serious. And as she gave him a sideways glance, she felt a surge of love lap at her heart. They were getting married now soon, and as she gazed up at her future husband, she felt the smile that had been growing in her heart ever since the night they’d confessed their love for each other, transferring to her lips.
Even though she’d promised herself to take things slow, she’d already decided to accept Nathan Callaway’s offer to start work for him at the FBI office in New York. She’d also talked things through with her mother. To her relief, Mom had been thrilled to meet Erik. And even though Erik hadn’t wanted their first introduction to be over Skype, he’d still slid into the booth and soon found himself chatting amiably with his future mother-in-law. They’d already talked about buying a place of their own, and together had decided Mom should have the biggest room in the place, which was fine by her.
Her mother had been over the moon, and as soon as they’d settled on a house, she was flying in. Those practical details fixed, Jackie had been able to relax.
Susan had been happy for her, and though she’d had fun with Bruno, had soon returned to Chicago, leaving her friend to enjoy her time with Erik. Bruno had also gone back, and then it had been just her and Erik. They’d taken the time to really get to know each other. Long walks along the beach had been filled with reminiscences of both their childhoods and adult lives, and the talks had built the basis for their love to be grounded in reality. They’d sketched out a future together, and when Erik had confessed he’d always dreamed of having a big family, she’d been touched to the point of tears when she’d told him that she, too, wanted kids, and lots of them.
The door opened, and a woman with long flowing gray hair stood before them, a wide and welcoming smile on her face, her eyes lighting up with joy at the sight of her son and his fiancée. She found herself clutched into a warm embrace that tugged at her heart, and Anna whispered in her ear, “I’m so glad it’s you.”
She didn’t know what she meant by that, but it made her feel welcome, and she merely nodded and watched Erik’s proud grin widen.
She handed the bottle to their hostess, and both were ushered into the house, straight down the corridor and into the kitchen. Large dishes of food were covering every available surface, and the smell of a delicious meal greeted them the moment they stepped inside.
“Mom’s famous pot roast,” Erik proudly announced.
Then she saw a cloud of smoke outside, and asked if something was on fire.
Anna grimaced. “My husband and son are supposed to be preparing the barbecue, but I’m afraid it’s going to take a little more time and perseverance before they’ll manage.”
Erik stepped out with the announcem
ent he would take care of this, and Jackie knew he would. Shaking her head, Anna popped the cork from the bottle and poured two glasses, then handed one to Jackie.
Taking a nervous sip, she blurted out, “Are they all coming? Erik’s brothers, I mean?”
“Yep, all of them,” Anna replied. “No need to be nervous, honey. They’re all looking forward to meeting you.”
She told Anna she’d actually met most of them in Cancun, though there hadn’t been much time, and she’d only seen them through a haze of smoke and gunpowder.
Anna shook her head. “That’s my boys. Always stirring up trouble.”
“Oh, no,” she assured the older woman, “they saved my life when they took down that gang, and probably that of many others as well.”
Anna smiled proudly, then gestured to the wall behind Jackie. “That’s them right there. Think you can pick out Erik?”
She glanced over to the smattering of pictures, and saw young kids on family fishing trips, playing in the backyard with their father, on family holidays in the Rockies, and camping out in the woods, building a fire. “So many memories,” she murmured, and couldn’t suppress a pang of envy at the kind of family life Erik had enjoyed.
She’d always wished she’d had a big family like this. The kind of family that made a person feel connected, made them feel they belonged.
Then her eye fell on a little boy who looked proudly into the camera, clutching a big fish in his hands, the fish almost as big as the boy himself. She watched those serious eyes, that tousled head of hair, and pointed. Anna smiled.
