Execution

by Lucia Franco

  I shook my head and curled up in a ball on my side. My only concern now was to get warm, not Kova's precious cracking resolve.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Popping my chin up on my hand, I listened for Kova, but it was oddly quiet. I shuddered under the covers and pulled them tighter to me. Maybe he left without telling me, which would be a blessing in disguise, but at the same time I hoped not. God, I was so indecisive. The way we were with each other, both too drawn to each other, it made us equally awkward and stupid.

  Expelling a heavy breath, I climbed out of bed and gripped the towel to me. I tiptoed to the living room, questioning how people lived in places cooler than eighty-five degrees. I'd give anything to sit in a sauna right now.

  I hated this.

  Crouching down with my knees pressed to my chest, I shivered as I tried to unzip my duffle bag with shaking fingers. The towel loosened around me and draped low down my back. Cool air struck my bare skin.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Kova’s raucous voice stopped me in my tracks. I didn't need to look over my shoulder to know he was on my couch. He must've been lying down because I hadn't seen him when I walked in. I clutched my cell phone in my shaky hand.

  "I got it from here. Th-Thanks for everything, but I-I think you should leave now."

  "Get back in bed."

  I scowled. Of course he ignored my request.

  "Kova, I appreciate everything you-you’ve done, I-I do, but please leave."

  "I will not say it again… Get back in bed." The inflection in his tone caused my heart to skip. His deep, rough lilt sent a new wave of goose bumps over my arms. Releasing a quiet sigh of agitation, I told him my plans.

  "I'm having Hayden come over. I need him to h-help me right now. You ca-ca-can’t be here when he gets here."

  The loud cracking in Kova's knees told me he stood. I risked a glance over my shoulder just in time to catch him scowling at me.

  "Like hell you are. Tell me what you need and I will get it. Hot tea? Coffee? Something to eat? Another blanket? What is it that you need?"

  You. I needed body heat.

  I shook my head and pouted. As if that was possible. I stood, the brisk air wafted across my uncovered flesh. A hard tremor shot down my exposed spine.

  "None of those right now."

  He threw his hands out in front of him, his brows shot up. "Then what?"

  "Just go," I said, scrolling through my phone for Hayden's name. When I found it, I began texting him with jittery fingers. Kova stalked over and ripped my phone from my hands before I could press send.

  "Wh-what are you doing?" I reached for my phone. He stepped back when I stepped forward.

  "Adrianna."

  "What?" I snapped.

  "Put your towel back on," he said in a guttural voice. A crease formed between my brows and I glanced down.

  Shit. I hadn't even noticed.

  If being naked in front of Kova bothered him so much, then this would help get him out of my house faster. Placing my hands on my hips, I pulled my shoulders back and stood bare as the day I was born…and shook. I was frozen to the core.

  "If it bothers you s-s-so much, then get out. Because what I need, you ca-can’t give me."

  Kova's nostrils flared, his eyes burned bright green. "And Hayden can," he stated.

  I lifted one shoulder and gave him a blasé expression. "None of your business."

  He stepped closer to me, then squatted down slowly and grabbed the towel in his hands without taking his eyes off mine. He raised it along the back of my thighs, my ass, my back. All the while I felt his heated breath dance across my skin. I almost sighed.

  "Why must you make this so complicated?" he questioned with a shake of his head and wrapped the towel around my shoulders.

  "Everyone knows th-th-the one way to get warm is through b-b-body heat." I shuddered. "Common sense, Kova. Hay-Hayden did it the first time and it helped."

  "And that is what you want. My body with yours."

  "I don't w-want it," I said, dragging my teeth along my bottom lip. "I need it. There's a d-d-difference. Right now, I don't f-f-feel right. This is a million times worse than before."

  Kova rubbed the ebony stubble on his jaw and glanced away. "What you make me do…" he said hoarsely, then reached behind his head and pulled his shirt off. He dropped it in a soft heap to the floor. My eyes immediately found the Olympic rings tattoo on his ribs I loved so much. His body flexed and contracted, sizzling with energy. I swallowed hard. I didn't think he had the balls—

  Never mind. This was Kova I was talking about. Of course he did. He had balls of steel that hung from a body made of stone. A delectable body that had to be derived from cocaine because all it took was one hit and I was addicted.

  Kova snatched me up in one swift scoop and carried me back to my room, huffing under his breath in Russian. That's how I knew when he was truly mad—he spoke in his natural tongue. Anger in his steps, he marched as he bound me close to his chest. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and sank into his heat, sighing. His body was as warm as an inferno and I loved it.

  Once in my room, he stopped in front of my dresser and pulled open drawers until he found an oversized T-shirt and sleep pants.

  He took two long strides and stood in front of my bed. Carefully releasing my legs down his body, I stood less than an arm length away. I peered up at Kova, breath tight in my throat as my eyes took in his muscular chest.

  I loved this man's brutal strength.

  With his eyes locked on mine, he reached out and loosened my towel, gently tugging it off. The cloth slid down my breasts and fell to the floor, his darkened gaze following. I stood naked before him without a worry in the world, innocent and young doe eyes looking up at him. His nostrils flared, his blazing eyes sashayed across my nude body. Tentatively, he reached out and glided the back of his fingers over the side of my plump breast. His thumb ran over my hard nipple, and then down the soft curve of my waist. I swallowed hard, trying with effort not to shiver.

  "So beautiful it hurts," he whispered. I raised my arms for him to dress me. He put the shirt over my head then slowly pulled it down, the back of his knuckles purposely grazed my raised breasts and pointed nipples. I leaned into his touch and drew in a silent breath.

  Dropping to his knees, he nodded to my foot and ordered me to lift. Both feet in, he pulled the elastic waistband up my slender legs. As he slid the material higher up my thighs, his fingers lingered to a standstill when he reached the center of my body. I held my breath as the sinewy muscle coiled around his shoulders flexed. He was a heartbeat away. The beautiful golden honey color of his skin blushed with raw, unabated emotion. My hands formed into fists. I dug my nails into my palms so I wouldn't reach out and touch him.

  Carefully, and ever so slowly, I steadied my breathing as his palms slid around the thickest parts of my thighs. Kova grasped my small waist once the pants were securely in place. His head hung sluggishly bowed between us. It tugged at my heart. Yet, I remained still and didn't touch him, even though my fingers itched to.

  Kova struggled to stay in control. He trembled, his fingers dug into me. Not hurtful, but more like a man who was on the brink of losing it. I felt his veiled emotion, his vulnerability through his touch. It was how I knew what he was feeling without speaking a word. It was why I hadn’t wanted him here, why I had wanted him to leave. Why I knew this was a terrible idea from the beginning, because I knew without a shadow of a doubt what it would lead to. Us being alone had always been a bad idea because no matter what, we always, always, surrendered to our darkest, most forbidden desires.

  I relaxed my fist and reached for him with timid fingers.

  "Please," he whispered in a strangled voice. "Do not touch me. I am trying to give you what you need and nothing else."

  My icy heart splintered. Placing my hand on the nape of his neck, I caressed him. My fingers threaded in his inky black hair in a passionate swoop. Kova trembled below me, his head falling against
my hand.

  "Ria, please, take your hands off me." His jaw rubbed into my palm.

  Ria. I loved when he called me Ria, a nickname only he used. A fire stirred within me as I ignored his plea. The jagged sound of his voice woke the devil on my shoulder. The temperature between us escalated as I continued to play with his hair while he kneeled before me.

  "I said, take your hands off me."

  I wanted him to make a move. To snap.

  I wound my other hand into his hair and began tugging near his scalp. My hips rolled in a gentle wave. I wanted to kneel onto him.

  "Ria… You are doing this on purpose and testing my self-control. Stop."

  I blinked. I was…and I hadn't even meant to.

  My heart pounded viciously against my ribs. I secretly loved pushing his buttons for the sole purpose of his reaction and how passionate he became. A predator with one motive—to attack and devour.

  God. What the hell was wrong with me to provoke a man of Kova's stature? And even worse, to want this.

  I was disgusting. I was literally the reason why he acted the way he did.

  Kova lifted his head and blew out a hot, tortured breath. His hands trembled.

  "Why is it so hard for me to be faithful when it comes to you?" His lips were ridiculously close to my naval. "It is like my resistance breaks and you are all that I see, everything I want."

  "I don't know. I don't do it on purpose," I confessed. "It's wrong, and I hate myself for wanting you, for putting you in this situation."

  "The feeling is entirely mutual."

  I should've been hurt by his response, but I wasn't. I understood where he was coming from. An energy between two people so powerful it couldn't be contained, no matter how much they tried. No matter how wrong, how illicit, how morally sinful.

  Some things were meant to be without reason.

  Kova scooped me up and carried me to the bed in two long strides. He climbed under the covers and aligned his body to mine. He was so damn hot, and I snuggled closer, relishing his body heat. Tipping his head forward, he pressed his sensual lips to my forehead, then sandwiched one thick leg between mine and locked together. I drew in a slow and deep lungful of air, and tried to steady my breathing. Kova held his lips to my skin, as if he was afraid to move. We were that in tune. Wrapping his arms around my slim waist, he inhaled through his nose and applied another gentle kiss.

  He glanced down.

  I held my breath.

  He held his.

  I stared into his troubled eyes. He was in agony, on the cusp of doing wrong. My mind was tangled with warnings, while my heart was entwined with his.

  I couldn't explain why, but I liked that I could tempt him, seduce him. It was a powerful feeling. There was too much we could do in my condo without being caught.

  With my hands cupping his sharp jaw, I leaned in to close the distance, and hesitated. My mouth itched for his, the electricity thick as fog. I hovered in front of him, wanting this and terrified of the domino effect it could cause, just like the other day in his office. We breathed each other in, our eyes frantically shifting back and forth. I contemplated for a moment—

  "Do not do it," he whispered.

  But I did. I pressed my mouth to his. Kova's hands slid up my back and rested on my shoulders where he pulled me to him. His greedy touch contradicted his words, just like they always did, and I melted into him.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Kova’s sizzling heat pressed to my icy one.

  He inhaled deeply and angled his mouth against mine, tugging with little nips of his teeth. His tongue danced seductively along the seam of my lips. I sighed as he slipped his tongue inside and caressed me, stroking with a gentle passion that was full of fire. His nimble fingers laced my hair and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He rolled onto his back, taking me with him. I straddled his hips with ease. A small moan escaped me when his hardness pressed against my center. I lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. Pressure throbbed between my thighs, building as my hips slowly moved against his rigid shaft, like a languid wave reaching for the shore.

  "Why can you never listen?" he said between kisses.

  An airy laugh flowed from me. "You pulled me with you."

  Kova wrapped a strong arm around my lower back and one across the top, seizing my neck in his grasp. God, I loved his hold over me. How dominant he was. I liked being on top of him, it showed how small I was in comparison to him. There was nowhere for me to move other than how he was coercing my body by the power of his touch. I succumbed to him.

  "Why?" he pressed on, pulling me back just enough to look into my eyes. A shallow moan escaped him, abandoned pleasure intensified in his watchful gaze. My body moved of its own accord, my hips swiveled on his until he put a firm stop to the motion, securing me in place. His cock twitched and he groaned.

  "Why? Answer me, please."

  "I don't have a real answer for you other than we both want this and you know it."

  He shook his head, vehemently denying it. "I am trying to do the right thing."

  "Lies. Your body lies."

  "You do not heed my pleas. I tell you to stop, but you do the complete opposite. Why must you do this to me?" He clenched his teeth, pushing my hips hard to his. I let out a gasp, wetness seeped from me. I tried to rub myself on him, but he stopped me again. I whimpered. "Does the fact that I have a girlfriend mean anything to you?"

  "No," I said in all honesty. I really didn’t care.

  "You are fucked up in the head, you know that? What if she was my wife? Would that make a difference to you then?"

  I ignored the little dig. "Would it make a difference to you?"

  "It would not, would it?" he asked in complete shock when I ignored his question.

  "No. If it doesn't matter now, why would it matter then?"

  He scoffed, yet he was still holding me to him. "Unreal."

  "You fucking like it, Kova, so stop pretending that you don't. We both want this."

  "You are a big contradiction, you know that?"

  I tried to kiss him, but his fingers threaded in my hair and he pulled on it, close to the roots to keep me back.

  "Any man with a cock would like it, Ria," he mocked, cupping my breast. He twisted my nipple between two fingers until it blazed with heat and I gasped, my back going erect. "It is science. Chemistry. Anatomy. A tight pussy to fuck."

  "Any tight pussy will do, then?" I whispered, staring into his eyes, finally grasping his cock. I gripped him tight in my little fist and used my thighs to slide up and down, rotating my hips against his like I was giving him a lap dance, even though I'd never done one in my life. Arousal heightened my blood and my body flushed with need. A husky sound vibrated in Kova's chest. His jaw tightened. If he could play, so could I.

  He shook his head. His fingers dug into me. "You will regret this tomorrow."

  I didn't answer, instead, I asked him a question. "Will you regret it?"

  "Yes."

  He didn't hesitate. The look in his frenzied eyes exposed the truth, and it bothered me.

  Another pinch to my already sensitive heart. I was completely off. Maybe he really didn't want this. Perhaps he was trying to behave himself.

  Perhaps I didn't care.

  I faltered for a moment, his gaze focused solely on me. His hard, unyielding body nestled beneath mine as he breathed across my cheek. "I like watching you fall apart in my arms. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen…but I have regretted it every time more than you can imagine. Especially the other night. I do not want to live with this regret anymore, malysh. It is killing me," he admitted, and I felt the pain in his words. He was honest, and while honesty was important to me, it also hurt. "Have mercy on me," he begged, his eyes pleading with me.

  I was too far gone with desire for this man to heed his plea.

  Leaning forward, I looked straight into his glossy eyes and whispered, "Why do I crave you so bad? Why do I have this desire to be with you whe
never you’re around? For you to make me orgasm the way you do? I want you inside me, and I know you want to be there." l licked a wet trail along his bottom lip and delved my tongue between his warm lips. Widening my hips, I rubbed myself on him and pleasure shot through me. His erection stroked my sensitive clit and I panted. Kova responded immediately and I grinned against his delicious mouth. "Please."

  Using my hand, he guided it to my sex. "Touch yourself."

  I shook my head and pinched his chest with my free hand. Kova stared back at me with huge eyes.

  "I want you to touch me."

  He dragged his teeth along his bottom lip. God that was so sexy.

  I needed more. I needed skin-on-skin contact.

  I pulled his wrist away to slip it into my pants. He went willingly. My back arched, my head fell to his shoulder as his fingers found my clit. He rubbed in circles, using my wetness as a lubricant.

  "Oh God," I said breathlessly. I ground against his fingers. My lips found Kova's neck and I sucked hard, lapping my tongue around his salty skin as I pulled him into my mouth. He moaned with a shutter of pleasure, and breathed heavily against my skin. His chest heaved against mine. My teeth trailed his muscular shoulder as his palm slipped further toward my entrance. He played with me. I bit down, a dark desire swirled inside me to break his skin. A deep and husky moan lifted from his lips when he felt my wet pussy. My fingers wound to the back of his head. I seized his hair in my hand and tugged. Kova grunted, his arm tightening around my lower back. Squeezing my eyes shut, I battled the release I craved so desperately, but my hips picked up speed, rocking in a slow and delicious motion.

  "That is it… Come for me, malysh. Come just like this."

  I moaned, shaking my head against his neck. "Come with me… I need to feel you," I mumbled, drunk on Kova. This was a sure fire way to rid my body of the effects of an ice bath.

  He murmured in Russian, his breath hot as it caressed down my neck. It sounded like he spoke a series of sentences, none of the words sounding similar, but all coming out deeper and guttural than the next. His finger pressed against the tight bundle of nerves that was embarrassingly wet. I could feel myself seeping with desire and that only fueled the grinding of my hips even more. I rose and placed my hands flat to his chest.