by Lylah James
“No.” She laughed.
I had to smile. The free and happy expression on her face was something I wanted to savor and never forget. Her laughter did something to my heart.
Her happiness made me happy. She calmed me. In the same way that I brought her peace, she brought me peace too. I haven’t felt peace since my mother’s death. It was now a foreign emotion. But with Ayla, I could forget all the darkness inside of me.
Placing a kiss on her forehead, I leaned forward and picked up a piece of biscuit and held it to her lips.
Ayla looked at me strangely and hesitated for a second before taking a bite. I alternated between feeding her bites of eggs, toast, and some fruit. “Do you want juice?” I asked, brushing away the crumbs that rested on the corner of her lips.
“Hmm…”
I was about to grab the glass when Ayla stopped me with a hand on my arm. “You haven’t eaten anything yet,” she murmured.
I chuckled low under my breath. I didn’t even realize that. Ayla smiled and then leaned forward, taking a piece of toast in her hand and slowly pressing it to my lips.
Surprise filled me, and I opened my mouth, letting her feed me the piece. Encouraged by my response, this time she took her turn to feed me. It was something unusual, but it felt intimate. This moment shared between us was something special.
As she brought the glass of juice to my lips, I stopped her. “What are you doing, Ayla?”
“I’m feeding you,” she replied, cocking her head to the side.
“Why?”
“Because I want to.” Ayla brought her other hand up and placed it over my cheek, rubbing her thumb back and forth. “I don’t know how to repay you for this, Alessio. For everything you’ve done for me. I guess I just want to do the little things I can, to let you know how I feel.”
She lightly caressed over my jawline and then pressed her fingers to my lips. “Sometimes words aren’t enough,” she whispered.
Her words did crazy things to my heart.
Ayla moved the glass closer, and I parted my lips for her. Our gaze never left each other as I drank from the glass. When I was done, she took a sip and then placed the glass on the tray.
She never ceased to amaze me.
Ayla stared at me for a few seconds, her expression changing from happy to uncertain. I saw her swallow hard, and then she leaned forward, quickly placing a kiss on my lips before moving back.
I felt an eyebrow arch in question, and she ducked her head timidly. I lifted her chin up and dipped my head, moving down until our lips were mere inches apart. Ayla’s eyes flared in surprise, and she leaned forward again until our lips were joined together.
The first touch of our lips felt electrifying, almost like the first time I kissed her. Every time I kissed her was like the first. Our kiss was light and exquisitely gentle. She sighed almost dreamily into my lips as we broke off the kiss.
Ayla made a little contented sound and snuggled deeper into my chest. She placed a kiss on my shoulder and rested her head there.
A sense of comfort filled my heart as I wrapped my arms around her. I never thought I would need this. Holding someone, just being like this. Silent but still connected. This wasn’t what I was looking for, but Ayla came crashing into my life and gave me something I didn’t even know I needed.
My father was right.
An angel is someone who is sweet, kind, caring, calm, and mellow. The most beautiful woman on the planet. Someone who is amazing in every way. She is the girl who makes your heart beat faster when she walks into the room. The girl you will need wherever you go. The girl who makes you want to be better. Angel is someone who is your rock.
I gave up hope of finding my Angel a long time ago. After I lost my mother, the only person who was my everything, I believed that Angels didn’t exist. I thought it was all a lie.
But Ayla…she truly was an Angel.
***
Walking into my office, I saw my men already waiting for me. Seeing them reminded me of who I actually was. For the past few days, I had been so lost in Ayla, only focusing on her. But now it was time to be Alessio Ivanshov. It wasn’t easy, leading almost a double life…an experienced and well-known businessman by day and a crime lord by night. But this was second nature for me. I was bred to do so since my first breath.
“Give me a brief summary of everything,” I demanded as I took a seat behind my table.
Nikolay leaned away from the wall and started. “I’ve done rounds through the clubs. Fifteen in all. Alberto has been quiet around them, and there has not been much activity from his men. The women are safe. As safe as they can be in a place like that.”
I nodded and looked at Artur. “What happened to the other women?”
He shook his head, dejection clear on his face. “We didn’t get there in time. There were kids with them too.”
Pounding a fist on the table, I stood up as fierce anger assaulted me. “How the fuck didn’t you get there in time? You knew about this for a week.”
“Boss, he knew we were spying. His men took a different route to deliver the women and the kids to the buyer.”
“Fuck!” I swore, raking my fingers through my hair in frustration. “How many?”
“About twenty women,” he said, looking down in defeat.
Alberto was part of a human trafficking ring. Because of his alliance with the Mexican cartel, it was too strong to stop.
I had just failed twenty women. Twenty women and kids I could have saved.
“You’re no longer in control of this job,” I growled at Artur. His head snapped up, and he stared at me in shock.
“Nikolay is taking over,” I said through gritted teeth. “Next time, I don’t want a fucking mistake on this.”
“Boss,” Nikolay nodded, his face filled with conviction.
“Viktor,” I snapped toward him.
“I’ve been keeping tabs on Alberto, and Mark called back with details,” he started calmly and then paused.
“Alberto is weak on his own, but if he had the other’s alliance, then he is much stronger. He’s in deep with the Mexican cartel. He wants to expand his empire. He knows the only way to weaken you is by getting the others on his side, business-wise.”
Sitting down, I rubbed a hand over my face, my body vibrating with rage and a thirst for my enemies’ blood. Squeezing my hands in first, I closed my eyes. I thought about asking for support from the other Families.
Even though I was the Pakhan, the Boss—the Russian Mafia consisted of four families in all. They would come to my help if asked…but I had to deal with this shit on my own. For now.
When I heard the door, my eyes snapped open to see Phoenix coming in. “Boss,” he greeted with a nod.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Viktor asked, looking at Phoenix in astonishment. I was wondering the same thing.
The right side of Phoenix’s face was red, quickly turning purple and forming a bruise, and his nose was bleeding a little.
“Maddie punched me,” he stated calmly, his face expressionless.
Artur’s face turned stoic at the mention of Maddie’s name, and he turned to Phoenix, moving into his face. “What did you do to her?”
Phoenix stood up straighter, his shoulders bunching tensely. His eyes turned a shade darker as he replied, acting almost nonchalant. “Why don’t you ask her?”
Artur’s expression was almost murderous, but Nikolay quickly stepped in. “Phoenix, what is the meaning of this?”
Instead of answering, he turned to me and reported back. “There was a fight at one the clubs. Two were badly injured. The mess was cleaned up before the police came. Everything is clear.”
I nodded. “What about the underground rings?”
“The underground rings are running perfectly. We got two more fighters. They’re really good. The best, I would say,” Phoenix replied. “They fight for blood.” And that was exactly what the underground rings were about. Blood. Either death or win. We could make millions in
one night. Easy fucking money.
Nodding, I closed my eyes and leaned back against my chair. I didn’t have to say anything else. They knew the meeting was finished. I heard my men shuffling around and the door opening.
“Viktor,” I called out without opening my eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Call Lyov and Isaak.”
Maybe I needed their help.
Viktor swore under his breath but didn’t say anything else. The door closed and then silence.
The silence was almost suffocating, and my skin prickled with tension. I clenched my hands in fists and then unclenched them again. Doing that for some time, I tried to control the monster inside of me.
Ayla’s face suddenly flashed behind my closed eyes. Just the thought of her calmed me, and I felt the rage slowly diminish.
Angel.
Chapter 6
Maddie
My muscles ached as I quickly undressed. I needed sleep. Like now. But I knew Artur was supposed to visit me, so I waited.
I was combing my hair when I saw the door open in the mirror’s reflection. He closed the door behind him and walked toward me. “Hmm…that’s what I like to see,” he murmured, his lustful eyes raking over my naked body. Artur stood behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me to him. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked, placing a kiss on my shoulder.
“You tell me every day, but I’m not complaining. I wouldn’t mind if you say it one more time,” I replied, placing my hand over his arm.
“You are so beautiful that you take my breath away. The sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” he muttered, his arms tightening around my waist in an almost bruising grip. “And all mine,” he growled possessively.
“Yours,” I moaned.
His hand wandered toward my already weeping pussy, and I felt myself clench in anticipation. But then he stopped. I moaned in protest, my head falling back against his shoulder. “Damn it. Artur, stop teasing me.”
My eyes opened, and I stared at our reflection in the mirror. I saw him frowning, his eyebrows pulled together thoughtfully.
“I was wondering. Why did you punch Phoenix?”
My eyes widened at his question, and I froze. How did he know that?
“Wha-What?” I sputtered.
“Phoenix’s face was a mess this morning. And he said you punched him. What did he do? Is he being a problem?” he asked, placing his chin on my shoulder as he looked into my eyes through the reflection.
My throat went dry at the question, my hands clenched in fist, my nails digging into my skin.
My legs were wrapped around Artur’s hips as he pressed me against the wall. His lips claimed mine in a bruising kiss. “Good morning,” he muttered.
“I like how you say good morning,” I laughed against his lips. His fingers tightened on my hips, and I kissed him again.
When I pulled back, I caught a glimpse of Phoenix standing behind Artur, his expression almost painful and murderous.
“Artur, Boss is looking for you,” he snapped.
Artur pulled away from me and glanced behind his back at Phoenix. “Okay.” Putting me down, he gave me a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay,” I replied, smiling up at me. He turned around and gave Phoenix a nod before going upstairs.
Phoenix didn’t move. He kept his eyes locked on mine. I saw his hands fisted at his sides.
“What the hell is your problem?” I asked almost angrily. “Every time you see me with Artur, you act like some type of caveman. This has gone on for too long now.”
He silently took a step forward, and I paused in my furious rant. Phoenix stalked toward me and stopped when our bodies were just inches apart and I was forced against the wall.
Swallowing nervously at his close proximity, I took a deep breath and then glared up at him. “Move away, asshole. Ever heard of personal space?”
When he didn’t, I placed my hands over his chest to push him away. “What the fuck is your problem?” I hissed, but he didn’t move.
Instead, he grabbed my hands and held them to his chest. Before I could blink or think, his other arm quickly snaked around my waist. He pulled me into his body, his hold unyielding.
“What th—” I started to say, but he cut me off.
“Shut up.”
And then he slammed his lips on mine. I gasped in shock, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue in my mouth. I didn’t move at first, but instinctively, I surrendered to his kiss. My lips moved over his, tentatively at first. He growled low in his chest and deepened the kiss.
He pulled back and glared down at me. “This. This is my fucking problem,” he said, brushing his thumb over my sensitive lips.
Gasping, I pushed him away and stumbled back into the wall. “You bastard,” I whispered, wiping my lips with the back of my hand. “How dare you?”
“You kissed me back. You want this.”
“I’m with Artur,” I murmured in shock.
“He doesn’t matter,” he replied, his face expressionless.
“Fuck you!” I said through gritted teeth, my breathing harsh to my own ears.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Moving forward in a flash, I reared back and punched him in the face. He swore loudly and held his nose.
“Keep your hands off me. I swear to God, you come near me again, I will hurt you.”
I walked away, leaving him behind. But as I went, my eyes prickled with hot tears. Blinking them away, I refused to let them fall.
How dare he?
After everything…after so long…why now?
The sound of my name brought me back to the present. I blinked in shock and stared at Artur through the mirror. He gave me a confused look and turned me around in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Phoenix was just teasing me and being annoying. I got mad and kinda punched him in the face. You know how I am.”
“He isn’t going to be a problem? I can talk to him if you want,” Artur suggested, giving me a quick peck on the lips.
“No, it’s okay. I have everything under control,” I replied with a shake of my head. Artur still gave me a suspicious look. I sweetly smiled up at him, trying to distract him.
I didn’t want him to think about Phoenix.
And I didn’t want to think about Phoenix. He wasn’t important. Not anymore. It was just me and Artur. And I wanted to get lost in the man who was standing in front of me, looking down at me as if I was his everything.
Running my hands over his chest and hard stomach, I made my way down until I palmed his cock through his black pants. I gave him a squeeze, and he hissed, instantly hardening under my teasing touch.
“So where were we? I believe you owe me an orgasm, Mister. Or maybe several,” I teased.
“Fuck,” he muttered. Grabbing me around the waist, he threw me on the bed before falling on top of me. Spreading my thighs, he settled between them.
“This is going to be a long night, baby.”
“Oh, I was hoping it would be,” I replied coyly, moving my hands to his shoulders.
Chapter 7
Ayla
1 week later
I was quickly getting dressed when I saw Alessio coming out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around this waist. My eyes followed his movement across the room, and I saw him smirk when he caught my eyes on him.
Stopping in front of me, he arched an eyebrow at me mischievously. “Like what you see?”
Letting out a sigh, I shook my head in exasperation. Alessio could be infuriating sometimes. He was calm and outright arrogant. Not to forget confident in everything. But those were the few things I liked about him. He wasn’t borderline or rude.
Alessio knew he was hot and used it to his advantage every time.
“You know I do,” I mumbled under my breath with a roll of my eyes.
“Louder. I didn’t hear that,” he said, moving closer to me.
Shaking
my head, I laughed. “Nope. I’m not saying it louder. You clearly heard it.”
“Kitten,” Alessio warned.
I shivered at his nickname for me. I wasn’t in denial anymore. I loved it when he called me that. There was something so primitive, intense, and enticing about the way he said it.
“Alessio, I’m going to be late. I need to help Maddie and Lena with breakfast,” I admonished, taking a step away from him.
He crossed his arms, staring at me expectantly. Shaking my head, I smiled. He was so hard to resist. “No.”
Giving him another look, I turned around and went to the bathroom to fix my hair. I was pulling my hair up in a ponytail when I saw Alessio walking in, already dressed in his black suit.
He walked toward me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his body until my back was to his front. “You didn’t kiss me good morning,” he muttered, staring at me through the mirror.
Oh, I forgot. He was also very demanding.
Pushing my hair to the side, Alessio placed wet kisses along the length of my neck. He bit, sucked, and licked until I was putty in his arms.
I melted into his embrace, pushing my body into his. He found my sweet spot behind my ear and teased me with his tongue. Grazing the sensitive skin with his teeth, he chuckled when I trembled against his teasing touch.
My head fell back against his chest as he dragged his lips to the base of my neck and nipped at my shoulder before sucking on the tortured skin.
I let out a moan, pushing back into his hard body. “Alessio…”
He hummed against my skin, his arms tightening around me.
“We can’t…I’m going to be…late…” I breathed as he continued to tease me with his torturous ministration. My body quivered when I felt his fingers at the end of my dress, slowly pushing upward, baring my thighs.
He was slowly seducing me, and I didn’t have the strength to say no. His fingers moved to my panties, and he pressed against the fabric, right over my heated core. I whimpered as he teased me through my satin cloth. I squirmed in his embrace, feeling his length harden against my back.
