“Damn, that’s tough. I’m sorry Chloe. And you stayed behind?”
“Yeah, I stayed. Reliable, responsible Chloe stayed behind. But my dad really needed me, he was barely looking after himself those first couple of years. Even just eating and keeping himself clean. He was punishing himself for what happened, but the last year he’s been much better.”
“He’s very lucky to have you Chloe, I wish I had someone who cared so much about me.” He got the bottle and refilled their glasses.
“Don’t you have family?”
“I don’t know who my parents were, I grew up in care. It was a funny place, St. John’s. A lot of the boys who never got fostered ended up in trouble. I was with a couple of families but it never worked out. I was wild back then.”
“And what are you now, a choir boy?”
He took the joke easily enough but Chloe regretted saying it almost instantly. He was opening up to her and even though their situation was bad she knew it wasn’t entirely his fault.
“Well no, obviously I’m no choir boy, but it could have been worse. St. John’s was weird, it was like we were almost encouraged to get tough and take what we wanted. Most of the guys who were still there at eighteen ended up working for the Bratva in some way or another. I was close to Dimitri back then, the guy who took you hostage. We needed to look out for each other, loyalty was important. We were like brothers. He really needed my help with the robbery last week. If he hadn’t managed to get the jewels he was in trouble. But he manipulated me and used our old friendship to get me involved. I should have been smarter.”
“It’s not always easy to be smart and selfish when someone important needs our help. If I’d left like my brother who knows what kind of life I’d have right now.”
“Ah, but then we never would have met Chloe,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.
“That’s not very funny you know?”
“Yeah, I know, gallows humor, sorry”
“So, Dimitri, you guys were close?”
“I hadn’t seen him in years actually. After I did some time I got out, left New York and came out here to start again. In some ways I was lucky getting caught so young, it scared me straight. I wanted to leave all that behind. We were close years ago, but lately? No, we weren’t close anymore. It was more a case of old loyalties I think, maybe I felt guilty that I got out and he didn’t, I dunno. I didn’t think it through.”
It was nice to be with him, despite everything. It was nice to hear him talk about his life and his past. She’d been so curious in the days since he’d first burst into her life and now she was finding out. Clever and determined enough to break with his past and forge a new path. But impulsive as well, his better judgement clouded by loyalty to an old friend.
He filled their glasses again and somehow Chloe didn’t feel so tired anymore, despite all she’d gone through. She wanted him to keep talking, to tell her more about his life. Maybe it was the wine and the view as well but she was feeling quite calm and relaxed despite her strange new circumstances.
They were silent for a while and it was comfortable. She didn’t feel like she needed to say anything and it felt good to just sit together like that. She imagined they were there in different circumstances and it wasn’t a heist, murder and stolen jewels that had brought them together. She could almost trick herself and imagine they were there together just because they liked to sit together and talk and drink wine and look at the lake, just because they liked each other.
But life wasn’t like that and reality couldn’t be avoided. The guy by the lake had pulled a gun on her on the slim chance she had some information.
“What are you planning to do Vladek?”
He put down his glass and knitted his brows, then turned and looked her in the eye. His warm, strong hand reached across the table and settled over hers.
“I’m gonna call Mirko in the morning. I trust him and he’ll know how to do it, but basically, I’m gonna give them what they want. I’m gonna get the jewels, get in contact and then hand them over. And I’m gonna do it far away from Ithaca, from the police and everyone we know.”
“You think it will be that simple?”
“I hope so, but no, I don’t believe that. We’re gonna have to take precautions but we’ll be clever and we’ll make a good plan.”
“I suppose I’m too involved to hope they’ll forget all about me?”
“I’m afraid so, you’re definitely a loose end they’d like to tidy up. But I won’t let anything happen to you, I’m gonna make it right.”
He’d kept his hand over hers and the eye contact was still there. It felt close, intimate, and Chloe had the growing urge for even more body contact. She wanted to be hugged, touched. Maybe Vladek saw it in her eyes and that’s why he withdrew his hand again. She’d seen something in his eyes too, an urge he was reluctant to act upon but one that was building and wouldn’t stay unsatisfied.
- 16 -
Chloe
They stayed on the terrace a while longer but it wasn’t as comfortable as before. There was a new tension between them, a pleasant kind of excitement that made Chloe squirm slightly in her chair.
Maybe she was crazy to want it but her life had become crazy. Everything that had happened and now she was hiding out in an adorable little cottage on the lake with a guy who tugged and stretched her desires in all sorts of surprising ways.
She was a new kind of Chloe and maybe new Chloe could do all sorts of things that old Chloe didn’t. She’d liked him from the first moment and she knew he liked her too. But he’d fucked up and he knew it so maybe that was holding him back. His impulsivity had got him in trouble but it could be a good thing sometimes as well.
“It’s late now,” he stated. “I think I’m going to turn in.”
“Yes, me too. The wine was good, I feel more relaxed now.”
They both got up and went inside and Vladek put the glasses on the counter before turning to face her, up close in the warm half-light.
He reached up a hand and lightly brushed her cheek, skimmed down her hair. “I didn’t want any of this for you.”
“It hasn’t been so bad, the last hours, just with you.” She kept her chin raised, her eyes as steady as she could. She wanted him to understand what she wanted, what he had to do.
He stepped in closer and she responded with a step of her own. His hand moved again to her cheek, his gaze intense. His lips moved to hers and when they met it was like the sweetest dam breaking open. He moved closer and she melted in to him, hands snaking up his broad, powerful back, eager to feel his strength.
He tasted so good and she felt the heat rise up through her body. Maybe it was the nervous tension, or that she’d been thinking about him all week. Maybe because he was so totally different to her or that he’d rescued her and whisked her away to a cottage by the lake. It was all of those things and more. With every new thing he did and said something else clicked into place.
Their lips mashed together impatiently, their breath coming loud against each other’s cheeks. He pulled back again, a questioning look in his deep brown eyes. “You want this?”
She didn’t reply in words but her body said yes and they kissed again. Reaching down he picked her fully up and carried her to the bedroom. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her nose in his shoulder, breathing deep from the well of his fresh and foreign masculinity.
The bedroom was dark but the bed was illuminated by strips of light from the outside streetlights as they shone in through the blind. She wriggled out of her jeans while he whipped off his T-shirt. His body was hard and sculpted, a large tribal tattoo covering his shoulder and chest.
He came down to her and they rolled together, hungry mouths and hands seeking satisfaction. They moved together, quick and urgent, tugging at each other’s clothes until only naked flesh remained.
Her hands moved quickly across his skin, touching, squeezing, feeling his rock hard muscles and taut skin moving and rippling agains
t her. He was so smooth, so fresh and every part so hard and tight.
His smell made her dizzy. He was all over her, all around her and his eyes sought out hers, again and again, connecting with her, drinking her in and showing his desire. His strong hands sought out the softest parts of her and took what they wanted, her ass, her breasts.
She was ready for him, could feel her wetness, her body opening up in welcome. She guided him between her legs, gasping as he touched her there, his large, thick size probing and nudging her ever more open.
And then he entered, plunging in deep and making her gasp out loud in surprise and pleasure. She brought her legs up and curled them around his narrow waist, urging him in and again, faster and deeper.
He entered her smoothly, withdrawing almost fully each time before plunging in again. She’d been with guys before but this was different. Maybe it was the excitement, because he was bad and it was wrong, but it felt so good. He hit her just right, seemed to stretch her wider and fuck her better than anyone else before.
It was frantic and the headboard smacked loudly as he screwed on the bed. It was almost too much, like they were working out all the stress and built up tension. She reached up and put her hands to his face, reconnecting again and slowing him once more.
He leaned back up before her and she drew up her legs, raising her ass to allow him in still deeper than before. He slowed even more and his hand moved down to rest on her clit. His thumb was on her, that sweetest spot, moving back and forth in rhythm to his thrusts.
The rhythm stayed steady, hypnotic and reliable and she felt her body respond. Numbness closed in, a cushioned wall of pleasure coming in from every side. Shoots and thrills of electricity shot across her skin as the heat built up from deep within her core.
She watched his perfect, hard body move above her in the dimly lit room, his eyes roving about her pale soft body before returning again to her mouth, her eyes, locking onto her.
He picked up the pace again, hitting her hard and deep, making her think it was coming to the end, adding layer after layer to her approaching orgasm.
He stayed controlled, playing her body expertly and working her hard and relentless with his cock. A sheen of sweat appeared on his skin and her moans came louder. She could barely hold herself back, didn’t want him controlled anymore. She wanted to feel his power, wanted his fat cock slamming into her from behind.
She pushed him out, a moan of hungry frustration escaping her lips as she turned and got on all fours, arching her back at him, demanding he take her hard.
He plunged in deep, his hips smacking loud against her ass. His hands were at her shoulders and then one at her neck, squeezing her tight. One hand wrapped around her hair, pulling back her head.
The sudden tight pain brought a cry to her lips and she felt herself contract involuntarily around his thick cock. It made him feel even bigger than before and it swatted aside any discomfort at his rough treatment.
He slammed into her harder and harder and she felt her bones rattle. She gripped the headboard tight to stop being pushed up the bed, bucking back strong against him and feeling wilder than she ever had before in her life.
A guttural cry broke from deep within “hit me with that big bad fucking dick!” and Vladek responded, taking a firm grip of her hips and pounding her strong and rough.
She could feel the point of release approaching as the room and everything around her seemed to slip away to nothing. Her body was building up to a plateau of bliss. She could hear his ragged breath and knew he must also be close to his climax.
“You not such a good girl, are you Chloe?” came his deep voice from behind. “You love that bad cock don’t you, that big bad cock fucking your tight good-girl pussy. That’s what you want isn’t it, fucking hard in the dirt!”
His words fizzed through her mind, scorching her and setting a blaze deep down in her belly. She cried out loud again and pushed back even harder than before. Bursts of pleasure seemed to explode all through her body and then came the big one and she shook and trembled and barely hung on.
Vladek’s final thrusts came, deep and deliberate as her bucking body sent him towards his own ecstatic release. Hot fluid burst deep within her and it felt amazing adding yet another dimension to the gradually receding waves of pleasure that had left her drenched and weak.
Her arms felt frail and fragile and she let herself fall down onto the bed in a gentle collapse. She was covered in sweat, her hair matted sticky to her face. He landed down beside her, breathing hard, his slick skin sliding off hers until they faced each other on the pillow.
It was a huge release of tension and just what she needed. His face was right in front of hers but it didn’t feel strange to have him there so close, it felt just perfect. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea and had been all down to the danger and stress of being shot at earlier, of being on the run. Maybe it would be different in the morning but for the moment it felt right and when he reached out and touched her face tenderly she was even more glad they were together.
She felt all floaty and content and for those long moments had no care in the world. Her eyes were growing heavy and together they pulled up the duvet around them and entwined together they drifted off to sleep.
- 17 -
Vladek
Vladek woke just after dawn. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken up so fresh and ready for the world. Chloe’s head rested across his shoulder and in the crook of his neck, her hair against his cheek and the smell of her skin filling his nose. He allowed himself to lay there for long moments, reveling in the simple pleasure of skin on skin, the closeness of another body.
He slowly untangled himself then, careful not to wake her, and slipped from the bed. He retrieved his shorts from the bottom of the bed and stood for a moment to admire her sleeping form.
What are you getting involved in? He asked himself. She was so sweet and normal and not someone he deserved. He’d already barged into her life like a wrecking ball and he shouldn’t make it any worse.
He’d been surprised how quickly she’d adapted to their situation. She’d been reluctant at first but knew he’d been right and once she’d made up her mind had gone along with the plan.
Maybe she did get stressed and anxious sometimes like she said but that was because she cared so much, because she knew what was important. He felt that about her. She was stronger than she knew, strong enough to carry those cares and see things through, like looking after her father and helping him through his grief.
His eyes traced across her delicate jawline and slender neck. The top of her breast was exposed in the early morning sun and he felt a tightening down below his belly. It was tempting to crawl back in and draw her warm sleepy body to his but he tore his gaze away and quickly left the room.
It was only a one off thing, it had to be. Things were already complicated enough and he was sure she’d feel the same. They needed a plan to get the Bratva out of their lives. He had to hand over the jewels and keep Chloe safe. Maybe when that was all over they could do something normal together but the previous night had been down to the moment, the tension of the day, the danger and the need to physically decompress.
He walked to the living room and opened the terrace doors to see the first morning rays reflect upon the water. There wasn’t a breath of air and the still surface of the lake was like an enormous silver mirror reflecting the majesty of the sky above.
The chill spring air caused goosebumps on his skin but the cold was more invigorating than a strong cup of coffee. Despite their problems he felt strong and ready for the challenges ahead.
On a sudden whim he hurried down the wooden steps off the terrace that brought him to the small private jetty. Not thinking twice he launched himself into the water, breaking the surface with a clean dive. The cold shock of the water almost stung him to a stop but he powered on through, forcing his limbs to work.
After a few moments the shock passed and he settled into a steady stroke
that brought him out deep into the now shattered stillness of the lake. He’d always loved to swim, loved the feeling of suspension and fluidity.
There’d been no swimming lessons at St. John’s but one of the foster families he’d been with for a short time had corrected that part of his education. Jack and Emily Anderson were good people and he’d been with them almost eight months, until he’d gone for a joyride in Jack’s Audi and wrapped it around a boulder at the entrance to their estate.
He swam out for ten minutes or so before turning back. He eased off on the way back in, letting his languid stroke eat up the distance. He was tiring by the time he got close and hauled himself out of the water with the satisfied feeling of having had a good workout.
As he came back up the steps to the terrace Chloe appeared from the living room.
“You were swimming,” she stated simply.
“Yeah, spur of the moment really.”
“But, you do that don’t you?”
“Sorry, what?”
“Spur of the moment things, like doing things, taking things, agreeing to things. Not always thinking too much in advance. That’s just like you, isn’t it?” She said it in a satisfied way as if she was pleased to have figured him out.
“I suppose I am like that, yeah.”
“I like it. You know people think I’m so organized but I’m not really. I mean, I try to be but if I really was I’m sure I would have sorted my life out a lot sooner. Everything I’ve done I’ve just kinda fallen into. Most of the forward thinking I do is worrying about doing the right thing, but not really what’s best for me, then I get paralyzed until I finally stumble forward again.”
“You’re saying you’d rather act more often without thinking or you’d rather plan everything a lot better? You lost me somewhere.”
“You’re right, I’m babbling. I guess I’d like to do both better. Oh, and by the way, about last night? Let’s not make a big deal about it. It just happened and it was good, I’m glad. Maybe we’ll do it again, maybe not, ok?”
Rough Diamond (A Mafia Romance) Page 8
