In Too Deep_BWWM Romance

by Erica A. Davis

  That was something. But Blossom was still annoyed that Adrian wasn’t in the frame for this.

  “What about Louisa?”

  “Same with her.” Ivan ran his fingers through his hair again. “So, either they were released and caught shortly after the call, or they got someone else to threaten you.”

  “Or it wasn’t them at all.” Jenny swore under her breath. “Dammit.”

  Blossom couldn’t blame her for that. She was angry herself. While it was a good thing Adrian and Louisa were currently locked up and would get dealt with for the restraining order violation, it didn’t help with who made the threatening phone call.

  Hopefully, Illya could get something on his end.

  As if conjured up by her thoughts, the man himself came out onto the deck. He gave Blossom a smile as he approached her chair, squeezing her shoulder. Blossom leaned against his arm with a sigh. Then she saw the grimace.

  “No luck?”

  “Not yet, I’m afraid.” Illya shook his head. “Our guy is good but this guy is even better.”

  Blossom didn’t want to hear that. She knew it took time, but it still wasn’t a response she wanted. Then she noticed that Ivan was giving his brother a knowing look.

  “You’ve got that expression again, Illya.”

  “What?”

  “You don’t want to leave her, do you?”

  Illya’s mouth hardened into a thin line.

  “I’m not comfortable going even next door after that call. It might be a prank or it’s the real thing. Either way, I’m not going anywhere.”

  The idea that she had a man being so protective of her was heart-warming and made the heat pool in Blossom’s belly, but it also reminded her that she was a target, something she didn’t want to think about.

  “So much for a homecoming,” she grumbled.

  “Well, we might as well make it our own.” Ivan pushed off the railing. “Who’s up for takeout? Pizza or pizza.”

  “What about sushi?” Jenny asked hopefully.

  Ivan wrinkled his nose.

  “Seriously?”

  “What’s wrong with sushi?”

  Ivan said nothing but went inside. Jenny glanced at Blossom and pushed off of her chair, hurrying inside after him. Blossom groaned.

  “I do hope it’s not sushi. I can’t stand raw fish.”

  Illya chuckled and squeezed her shoulder.

  “I don’t think Ivan’s that easily swayed when it comes to food. Especially when he knows he can eat pizza.”

  *****

  The pizza was delicious. Jenny had grumbled but after her first slice she was laughing away with everyone else. Blossom could feel herself relaxing for the first time in a while. Ivan and Illya certainly knew how to entertain and keep spirits up. Whenever there was a lull in the conversation, one of them always picked it back up again.

  With what was going on, Blossom was grateful for that.

  After pizza and a few hours talking, with some glasses of wine and beer that Ivan had also managed to procure, Blossom decided she should get some sleep. But she wasn’t keen on sleeping on her own. Illya suggested she and Jenny sleep upstairs while he and Ivan kept watch and slept downstairs. Blossom had protested they should use the guest room but Illya had been insistent.

  Blossom wasn’t about to argue with him when he was in that determined mood.

  She and Jenny had had sleepovers before. They had done that the previous night, sharing Jenny’s bed. Blossom wasn’t worried about the sharing. She was more annoyed with Jenny’s snoring, something she insisted she didn’t do.

  Despite being exhausted and wine normally sending her off to sleep, Blossom couldn’t drop off. And Jenny’s snoring made it worse. Finally, she gave up and got out of bed. Maybe a hot drink and a hot bath would work. Blossom knew she wouldn’t get to sleep anytime soon.

  Not with the thoughts she had going around in her head.

  She hadn’t heard back from the Baltimore police for a while and Blossom found that worrisome. Were they beginning to doubt her story? Had Adrian managed to persuade them that nothing had happened? But that couldn’t be right, the restraining order was still in effect, from what Blossom had discovered after calling them about the vandalizing earlier that evening. That would have been dropped if they had dropped the charges.

  And they had all her medical records of that night, the records from the psychologist Blossom had had to see for three weeks and from various witnesses of the aftermath. Adrian couldn’t lie his way out of that.

  So, why hadn’t she heard anything from the police for a while? Were they gathering evidence for trial? Or were they hitting a dead end? Adrian had pled not guilty at his arraignment and had been given bail with no conditions other than the restraining order. Surely they should be protecting her from him.

  Then again, with two Russian men downstairs more dangerous than Adrian protecting her, Blossom considered herself covered.

  Blossom padded downstairs and towards the kitchen. Then she saw Illya and Ivan in the lounge and paused. They had found her PS4 console, something Blossom barely played anymore, and were going at the latest Assassins Creed game with everything they had. Blossom couldn’t help but smile at their childlike behaviour over the game. It was startling to see these men, who had an aura of danger about them, be reduced to teenagers wanting to win at a simple game.

  And she couldn’t take her eyes off Illya. He'd divested himself of his sweater, leaving him in a tight-fitting white t-shirt. His muscles were more defined than she expected and the tattoos wove themselves up under his sleeves. Blossom wondered how far they went.

  Ivan was pretty much the same except he was much broader and he was bare-chested. But it was Illya that drew Blossom’s eye, with his leaner, more corded body.

  Who knew that an accountant could hide a body like that under his clothes?

  It was as if they could sense her there because Illya suddenly turned to look at her, making Blossom jump. He'd moved so quickly she hadn’t seen it. Illya frowned and put his controller down.

  “You okay, Blossom?”

  Ivan also turned. Blossom coughed and shrugged.

  “I can’t sleep. I was getting myself a drink.”

  “Well, come and join us.” Illya patted the couch beside him. “We could do with some more company.”

  Blossom couldn’t really turn them down. And while she wasn’t very good at computer and playstation games, she did like watching them play. Hopping over the arm of the couch, she settled against the cushions, curling up near Illya, and watched them as they carried on their assignment. They spoke in Russian between them and Blossom sat back to listen to the deep timbres of both men. It was a gruff language, in her opinion, but coming from them it was beautiful. Almost romantic.

  Blossom told herself to stop thinking like that. She was already in trouble sitting this close to Illya wearing only a pair of shorts over her panties and a t-shirt. She didn’t sleep in a bra so Blossom was painfully aware that her hardened nipples were poking through the fabric. She folded her arms across her chest, hoping that Illya hadn’t noticed.

  It was a comfortable time she spent with them, sitting there as they played. During the game, Illya would glance at her with a smile before going back to what he was doing. Other times, without even looking, he would reach over and squeeze her leg or her knee. It was meant to be a sign of comfort, Blossom knew that. But the feel of his hand against her skin had Blossom’s heart jumping into her mouth and her pulse sky-rocketing. Her pussy was beginning to throb like crazy and she could feel her panties getting damp.

  Blossom shifted, moving into a position where Illya wouldn’t be able to see how aroused she was. She even snagged the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over herself. If she was aroused like this with a simple touch, what would happen if Illya touched her more intimately? Blossom shivered and tried to focus on what was in front of her.

  It didn’t feel like long before the clock in the room began to strike midn
ight. Ivan yawned and saved the game, putting the controller down.

  “I’ll go and check the house and get something from the kitchen.” He gave Blossom a tired smile as he stood. “Do you still want that drink?”

  “Please.” Blossom was still too wired. “The hot chocolate is in the cupboard above the kettle.”

  Ivan nodded, gave Illya a glance that seemed to say a thousand words, and left the room. Illya put his controller down and sat back, stretching out his legs. He reached for her legs and gently eased them out. Blossom grimaced as her muscles screamed at her but didn’t object as Illya placed her feet across his lap. Then he began to gently rub her calves. Blossom sighed and found herself closing her eyes.

  “Does that feel good?”

  “Very good.”

  Illya made a sound that sounded like a growl. Blossom opened her eyes and looked at him. He was staring at her, a heated look in his eyes. Was he turned on as well? Blossom bit her lip and tried to think of something more mundane.

  “Do you really think someone’s coming after me?”

  Illya shrugged.

  “I hope not. But it’s better safe than sorry.”

  “You want to watch over me?”

  “Well, it’s easier when you’re under my eye,” Illya winked. “I can’t exactly help you when I have to run down the stairs and across the driveway. Better that I’m in the same house.”

  Blossom stared at him. She knew that there was a decent man in front of her and she knew what he did. When they had been talking earlier, Illya and Ivan had been very candid about what they did. Neither Blossom nor Jenny cared what they did as long as they were respectful towards them. After seeing so many frogs, it was nice to be looked after by a couple of Russian princes.

  “You are a strange man, Illya.”

  “Oh.” Illya raised his eyebrows. “Why do you say that?”

  “You’ve completely destroyed my somewhat limited knowledge about people in the Russian mob. You barely know me and yet you’re doing all this for me.”

  Illya stared at her. His hands seemed to be trailing very slowly up her legs underneath the blanket. Blossom bit her lip. Illya’s eyes seemed to darken.

  “I’m not a good man, Blossom. You should realize that by now. Not with the company I keep. But I do know a good person when I see one. Besides,” he flashed her a grin, “what are neighbours for?”

  Blossom had a flash of memory, something she'd kept hidden for a long time. The last statement made her feel sick. Blossom knew why, as well. Illya frowned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “What?”

  “Your face changed then. You lost some colour, too.” Illya shifted until he was facing her. “What happened to you, Blossom? Why the face?”

  Blossom knew he would find out sooner or later. Better to find out from her now than later. Although Blossom had a feeling Illya wouldn’t want to touch her after what she had to say. The man she had attempted to date after she'd filed the police report against Adrian found out by accident and ghosted her. Blossom was sure Illya would do the same.

  She sat up, pulling her legs away and hugging the blanket to herself.

  “Adrian was my neighbour. There was a definite spark between us. He was great at the start of the relationship. Charming and loving towards me, showered me with gifts. It was almost perfect. But after a couple of months, he suddenly got distant from me, less affectionate. He sat me down after I confronted him about it and said we should break up. He suffered from depression, something I knew about, and he was going to go through a dark phase, which he didn’t want to pull me into.”

  “Nice of him,” Illya grunted.

  Blossom gave him a sardonic look.

  “I was broken but I agreed. But it took a long time to get over him. Less than two months later, he was back after staying with his mother. We maintained a friendly acquaintance, just to make living next door to each other more bearable.” Blossom shuddered as the memories she had been trying to suppress came back to her. “He started coming on to me. I tried to stop him. I said no. But he persisted. He wouldn’t listen when I told him to get out. He pinned me down on my couch and he…”

  She couldn’t say anything more. The words just clogged up her throat. Blossom whimpered and buried her face in her hands. She could feel the shocked silence coming from Illya. Then she felt his hands on her shoulders, gently urging her forward.

  “Come here.”

  Blossom didn’t argue. She allowed Illya to sit her across his lap and placed her head on his shoulder. His arms went around her as she sobbed, the tears now flowing as he rocked her.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. His lips brushed her forehead. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

  He didn’t push her away. Blossom hadn’t been expecting that. The relief went out of her body in a rush and she clung to him.

  “When he finally got off me, he said he would come over the next day and we could have takeout. Get back to how things were previously. As soon as he left, I went to the hospital. They did a rape kit, called the police and got me into therapy. The police arrested him and everything. Adrian said he wasn't guilty and they somehow gave him bail. But I was given an RO for him and for his mother, who had started harassing me as soon as she heard he'd been arrested.” Blossom snorted. “They know they’re not supposed to be anywhere near me but they just won’t leave me alone.”

  Illya swallowed hard.

  “What does Adrian say about it?”

  “He says it was just a misunderstanding. That we had a one-night stand but he didn’t want to pursue it, so when he turned me away I cried rape.” Blossom sniffed. “I’m surprised the police actually believed me. Adrian can be very persuasive.”

  “They probably took one look at him, just like I did, and saw that he was guilty all the way through.”

  Blossom’s mouth twitched in a smile in spite of herself.

  “I guess. But then I’m not a very good judge of character if I couldn’t sense he was unstable.”

  “We don’t often see it until it actually happens. People are very good at hiding their true selves.”

  Chapter 6

  Illya paused. “When’s the trial?”

  “January.” Blossom raised her head, wiping at her eyes with the blanket. “That was the earliest we could get a date.”

  “Six months after the rape?”

  “Yes.” Blossom snorted. “Three months after the fact and Adrian’s broken the RO fifteen times already.”

  “How come he’s not locked up until trial?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think I’d be able to cope with the answer.” Blossom rubbed at her eyes. “It’s taking a lot out of me.”

  “It’s probably what Adrian’s going for. He’s trying to get you to break down so you’ll drop the charges.”

  Blossom had come to the same conclusion herself. Adrian was very good at pestering. He knew exactly what he was doing was wrong but he wouldn’t stop. It was driving Blossom crazy.

  “But that’s not going to stop him doing it to me or anyone else. I won’t have it.” Her jaw tightened and she sat up in Illya’s lap. “I’m not weak. I just wish I didn’t attract the awful guys.”

  Illya regarded her thoughtfully. Then he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing her neck. Blossom shivered as heat shot down her back.

  “Don’t let him color every man,” Illya said quietly. “You’ll find someone who will treat you like a princess. And Adrian’s not getting to you again.”

  “Can you promise that?”

  Blossom looked at him and saw the look of desire cross Illya’s face. She was then aware of the prodding against her thigh twitching and realized that Illya had been getting hard while she curled up against his chest. How had she not noticed that?

  She licked her lips, Illya’s eyes snagging on her mouth. He sat up, grabbing Blossom around the waist as she nearly toppled off his lap.

  “Certainly not while I’m around,” he grow
led.

  Then he kissed her.

  *****

  Illya was surprised with himself. He had expected to lose control a lot quicker. Blossom had been curled up beside him in barely anything, her longs legs brushing against his hip. His cock had been in a state of constant arousal since she'd come in.

  Ivan had recognized the signs. He was leaving them alone. Illya wondered if he was going to sneak in to see Jenny but, right now, he was more concerned about getting Blossom naked and riding his cock.

  Blossom was very pliable in his arms. And she felt amazing. She shifted in his lap and managed to get her legs on either side of him, wrapping her thighs around his waist and rocking against his erection. Illya groaned and kissed her harder, his hands dipping into her shorts and under her panties to her firm backside. He squeezed her cheeks and Blossom gasped against his mouth, arched closer to him.

  He needed to have her now.

  Then Blossom was pulling away. Her body was still plastered to him and she was breathing heavily, her eyes shining.

  “Should we be doing this?” she gasped.

  Illya didn’t know and he didn’t care.

  “Maybe not.” He kept squeezing her backside, rocking her against his erection, which was getting harder by the second. “But if you want to stop…”

  “That’s the thing.” Blossom bit her lip, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “I don’t want to stop. But…” She glanced towards the door. “Your brother and my friend are close by. Much as I love Jenny and I like Ivan, I don’t really want them to see me naked and in a compromising position.”

  Illya wasn’t about to argue with that. He and Ivan were close but weren’t close enough to spy on each other having sex. He wanted Blossom right now and he had to have her somehow.

  He grinned when an idea came into his head.

  “We’ll go to my place.”

  Blossom’s eyes widened.

  “Is that a good idea?”

  “Well, we can’t exactly do it on your bed and you don’t want to be caught.” Illya stood, bringing Blossom with him. “No one’s going to stop us at my place.”