In Too Deep_BWWM Romance

by Erica A. Davis

“Yours?”

  “Well, you haven’t got anywhere to go and you can’t go to Jenny’s . It’s the best solution. Just pack a few things you need and you can stay with me for a few days.”

  Illya wanted Blossom close and it was easier to stay in his place. He had the money, certainly, that he had splurged on for security. It was top-notch, almost as good as Fort Knox. It was the safest place to be for Blossom right now.

  “I…” Blossom bit her lip. It was looking sore from all the chewing. “I don’t want to impose.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re staying with me.” Illya hurried to add, “In the guest room.”

  He didn’t think it was appropriate to say she was staying in his bed. Blossom wasn’t in the mood to think about sex right now. Neither was Illya, he was tired, angry and scared himself.

  Blossom would need space and he had enough room for it.

  It seemed like forever before Blossom nodded in agreement.

  “Okay. I’ll grab some things from my place.”

  “I also spoke to Anton earlier. He’s given me the week off so you won’t be alone.”

  That was partly true. Anton had been furious that one of his men had been hurt but Illya had been the one that said he was taking a week off. He said it was to sit with Ivan, however, not to act as a bodyguard, something he wasn’t even remotely trained to do.

  But he wasn’t going to leave Blossom alone, not after this.

  “Thank you.” Blossom sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I don’t think I can handle being alone right now.”

  Illya couldn’t argue with that.

  *****

  Illya hadn’t been able to sleep at all. He'd put Blossom in the guest room and then tried to sleep himself but every time he closed his eyes Illya saw the beaten up body on the bed, this time not breathing. And it was Blossom he could see in his eye, not Jenny.

  That was enough to keep him awake.

  Illya gave up as dawn started creeping in through the curtains. He padded down the corridor and checked on Blossom. She'd been tossing and turning throughout the night but now she was asleep, the duvet tangled between her legs as she lay in the recovery position. Her hair was spread out across the pillow and her face and she was snoring softly.

  Illya had never seen anything more innocent. And that left a heavy weight in his stomach. He was hardly innocent and he kept with the wrong kind of people. They would never make him a law-abiding citizen. Much as they were his family and Illya loved them, it was no life for Blossom.

  Even then, he couldn’t help but wonder what life would be like if Blossom was a more permanent fixture rather than just being his neighbour.

  Illya snuck downstairs and made some coffee. His stomach wasn’t interested in food. Then he went into his office in the back of the house and switched on the computers. Maybe a few games on Rainbow Six would help get his mind in order. It was dawn where he was but there would definitely be someone up around the world up for a team game.

  And it worked. Illya was able to get his mind awake and focused on what was happening on the screen. His team was better than most days and they annihilated the opposition. By the time he was ready to log off after five sets, Illya was ready to work. Blossom was probably up and he should think about making breakfast.

  Anything mundane and boring to take their mind off what happened.

  Would Blossom be able to go into work after all this? Illya very much doubted it. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind. He made a mental note to call the shelter and let them know.

  That had Illya’s mind wandering to another thought. It could have been Rollins who broke in. Or it could be one of the many angry husbands whose wives went to the shelter looking for refuge. They could have followed Blossom home and attacked her for breaking up their lives and taking away their punching bag.

  Illya was getting a headache again. He needed more time where he didn’t need to think.

  He was heading through to the kitchen when his cell phone, which was back in his study, started ringing. Illya sighed and went back, scooping the phone up when he saw the caller ID. No one ignored his calls.

  “Chekov.”

  “I thought you were going to sit by Ivan’s side.”

  “Sir?” Illya tried to act innocent. “But I am. Right now.”

  “No, I’ve just walked out of his room. The nurse says she hasn’t seen you since the patient herded you out.” He could feel Anton’s scowl down the line. “You’re with Miss Fairbrother, aren’t you?”

  Illya sighed and leaned against the doorframe. He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

  “She’s in shock, Anton. And I wasn’t about to leave her alone. She was the target, after all.”

  “So, you lied to me,” Anton grunted. “I hope bedding her was worth lying to me.”

  “I didn’t do that.”

  Not after, but Illya wasn’t about to say that.

  Anton let out a heavy sigh. Illya could imagine him pacing around his office, wondering why his men were starting to think with the wrong part of their body.

  “I’ve spoken to my contact in the Columbia PD and they say there are a lot of fingerprints but there are no leads.”

  “So, they’re not in the system, then.”

  “No.”

  That was frustrating. They wouldn’t be able to find them that way. And then Illya realized what that meant.

  “Rollins can’t have been the one who attacked Jenny Benson last night.”

  “How can you be so sure of that?”

  Illya gave Anton a brief rundown of Adrian’s previous transgressions. He didn’t go into details, that was for Blossom, not for him.

  “Shit.” Anton said a few other words in Russian that made Illya hold the phone away from his ear. “So, Rollins wasn’t the one who went into the house and beat Miss Benson to a pulp.”

  “No. Maybe he hired someone to do it.”

  And that’s what made it scarier. Illya knew not all criminals were in the system. Some of them, much like several in the Romanov family, weren’t in the police database but they were very careful. He would have been given a life sentence for some of the things he'd done but Illya was very careful. That was why Anton kept him on as an accountant, even when Illya hit his first million on his own, no illegal money in sight in his own account; he was damned good at his job.

  “How’s Miss Fairbrother doing?”

  Illya glanced towards the stairs.

  “She’s still asleep, as far as I’m aware. I think the adrenaline wore off eventually.”

  “I can imagine,” Anton sighed heavily. “Ivan isn’t too happy, either. When I saw him he was beating himself up about it.”

  “I think he’s taken a shine to Jenny.”

  The feeling was certainly mutual. Illya could tell by the way Ivan was around Jenny that not only did he find her attractive but that he had made no move to approach her beyond being friendly. Neither had Jenny. Illya wondered how long it would be before Ivan threw proprieties out the window.

  Anton gave a dry chuckle.

  “You two don’t do things by halves, do you?”

  “Not really.”

  Anton snorted.

  “Fine, you stay home and keep an eye on Miss Fairbrother. I’ll send the work over to you. If you need anything, call Danilo. He and Sergei are going to take turns watching the house, see if Rollins comes back.”

  Illya felt better hearing that Danilo and Sergei, the Russian twins, were going to be their eyes and ears. They were dangerous, even more so than Ivan. Illya wouldn’t want to be around when Adrian Rollins tried knocking on Blossom’s door.

  Then he heard someone at his own front door. Hanging up with his boss after a quick farewell, Illya grabbed his gun from his jacket, hanging in his closet, and approached the door. He had a spyhole and a small screen set up to the side where his alarm was. Illya pressed a button and a view of the front porch came up.

  He groaned when he saw his visitor. What the hell
was she doing here? And how did she know where he lived? Anton and Ivan were the only two who knew. Well, he could now add Danilo and Sergei to the list. That was it.

  Illya wished he wouldn’t get into trouble for using his gun on the visitor. Keeping it in his hand, he opened the door and scowled at her.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Nicoletta gave him a pretty smile. She was dressed in black leggings with a red blouse and black leather jacket. Her hair had been straightened and tied into a high ponytail. High-heel boots finished off the outfit. She did look good but nothing was stirring in Illya’s gut.

  “I came here to see you. See how you were doing.”

  She tried to step back into his hallway but Illya stepped across and blocked her way. He wasn’t letting her into his house if he could help it. He glared at her.

  “That’s not going to happen. You’re not welcome.”

  Nicoletta looked surprised. She pouted.

  “My brother’s welcome.”

  “He’s my boss. You’re not.” Illya folded his arms, making sure Nicoletta could see the gun. “And how did you get my address? I didn’t tell anyone other than Anton.”

  “I sneaked a look at his phone.”

  Nicoletta smirked. She looked very proud of herself for doing that.

  “He’s going to kill you for that. You know you’re not supposed to touch his things, especially not without his permission.”

  “Well, he won’t do anything.” Nicoletta looked very sure of it. “I’m his baby sister. He wouldn’t kill me.”

  “Do you wanna bet?”

  Illya knew Anton would do anything for his sister but he didn’t tolerate certain things. Rubbing herself off several of his employees was one of them. Harassing them was another.

  Nicoletta tried to step past him again but Illya stepped with her. Nicoletta blinked up at him.

  “Aren’t you going to let me in, Illya? We can’t exactly talk like this on the doorstep.”

  “Yes, we can.” Illya shook his head. “And no, you’re not coming in at all.”

  “But why? I came to see you. Look after you.” Nicoletta laid a hand on his arm and gave him a coquettish look. “I heard what happened last night. That must have been a traumatic experience.”

  “I wasn’t the one who suffered any trauma.”

  “Even then, I thought I’d come out here and look after you. Give you some TLC.” Nicoletta ran her hand along his arm. “It must have been a trying night.”

  Illya grabbed her wrist, pushing her away none-too-gently. Nicoletta nearly stumbled over but managed to stay upright.

  “Don’t touch me, Nicoletta.”

  They had been speaking in English, English the language Nicoletta had been taught before her brother’s native tongue by her American nannies. Her parents had wanted her to have an American upbringing. Now Illya switched to Russian. He knew Nicoletta knew whenever he started speaking to her in Russian, she was in trouble.

  “I don’t want you here. I don’t want you anywhere near me. Get out of here before I call Anton.”

  Nicoletta’s mouth opened and closed. Illya didn’t know why she was so stunned. He rejected her time and again and she still didn’t understand.

  “Why are you so stubborn, Illya?” Nicoletta’s Russian rolled smoothly off her tongue. “I want you and you clearly want me. Why are you not giving us what we want?”

  Illya snorted.

  “I don’t desire you at all. I’m not suicidal.”

  “Illya?”

  Illya turned. Blossom was coming down the stairs. She looked like she'd had a shower or a bath with her hair still damp around her shoulders and wearing a black t-shirt almost down to her knees, grey sweatpants finishing off the outfit.

  Even wearing clothes that didn’t match and clearly only for around the house, Blossom Fairbrother still looked beautiful.

  Illya could feel the tension coming from Nicoletta. He didn’t want her in the house because he wanted nothing to do with the woman, but also he didn’t want the women to come into contact. Nicoletta would fly into a rage and Blossom didn’t need that. He shook his head and gave Nicoletta a pointed look.

  “It’s okay, Blossom. Miss Romanov was just leaving.”

  Nicoletta looked like someone had slapped her. She was staring at Blossom, looking shocked that she was even there. Then her face darkened in anger and she turned to Illya.

  “You’re sleeping with her?”

  Illya didn’t dignify that with an answer.

  “Get out of here, Nicoletta,” he growled. He took a step forward, forcing her to move back. “Blossom spent the night here and she doesn’t need aggravation from you.”

  Nicoletta was seething. Illya was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of her ears. Then she looked at Blossom, who had reached the bottom of the stairs, and switched to English, her words seeming to spit fire.

  “You need to leave. Now.”

  Blossom raised her eyebrows.

  “Excuse me?”

  Illya growled and both women jumped.

  “Blossom is my guest.” He spoke in English for Blossom’s benefit. “You have no say in my house. At all. Now go before I call Anton.”

  “You’re sleeping with her?” Nicoletta didn’t move. She looked ready to attack. “With that skanky…”

  Illya slammed his fist against the door. Nicoletta was startled into silence. Illya had heard Nicoletta’s rants before and knew what had been coming next.

  There was also another big reason why he wouldn’t let a racist woman in his house when he had a guest of a different skin color.

  He stepped close to her, his voice lowering to a whisper as he jabbed his gun into her ribs.

  “If you utter that word in my presence or towards Blossom again, Anton won’t be the one leaving your body in the river.”

  Nicoletta stiffened. Illya had never threatened her. He wasn’t the type to do that, preferring to stay behind his computer. But something about Blossom had that his protective side coming out.

  Illya stepped back, tucking the gun into the back of his jeans. He was glad it was early enough that nobody had seen them. He glared at Nicoletta, who looked like she'd seen a ghost.

  “Don’t ever speak in a derogatory tone to Blossom. You hear?”

  “You…” Nicoletta spluttered. “You chose her over me? Why? What’s she got that I haven’t?”

  “She doesn’t paw me with her crotch.” Illya'd had enough. Nicoletta was not moving at all. He grabbed her, spun her around, and pushed her towards the steps. “Get out. You’ve got five seconds before I call Anton and ten before I follow through on my promise.”

  This time Nicoletta seemed to listen. She stumbled away towards her car, which she had parked at an angle behind his. Illya stayed on the porch and watched as she got into her car, put it into gear, and pulled out of the drive, tires squealing as she drove away.

  Some threats seemed to work wonders.

  *****

  Blossom was struggling to figure out what had just happened. She'd woken up feeling like she'd been in a heavy sleep. A long, hot bath had worked wonders for waking her up and she dressed in her lounging about clothes. There was no point getting dressed up, Blossom didn’t feel like going into work.

  Then Blossom had heard voices on her way towards the stairs. Illya and a female. The female sounded like she was trying to coax Illya into something, she sounded very seductive. But Illya was short and gruff. He wasn't having it.

  What was going on?

  Then Blossom had laid eyes on the woman. Young, blonde and beautiful. She looked stunning. The sort of woman who would look perfect on Illya’s arm. But Illya was treating her with something close to contempt. Blossom had never heard him speak like that before. And he was holding his gun in plain view.

  Was this girl really a threat?

  She frowned at Illya as he slammed the door once the woman had gone.

  “What was that about?”

  Illya looked up at her,
his scowl softening somewhat, and he sighed.

  “That was Nicoletta Romanova.”

  “Your boss’ sister?”

  “The very same.”

  Blossom leant on the balustrade and raised her eyebrows.

  “I take it she’s the one who gyrated her bare crotch on your lap.”

  “She is.” Illya’s jaw tightened. “She’s not supposed to know where I live.”

  That woman knew no bounds. Blossom wondered how far Nicoletta would go to get her man. She stepped off the stairs and approached Illya, who looked like he wished the last few minutes hadn’t happened. She laid a hand on his chest.

  “You okay?”

  Illya grunted and gave her a half-smile, taking her hand in his.

  “I was going to ask you that.”

  He kissed her palm. Blossom had to bite back a gasp as her nipples tightened and heat gathered between her legs. Even after letting her inhibitions go last night, when she'd become a woman she never realized was hidden in her, Illya still knew how to push her arousal with barely a touch.

  “I think you’re in more need of it,” she said breathlessly.

  Illya smiled and drew her close, kissing her forehead as his arms went around her.

  “I’m okay. I’m just surprised at the outburst. I’ve seen Nicoletta have tantrums before but I’ve never seen her get that jealous.”

  “Maybe she’s never found another woman in your home before,” Blossom teased, resting her cheek against his chest.

  Why did the knowledge that having someone jealous of her because she was the one Illya had chosen make her smile?

  “I had a girlfriend until a few months ago. Nicoletta was openly flirting with me in front of her but Natalya could handle her. She didn’t take anyone’s shit and certainly not Nicoletta’s.” Illya let out a heavy sigh, his arms tightening around her. “It wasn’t until Natalya left that Nicoletta started becoming more brazen and draping herself over me.”

  “And you haven’t figured it out?”

  “What?”

  Blossom looked up at him.

  “She’s in love with you. Or, at least, she believes she’s in love with you. It seems to be tipping towards obsession.”

  Chapter 8

  Illya snorted.