“She’s certainly obsessed.”
Blossom raised her eyebrows. He seemed genuinely disgusted at the thought that Nicoletta was attracted to him even remotely.
“She’s a pretty girl,” she pressed gently.
“But not my type.” Illya made a face. “And I wouldn’t go with the boss’ sister. That’s asking for trouble.”
“More than what you do already?” Blossom drew back, Illya’s hands falling to his sides. “Surely she’s allowed her own life.”
“Oh, she’s allowed it. But within reason. We’re all very much aware of Anton’s rule regarding Nicoletta. None of us are allowed to touch her.”
“Basically, don’t do it on your own doorstep.”
“Something like that. If one of us entered any sort of relationship beyond friendship with her and screwed her about—and Nicoletta is the type to go cry wolf if she doesn’t get her own way—then Anton will go after us. She’d get us killed.” Illya’s frown softened and he reached for her again. Blossom didn’t object as he hugged her again. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
Blossom sighed, sinking into the warmth that was his body. He felt really good.
“I can’t catch a break right now, can I?”
Illya chuckled.
“Not really.”
*****
Work was more than sympathetic about letting Blossom have some time off. Blossom had only planned to have one day off but it turned into two weeks of vacation time that she hadn’t taken for a long time. She had protested but her boss wouldn’t have it. She was most insistent.
However, Blossom still wanted to do some work. She was very intent on giving herself something to do and getting on with her work and seeing to emails was what she needed to stop herself going crazy. Thankfully, all of her paperwork was electronic and her boss was fine with her logging in from her laptop to finish off the mountain of paperwork she needed to finish.
Blossom was glad she'd grabbed her laptop as well. And Illya was very accommodating. He allowed her to sit at his vast dining table, which had a gorgeous view of his garden. Blossom hadn’t noticed before—she hadn’t even visited with her previous neighbours, but Illya’s garden was huge, much bigger than hers. Blossom highly doubted she would get any work done with a view like that.
Illya had also called in and said he wasn’t going to the office for a week. Blossom wondered if he had told Anton about Nicoletta and guessed that he hadn’t, Illya clearly thought the problem was over.
Somehow, she doubted it.
Illya went into his study and shut the door. Blossom fixed herself a coffee, logged in, and set herself going. It was going to be a long day but Blossom would prefer to do that than watch a movie or sit around twiddling her thumbs. Keeping herself busy would stop her from thinking of the disturbing sights she'd seen the previous night.
And it worked for the morning. Blossom managed to switch her mind off her own things and focus on her paperwork. By the time lunch came around, she'd made a very significant dent into her work. It was looking a lot better for it.
There was still a lot to do. Something that could keep her busy for a week, Blossom was sure of it.
Then she realized the time. She hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and hadn’t had a coffee in an hour. As if on cue, her stomach growled. Maybe some food wasn’t a bad idea.
Blossom wanted to cook something or make some sandwiches but she didn’t know where anything was. This was Illya’s place, not hers. It would be rude of her to hunt around. And what if Illya wanted something to eat?
Blossom left the dining room and headed towards Illya’s study. If she could coax him out of his office, maybe they could have something to eat. She smiled to herself. She knew what she wanted to eat and Illya was very firmly on the menu.
But Blossom was stopped when she heard someone ringing the doorbell. She stopped and waited. Maybe it was a cold-caller. They seemed to get a lot in the area. They were ignored a lot of the time.
Then the doorbell rang again. A cold-caller would have left by this point. Blossom glanced at Illya’s closed door. How had he not heard that? She'd never seen anyone so engrossed with his work.
She was about to knock on his door to let him know when she heard Nicoletta’s voice on the other side of the front door.
“Illya? Come on, Illya. Open the door.”
What was she doing back? She'd only been gone a few hours. Surely she would have gotten the message the first time around? Blossom went to the intercom and turned on the camera. Nicoletta was there, looking agitated. She rang the doorbell again before banging on the door.
“Illya, please! Can I talk to you?”
Blossom knew she wouldn’t go away until Nicoletta get what she wanted. She hurried back through the house and out the back door, jumping off the deck and running down the driveway. It was communal so it would look like she was coming out of her own house.
Blossom came out into the driveway as Nicoletta kicked at the door and shouted something in Russian. It was practically a ghost street during the day, what with the other neighbours being those who worked long hours for money that bordered making them millionaires. But it was surprising those who were left hadn’t called the police.
“What are you doing?”
Nicoletta jumped and spun around. She stared at Blossom in amazement.
“What are you doing there? I thought you were staying with Illya.”
“Only for the night,” Blossom lied. “I went back a couple of hours ago. And I was working until I heard you caterwauling.”
Nicoletta scowled and adjusted her jacket.
“Why won’t Illya answer the door?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s hoping you’ll go away.” Blossom folded her arms. She wasn’t dressed for a fight but she was prepared for one. “Why are you back here so soon? Illya told you he didn’t want you here.”
Nicoletta sniffed.
“Illya doesn’t know what’s good for him.”
“And you do?”
“Of course I do.” Nicoletta tossed her now loose hair behind her shoulder. She looked like a preening peacock. “I’m a woman.”
“And women always know best?” Blossom shook her head. “You do realize that saying that to another woman doesn’t really make any sense.”
Nicoletta shrugged.
“Well, I’m a woman who knows better than other women.”
“You mean other women like me.”
Blossom didn’t miss the implication. She'd encountered people like Nicoletta before. While she was used to racism and it washed off her, knowing that some people were stupid enough to be disgusting towards another human being didn’t sit well with her.
Nicoletta’s smirk disappeared, her mouth curling into an ugly sneer. She stepped down off the porch and stalked over to Blossom, her heels making her almost as tall as Blossom herself.
“Women like you are dirty, vile creatures,” Nicoletta hissed. “You’re all whores. Most of you are standing on corners selling drugs or yourself. You take our men because yours aren’t any good. You sink your talons into them and that’s it.”
Blossom wasn’t sure whether to be angry or burst into laughter. She settled on both, barking out a laugh.
“I’ve never heard anyone be so racist and never use any of the stereotypical words.” Blossom glared at Nicoletta, making her distaste known. “You’re a disgusting little girl.”
“I’m not a girl.”
“From the way you act, you are. Sitting on Illya’s lap with no panties on? Where I come from, that’s called sexual harassment. What were you expecting to happen?”
Nicoletta huffed, turning her nose up at her. If she was going for the regal look, it didn’t work.
“Illya wants to fuck me,” she declared. “I know he does.”
“Well, you might have a problem with that.”
Blossom had no idea why she had said that. It was stupid, she knew that, but she wanted to taunt this immature li
ttle brat.
And it worked. Nicoletta got the implication very quickly. Her eyes widened in horror.
“You’ve slept with him?” Then her face darkened and she lashed out. “You bitch! You stole him from me!”
Blossom grabbed her wrists before she could land a punch and shoved the younger woman away. Nicoletta lost her balance and landed on the lawn. Blossom took a step back as Nicoletta kicked out, her heels missing Blossom’s shins by inches. She glared at her.
“Illya is a grown man. If he wants to sleep with someone who’s not you, that’s his choice. Not yours.”
“That’s because you poisoned his mind,” Nicoletta spat.
This woman was acting like a little girl who'd been told she couldn't have some sweets.
“You’re talking nonsense. And you sound like a jealous high schooler.” Blossom turned away. “Go away, Miss Romanova. I’m not in the mood to deal with this.”
She'd hoped that by walking away Nicoletta would leave. But that was just wishful thinking. Nicoletta shouted after her, intent on having the last word.
“You’ll regret ever knowing Illya.”
Blossom stopped and turned. Nicoletta looked triumphant about getting her attention. She was hoping to rattle her.
Blossom didn’t feel rattled. She felt angry. She stalked back to Nicoletta and stood over the smirking girl.
“If you’re threatening me, you’d better follow through,” she growled. “Because the cops are keeping a close eye on me due to other people making attempts on my life. I can add you to the list as well for them to watch out for. That’s not going to go down well with your brother, is it?”
Nicoletta’s smile snapped off. Blossom huffed and stalked away.
“Get out of here. If I see you and your car still here by the time I get back inside, I’ll call for the police and for your brother.”
Blossom stormed into Illya’s house, wishing she could throw something. By the time she got to the front door and used the intercom camera to look, Nicoletta and her car were gone.
*****
Illya was glad he'd stayed at home, he didn’t think he would get any work done. Anton had told him to work from home and make everything a priority. Illya had the deadlines for everything and knew they were time sensitive, but he couldn’t focus. Everything from the night before and that morning with Nicoletta had started to jumble together. The Rainbow Six distraction seemed to have worn off.
Maybe things would be better after another sort of distraction. Illya had been trying to forget that Blossom was in his house, only a few feet away, but it hadn’t been easy. He still remembered how soft her body had been the night before, how wet she had been and how her pussy had felt around his cock, which had been in a state of arousal for most of the morning.
Hopefully, Blossom would be up for that. Illya couldn’t think of anything better than making love to her right now.
He found Blossom in the kitchen. She was peeling potatoes. Illya stood in the doorway and watched her curiously. She looked like she was a part of his house now, like she'd been making dinner in his kitchen all her life. It was a very sweet, homely look.
Illya’s chest tightened as he realized what he was thinking. He'd thought Nat would be his girl, the woman he came home to every night. But now she'd disappeared from his mind and had been replaced by Blossom Fairbrother.
The woman had managed to ease her way into his heart and he hadn’t even noticed.
“Hey.”
Blossom looked over her shoulder and smiled. She really did look lovely.
“Hey. Did you get your work done?”
“Not really.” Illya entered the kitchen, keeping the counter between them. “Even a few games of Rainbow Six didn’t help to get my brain in gear. I’ve been out of sorts all morning.”
Blossom rolled her eyes and went back to cutting the potatoes.
“What is it with men and video games?” she asked, putting the potatoes into a pan of water.
Illya smiled and approached her. He placed his hands on her waist and stepped in close. His cock brushed against her bottom and he felt Blossom stiffen.
“Join me one evening. I’ve got another controller. Then you’ll see what the attraction is.”
“I’m sure.” Blossom sounded stiff in her response. “But I’m all thumbs with games.”
Illya chuckled.
“You don’t know until you try.”
He bent to kiss her neck, only for Blossom to shy away from him. She ducked away, tossing the peeler and knife down on the counter and going to the sink. Illya watched as she briskly washed her hands, using a hefty amount of soap.
“You okay? You’re a little off.”
Blossom snorted.
“How do you know if I’m off?”
Illya blinked.
“You’re more tense with me. You weren’t like that this morning.” He folded his arms. “And you certainly weren’t snapping at me then.”
Blossom stopped and glowered at him. Then she sighed and grabbed his tea towel, slumping against the counter as she dried her hand.
“Nicoletta came over again.”
Illya started.
“When? I didn’t hear the bell.”
“Did you have earphones on, by any chance?”
“Yes, my headphones. They…” Illya sighed. “They’re noise-cancelling headphones. I use them at home when I can’t afford distractions.”
Blossom grunted.
“She came about an hour ago. You didn’t come out of your room so I had to deal with her alone.”
“You didn’t let her in, did you?”
“Good God, no. Not my place and I don’t want her near me. I confronted her outside.”
Illya winced. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn’t happy with the fact that he'd left her to deal with it alone. It wasn’t her fight at all.
“What did she want? I thought I told her not to come back.”
“I think she wanted to talk to you again but got me instead.” Blossom folded her arms and scowled. “She was racist and nasty towards me and then she threatened me.”
“Threatened you?”
Now Illya was feeling worse. Blossom had needed him and he hadn’t been there. Illya mentally cursed himself.
“Apparently you’re hers and I stole you away. That was the gist of it.” Blossom let out a heavy sigh. “She’s hopping mad.”
“She didn’t have me in the first place,” Illya said grimly. “I’d be crazy to be with her.”
“Well, men have gone for women for less reasons.”
Illya didn’t miss the sneer. She was implying something and that got his back up. He frowned.
“What are you saying?”
“If I hadn’t become your neighbour, would you have gone with her? Whether it was now or later on?”
Illya started. Where had she gotten that from? He'd never seen Nicoletta as anything beyond an annoyance. He shook his head.
“Not a chance! She just doesn’t listen. Nicoletta means nothing to me beyond her being Anton’s sister. That’s it.”
“Are you sure about that?” Blossom shot back. “Because I’m not about to come between two people.”
Illya approached her and was grateful that Blossom didn’t back away. He cupped her face in his hands, making her look up at him.
“You’re coming in between me and a deluded girl who thinks there was a previous connection. That’s it.” He kissed her gently. “I want you, not her. You don’t need to be so concerned.”
“You make it sound like I have a hold over you.”
Blossom wasn't sounding so angry now. More like breathless. Her voice sounded thick with arousal. Illya groaned and tugged her closer.
“You certainly do.” He pressed forward at the same time as he pulled Blossom to him, pinning her between him and the counter. “And I’m not complaining.”
Then he kissed her. Blossom’s hands tightened on his arms but she didn’t push him away. If anything,
she was kissing him back even harder, almost as if she was starving for him.
Illya wasn’t about to complain about that. He groaned and drove his tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers and tasting her. She tasted just as divine as before. Illya'd had no idea how good she actually tasted.
He couldn’t get enough of her.
*****
Blossom had been trying to stay upset with Illya, keep him at arm’s length and certainly not be affectionate towards him. Not after having to deal with a nasty, vindictive little girl like Nicoletta Romanova when it was not her problem.
But once Illya touched her, once he kissed her, Blossom’s annoyance fell away. He was like chocolate and she couldn’t get enough of him. Just a snap of his fingers would have her on her knees before him, begging for anything.
She could see why Nicoletta found him enticing. But, right now, Illya was hers. And Blossom wasn’t about to push that away.
“Why do you keep doing this to me?” she gasped as Illya’s mouth left her, trailing kisses across her jaw and down her neck.
“Do what?” Illya growled against her throat. He nipped at the skin at the crook of her shoulder and Blossom gasped.
“Knock my resistance down. I can’t help myself around you.”
Illya chuckled. He raised his head and locked eyes with her.
“Then help yourself.”
Blossom was planning to. She licked her lips and reached between them, rubbing Illya’s cock through his jeans. Illya’s eyes darkened and he groaned, thrusting against her hand. Blossom grinned.
“But I’m in charge now.”
Illya’s nostrils flared.
“Do it. I love a woman in charge.”
Blossom pushed him away and then walked towards the door, crooking a finger at him.
“Bedroom. Now.”
Illya followed her. Blossom went up the stairs, making sure her hips swayed more than normal. She was aware of Illya staring at her backside and smiled to herself.
There was something about Illya Chekov that brought out her inner vixen.
Blossom went to Illya’s bedroom, which she had found that morning hunting around for the bathroom. She went in, turning to Illya and backing in as he crowded her, sweeping her into another kiss. Then she turned them around and made him sit.
In Too Deep_BWWM Romance Page 9
