“No, I’m sorry,” she said, her voice hoarse. “It’s just I don’t know what to do and it’s tearing me apart.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“You don’t. You really don’t.”
“Yes, I do. I am not the beast you think I am. I understand it is hard for you, that all of this is hard for you. Protecting your town and trying not to feel guilty about Aaron. It is hard for you to accept my love.”
She pulled away from him, “I hate this version of you. You’re not like the Alexei I used to know. I could somewhat trust him. But you’ll do anything to win. Say anything to win. And I hate it.”
That hit a little too close to home, and Alexei felt a frission of remorse for having ordered Emilio to look into Aaron. “I assure you, I do love you. This is not about winning. This is about me wanting to be with you again.”
But she shook her head at him. “You say you love me now, but what happens if I do something that upsets you, or if heaven forbid, it doesn’t work out? You were ready to destroy my entire hometown because I dumped you eight years ago.”
“Love is like business, there is always a certain amount of risk involved.” He reached for her hand and threaded his fingers into hers. “But I can promise you this, if you are honest with me from now on and if you promise never to walk out on me the way you did before, I will never intentionally hurt you again.”
She was quiet for a long time after he said that, then she asked, “What about children?”
He froze. “Is that why you will not leave him? Because he can give you children?”
“You didn’t answer the question,” she said. “If children were in the equation, would you still be so in love with me? I mean, you got a vasectomy for a reason, right?”
This gave him a moment of pause. In his mind, the vasectomy had been the end of the story, serving the purpose of not having to worry about accidentally impregnating the women he shared a bed with. The truth was that the break-up with Eva had turned him off the idea of marriage all together, and he’d thought he’d turn out like his uncle—a lifelong bachelor who could always be found with a new woman on his arm from year to year. Getting the vasectomy had also quelled the argument once and for all with his uncle who kept on insisting he should get married to a nice Russian girl and have a son to take over the family business. The thought of putting a son in the same position he’d be in had been enough to convince him to go through with the minor surgery.
But if this was all that stood between Eva and him, and if this was the one bargaining chip the other man had that he did not, then he was willing to bring it into the negotiations. “I will try to get it reversed, but there are no guarantees. We might have to look into other ways of starting a family.”
“So you would be okay with kids?” she asked with obvious suspicion in her voice.
“If it is the only way to keep you by my side, yes,” he answered.
And once again she started shaking her head. “I’ve seen what happens when guys who don’t want kids have to deal with them. It’s one of those things, you either want them are you don’t.”
“And Aaron wants them?”
“What Aaron wants shouldn’t matter. Children aren’t bargaining chips in negotiations. If you’re only agreeing to the possibility of having a family with me, so you can win me, I can’t accept that.”
It worried him that she sorted out his business tactic so easily, and even went so far as to say the words he had thought to himself, like “bargaining chip” and “negotiation.” Once again, he consulted his mental book of business tactics. Usually, when he found himself at this point in a business discussion, where the person on the other side of the table was bringing up legitimate reservations to something he was proposing, he’d simply bide his time, reset with a better argument, and come back to the table with it.
“The truth is, I do not know how I feel about children. I have not considered the possibility of them for a very long time.” Alexei was proud of himself for coming up with this answer, which would buy him the time he needed to work out the problem, maybe even get Emilio’s opinion on the matter.
He pulled her back into the circle of his arms. “Perhaps what we both need is more time to think about this. Do not say yes or no to any of my proposals right away. I only ask that you think about them.”
She peeped up at him. “Just think about them?”
“That is all.” He pressed a kiss to her delicious mouth, the one he couldn’t bear to think of another man claiming.
“How about Ms. Threesome?” she asked.
He captured her hand and laid it on his chest. “Ms. Threesome and I have not seen each other for anything more than dinner and formal events since Nathan and Layla’s wedding.”
Finally that beautiful smile of hers came back to her face. “Not that I have the right to ask.”
“I like that you asked. I have never seen you jealous before.”
The smile disappeared again. “I’m not jealous.”
And he leaned down to kiss her. “This is fine, if you would like to believe it. But just in case you are not being fully truthful, you should know I would rather be with you than in a million threesomes with a million Carolines.”
She didn’t say anything to that, but she did swing her leg over his torso, positioning her mound directly over his softened dick and rubbing it against him, “Is this okay?”
His cock answered for him, swelling inside her wet folds and giving her something to really rub against. “Da,” Another idea occurred to him. “Whatever you do is okay. For this time you will set the pace.”
Her face lit up. “You, Alexei Rustanov, are giving little ol’ me, Eva St. James, control.”
He nodded and let his hands fall to his sides, even though his instinct was to drop them on either side of her hips in order to set the pace and keep them balanced in his half-supine position.
“Whatever I want?” she asked.
Desire for her fell over him like a warm blanket and he could feel his mind, which had been so sharp about trying to negotiate Eva away from her current relationship a few minutes ago, growing hazy with lust. “Da,” he said again.
That was all it took for her to start to move on top of him, this time slowly running her pussy lips from the bottom of his dick all the way to the bulbous top. The sensation was unbelievable, and bolts of hardcore, Grade A ecstasy ripped through his pelvis. It was all he could do not to grab her hips and slam inside her.
Then she did it again.
His hands fisted the sheets. And he gave himself a sharp command to stay in control, to not release outside of her like a school boy.
But then she did it again. And this time it was the wettest, slowest stroke yet.
“Eva,” he said. “Eva, please. Please.”
And she smiled, widening her eyes with mock surprise. “How did you guess I wanted you to say my name and beg?”
She then leaned forward and stroked him with her pussy lips again, but this time when she got to the top of his dick, she worked its head inside her. She didn’t even have to guide him in, he was so hard and she was so ready for him. Soon enough, he was embedded all the way to the hilt, but at an angle that wouldn’t give her clit the attention it needed for her to come in this position.
As if picking up on his analysis, she began to ride him, then said. “Touch me.”
He didn’t have to ask what she meant. At least in bed, he knew her better than she knew herself. He rubbed the side of his thumb against her clit and enjoyed the show of her breasts bouncing as she moved on top of him.
She moaned and said, “Just like that, and speak Russian to me, baby. Like you used to.”
It was a relief to be able to tell her all the things in his heart in his native language. “I want to be with you” and “You are mine” and “I will never not want you” and “You make me happy” and last but not least, “I love you, Eva, I love you.”
Maybe she remembered the Russian words for love
, because she flew apart soon after he said it. She then fell onto Alexei’s chest as he unloaded inside her, her pussy still milking his dick as she rubbed her face against his shoulder while he said, “Kotenok… kotenok… kotenok…” over and over.
Afterwards, they didn’t talk. He switched off the lights from the control panel near his side of the bed and settled in behind Eva, spooning her as had become his habit over the course of their vacation, with one arm around her waist and the other providing her with a pillow for her head.
He luxuriated in being able to hold her close like this after having loved her physically. And he refused to think there was a scenario in which this affair would end with her going back to Aaron. They were too perfect together, and they were meant for each other. He’d figure out a way to keep her by his side.
Still, he couldn’t help but note as he drifted off to sleep that she had yet to say she loved him back.
Chapter Nineteen
EVA woke up and disentangled herself from Alexei around three in the morning. Really, saying she woke up was stretching it, since she hadn’t been able to do much more than lightly doze after the bomb Alexei dropped on her.
“I love you, kotenok.”
Her traitorous heart all but sang the memory back to her as she climbed out of bed, even as yet another wave of dread flooded her stomach. She loved him, too, would like more than anything to tell him how she felt. But there were two things holding her back now.
One, his criminal past. His business seemed on the up and up now, but almost every article she’d ever read about him after his quick rise to business fame, mentioned his crime family roots, strongly implying if not outright stating they had much to do with his current level of success. She didn’t want Aaron being raised by a crime family or being taught how to kill in the “Rustanov style,” which, according to the internet, was a slit throat, two bullets to the chest, and one in each knee cap. Her stomach turned just thinking of Aaron doing anything like that. But so far, she’d seen nothing to indicate Alexeis was still involved in any of the unsavory things the Rustanovs used to be known for.
She’d just have to ask him about it the next morning, she decided, and hope to the heavens he had fully left that life behind.
She wanted to believe in Alexei again, to no longer live in fear of him but to love him as fully as he claimed to love her. No, he obviously never intended to be a father, but she hoped he would become a good one with her guidance.
It helped that he had kept all of his promises to her so far, even the one about not seeking out Aaron. Maybe they really could make a go of it this time, she thought, as she dropped into a seat at in the conference room, which Alexei had mentioned was completely soundproof earlier in the trip. Ever since then, she’d been getting up in the middle of the night and calling their son from its insulated confines.
It was three a.m. in Texas but ten a.m. in Milan.
“Hi, Mama!” he said. “Guess what?”
“Chicken butt?”
“Mama, you’re silly,” he informed her, before saying, “No, Uncle Steve said we could do whatever I want since it’s my last weekend in Rome.”
“Wow. What are you going do first?”
“Eat gelato!”
“It’s ten in the morning.”
“It’s my weekend, Mama,” he said with the grave censure of a righteous seven-year-old.
“Okay, okay, who am I to argue? Go on, have your gelato—you know you’re back to old-fashioned American ice cream when you get back to Texas.”
“That’s okay. I kind of miss regular ice cream. Can we order a pizza when I get back, too? It’s not the same over here. ”
“Sounds good. I’ll have some Ben & Jerry’s waiting for you in the freezer and we’ll order a pizza for everybody when you get back. We’ll show Maria and the girls how Texas does pizza.”
When Aaron came back, he’d be traveling with Steve and his entire family who would be staying with them in Texas for two weeks.
“Can my dad come, too?” he asked.
“Um… “ She was so taken aback by the question that she didn’t exactly know how to answer it. “What…?”
“I heard Uncle Steve talking to Grandpa. He said you weren’t with Auntie Layla, but with my dad. Is that true?”
“Why are you just now discussing this with me?” she asked. She had never lied to Aaron about Alexei. When he’d asked about his father, she’d said it was a long story and she’d tell him it in full when he was older.
“Uncle Steve told me not to tell you what I heard, because you’d be mad. But you told me not to keep secrets from you ever.”
He sounded as confused as any kid would be after receiving conflicting instructions from two of the adults he loved most.
“Honey,” she said. “You were right to bring it up. I don’t ever want you to keep secrets from me. Uncle Steve was wrong to say that to you. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t tell me something. We’ve talked about this.”
Like many social workers who had seen child abuse up close, Eva had a deep fear of her son not feeling safe enough to tell her anything.
“I know. But Uncle Steve is family.”
“Even if it’s family. Don’t ever let someone tell you to keep a secret from me. In fact, if they say that to you, come straight to me with it.”
“Okay, Mama.” Then after an appropriate few seconds: “Is my dad big like me?”
“You mean tall?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Yes, he is. And he’s also Russian.”
“What?” he said. “No way!”
“Trust me, I would’ve chosen another country if I was making it up.”
“But I don’t know any Russian.” Aaron sounded despondent. “What if he hates me?”
“He won’t. No one could hate you. And I can teach you hi and bye, but you won’t need them because he speaks perfect English.”
“So he’s smart?”
“Yeah, really smart.”
“Is he coming with you to pick us up?”
She thought about that and dismissed it. “No, I think it’s better if I pick you all up. I’ll answer any questions you still have and then we’ll see about you maybe meeting him later on. Okay?”
“Okay, I can’t wait.” He sounded even more excited than he had for gelato, and she was happy she’d soon be able to give him the gift of knowing his father. And she just hoped Alexei would come through after she talked to him, because Aaron really was a kind and amazing little boy. He’d obviously been yearning for a father for quite some time now, but he’d never made her feel she wasn’t enough for him.
“Have a good last weekend, sweetness. I love you so much.”
“Love you, too, Mama.”
She hung up, her decision pretty much made for her. Aaron already knew about Alexei, now it was time for her to bring Alexei up to speed. She’d do it first thing in the morning, she decided. And then hopefully they could figure out how to handle his uncle, before he found out they were back together.
The sound of the fax machine suddenly springing to life made her jump in her seat. And curiosity led her over to it as it started spitting out pages, not to snoop, she told herself, just to see. It was probably something boring and business-related that she wouldn’t understand anyway.
But as she got closer, she could see it wasn’t a business contract, but a copy of a story that had apparently been printed off the Dallas Times internet site. That gave her pause because what would Alexei want with a Dallas Times story?
The top page of the story printed, revealing the headline, “RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, ALEXEI RUSTANOV, WELCOMES YOU TO SOUTH PADRE ISLAND.”
Then she saw the picture that accompanied the story. She snatched up the pages. No, make that a whole gallery of pictures featuring her and Alexei, enjoying romantic times all over the island. There was even one picture of him kissing her shoulder on the beach. Her eyes landed on the words, “the normally media-shy billionaire” and “in a
relationship with Eva St. James, a small-town Texas social worker.”
And that’s when the document’s cover page came through.
To: Emilio Alvarez
From: Gina Greer, PR Partners
Hi Emilio,
Just thought I’d send around a hard copy of the story for Mr. Rustanov’s files. It ran a week earlier than it was supposed due to another story falling through, but I think he’ll be happy. It turned out exactly as he specified.
Best,
Gina
It only took her a few confused moments to put it all together. The man who had just promised to always be honest with her had purposefully broadcasted their time together on the island, so everyone in Drummond, including the man he thought she was in love with, would know they were together.
He had lied to her. He hadn’t changed. He was just as ruthless as she thought he was two weeks ago. And now it was just a matter of time before his psychopath uncle found out about the current incarnation of their relationship.
Chapter Twenty
ALEXEI knew something was wrong almost as soon as he woke up. It wasn’t just that Eva wasn’t there in bed with him, it was also that the suite felt different. Like something was missing. Or someone.
He recognized the feeling immediately. It was the same one he’d had when he came home to an empty apartment eight years ago.
“Tell me you did not run again,” he said, getting out of bed and heading straight for Eva’s bedroom.
All the clothes he’d had bought for her were still hanging in the open closet. And in typical Eva fashion, the clothes she had worn last night before getting dressed for dinner were lying in a discarded pile on the floor. From what he’d seen, she’d only become slightly neater since the last time they’d lived together.
But the clothes that mattered, the ones she’d traveled in to get here, the ones that had still been sitting in a laundry bag on her dresser just a few days ago, were missing. The torn-into laundry bag the only evidence they’d ever been there.
Why had she run yet again?. Desperate anger and frustration gathered inside him like a storm cloud as he threw on a robe and headed out to the hallway. Was it because he had pressured her? Because he’d told her he loved her? Another more terrible thought occurred to him. Maybe this was her way of informing him she’d picked Aaron.
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