His eyes pierced hers, telling her the truth without words.
“Why… why didn’t you or any other Russians get rid of me then? I don’t understand.” She brushed the tears away from her cheeks with her free hand.
His laugh held little humour. His huge hands fell to her waist, encompassing her completely and pinning her against him as though the danger of the blade against his jugular didn’t exist. Her body reacted instantly to the hard pressure of his cock against the curves of her bare ass, despite the deadly tension surrounding them.
His voice was low and guttural as he spoke, “You are my love, my heaven, Laney kotenok. I have known this from first sight, from first touch. Any man that lays finger on you is dead. You have always been worth my life. It is this simple. If you kill me now, I will follow you around in death as I would in life, until you decide to join me.”
The tears fell faster until they dripped from her chin and landed on his chest, hitting the tattooed Virgin Mary kneeling below the cross. Laney could barely see him through her torment. Boris could have easily disarmed her, but he allowed her to keep the weapon. Allowed her to decide his fate. She knew he wanted her to choose love.
“You don’t understand!” she sobbed brokenly. “I have… have to do it.”
“Make me understand,” he rumbled, digging his fingers into her hips. When she stayed silent, biting her lip and trying to stop the tears, he encouraged her. “You have contract for my life, da?”
She nodded and swiped at her face, impatiently scrubbing away the tears. “No… not me exactly, but my Master. I was supposed to watch you, only make a move if you decided to go back to Russia.”
His dark eyes pierced her, divining her thoughts with ease. “And that time has come.”
Anguish twisted her small features. She shifted the blade in her fingers, gripping it tighter so she wouldn’t accidentally drop it. She nodded miserably, her lips shaking.
“I have to. There is no choice,” she whispered desperately.
“There is always a choice,” he snarled suddenly, anger finally glinting in his dark eyes. The massive muscles in his shoulders flared as he lifted himself up a few inches to press his thick neck into the razor-sharp blade, drawing a trickle of blood. She gasped and jerked her hand back, hating the sight of his blood spilled by her hand.
“You will condemn us before we had a chance to be together, rather than disobey your family. Fucking Yakuza and their honour,” he growled.
“It is not about my honour. They will kill Jin if I do not obey!” she cried out.
His fingers bit so deeply into her waist that she knew there would be bruises. She squirmed against him as he lifted her and slid her down his body until she was resting on top of his engorged penis. She gasped in dismay as he nudged her slick entrance with the crown. She swayed against him and clutched at his shoulder with her free hand, trying desperately to keep the knife on him without actually hurting him.
“If you must kill me for his sake, then I will fuck what clearly belongs to him one last time,” he snarled.
“No, please, you don’t understand…” she gasped, clutching him.
She yelled as he slammed himself up into her body, forcing his cock roughly into her tight passage. He gripped her tightly, holding her still as her body adjusted to the invasion. Laney panted, her eyes dilating as she tried desperately to hang on to her mission, or some sense of reality, with Boris’ massive cock hitting her just where she loved it best.
“Fuck me to heaven, moy kotenok, then you can send me to hell,” he grunted, lifting her up and then slamming her back down, forcing himself all the way into her.
Gritting his teeth, he reached up, fisted her loose hair and pulled her head down to his. She resisted him, not wanting any more intimacy with the man she had to murder. She twisted her head sideways, but he persisted, forcing her face down until their foreheads touched. He slammed his hips up into hers, nearly unseating her with the violence of his thrusts. Cries of pleasure and pain tore from her throat and the knife she was holding slipped, biting into his neck. Her eyes flew open, meeting his.
“Boris…!” she gasped.
“Come for me,” he snarled, demanding, gripping her hip in a hand that wrapped halfway around her. He tilted her against him, rubbing her clit against his pelvis until she was exploding around him.
Laney’s eyes fluttered shut as her pussy gripped him, orgasmic spasms consuming her. Forgetting the knife, she clutched him harder, digging it further into his skin. Trickles of blood slipped down his swarthy skin, pooling at the indent in his throat, dripping across the eight-pointed stars and down the side of his shoulders to soak into the sheets. He grunted, continuing his thrusts, taking her higher, prolonging her orgasm, uncaring of the blade that could end his life with the slip or flick of her delicate fingers.
He tangled his fingers through the silken hair at the back of her head, cupping her skull in one massive fist and tilting her lips toward his. He kissed her lips with savage intent, impressing himself on her soul using his own lips, teeth and tongue until she was gasping and crying out for mercy. Finally, he released her head, dropped his hand to her waist once more and, taking her in both hands, began fucking her like it was the last time. He embedded himself so deeply into her body that she threw back her head and screamed, hair streaming behind them. His cock flared wide in her body in anticipation, reaching toward his own orgasm.
Boris brought his knees up, trapping her against him. He took her blade hand in his, covering her small hand completely with his massive tattooed one. He lifted their joined hands and pressed the blade to his jugular, drawing fresh blood. Her sapphire eyes flared wide in panic. She stared down at him, understanding dawning.
He grunted in satisfaction, his lips pulled back and teeth bared as he came, his cock pulsing deep within her body. His fingers tightened around hers to the point of pain. “Do. It. Now,” he commanded with a grunt.
Laney stared down at him, the man that she had grown to love more than her own life. She drew their clasped hands back, her eyes locked with his. With a scream, she plunged the blade forward, into the mattress next to his shoulder.
She yanked her hands out from beneath his and rolled off of him with a sob. She tried to escape from the bed and run to the washroom, but he looped a thick arm around her waist and pulled her struggling against his warm body. He held her tightly as she fought against him. She was angry. She should have done it. She had the opportunity multiple times to kill him and she’d failed. She had failed. Now Jin would most likely die because of her. Unless she could somehow get to Jin first.
“Shhh, do not be angry, kotenok,” he said soothingly from where he sat behind her. He held her in his lap with her arms crossed in front of her body so she couldn’t do damage to either of them with her powerful punches.
“You don’t understand what this means,” she raged at him, trying to bite his arm. “Will you please let me go! I need to pack. I need to get ready to leave this stupid barge. I have to get back to Japan the moment we dock.”
He stiffened behind her, but didn’t speak. Slowly he released her limbs when she seemed reasonably calm enough to do neither of them harm. She rolled off the bed and began pulling on the first clothes she got her hands on, seemingly heedless of what they looked like. She pulled grey sweatpants on without underwear and a blue tank top. She started stuffing everything that came to hand in her duffel bag, including some of Boris’ clothes.
He stood slowly so as not to startle her and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. She eyed him suspiciously and continued packing. She edged around him and went into the washroom to grab some of her toiletries. Finally, when she had nothing else to put in her bag, she glanced at him. He was holding a pair of light blue cotton panties out to her on the end of his finger. She snatched them from him and shoved them into her duffel bag.
“You can’t stop me from going,” she snapped defiantly.
He didn’t say anything.
“And… a
Despair at walking away from Boris just when their insane chemistry had finally exploded into fireworks was causing her chest to ache. Even worse, fear for Jin’s future was distracting her every thought, making her feel weak and ineffective. How could she possibly get into the Osaka Yakuza compound and rescue Jin when she could barely think past the terror?
He nodded and reached past her, causing her to jump out of his way. He lifted his hands to show her that he was holding two water bottles. “You need to relax, my love,” he said sympathetically. “We are still few hours away from dock. Please sit down and try to be calm. I am worried about you.”
His dark eyes searched hers, the sincerity in them convincing her that he spoke the truth. Though definitely a possessive, alpha male with a serious jealous streak, Boris had never been anything but kind to her. Not even once she had confessed to being an assassin sent to kill him. Now, if ever a man was a keeper…
She couldn’t think that way. She had to let Boris go. She’d let him live and that was enough. Her conscience and her heart were clear. Now she just hoped they wouldn’t be at the expense of Jin’s life. If she had to, she would go to the Master and offer her own life in exchange. Just not Jin. Never Jin.
Laney allowed Boris to seat her on the bed once more and hand her the bottle of water. Planning his murder, having crazy intense sex with him, nearly executing him and then frantically packing her belongings worked up a thirst. She watched him devour her with his eyes and sighed. After all of these months his obsession with her never waned. Not even after finally possessing her body. It was like each time he made love to her, he wanted her even more. She was amazed that he was willing to let her go to Japan now that he finally had her.
He’d been good to her. How patient he had been as he’d wooed her. Though he’d shown much less patience once they’d boarded the ship, he had also brought her body to stunning life in a way she didn’t know she was capable of. He professed his love and promised to follow her in death as he would in life. How could she resist him? Perhaps she should tell him the truth. Tell him who Jin really was and beg him to help. He was a powerful man. If any person could help her get Jin back in once piece, it might be this one.
She touched his hand, tracing her small nails over the tattoos on his knuckles. These ones were more faded, less professional, as though they had been inked in his youth. These hands had undoubtedly done terrible things. But they’d also held her with love and tenderness. Her eyes flickered up to meet his. She saw something there. Pain? Determination? She frowned. Was he worried about her leaving for Japan? He worried too much. She reached out to smooth the frown line that bit deep between his eyes. Her fingers landed on his shoulder instead. She frowned and lifted her hand to his face.
“Never noticed… how rich your eyes are, like liquid bronze,” she whispered looking into his eyes as though she’d never seen them properly before. They were trustworthy eyes, weren’t they? She blinked several times as they began to blur.
“Have to tell you some… something…” she murmured, swaying on the spot. The room titled and spun around her. She put a hand up to her head and frowned in consternation. Was she getting sick? She shook her head. She was about to tell him something, but she couldn’t remember what. She blinked and tried to clear her gaze.
He reached for her, sliding one broad hand around her narrow shoulders and one under her hips. Lifting her up, he placed her in his lap, cradling her in his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder and yawned, placing her hand against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart against her fingertips.
“You… you’ve drugged me, haven’t you?” she murmured tiredly, her eyelids fluttering shut.
“Sleep now, my love,” he said into her hair, his chest rumbling against her cheek as he spoke, “and wake up in Russia with me at your side.”
“Boris… you’ve killed Jin,” Laney whispered, tilting her head back, her hair streaming over his arm. Her bright blue eyes stared up at him accusingly before fluttering closed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Guilt ate at Boris and he did not know why. He didn’t care about this mysterious Jin that lived in Japan and intended on taking Laney away from him. In fact, first chance Boris got, he intended to find the man and dispose of him. He didn’t need a competitor for Laney’s affections wandering around out there. He suspected she would object to his plan, but he didn’t intend to tell her. He had enough to contend with once she woke up.
Glancing down at her slumbering form, he decided she was going to be pissed when she woke up in Russia. Certainly, that last look she gave him with those gorgeous jewel-like eyes had been anything but loving as they’d drifted shut. He held her against his chest and watched the clouds drift below the window of his airplane. And it was his airplane. Now that he was back in Russia, he could reclaim all of his assets, including this private jet. It might have meant more to him, except Boris rarely felt much beyond duty. A brutal and bloody childhood, multiple incarcerations and the bounty on his head had beaten a weary numbness into him.
Until her.
Now that he finally had her where he wanted her, he was never letting her go. He didn’t care if it took her another six months to forgive him for the death of her Jin. She would eventually get over it. He was keeping her. He needed her too badly to let her go. He needed her by his side to face the unknown enemies that would come at him in Russia. He needed her to determine what kind of shit his own brother intended to throw at him.
He loved her. He was too selfish to let her go. She would learn to love him, too. They would have a lifetime together. He held her tighter, his eyes devouring her delicate features. Even in repose she looked sad. He brought a finger up and traced her lips and cheeks, loving the near obscenity of his thick tattooed hand against her smooth, flawless features. Her pointed chin, her sharp cheeks and long lips. Her slanted eyes and long lashes. He touched everything, knowing she would struggle and jerk away from him once she was awake. Or shoot him the first chance she got her hands on a weapon.
“Mr. Grekov?” the flight attendant interrupted his silent exploration.
He glanced up with a frown and a growl of annoyance, uncaring that he might frighten the girl with his sinister, scarred visage. She backed up a few steps and swallowed visibly.
“We are approaching Moscow,” she said in Russian. “Y-your companion should have her own seat if she is able.”
The girl did not wait to see if he complied, but hurried quickly away to take her own seat. Boris gently placed Laney’s slumped form in the seat next to his and belted her in. He took her hand and kept his eyes on her to make sure she was comfortable during their entire descent.
***
Laney came awake slowly, confusion and headache merging to cloud her brain. She was incredibly thirsty and reached out for one of the water bottles that Boris always seemed to provide. A strong arm reached around her and helped tilt her head until her lips reached the edge of a glass. She sipped gratefully until her thirst was quenched and she relaxed once more with a sigh. The headache immediately began to recede until she was able to open her eyes and greet the man hovering over her prone body.
Dark, intense eyes and a bearded face greeted her. Massive arms crossed over a huge chest. He stood arrogantly, with legs spread apart. His whole body language screamed cruelty and dominance. He was exactly like his brother in every way, except for the eyes. Though he watched her with the same possessive longing, there was something different about this man… something missing. Though she could tell he wanted her, he didn’t feel for her what Boris did. She shivered.
“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice still weak from sleeping for so long. She wondered how long she had been out.
“Dimitri Grekov,�� he said.
“Brother,” she murmured.
He nodded, his hooded eyes never leaving her. His body language made her very uncomfortable. It spoke of the same intense determination that Boris had when he declared his intention to take Laney and keep her. She didn’t understand why he was there instead of Boris. She knew her giant protector well enough to know he would never condone another man’s presence in her bedroom. Not even his brother.
She licked her lips and pushed herself up against the pillows, feeling vulnerable as Dimitri’s sharp eyes caressed her shoulders and breasts when the blanket fell away. She was grateful to discover that she was adequately covered in a thin high-necked, long-sleeved wraparound shirt.
“Twins,” she acknowledged succinctly, eyeing Dimitri. She didn’t particularly want to look at him, but his similarity to Boris drew her scrutiny. His tattoos were similar to Boris’ but slightly different, as though they were missing the wear and tear. And he didn’t have any scarring that she could see. Though he was wearing a heavy sweater and jeans so there was a wealth of skin she couldn’t see.
He nodded his head. Apparently, a man of few words. She shifted restlessly, growing annoyed under his unrelenting perusal. She was about to demand an explanation for his being in her room when the door slammed open and an extremely angry Boris strode in.
“What the fuck are you doing in here!” he snarled, quickly placing himself between Dimitri and the bed.
Though Laney was not happy with Boris, she was glad he hadn’t intentionally left her alone with his intimidating brother. The possessive look in Dimitri’s eyes quickly shifted to pleasantly mild and he twisted his lips into a semi-smile. Laney’s stomach turned in protest. She decided he looked nothing like Boris.
“I was merely looking after your property in your absence,” he said easily, moving toward the door. “Keep an eye on that one, she is temptation personified, brother.”
Laney shivered and lifted her eyes to Boris as Dimitri left them alone. He watched his brothers’ retreating back with speculation. He turned back to Laney and, placing his fists on the bed, leaned over and sat next to her. He reached out and ran his knuckles down her arm. She immediately moved away from him, jerking her arm from his hand when he would have reached for her.
-->
