by Lylah James
My thumb caressed the back of her hand, her skin so soft, almost silky. From the corner of my eyes, I watched her. Her reaction was another boost to my ego.
She appeared transfixed, watching every swipe of my thumb intensely. I leaned closer, my lips almost touching the corner of her ear. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her other hand went to her stomach, her fingers twisting around the fabric of her dress.
“You are so beautiful; do you know that?” I whispered for her ears only. “And I like you better when you are nervous, silent myshka.”
My hand tightened around hers, and her eyes snapped open, watching our intertwined hands. She turned her head to the side, facing me.
When someone cleared their throat behind us, I slammed my teeth together in frustration.
I let Valerie go, and she inhaled, her brows furrowing as she stared down at her hands. I straightened before stepping back.
Valerie swallowed nervously before staring up at me again. “I think that’s about it for today. Thank you for telling me your name,” I said quietly.
She nodded, her hazel eyes losing the little spark I had seen there. Taking another step back, I turned to walk away.
But the sight of her scribbling quickly on her notebook stopped me. Valerie showed me her paper and I stared at the words.
Thank you for telling me your name too, Viktor.
I nodded without any words, because for the first fucking time—I didn’t know what to say.
When I didn’t reply, she started writing again.
Thank you for the pen too.
She showed me the notebook and then placed her hand out, the pen in her palm. I moved toward her again. I folded her fingers over the pen and placed her hand over her lap.
“It’s yours now. Take it.”
With that as my final words, I took a step back and walked away.
But not before I saw her staring at the pen as if it was her lifeline. A single tear trailed down her cheek.
That was the last thing I saw.
With my heart in my throat, I stared down at Igor, giving him a menacing look. He quickly looked down, his head bowing. He closed the door behind me when I walked out.
I left the beautiful mute nun there—in her tower.
Chapter 15
Alessio
She stood in the middle of the room, glaring at me. Her lips were set in a tight straight line as she showed me her true power as my Queen. My wife was angry, and fuck me, if I didn’t love it.
“You are beautiful, Angel. I always knew that. But damn, when you’re angry, you are even more beautiful. So fucking sexy. Your angry glare got me hard, kitten. All I want to do is throw you on the bed and give your pussy a thorough fuck.”
“Alessio!” she snapped, her hands going to her hips. Ayla glared harder, and I smirked. Yeah, she was definitely getting nicely fucked tonight.
“Are you even listening to me?” she questioned, huffing in the most adorable way. She has exerted herself with yelling and giving me a long ass lecture. Her hands went to her rounded stomach, and she rubbed it gently before blowing a stray hair out of her face.
“Yeah, I’m listening to you,” I replied absently. She was standing a few feet away; maybe if I pull her into my arms, spread those legs, and give her pussy a long lick—
“Alessio!”
I snapped out of my thought at the same moment as a pillow kissed my face.
Thank fuck it wasn’t a vase this time.
What happened to my sweet Ayla?
Oh yeah, pregnancy hormones happened.
Throwing the pillow on the bed, I faced my Angel again. She was no longer glaring or breathing fire. Nope, instead her eyes were filled in tears.
“Why didn’t you wake me up, Alessio? I wanted to say good bye…you didn’t let me say good bye,” she whispered, her voice so soft I almost missed it. “I missed him.”
Shaking my head, I opened my arms for her. Just like I knew, she didn’t disappoint me. Her chin wobbled, and Ayla practically ran into my arms. I settled her on my lap, and she placed her head on my shoulders, her arms wrapping around my waist tightly.
Her round belly was pressed against my stomach, and I felt our baby kicking, letting us know of his—or her presence. I placed a palm over the bump, feeling it move with another kick.
“Viktor told me not to wake you up, Angel. You went to sleep late last night, and he left very early in the morning,” I muttered in her hair, caressing her back.
“Did he see Maila before leaving?” she asked, burrowing deeper into my embrace. I fucking loved when she did that, like she couldn’t get enough of me. Like she wanted to be closer.
I shook my head. “No. He didn’t.”
Ayla was silent for a few minutes. We just held each other—I held her and she held me, and I didn’t want anything more. She was everything I wanted and needed.
“I’m scared,” she whispered finally.
With furrowed eyebrows, I looked down at my Angel, forcing her to look up at me. “Why do you say that?”
Ayla blinked up at me, her eyes red with unshed tears. “I feel like everything is just…falling apart. Viktor is part of this family, yet it doesn’t feel like that anymore, Alessio. He was gone for a year and now he’s gone again. We don’t even know when he will be back—or if he will be back.”
Grabbing her shoulders, I gave her a small shake. “He will be back, Angel.”
The mere thought of Viktor not making it out alive made me sick. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I rather chose not to think of it.
He was a motherfucking pain in the ass—one that I wanted to shoot multiple times in the ass, but he was still my brother. I have never doubted Viktor—it was my blind trust in him.
If there was someone I trusted enough to do this job, then it was Viktor. It was a gamble, a game—dangerous, but still a game to be played. Solonik needed to go down. Sooner rather than later.
As long as he was alive, my family and everyone else was in danger.
The only fucking problem was that he had too many connections. Behind our backs, he had build his empire, little by little—and now it was stronger. We knew only half of it.
It would have been easy to just kill him—put an end to this. But that would lead to a big fucking catastrophe. Everything was too connected. All our businesses. The whole corporation would go into chaos. He was too powerful to bring down without masking it and learning his plans.
“Princess doesn’t even remember him. You should have seen his face when he held her, but she was so scared and started crying. He was devastated, Alessio.”
Ayla’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked down at her again. Her fingers feathered over my cheeks, softly caressing.
“I feel like my family isn’t whole anymore, and I’m scared that it’s only going to get worse,” she continued.
Ayla gazed across the room, looking lost in her thoughts. Her face was drawn in, the look in her eyes making my heart clench. She looked so…desolated.
I knew how much family meant to Ayla. She has finally found her place—her family—and I knew she couldn’t lose any of us. It would break her more than it would break me.
“You aren’t going to lose us, Angel. I can promise you that. Nothing is going to happen to Viktor. After he’s done with this shit, he will be back home where he belongs, with us,” I said, kissing her forehead. “He’s going to be okay.”
My words held a hint of uncertainty, fuck, I didn’t even know if whatever I just said was the truth. But I needed to soothe her worries.
“You think so?” Ayla questioned, her lips feathering over my neck. She laid gentle kisses there before looking me in the eyes again.
I stared into the green pools of her familiar eyes—eyes that I had fallen so in love with.
My reply was quick. “I know so.”
She nodded silently. I knocked her forehead with mine. “Stop worrying, Angel. It’s not good for you or the baby. Viktor is probably having fun
with all the new pussies he’s getting.”
Ayla glared, but it didn’t last long. When she stared at me through her doe eyes, her lips stretching into the most beautiful fucking smile, I couldn’t help but smile too.
Her happiness always got my heart swelling and beating faster.
“I just worry,” she mumbled under her breath. “I can’t help it.”
“Well, you shouldn’t,” I retorted, placing another kiss on her forehead, soothing the small frown lines.
Ayla laid her head on my shoulders again. While still holding on to her, I dragged both of us up the bed until we were laying on our sides. With our heads on the pillows, we faced each other.
My Angel cuddled closer to me, as close as the baby bump would let her. Her hand came up, resting over my cheek.
She let out a breathy sigh. “How is it that I love you more every day? I didn’t think it would be possible, but every day I love you even more than the day before.”
My hand tightened around her waist before smiling down at her glowing face. She was beautiful—even more beautiful during her pregnancy.
Kissing the tip of her nose, I let my lips linger there before answering. “I don’t know, Angel. I ask myself that question every day.”
With a laugh, she kissed me on the lips—a quick peck that left me wanting more. I moved in for another kiss, but Ayla was already speaking again. “Do you remember the first time we met?”
I nodded silently, wanting another kiss, but she continued to speak. Fuck, Ayla! I just want a damn kiss.
Forcing back a frustrated growl, I listened to her. “You gave me three choices. What would you have done if I didn’t choose to work for you? What if I chose something else? Maybe we wouldn’t be here today.”
I grabbed her by the hips, pulling her hard into my body. She stifled a laugh but quickly melted in my embrace.
“Angel, when I gave you three choices, it was just a show. In the end, I knew you wouldn’t choose the others. You couldn’t choose to go back on the street. All I knew was that you were running away from something dangerous and you needed somewhere safe. I was the only safety option you had. And you wouldn’t choose option three. Why would you chose for me to kill you when you wanted to live? You hid in my car because you wanted freedom. You wanted a life…why choose death then?”
She was silent for a second, and I thought the conversation was over. Finally! Bringing my head down, I went to kiss her. I was craving my wife’s lips—I needed her kisses.
“But what if…”
For fuck’s sake!
She ignored me even when I let out a loud breath, mixed with an annoyed growl. “What if I chose to go back on the street unsafe?”
I laughed because little did she know… “I would have dragged you back and tied you to my bed, Angel.”
With our lips inches apart, almost touching, I stared into her green eyes. She stared back, her gaze never wavering.
Blue to green.
“It didn’t matter what your choice was, I was keeping you.”
My words were whispered, only for her ears. She shivered, her fingers now a tight hold on the collar of my suit.
“You just thought you had a choice…you didn’t.”
Ayla shook her head. “Are you saying it was love at first sight?” There was no mistaking the smile in her voice.
“Maybe.”
I didn’t know if it was love at first sight for us, but all I knew was that…the first time I had laid eyes on my Angel, she had me enraptured. I did fuck up multiple times before I finally took my head out of my ass and accepted my feeling for her. But I knew for a fact, the first time I saw Ayla, those green eyes of hers had charmed their way into my heart.
Ayla smiled fully now, her whole face lightening up in the process. She opened her mouth to speak again, but I gave her no chance.
Hell no. I need my kiss. Right fucking now.
I tilted her head up and crashed my lips to her, kissing her into silence. So deeply that she moaned into my kiss, her hands going around my neck.
Ayla dragged a leg over my hip, rubbing against me. I lost the battle. With my cock hardening in my pants, I pulled at her hair, angling her head to deepen our kiss.
When she pulled away, breathless, my lips never left her skin. Small kisses down her jaw and her neck, nipping gently at her soft skin.
“I want you,” I muttered roughly against her neck.
Ayla brushed my hair back from my forehead before pulling me back to her lips. “You are always trying to get me in bed.”
I kissed her lips again, taking her roughly before pulling away. Only to push Ayla on her back.
Her eyes held a needy lust as her legs spread open for me. I dragged her dress up and settled between her spread thighs, my face right over her soaking pussy.
“And this is exactly where you should always be. In bed. With me between your legs, my mouth on your pretty pussy,” I said, my lips kissing her inner thighs, coming closer to where I knew she wanted me.
Ayla bucked against me, her fingers pulling at my hair, dragging me closer. I looked up to find her heated eyes already on me. She waited, her chest heaving with each anticipated breath.
“I’ll have my breakfast now, Kitten.”
Chapter 16
Viktor
I stood in front of the partially closed door. I shouldn’t have been here—actually, I should have been far away from here.
But I couldn’t help myself.
After catching a glimpse of Valerie walking down the hall, I followed and ended up here. Right outside her bedroom.
I was coming up the stairs and had paused at the sight of her standing in the middle of the corridor that led to her side of the house. She just stood there, staring into the distance as if wanting to take a step forward, but some invisible force was stopping her.
I saw her debating with herself, her fists clenching at her sides. Her heart wanting one thing but her mind stopping her.
It was that moment I knew she was never allowed outside of her bedroom. This must have been her first time. Did Igor let her out? Or maybe he wasn’t present right now?
This was forbidden yet there she was—breaking the rules.
I was left wondering why, intrigued by the idea of her being forbidden and doing forbidden things. A feisty character buried deep inside the silent girl.
Then her eyes landed on mine. All thoughts went silent in my head. I could only stare at her, our gaze meeting and never wavering.
She paused, her lips parting, her eyes widening at the sight of me. Her hand went to her stomach, her fingers clenching the fabric of her dress.
Valerie took a step back; I took one forward.
She bit on her lips nervously before taking another step back. I took another forward, stalking her.
I was the hunter; she was the prey. And I couldn’t wait to catch her.
And just like prey, she turned away and escaped, running away from me. That only made me want to catch her more. A wolf always enjoyed a good hunt.
Her quick footsteps faded away, and she disappeared into her bedroom. I stood there for a second, watching the empty hall until I took a step forward, following after her—wanting to be near her.
It was a strange, fucked-up feeling, but since I had woken this morning, she was the only one I could think of. Ayla’s face had faded away in my dreams, replaced by the mute nun.
I had woken up in a sweat, confused at the sudden changed vision. And since then, she was all I could think of.
The blonde-haired nun, silent, with the most expressive beautiful eyes.
And now, here I stood, outside her door like a lost fucking puppy.
Alessio would be laughing his ass off. I would never hear the end of it from Phoenix.
Damn it!
But instead of turning away, I pushed the door open and walked inside. She was alone in the room, her bodyguard nowhere to be seen. Her room must have been left unlocked. I wasn’t surprised, though. Looking at h
er now, I knew there was no chance she would escape. There was something trapping her here. Not Igor or these closed doors.
Valerie was sitting in the same chair, facing the windows—sitting in the same exact position as yesterday.
She didn’t turn around at the sound of me. Closing the door behind me, I walked further into the room, anticipation licking its way through my body.
We were alone.
My lips tilted up in a smirk. There was nowhere for her to run now.
I spotted the notebook and pen on the bed. Walking toward it, I grabbed them and made my way to her. She still hadn’t turned away, and my fists clenched at the idea of her purposely ignoring me.
Playing hard to get, baby?
I scoffed, shaking my head. I wasn’t a man to play games with—she would be crushed in a matter of seconds.
No games, silent myshka. You wouldn’t like the consequences.
I was the only one allowed to play games. An interesting game was about to be played.
I wasn’t going to take Valerie. No, she herself would ask me to—beg me to. It would be all her. As long as I played my cards right, her secrets would be mine, and Valerie would be asking me to fuck her in a few days.
Just a little bit of effort on my part—and then easy peasy.
My feet stopped in front of her, blocking her view of the window. She looked up at me, startled before masking her expression.
Placing the notepad and pen on her lap, I straightened up again. Valerie looked down at her lap and then up at me.
She stayed unmoving, silent, her gaze fixated on me.
I found that I couldn’t tear my eyes off her, either.
After clearing my throat, I nodded toward the notepad. “How are you today?”
Are you fucking serious, Viktor? What are you—a fifteen-year-old virgin trying to get some pussy?
She took her eyes off mine and looked down at her lap. And then she took the pen in her hand, putting it on the paper.
I stared at her face; it was filled with concentration as she slowly wrote her words down.
I am fine. And you?
I read the words when she showed me the paper. Sending her a small smile, I shrugged. “I’m alive—biggest gift of the day.”
