by Lea Hart
“I’m sure it’s lovely, Hank. But it’s very expensive and it’s going to blow my travel budget for the year. I try to take a couple of trips a year and this is now going to be the only one I can manage.”
His head snapped around and he frowned. “I would never change the arrangements and expect you to pitch in.” Rolling his head, he let out a sigh. “In fact, I never want you to pay for a thing because that’s my job.”
“I can’t accept that, Hank. It wouldn’t be right, and you can’t make unilateral decisions and expect me to go along with them.” Crossing her arms, she looked out the window again.
“Honey, I agree with the unilateral thing, but you have to let me take care of you. Let’s go get something to eat before we go home, and we’ll figure everything out.”
“That’s another thing…why are we living together?”
Hank held up his hand and waited. “Come on, Staz, you have to take my hand if we’re going to argue.”
“Says who?”
“Me.” He raised an eyebrow and waited. “I want you to remember that we are in this thing together before you start yelling at me.”
She placed her hand in his and let out a sigh. “I’m not going to yell.”
“I kind of wish you would. I don’t like it when you’re quiet because it makes me think you want to get away from me.”
“A lot has changed in the last two weeks and I didn’t want my trip to be a casualty of the nonsense with Firtash.”
“I’m sorry, Staz. I’ll have Kaye cancel everything and we can do exactly what you want.”
“No, that won’t work.” Sighing, she stared down at her lap. “Let’s discuss a compromise at dinner.”
“Are you getting sick of me?”
Glancing up, she saw the lines in his forehead and realized he was worried. “I’m not sick of you, but I’ve never lived with a man before and it takes some getting used to.”
“I’ve never lived with a woman, so I have no idea what I’m doing. Unfortunately, we can’t do too much about it until we figure how to neutralize the threat against you. Right now, we have Ivan the Terrible two cars back and someone tried to break into your apartment earlier this afternoon. So, until all that ends, we’re…”
“…cheese and crackers,” Stazi finished. “When were you going to tell me about the attempted break-in?”
“After I made you scream my name a couple of times,” he replied with a smile.
“Ah, I see.”
“Doesn’t make me a bad person,” he replied. “I figured after you had a couple of orgasms the news wouldn’t bother you so much.”
“Are you that confident about your ability?”
They stopped at a red light, and he leaned over and kissed her like a man who had nothing to worry about. Which was pretty much true. “It turned green,” she said breathlessly as he released her mouth.
“I’m a man of action, so the only way to answer the question is to show you what I’m capable of. Which I will be doing the moment we get home.”
There wasn’t anything to say because the truth was, Hank completely ruled her body. One touch and she was his to do with as he pleased. Which was not something she would be admitting anytime soon. They had to work out his bossiness and until that happened, she wasn’t going to tell him a thing.
***
Stazi studied Hank as they sat in one of her favorite restaurants, The Little Goat Diner. It was the perfect amalgamation of things she loved: all-American dining with amazing food. The interior was a riff on a glammed-out diner and she loved it..
From the moment she entered kindergarten and realized how different she was from everyone else, she had embraced anything that felt American. The food, the music, the sense of humor, the cheer. And diners were a big part of that for her, which was probably why she loved this place so much. The fact that a man who looked like a superhero sat across from her only made the experience all that more enjoyable.
Not that she was interested in Hank for his all-American qualities. He could be from the moon and she would still find him unbelievably desirable.
Which was turning into a bit of a problem, because he was the sort of man who was going to be hard to get over if their relationship imploded.
The rational approach she’d taken toward her dating life over the last five years had allowed her to feel nothing more than mild disappointment if things didn’t work out with the man she was dating. And unfortunately, there was nothing rational about getting involved with Hank.
Which seemed to be bothering her less and less as each day passed. So what if she was using the threats against her as a convenient excuse to shack up with him and act like she had no option. It didn’t make her a bad person…right?
Realizing her mind was a seesaw constantly going back and forth with pros and cons, she wished she could be one of those women who let things flow.
“Stazi.”
Looking up from her menu, she focused on Hank and realized she hadn’t heard anything he’d said. “Can you repeat that?”
“What are you going to have for dinner?”
“Oh…I was thinking about having either the fried chicken or the smoked corned beef hash with eggs.” Setting the menu down, she gave him a small smile. “What about you?”
“I can’t decide between the Reuben sandwich or the chicken pot pie.”
“Two very good choices.”
“Not much help, honey.” He moved his hand across the table and took hers. “Are you still mad at me?”
“A little.” Before she could say more, the waitress approached and they ordered. She decided on the corned beef and Hank chose the Reuben.
“Honey, what is the drink you ordered?”
“It’s called a 1.21 Gigawatt and it has Ketel One, sauvignon and thyme syrup, Tiki Bitters, lemon, and vermouth. It’s delicious.”
“I have no idea what half those things are.”
“Neither do I, but it’s divine. I love all the artisanal drinks that are so readily available now. The experimentation is fun and I like discovering new things.”
“I’m the exact opposite. I have either beer or scotch.” He shrugged and gave her a smile. “I guess you’re going to show me a whole new world.”
Their drinks were delivered and she was saved from responding. Which was a blessing because she had no idea what to say. Hank was on a much different path than she was and she had no idea what to do about it. As much as she liked him and was infatuated with him, she wasn’t ready to predict what was going to happen beyond next week. She knew what she’d like to happen but she wasn’t an optimistic enough person to believe it was possible.
“Your lack of response tells me that you’re either still mad or can’t imagine spending enough time with me that we can become part of one another’s worlds.”
“It’s a little of both. We’re an unlikely match and I think that may prove to be a problem the more time we spend with one another.”
“So, the woman who sleeps in my arms and entwines her body intimately with mine isn’t sure if we have a chance beyond next week?”
Seeing his incredulous expression let her know that he didn’t believe a word she was saying. Which, unfortunately, made a small amount of sense. What happened between them physically transcended everything and created a bond that was difficult to deny. Which didn’t mean that her rational mind wasn’t going to make some really good arguments. “Hank…”
He held up his hand and shook his head. “Nope, there’s nothing you can say that is going to change my mind.” He moved his hand between the two of them and grinned. “Whatever this is—is real and comes along once in a lifetime. If you’re lucky.” He lifted his beer and took a long drink. “I didn’t have a relationship in mind until I met you, and now that I have you in my life, I’m never going to let you go.”
“That sounds…”
“Crazy?”
“Yeah. And slightly stalkerish.”
He shrugged and took her hand. “Love
does things to a man that change who he is. I’m seeing the world in a whole new light and I want to be a better person and give you everything. If that makes me crazy, then so be it.”
“I have about ten responses ready and none of them seem quite appropriate. The words you’ve just spoken are something a person waits a lifetime to hear…but they’re freaking me out.”
“Don’t worry, they freaked me out too when they first entered my mind. Give yourself a day or two and you’ll be totally comfortable with the concept.”
The waitress approached with their food, and Stazi gave Hank a small smile. What else could she do? He was either completely nuts or a relationship savant. Since she had no clue what the answer was, she decided to eat her food.
After all, everything would be revealed eventually.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Saturday, June 10
Rome
Hank sat up in bed, looked out the window, and knew he’d picked the right hotel. Hotel de Russie was not only beautiful, it was charming. Their room looked out over the secret garden and had he not heard the distant sounds of the city, he might believe they were somewhere outside it.
Glancing over, he studied the naked woman sleeping alongside him and silently congratulated himself. It had been seventeen days since he’d met Stazi on the stairs of the museum and they were now on vacation in one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Granted, the circumstances that brought them here together were not ideal, but it wasn’t anything insurmountable. A Russian oligarch wasn’t going to stand in the way of his happiness, nor was the Bratva. He’d been training for a confrontation like this since he was eighteen and left for the academy. Opportunities to put things right were why he’d learned the skills he had, and the fact that he’d honed them to perfection made the whole thing a lot easier.
The next ten days were going to be about getting to know Stazi and creating a foundation for their relationship. Being away was going to let them both open themselves up in a way that didn’t always happen when people were stuck at home in their routines.
At least, he hoped that’s what was going to happen.
And a lot of sex.
Because let’s face it, what happened between them wasn’t just about getting naked and losing themselves in one another’s bodies. It was about their souls connecting. Laughing silently, he ran his hand down his face and realized he might not only be a romantic but a hopeless one.
Running his hands lightly over her skin, he wondered what it was specifically about this woman that unchained his emotions. After he’d retired, he’d often felt that the years of locking them away wouldn’t ever allow him to connect fully with another human being. The women he’d dated over the last couple of years had certainly believed it because they’d told him in no uncertain terms that he was emotionally unavailable.
Which clearly meant he’d been dating the wrong women because not one of them made him want to open up, and now he knew it was because he wasn’t interested, not because he was incapable.
Being with Stazi had shown him that he was more than capable and, in fact, wanted nothing more than to show her everything. She might not be ready for the full picture or really even interested, but he knew eventually she would be. And when she was, he was going to hold nothing back.
Rome was going to help him show Stazi what they could become together and he planned on making the most of it. Feeling her move under his hand, he glanced over and saw her blink several times. He slid down, laid his head next to hers and grinned. “Buon giorno, amore.”
“Quanto tempo è e perché stai parlando in italiano?”
“I have no idea what you just said, so I’m going to assume that you just begged me to ravage you.” He rolled her over and settled himself between her legs. “It’s our first day in Rome, so we better make sure we start our vacation correctly.”
Stazi laughed and held on to his arms. “Naturalmente, che altro faremmo? Fai l’amore finché non urliamo il nome di un altro.”
“Oh, you want to do it twice?”
“Hank, I said, ‘Of course what else could we do…make love until we scream one another’s names.’”
Leaning down, he pressed their mouths together and knew they were equal in their lust for one another, and hungry for each other in all ways. “You can scream in Italian, English, or Russian. It doesn’t matter to me as long as I make you scream.” He ran his hand slowly down her body and slid it between her legs. “So wet…were you dreaming about me?”
“Always,” she replied.
Taking himself in hand, he slid his tip over her clit, trailing it down to her entrance and back up. When her juices coated him, he knew she was more than ready.
No morning foreplay. They were heading for the main event. Pushing a fraction of the way in, he exhaled because she felt completely perfect. Slowly, he pushed deeper.
“Oh Dio, altro,” she said loudly. “More, Hank. It feels so good.”
“Yes,” he replied. The way she held him inside her body, squeezing tightly, had him barely gripping his control. Every time they’d made love, he’d learned something new, and it made him fall a little further under her spell. “You feel fucking perfect, Staz.”
The need to have her closer crawled against his skin as he lowered his head and muttered how tight and smooth she felt. “When I think it can’t get better, it does,” he choked out. He kept his pace slow and steady. Every atom of his body tightened as the pleasure of fucking her brought his orgasm a breath away.
“You’re mine,” she cried out as her hips twisted and her fingernails dug into his skin.
“Yes!” he shouted as she moved beneath him, taking his cock like it was the best thing he could give her. Her muscles began to pulse, and her growing tightness lit his orgasm. “Let go.”
Her eyes fluttered as her scream vibrated and he was gone. Clenching his jaw, he pushed into her with jagged, uncontrollable thrusts.
Totally focused on finding the edge, he let out a groan that was ripped from his body as he poured himself into her, desperate to let her have every drop of his come.
Collapsing, he felt her soft body cushion his fall. He needed to remain close as he got his breath back.
“Hank,” she whispered, trailing her fingers down his back.
“Yeah…”
“Can you move a little?”
He lifted his head and grinned. “Of course.” Rolling off, he made sure she went with him. He anchored her against his body with his arms. “Christ Almighty, I lose my mind when we’re together. I think I was loud enough to be heard in the dining room.”
Patting his side, she let out a laugh and then pushed up. “The only way to know for sure is if we do it again.” Wiggling so he would release his hold, she straddled him with her hands on his chest. “Let’s see if you’re as loud on the second round.”
Leaning up, he pulled her mouth to meet his. “A worthy experiment.”
***
Stazi led Hank along the path that would take them directly to the Via Sacra, which was the Forum’s main thoroughfare. In ancient times, victorious military campaigns would often celebrate with a dramatic procession known as the Triumph up this very road toward the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus on the Capitoline Hill. She thought since he majored in military history, that he would enjoy spending the day tromping around the ruins. “Would you like to see where Julius Caesar was cremated?”
“Sure, honey, whatever you want.”
“Are you normally this easygoing or does it have something to do with how we spent our morning?”
“I’m happy to be a tourist and have you show me around.”
Looking up, she studied his face and knew he was being honest. Truth was, she was feeling exceptionally relaxed as well and it wasn’t just because they’d spent the morning in bed. It also had to do with the fact that Ivan the Terrible hadn’t followed them to Rome. And as far as she could tell, no one else had been dispatched to keep an eye on her, and for that
she was grateful.
The weight of what she’d been under only became recognizable in its absence.
Somehow, she’d successfully ignored the enormity of the threat by simply handling things on a daily basis and leaving the rest to Hank and Lucky. Which hadn’t been fair at all. “Thank you.”
Stopping next to a chain link fence that was covered in ivy, he looked down. “What for?”
“Everything. I’ve allowed you and Lucky to shoulder the burden of this whole thing and it isn’t right. I want you to know how much I appreciate what you’ve done.”
“Honey, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is what SAI does. I told you when this thing started that I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to you and I meant it.”
A large group of people bustled past them and Hank stood in front of her so she wouldn’t get jostled. Winding her hands around his waist, she gave him a hug. Her heart and mind had flipped completely and she wasn’t sure how it had happened. I love you, she thought. I love you with my whole heart and I wasn’t sure that was possible. Tears gathered in her eyes and she prayed she could will them away before he saw the emotions on her face. No way did she want to explain what had caused them.
Grinding her teeth together, she got herself under control before she pulled away from the embrace. A revelation that the man holding you now owned your heart wasn’t easily processed, so she did the only thing she could…nothing. Better just let the idea sit for a while and see what happened, no need to make a confession until she knew he might someday reciprocate her feelings. Clearing her throat, she lifted her head and smiled. “Did you know this was originally an Etruscan burial ground when it was first developed in the seventh century BC?”
“I didn’t. When I was in college, all of my history studies surrounded military battles and how they changed the government.”
“We’re not far from the Curia, which was the original site of the Roman Senate.” Stepping back to the path, Stazi turned and pointed right. “We’re not far from it. We should head that way so you can see the Arco di Settimio Severo, which commemorates the Roman victory over the Parthians.”
