“I’ll wait outside the door,” Ustin announces.
I lift my chin to him as my agreement and walk inside of the office. Once the rest of us are inside, Dominik closes and locks the door behind us. Pasha sits down at his big desk and stares at us blankly, waiting.
“You know why I’m here,” I point out.
“You can’t have her,” he rumbles.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I announce.
Pasha slams his hand down on his desk as his eyes narrow on me.
“You come in here, after you plotted to kill her husband, and you act as though having her is your right. It’s not. It is my decision who she marries, and that man is not you,” he shouts.
“You’re out of line, and out of control,” Yakov murmurs.
“I’m Pakhan of Brighton Beach. There is no line to be out of. I do what I want,” Pasha snaps.
“You are not a dictator, Pasha, so don’t try to act as one. This has nothing to do with who Oksana marries, and very much to do with something else. Gavril was a traitor. We all found out the hard way. Lives were taken because of him. Our mission wasn’t as successful as it was supposed to be, and the Cartel is still out there. Now they’re seeking more than just sex slaves. They’re seeking revenge,” Yakov says.
“My wife was brutally murdered, and retribution has not been up to my satisfaction. I’ll run the Bratva the way I see fit, including my daughter,” he announces.
“Pasha, we all loved Sonia. We all have been affected by the loss of her, but the man who orchestrated everything is gone. We’ve come to terms with the Irish in such a way that the two of our organizations will forever be tied when Timofei marries the Irish printsessa. There is not much else to happen, except deal with the Cartel, and your man fucked us over on that,” Yakov explains, gently but firmly.
Pasha doesn’t say anything. His gaze is penetrating, but he doesn’t speak for a few moments, then he turns to me. His eyes are unwavering as he takes me in.
“You bring me the head of El Jefe in the Cartel, the one who has been orchestrating all of this. I’ll approve of your marriage. Fuck, I’ll welcome it,” he grins.
He looks so goddamn sure of himself, of the fact that it can’t be done. So sure he’s got me between a rock and a hard place. Fuck him.
“You expect me to live apart from my wife until I do this?” I ask, not refusing and yet not agreeing to his words.
“I should,” he chuckles.
I clear my throat. “You try to keep her from me and I’ll just take her with or without your permission.”
Narrowing his eyes on me, he tries to stare me down. It’s ineffective. The crazy fuck doesn’t intimidate me at all. He sighs and looks up to the sky, muttering something too low for me to hear. “She can go with Timofei. She doesn’t stay with you until I get the head.”
I almost laugh in his face. As if I’m going to live even one night without my Oksana. I could give a fuck about her father’s permission or his rules. But he’s not a man to back down. Although he knows I’ll just kidnap her and take her home myself, as is my right as her husband, he’s trying to save face and pride.
I think about his offer, my eyes slicing from side to side to take in the men at my side. Timofei lifts his chin at me and Yakov scowls. I almost laugh at how different their expressions are, but I don’t.
“You have a deal,” I agree, holding out my hand to shake Pasha’s.
“When I say, I want his head, I want his head,” he emphasizes. I nod.
“Call off the hitman on me so that I can do my job,” I growl, still gripping his hand.
“Done. You have a month to get this situation handled,” he announces.
I jerk my chin at him and then turn to walk away.
“Oh, Mika,” he calls out. I turn around. “You get her pregnant and you don’t follow through, don’t think that I’ll let you stay married and that she’ll keep the baby.”
All six of us stare at him in surprise, and I swear I hear both Dominik and Yakov growl; but nobody responds—all waiting for me, I’m sure.
“I’ve never failed a task that’s been handed to me, not since I was twelve years old. I don’t plan on failing now. Your threat is a non-issue,” I announce.
I don’t bother waiting for a response. Instead, I walk over to the stairs and make my way toward my wife. I’ve been apart from her for just hours, not even longer than a few full days, and I feel like my heart has been ripped in two. I’ve fucking missed her.
I try her door handle and it’s locked. I grin to myself and knock on her door. I hear movement, waiting for her to answer. After what feels like an eternity, she slowly opens the door. I look down on her and smile. She looks absolutely beautiful. Her face is clean of makeup, her hair is in a messy bun, and she’s wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top.
“Mikhail,” she breathes before she jumps in my arms. Her sheer power causes me to take a couple steps back in surprise as I slide my hands beneath her ass to hold her to me. “How?” she whispers against my neck.
“I’m your husband, that’s how,” I grunt.
She untangles herself from me and slides down my body, her hands on my cheeks as she looks up into my eyes and searches me. I’m sure it’s for answers, but I don’t speak as I match her gaze.
“You lie, but I don’t care. I’m just happy you’re here,” she sighs.
“Go put some clothes on. We leave in just a few minutes,” I rumble as I tap her ass with my hand.
“Few minutes? I have to shower and do my makeup and then my hair. I’m going to need at least an hour, minimum,” she practically screeches.
“You have five minutes.”
“You’re fucking crazy,” she cries.
“You can shower and do your face at the hotel. I brought most of your shit with me,” he announces.
I swear my heart, it flips and does a cartwheel in my chest.
“Seriously?” I whisper.
“The rest of your clothes and shoes are being shipped to my apartment in Denver,” he grins.
I can’t help myself, a giant smile appears on my face and I squeal in delight before I turn and run back to my room to throw on something decent. I hear Mika chuckling behind me.
Grabbing a pair of old, ripped up jeans, I pull them up my legs as I rush over to my drawer, ripping my tank off as I grab a bra. Once my bra is on, I yank an oversized, white, V-neck t-shirt off of a hanger, and pull it on, leaving my hair in a messy bun as I grab a pair of flat canvas shoes and pull those on as quickly as I can.
Leaving my room, I glance back at my unmade bed and have the urge to tidy. Then I remember my father kidnapped me, and that urge completely dissolves. I leave my bedroom, for the first time in my life, an utter disaster.
“Ready?” Mika asks. I slip my hand in his and look up into his dark blue eyes as I smile.
“Of course. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too,” he grunts as he tugs on my hand. Together, we walk down the stairs.
My steps falter when I see five men staring back at me. I recognize my brother first, and my eyes start to water. He notices, and his brows shoot up. He hasn’t seen me cry since I was a child. He grins and shortens the distance between us before he pulls me in his arms and cradles me in a tight hug.
“Sestra,” he whispers, calling me sister.
“Thank you,” I whisper back at him. His arms squeeze me a little tighter before he clears his throat and takes a step back from me.
“Shall we go?” Yakov asks, his eyes dancing as he looks between me, Timofei, and Mika.
“Yes, let’s,” Mika mutters.
We all walk out of my father’s home. My father doesn’t emerge from his office to say goodbye, or even to stare at me with irritation. I wonder what he and Mika discussed, but I don’t ask.
Perhaps I’ll ask tonight, when we’re alone, but I know Mika and the men of the Bratva enough to know that I won’t get any answers while we’re out and surrounded by listening ears.<
br />
The ride to the hotel is silent, but I can feel something in the air. Something isn’t right. The air around us is so thick with tension that it’s suffocating.
Luckily, it doesn’t take long for us to get there, and I hear Mika make plans to meet with the rest of the men for a meeting at three in the afternoon. Then, with his hand pressed against my back, we walk to the elevator car.
Once I’m inside of the elevator, I turn around and my eyes clash with Konstantin’s as he watches. He doesn’t have any expression on his face that I can read, other than perhaps curiosity. He grins as he raises his brow, and before I can say another word, the elevator car door closes.
Mika and I ride up to our floor without speaking. I can’t help but replay this morning over and over again. There’s something going on; there’s a reason my father just let me walk out of that house, and it isn’t because he’s had a sudden change of heart and wants me to be happy.
My mind continues to focus on what the hell it could be as the elevator car opens and we walk to the room. I watch as Mika opens the entrance to the hotel room, but I’m still occupied with what the hell is going on. I jump when the hotel room door slams, and I turn to see Mika staring at me, his arms crossing over his chest and his dark blue eyes almost black.
“You need to tell me what’s going on,” I whisper.
“No, I don’t,” he shrugs as he releases his arms and then starts toward me.
I back up with each step he takes, and I don’t stop until my back slams against the glass of the balcony door. Mika raises his hand and wraps it around the side of my neck. His thumb presses against the front of my throat, and his fingers against the back, squeezing but not hurting me.
“I don’t need to tell you anything,” he rasps as his mouth comes down and his lips brush against mine. “But I’m going to, because you deserve to know.”
I exhale a shaky breath and nod.
“Your father is giving me a month to hunt down the head of the Cartel—and when I say the head, I mean that literally. I’m to have the leader’s head delivered to him in a month, or you’re gone,” he explains. My eyes widen.
“You must be joking,” I whisper.
“No, I’m not joking; not even slightly,” he rumbles.
“What happens when you don’t find him?” I ask.
I watch as Mika arches a brow and he gives me a sideways grin before he speaks.
“I’ve been asked to do some shit in my life, lapochka, and not once have I failed.”
“But, Mika, it’s not like he’s going to be walking around in broad daylight. He probably lives in a highly-secured home, surrounded by armed men and security cameras,” I point out. He nods.
“My first meeting about devising plans is today at three,” he states as his answer.
“They’re going to help you?” I ask on an exhale.
“They are,” he nods.
“Even Konstantin?”
“Who do you think told me where you were? I was already here in the city, but Konstantin came to me last night. It’s why he walked into your father’s house at my side. He was worried over you and didn’t want you with Pasha,” he murmurs as he dips his head and presses his lips to mine.
“This whole thing scares me. Mika, can’t we just go back to Russia?” I ask, pulling my face away from his lips.
“Nyet. All will be fine, Oksana.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about all of it,” I whisper.
“You trust me, lapochka?”
I press my lips together before I nod, and he grins.
“Then trust when I tell you that all will be fine. I will take care of everything, and of you.”
“The price on your head?” I ask.
“Your father claims he’s cancelled it, for now. Once I deliver a head to him, it will be permanently cancelled, and we can live and breathe free,” he rasps. “Now, kiss your husband.”
I don’t hesitate. I tip my head back and press my mouth against his. Mika’s tongue slides between my lips and fills me. It’s heavenly—he’s heavenly. We were only apart for hours, but it felt like a damn lifetime.
My body starts to ignite with his kiss. I need more of him. I press against him, wrapping my arms around his neck and rubbing my breasts against his chest. Mika’s hands wrap around my jean clad ass as he growls, his fingers digging into me as I whimper.
“I need you,” I whine.
“Yeah,” he grunts as his hands slide down to the backs of my thighs and he lifts me up.
I wrap my legs around his waist and he makes quick work of walking to the bed, letting me go with a bounce. His mouth fuses back to mine, making me whimper again as his hard cock rubs against my center. I wish I was wearing a skirt, and not these ratty jeans.
“Take it all off,” he rasps against my lips before he releases me and takes a step back.
STANDING COMPLETELY NAKED, STARING at my equally naked husband, I suck in a breath. I missed him; truly, I did. I thought that I knew how much I’d missed him, but I didn’t—not until this exact moment. I almost didn’t have this part of him again, his touch, his kisses, or his body against mine. I find that I need to touch him, so I reach out and wrap my hand around his wrist, tugging him close to me.
“Oksana?” he asks as he wraps his hands around my waist.
“You were almost gone from me forever,” I whisper, keeping my eyes connected to his.
“Lapochka,” he moans, sounding hurt.
“Forever,” I whisper.
“Never again,” he grunts as he lifts his hand.
His fingers trail down the side of my breast, to my waist and then toward my center, dipping inside of me once he’s reached his desired destination.
“Mikhail,” I gasp.
“So wet for me. So perfect for me,” he murmurs before his lips crash against mine—hard.
I wrap my arms around his shoulders and moan when my sensitive nipples touch his hard chest. Mika pumps his fingers in and out of me before he removes them completely and swirls my clit. I moan in his mouth, and he follows with a groan of his own before he slides his fingers back inside of me and grinds the heel of his hand against my clit.
I rip my lips from his and let out a long moan before I throw back my head and whisper, “Oh, god.”
“Come on my hand, lapochka. Come on my hand, then you can come on my cock,” he growls against my ear before his teeth nip my earlobe.
My legs shake as he continues to thrust his fingers inside of me. Then he stays planted while he moves them in a come-hither motion, his palm still pressed against my clit. My fingernails dig into his shoulders as I ride his hand, all of my modesty completely gone, just like it is every time he’s anywhere near my naked body.
“Come, lapochka,” he demands.
I shiver, my eyes widen, and as if his command unearthed something from inside of me, I do just that. My pussy clamps down around his fingers and I come on a sob.
Mika doesn’t let me ride out my release, but pulls his fingers from inside of me and spins me around, his hand in the center of my back pushing me down as his cock drives inside of me.
“Oh, shit,” I cry out, my head flying back.
Mika’s fingers tense against my skin as he starts to thrust inside of me wildly, his hips slamming against me with a force I didn’t think possible. His cock is positioned perfectly, hitting a spot where it feels like too much, and yet, just enough.
“Goddamn, you feel so good, lapochka,” he moans.
“Mika,” I whisper.
“Not what I want to hear,” he growls as his hand lands hard against the cheek of my ass.
“Mikhail,” I gasp.
“Fuck, yes.”
We don’t say another word, his body moving inside of mine is the only thing that matters. I grab the sheets, fisting my hands in the bedding as I meet his punishing thrusts with my own, pushing back against him with all of my strength.
“Shit,” he hisses as his fingers dig into my skin harder.
>
I know I’m close again, the heat in my body ratcheting up. It’s too much for me to handle. I release the bedding with one of my hands and slip it beneath my body, finding my clit. I start to stroke myself, rubbing firm circles as I climb even closer toward my release.
“That’s it,” he purrs. “Squeeze me, Oksana.”
I whimper as my head drops, and without any real warning, I come. My entire body freezes, and Mika thrusts inside of me one last time before a groan escapes his lips and I feel his release fill me as his cock twitches. I stay frozen to my spot when he starts to lazily slide in and out of me. It’s warm and wet, and it makes goosebumps break out over my flesh.
“Missed you, lapochka,” he rumbles. I feel his lips touch the center of my back as his hands leave my hips and wrap around my breasts, squeezing me gently.
“Missed you,” I whisper reaching behind me and wrapping my fingers around the back of his neck.
“You eat?” he asks as he pulls out of me.
I stand on still very shaky legs and turn to face him. “No, I didn’t,” I whisper. He grins as he cups my cheek and then runs his thumb over my lips.
“Go and shower. I’ll order room service,” he murmurs.
“Okay,” I nod.
“All your shit’s in the bathroom, except clothes; but you don’t need those,” he grunts.
“I don’t?”
“You’re staying naked, in this bed, until we have to leave,” he announces.
“Sounds perfect,” I rasp.
“Fuck. Go, you need food,” he grins.
I press my lips to his before I turn and run to the bathroom, closing the door behind me while he chuckles.
I look at myself in the mirror. My hair is a damn mess, and my cheeks are flush, but there’s a smile on my face that I can’t seem to remove—not even if I try. I don’t want to, either.
My husband is back. I don’t want to think about the future, about what-ifs or about my father. All I want to think about is Mika, waiting in the other room with food—and very naked.
I root through the small bag that’s in the bathroom and find all of my products. It’s as though he just threw them inside. There’s no rhyme or reason, with zero order or organization. It makes me smile as I reorganize my products on the counter and take my shower stuff into the tub.
Forever my Badman (Russian Bratva Book 7) Page 12
