Before either of them could say anything she’d shut the door. Kiara made her way back into the living room, where Vitaly was, and he looked at her. “Why did you lie to the police? You could have got me out of your life if you’d told them I was here.”
“I didn’t want to tell them you were here, but it would be best if we left soon.” Without stopping to think about what she was doing she stepped into her bedroom. “They’ll be back with a warrant and we need to be gone.”
“No, I need to be gone. You can stay here.”
“In that state you aren’t going anywhere without me.” She started gathering up the clothes she wanted to take with her. “Where can we go?”
“A motel. We should be safe enough there for a couple of nights, and that will give me some time to prepare for what’s coming next.” He smiled. “Soon enough I’ll reclaim my position and when I do it will be thanks to you, Kiara. I promise I’ll find a way to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
***
Before they drove off Kiara glanced one last time at the apartment she was certain she wouldn’t be returning to. She’d email her landlord and make sure everything was sorted out for him, because it was fair of her to leave him in the position she was, but there was nothing she could do about it. “You will go home.”
“Maybe.” She didn’t look at Vitaly. “Why do you feel the need to reclaim your position?”
“It’s who I am.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Kiara.” He sighed. “Why are you so determined to believe otherwise?”
“Have you ever stopped to think what it is you might want out of life? From what you’ve said it seems obvious to me that both your father and your grandfather were in the same position, so you believe you should be following in their footsteps, but you don’t have to. You could do anything now, Vitaly.”
“Even if I could I’d still have the police after me. When I’m someone I don’t have to deal with them. My lawyers do. Now I’m no one they aren’t going to stop coming after me, because they know what I’ve done even if they’ve never been able to prove it before.”
“Then we can go to Mexico.”
“We? You shouldn’t be a part of this. Why are you making plans involving us?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea, Vitaly, but I know this is what I want to be doing. I want to be with you. I wouldn’t have made the choices I did if I didn’t want that.”
“You’re not being logical.”
“Logic and emotions often don’t mix.” She looked at him, smiling. “I didn’t realise until I was talking to the police that there was something about you that attracted me the moment I saw you. Maybe it is because of who you are. Maybe it’s because I see who you could be.” As she turned her attention back to the road she did her best not to let the incredulity in his eyes affect her. “I think we have a chance of making things work.”
“Kiara, you don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve done in the past. I’ve killed people.” He made a sound. “I’ve done worse than kill people before. The best thing you can do is drop me off at the motel and then go back to living your normal life. Soon enough I’ll be able to bring an end to this.”
“No. I want to teach you how to live a normal life. I want to show you how wonderful it can be. I want to show you how much you could enjoy having someone in your life who truly cares about you.”
“That’s not what I want. I want to go back to my life. I never wanted to get someone else involved in this mess. I never wanted you to do this.”
“I know you didn’t, but we don’t always get what we want.”
***
Vitaly stayed in the car while Kiara booked them a room. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about him, about how different her life was with him in it, and why she’d been attracted to him in the first place. It wasn’t something she’d connected with when she was his doctor. There was no reason for her to. While she was there she was nothing more than his doctor. Once he was on the street the two of them were people once more, and the last thing she wanted was for something to happen to him. Why, though? He wasn’t her type, not that she’d ever thought she really had a type, and she hadn’t even known who he was, but it wouldn’t have stopped her if she had. Knowing he’d once been the main man in the local mafia didn’t bother her the way it probably should.
With a key in her hand she made her way back over to the car. Vitaly got out, and she did her best not to make it obvious she was studying him. He was good looking. She knew, from dealing with his wounds, he had a strong body, covered in muscles, and it had taken all her willpower not to run her hands over him. Other men were nothing compared to him. She hadn’t wanted any one of them as much as she wanted him. Biting hard on her lip she pulled her bag out of the boot. He wasn’t going to want her, no matter what she said to him. All he cared about was reclaiming his position. Kiara had to accept that. He was who he was, and there was nothing she could do to change him. Her words weren’t working to convince him he had a real chance of living a normal life. As she followed him to their room she tried to find the right way of convincing him that he should give having a normal life a chance.
“Even if I did leave the mafia behind I couldn’t live a normal life.” Did he know what she was thinking? “Like I said before the police will be after me, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them from putting me in prison. They’d even be able to make up the charges, and there wouldn’t be anything I could do, so it’s better for both of us that I focus on getting my old life back. Then you have a chance of living the life you’ve always wanted to live.”
“Why should I give you up?”
“Kiara…”
“I might not have wanted to admit it before, but I want you, Vitaly. You are going to think I shouldn’t, because of who you are, but I do.” She brushed a hand through her hair, wishing he could understand. “I want you to give us a chance. I want you to give me a chance to be the person who could change your life.”
“What makes you think you haven’t already?”
***
Motel showers were nowhere near as nice as her one was. Sighing, Kiara grabbed her shampoo, and then the door to the bathroom opened. The door she’d looked. Confused she turned to look at Vitaly, hoping it was him and not someone else. When their eyes met, his blue ones as enticing as they’d been before, he slowly started stripping, which was unexpected. “You said you wanted me.”
“I do.” She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “I didn’t think you wanted me.”
“You’re beautiful.” He threw his t-shirt aside, his muscles flexing, and butterflies of emotion started fluttering around her stomach. “How could I not want you?” He pulled his jeans off. “I just don’t understand why you’d want me. I know what I am. I know what I’ve always been. A sexy doctor like you could have anyone, but you’ve chosen me, and it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Sexy?”
Nodding, he stepped closer to the shower, his erection tenting his boxers. “One of the sexiest women I’ve ever come across. As a doctor I’m sure you’re very smart too, even though you haven’t been acting it recently.”
“Following you made sense at the time.”
“You must have known I was dangerous. I came in with four gunshot wounds, and no I.D., so any sensible person would have run for the hills. Why did you follow me?”
“You needed someone.” She swallowed around the lump of emotion in her throat. “I made the decision I was going to be that someone even if you didn’t want me.”
Shaking his head, as though he didn’t quite believe what she was saying, he tugged his boxers down. Naked he stepped into the shower, their bodies brushing each other. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” She couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to touch him, and he shuddered. “I didn’t stop to think about what I was doing, I just did it. I did what seemed to be the right thing. I don’t know if it was. It might not have been, but I know
I want you.”
“When I woke up and saw you by the side of the bed it felt like a dream. I couldn’t understand why you were there again. You should have kept your distance from me, Kiara, but you didn’t, and now I don’t think I could walk away from you even if I wanted to.”
“You are though. You’ve made the decision you’re going to go after the man who tried to kill you, because you can’t walk away from the mafia.”
“I didn’t think I could.” He stepped towards her and she found herself pinned to the wall. “Now… I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love this quickly, but I think I’m falling in love with you, and I can’t walk away from that. When I was younger I told myself love was just a distraction, which I wasn’t wrong about. You are a distraction. If it wasn’t for you I’d be following the same path I’ve always walked before.” He kissed her, just once, before pulling away. “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be thinking of my other options.”
“Do you want me to apologise?”
“No.” He smiled. “I’m happy, for the first time, and I’m going to make the most of this.” He put his hands on her ass and lifted her. “Tell me if you want to stop, because I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
“Good.”
His cock was deep inside her before she realised what happening, but that wasn’t something she was going to complain about. Kiara made a sound deep in her throat as he thrust into her, his face nuzzling between her breasts, the water from the shower still pouring over both of them. She wrapped her legs tight around him, holding herself against the wall as he moved his hands. One grabbed hold of hers, pulling them up above her head, and she could see how white his hands looked against her dark skin. The other made its way down to her clit, stroking down, and then up again to gently squeeze her nipples, before she finally felt a finger on her clit. He pressed hard to begin with, making her moan, before softening the pressure.
Smiling, he kissed his nipples, before drawing one of them into his mouth. As he sucked on it she felt herself throbbing around him, her body sensitised from top to bottom due to the way he was touching her. The harder he sucked the closer she found herself. When she tightened around him he pressed harder on her clit, and that was it. She came around his cock, as he came into her, the two of them moaning far more loudly than they should have been in a motel bathroom, but, for the first time, she didn’t care.
Vitaly lowered her to the ground as her body shuddered from the aftershocks. She studied him, wondering if he meant what he was saying before, or if the sex they’d just had was his way of saying goodbye to her. “I’m not going anywhere if you don’t want me to.”
“Mexico?”
“If that’s what you want, but you have a career here. How can you be willing to walk away from that?”
“I want to be with you, and I know I can’t be with you here, so Mexico it is.” She kissed him. “I never would have done something like this before. I was so certain I had everything I wanted, but I didn’t. I couldn’t have known that until I met you, though.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Their lips met again, both of them moving in at the same time. “I love you, as stupid as that may sound after only knowing you a couple of days, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
***
Waking up next to a naked man wasn’t something Kiara had done for a long time. She rolled over, and found he was still sleeping, which wasn’t all that surprising considering what he’d been through. As she studied him she could see different scars on him, obviously from other times when he’d been hurt. Hoping she wouldn’t wake him, knowing he needed the sleep, she stroked a finger down one of them. It looked like it had been made with a knife. What had he been through? How could any father have believed that training their son to become a member of the mafia was a good idea? Vitaly deserved much better. Sighing, she kissed his cheek, and slipped out of bed.
She picked up one of the robes they’d left at the end of the bed, before making her way into the bathroom. Was she making the right decision? Kiara ran her tongue over her bottom lip. Falling in love with someone as quickly as she’d fallen for him didn’t seem possible. She’d never been one of those people who believed in love at first sight, but, with him, it truly felt like that. She wiped her face with a flannel, thinking things through as best she could. Going with him made sense in a way she wouldn’t have believed if it hadn’t happen to her. Leaving everything behind wouldn’t be difficult. Staying in the city for as long as she had been was much harder. Her parents had made her into a nomad. Travelling from one place to another was something she enjoyed more than anything, which was exactly what she’d need to do if she went with Vitaly to Mexico.
“Having second thoughts?” He stepped into the bathroom wearing his boxers and nothing more. “I understand if you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Why not?”
“Do you remember when you asked me if I had family in another state, and I said I had no family?”
“Of course.” He wrapped his arms around her. “It was obvious you didn’t want to talk about it.”
“My parents were disowned by their families when they decided to get together. For some reason they were feuding, and I have no idea why because my parents wouldn’t talk about it, but they thought the whole thing was stupid. While I was young they spent most of their time travelling, and they taught me themselves. It was when I was fifteen they disappeared. I have no idea what happened. All I know is that I was left with the van we’d travelled in, what money I had in my purse, and I needed to learn to live alone. There is a chance I might have family somewhere, but they’d have no interest in getting to know me.”
“Wow.” Vitaly kissed the top of her head. “Dad might not have been the best parent, but he was always there for me. Losing him was one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through, and I was in my twenties when it happen, so I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you to lose your parents.”
***
Blue lights. Kiara looked at Vitaly, grabbed her bag, and the two of them made their way to the window of their motel room. He checked to see if there was anyone there. “We’re okay.” He glanced at her. “Are you sure about this? You could stay here, say I kidnapped you…”
“I’m coming with you.” She smiled. “Now go.” Nodding, he clambered out of the window, wincing as he did so. “You okay?”
“Fine.” He held his hand out to her and she let him help her out of the window. “You are now officially on the run from the police.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you’d be willing to do something like this for me.”
“Come on.” She started running, wanting to get as far away from the motel as possible, and he followed her. “Do you know how to hotwire a car?”
“Of course I do.”
“Good.”
“Do you know how to hotwire a car?”
For a second she thought about lying, but it didn’t matter. “It’s a skill I’ve picked up.” She glanced at him. “I’m not perfect, Vitaly, even though I am a doctor.”
“I never thought you were, but I also never imagined you hotwiring a car. Why did you even need to?”
“There have been a few times when I found myself in difficult positions, and I’ve never been the sort of person to wait for someone to rescue me. Learning a few things that are technically illegal has helped me out a lot through the years.”
“You’re full of surprises, Miss Campbell.”
“I know.” She grinned. “How about we find another car? It’ll be easier than running to Mexico.”
“Got any suggestions?”
“Something that won’t be too noticeable. The last thing we need is the police on our tail.”
“I still don’t get why you’re throw everything away for me.”
“I’m not.” Kiara shrugged. “I’m doing it for me, mostly, and I
didn’t realise that until this morning. I don’t know how I ended up becoming a doctor, but that’s not me. I want to be free. I want to travel. I want to enjoy life, and I know I’m going to be able to do that with you by my side, even though it’s not going to be easy.”
“Why did you become a doctor?”
“I thought I wanted stability. I didn’t. I was simply going through the motions, because it’s what I was supposed to do. If it hadn’t been you I know I would have found another way to travel.”
“You could still do that.”
“No, I couldn’t. Not when I know what I’d lose if I did make that decision. I want to be with you, Vitaly. You might not be the sort of person I ever imagined spending the rest of my life with, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t what I want.”
***
Having a car would make everything easier. Vitaly drove over to her in a Ford, and Kiara smiled. “There’s nothing much more invisible than a Ford.”
“True.” He smiled back as she got into the car. “We’ll have to dump it before we reach Mexico. Someone will tell the police it’s been stolen, and when that happens you need to be ready.” Their eyes met. “This is your last chance to back out of this. You can go back to your nice safe life.”
“I could, but I don’t think it would be as safe as you seem to think it would be. You can’t be certain you will be able to take back the position that was stolen from you, and that means your old friend could end up using me as leverage, which would be more dangerous than this. All we’re doing right now is driving to Mexico.”
“With the police following us. You could be arrested, and go to jail.”
“Maybe, but I don’t see it happening.” They pulled onto the highway. “As long as we’re careful we’re going to be able to get across the border before anyone can stop us.”
“Hopefully.” He glanced at her. “You aren’t going to have the same life you lived before.”
The Alpha Billionaire's Unexpected Baby: A Billionaire BWWM Pregnancy Romance Page 5
