Defending Dani

by Kat Mizera

  “Suck a little harder,” he encouraged. “Take as much as you can, but you don’t have to try to impress me by choking yourself.”

  “I don’t think I’m ready to deep throat,” she acknowledged, “but I’ll do my best.”

  She drew him into her mouth in earnest this time, licking and sucking the way Sara had shown her that one Sunday morning over breakfast. They’d laughed and laughed, but now she was grateful for the introduction. And Sergei definitely wasn’t laughing. He was thrusting his hips forward in a slow, gentle motion, letting her get used to the sensation of him fucking her mouth. He didn’t rush or try to go too deep, keeping his strokes shallow even when his breath quickened and he began shaking with exertion as he tried to stay in control.

  He abruptly pulled away, making her gasp as he yanked her to her feet and tossed her on the bed. “I told you the first orgasm goes to you,” he growled against her mouth. “But that was un-fucking-believable. I’d never have believed that was your first blow job if I didn’t know you.”

  She flushed, inexplicably proud to know she’d pleasured him.

  “Now shimmy out of those panties for me.”

  She pulled them off with two quick tugs, looking up at him expectantly.

  His strong, powerful body was poised above her, his eyes on hers as he dropped his mouth to hers again. There was so much passion between them it left her breathless, even as she felt a moment of trepidation, the memory of last night’s painful coupling making her tense.

  “Easy.” His voice was tender, fingers on her cheek as he paused. “We’ll go nice and slow this time.”

  She was vaguely aware of him sheathing himself with the condom before settling between her legs, but where there had been pain last time now there was only a gradual build-up of pressure as he slid into her one delicious inch at a time. Until there was nothing between them. No pain, no space, not even air. As she adjusted to the feeling of him filling her, stretching her until she was sure she would burst with need, she dug her fingers into his scalp. He was refusing to let her rush him, holding back and forcing her to return his kisses with slow, languid strokes of deliciousness. Even as lightning strikes of energy began coiling low in her belly, she could only focus on the man above her. Watching him glide in and out of her was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. He’d changed positions, holding himself up with his arms, and she watched the muscles in his stomach ripple with each stroke; that alone was enough to push her towards the edge.

  “Sergei.” This time she wouldn’t let him slow down, yanking at his arms and tugging his mouth back to hers so she could fasten her lips to his greedily. “Fuck me,” she whispered urgently.

  “Oh, my beautiful Maryanne…” He let out a groan. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t. I want you, Wayne. Harder. Faster. Please.”

  “You have me, baby.” He snapped his hips forward, sheathing himself completely and Dani let out a grunt of surprise.

  “Oh…” Her eyes rolled back as he picked up speed and trapped her hands above her head with his. “Sergei!”

  “That’s it, baby… Let me make you feel good.”

  Everything blurred and her body took on a life of its own. When her orgasm crashed over her, the heat was unlike anything else. Sergei’s followed right on her heels, his grunt of pleasure practically ripping out of him before his lips pressed to hers again.

  They stopped moving gradually, slowly coming back to reality. The air sizzled with urgency, as if once wasn’t enough, even as they tried to catch their breath.

  “What do you think?” he whispered against her mouth. “Better than last time?”

  “Fuuuuuckkk…” she moaned, throwing an arm over her eyes. “That was amaze-balls.”

  “I thought so.” He rolled onto his back, reaching out to twine the fingers of his left hand with those of her right.

  “Can we do it again?”

  “As many times as you want.”

  “Can I be on top?”

  He chuckled. “Sure.”

  “Will you, um, do what you did at the party again sometime?”

  “Go down on you?” He turned onto his side, smiling into her face. “Sure, babe. Anything else?”

  “I’m not sure.” She gnawed on her lip thoughtfully. “What else haven’t we done?”

  He laughed heartily. “Oh, honey…”

  “Oh, that other thing you mentioned!”

  “Which…thing?”

  “You know… The butt stuff.”

  “You want to try anal?” He looked surprised. “We just figured out missionary, babe.”

  “You said it feels good, right?”

  “That’s what I’ve been told, but it’s not like vaginal sex. You have to work up to it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He pulled her on top of him, shaking his head. “One step at a time, Maryanne. We’ll start with a finger, work up to a plug… But you’re not ready for that, and frankly, neither am I.”

  “Why not?”

  “’Cause it’s way more intense than this and I want you to be comfortable with all of this before we get to all of that.”

  “Okay.” She nestled against his chest. “I’m liking all of this, though.”

  “Me, too, Maryanne. Me, too.”

  18

  Dani woke up to find herself alone in Sergei’s bed. Fumbling for her phone, she realized she’d left it in her room so she had no idea what time it was. She sat up, listening for signs of life, and heard the faintest sounds of laughter coming from downstairs. The door of the bedroom was closed so she eased it open and tiptoed out, even though she wasn’t sure why, slipping into her own room.

  Her phone told her it was after ten, which was late for her, but they’d had a long night. They’d made love again and then lay together talking for what must have been hours. They’d started relatively early since Niko had been in bed by eight, but it had to have been well after midnight before they’d fallen asleep. It had been wonderful, too, lying there together, talking and laughing. Her body was still humming from how thoroughly he’d loved her and she smiled as she cleaned up, dressing for the day. She hadn’t had much in the way of expectations, but Sergei had far surpassed them.

  She padded down the stairs and found Sergei and Niko cleaning up the kitchen.

  “Mama D, are you sick?” Niko turned to her, his blue eyes narrowed worriedly.

  “No, silly, I just couldn’t sleep last night so I was tired this morning.”

  “Did you get enough rest?” Sergei asked softly, one hand resting lightly on her waist.

  “I did. Thank you for letting me sleep in.”

  “It’s summer. You should be doing a lot of resting.”

  “So should you.”

  “I’m fine.” He turned to Niko. “So, Niko wants to go hiking today. You in?”

  “Sure.” Since the boys had eaten, she pulled out the blender to make her protein shake, smiling to herself as Sergei sent Niko to go play and then pressed himself up against her back. He dropped a light kiss on her bare shoulder before resting his chin there.

  “You sure you’re okay? Not too sore?”

  She nudged him with her elbow. “I’m fine. My friend Wayne is very good at this bedroom stuff.”

  His gruff laugh against her ear gave her goose bumps. “He told me he’s looking forward to more quality time with Maryanne.”

  “She’s looking forward to it, too.” She turned on the blender and turned to face him, sliding her arms around his neck. “Sergei, what are we doing about Niko?”

  “Putting him to bed?”

  She laughed. “I mean, right now, during the day. Are we going to touch and kiss like this? It might confuse him.”

  “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. I guess we shouldn’t be overt about it, but at the same time, I’m not going to pretend you’re some kind of casual fuck. That’s not what this is, Dani. For as long as we’re together, we’re together. I’m not going to teach my son to be a prick.�
�

  “He’s three. He has no idea that there’s a correlation between the way we touch in front of him and other things that go on.”

  “No, but it becomes part of his subconscious and as he gets older, there will be a part of him that puts two and two together. I never want him to think I’ll touch a woman I don’t care about like that in front of him. And a woman like you, whom I’m intimate with, who’s also part of his life? Yes, he’s going to see the appropriate parts of it.”

  “And when he asks…whatever a three-year-old might ask?”

  “I tell him you’re part of my life. When you go to Colorado, it’s not like we won’t be friends anymore, and I’ll explain you’re playing hockey for the Olympics. Because we’re going to be your two biggest fans.”

  “You will?” For some reason that almost made her tear up.

  “Of course.” He kissed her lightly, reaching behind her to turn off the blender. “Every exhibition, every televised anything, and it will be all Olympic hockey, all the time, come February.”

  “My only regret is that none of you will be there.” She sighed. “You, my brother, Sara… Although I think my parents are going. Zakk said he’s getting them flights and tickets to the hockey events, but he’s surprising them in October for their anniversary.”

  “I’d be there if I could. I wish it lined up with the All-Star weekend.”

  “I know.” She made a face. “But knowing Zakk and the other Sidewinders will be watching helps, even if it adds a little pressure.”

  “What am I? Chopped liver?” he teased.

  “I didn’t know you were interested until just recently.”

  “I’m interested.” He slid his hands down to cup her backside. “But today, we’re going hiking, so get some nutrition into you while I get Niko ready.”

  “Okay.” She nodded, turning to pour the protein shake into a glass, her butt still tingling from where he’d touched her. God, she hoped she didn’t react to him like this every time he touched her outside the bedroom—it was a little overwhelming. Of course, he was overwhelming. How the hell had she gotten so involved with Sergei Petrov? She desperately needed to talk to Sara.

  * * *

  They hiked in a place not far from Anchorage called Flattop Mountain. It was a bit touristy, but only about a fifteen-minute drive from the city and not terribly steep since they had Niko with them. After Sergei had told her where they were going, she’d done a little research online, finding that the Arapaho and Ute Indians had traveled the area to reach hunting grounds of the Great Plains. The peak was just over 12,000 feet and the round-trip hike was almost nine miles. Sergei had said he didn’t think they could do the whole thing with Niko, so they would go as far as they could and turn back.

  While the beginning of the path wasn’t bad, it got steeper, but the spectacular views made it worthwhile. Sergei carried Niko in the beginning, putting him down when it got more difficult, he and Dani taking turns holding his hand. Dani stopped often to take pictures, which allowed Niko to rest, and she found herself so caught up in the beauty surrounding them she didn’t think much about the climb itself.

  “Selfie time!” she called out, lifting Niko into her arms and turning her back on the gorgeous background so it would be in the picture.

  Sergei stepped in, sliding an arm around her waist and smiling.

  Looking down at the picture, Dani felt a surge of emotion; they looked like a family, like they belonged together. She hated feeling like a romantic ninny, but being with Sergei and Niko was so natural.

  “I think we can make it,” Sergei said as they continued to climb. “According to the information I have, it starts to level out here so the last third of a mile shouldn’t be too bad. If you want, we can take turns going up while the other stays here with Niko.”

  “How do you feel, buddy?” Dani asked him, kneeling in front of him. “You think you can hike a little more?”

  Niko seemed amenable since they’d been sitting for a while and he’d had a good snack, so he nodded.

  “We’ll take it slow,” Sergei said. “If anyone gets too tired, we’ll turn around. We’ve already seen some beautiful stuff.”

  “At this point, we’re too close not to go all the way,” Dani said. “I want to do it.”

  “Okay. I can carry Niko if I need to; this is pretty flat.”

  “I’m hiking, Daddy,” Niko protested mildly, grinning up from under his Alaska Blizzard baseball cap.

  “You just tell us if you’re too tired, okay?”

  When they got to the top, Dani took a deep breath, looking around in fascination. “Wow. Just wow. This is gorgeous.”

  There was rocky terrain, snow-covered peaks and the Tyndall Glacier in the distance. They’d decided not to actually approach the glacier since they’d been warned it was dangerous, but it was still beautiful.

  They sat on the ground enjoying the beauty around them and Dani wondered for the first time if she would be happy living here. She wasn’t sure what made her think about that, but it undoubtedly had to do with the gorgeous man and sweet little boy on either side of her. She didn’t want to articulate anything in particular, but there was no universe where leaving them would be easy.

  “Ready to start heading back?” Sergei asked. “People I talked to said we shouldn’t be up here much past noon and it’s getting there.”

  “Yeah, let’s go. We definitely don’t want to get caught in those thunderstorms they talked about.”

  With a few final pictures and one last look at the view, they started back down.

  * * *

  It was three days before Dani had any time alone. Sergei went to meet up with Jake and Aaron for a beer and she was home with Niko. She’d just gotten him to bed and sank onto the couch, ready for some girl talk. It had been too long since she and Sara had talked. Though they texted regularly and kept in touch, they hadn’t had a real conversation in weeks. The truth was, she and Sergei were together constantly. Even tonight, he’d acted almost guilty as he’d told her he was going out with the guys. She’d laughed, telling him it was fine and reminding him he needed to bond with his new teammates. He’d kissed her before he left, whispering that she should be naked and waiting for him in bed when he got home. Something she was totally on board for. Their sex life was out of control but more fun than she wanted to admit.

  “Hey!” Sara answered immediately.

  “Hi. What’s goin’ on?”

  “Same shit, different day. You?”

  Dani chuckled. “Definitely not the same shit as the last time we talked.”

  “You did it,” Sara squealed. “Oh my god, you lost your virginity.”

  “And then some.”

  “And then some? Tell me everything.”

  Sara’s excitement was contagious and Dani gave her an abridged version of the sexcapades that had been going on for the last five days or so.

  “I’m so jealous.” Sara sighed. “I haven’t gotten any in ages.”

  “You were getting more than your share all through college while I got none,” Dani pointed out. “It’s my turn.”

  “Okay,” she conceded. “You get your share now.”

  “I think there are quite a few single guys on the team,” Dani mused. “Maybe Sergei can introduce you when you get here?”

  “I hope so.” Sara paused. “So…how’s the rest of it?”

  “The rest of what?”

  “Your relationship.”

  “Um, fine?”

  “Come on, Dani, this is me and I know you. If you were a casual-lay kind of girl, you’d have given up your cherry to that football player in our freshman biology class.”

  Dani hesitated. “Honestly, I don’t know. Since I’ve never been in a sexual relationship before, I don’t know how it works when you’re this intimate with someone. I’ve spent the last four nights sleeping with him. For all intents and purposes, we live together since I’m now sharing his bed. I take care of his house to a degree, we do things as a family a
nd for the last four nights, the minute we put Niko to bed we were naked and all over each other. Is that normal?”

  Sara let out a long, put-upon sigh. “Oh, honey.”

  “What?”

  “No, okay? No, that’s not normal. Most people go out on dates and, whether it’s the first date or later, have sex but then go home to their own beds. They certainly don’t live together, take care of a child together, and spend 24/7 together. This has every element of a serious relationship except one thing.”

  “What?” Dani asked warily.

  “Commitment?”

  “Um, well, that’s not entirely accurate. We agreed that we would only be with each other for as long as we’re together. At least until I leave for Colorado.”

  “It’s exclusive?” Sara sounded startled.

  “Is that bad?”

  “Not for him, but it could be very bad for you.”

  “Why?”

  “Don’t even try to tell me you’re not having feelings.”

  Dani didn’t say anything.

  “Dani?”

  “Well, yeah, some, I guess. But we’re friends—I have feelings for you, too. That doesn’t mean I’m in love with you.”

  “No, but if I were to tell you I didn’t want to be friends anymore, wouldn’t it hurt?”

  Once again, Dani fell silent for a while. “So you’re saying I’m going to get hurt, because once it’s time to go he won’t be my exclusive live-in lover anymore.”

  “Pretty much. What does he say?”

  “We haven’t talked about it beyond the no-fucking-anyone-else conversation. But he says he’s not capable of falling in love again, that he’s broken.”

  “And you don’t believe it.”

  “It’s not possible. He’s amazing. Maybe he’s not capable of loving me, but he’s definitely capable of loving. I feel it every time he touches me. I may not have a lot of sex experience, but I have life experience, and there was a lot more than sex going on when he did everything he could to make the first time better. When he dragged me to sit in the bathtub with him afterwards. When he got up with Niko the other morning to let me sleep in. When he got all up in arms about not showing affection around Niko, how he’s not going to teach his son to take advantage of women. Even though said child is a toddler who probably doesn’t even notice. Oh, no, that’s not a man incapable of love. Maybe it’s just me.”