by Piper Stone
“Isn’t that we all do? Pretend, I mean? We all long to be something we’re not, allowing obligations to stand in our way of happiness.” She looked away, sighing heavily. “While dreams are squashed, and the necessities of life take over.”
The sadness in her tone was almost bewildering, especially for an assassin.
“You sound like a lonely woman, Roxy.” I cupped the back of her neck, pulling her attention back to me and allowing my fingers to caress her skin.
She closed her eyes briefly, her lips pursed. “Perhaps.”
There was no denying our extreme attraction, the soaring electricity we shared, a connection that could very well break one or both of us. Did I dare take a chance at tempting fate, all for the few precious hours we could spend? Every part of me was on alert much like every muscle in my body remained tense.
But I wanted her.
Craved her.
Taking her.
Fucking her.
I growled again, jerking her even closer until our lips were mere centimeters apart.
Gasping, she pressed both hands against my arms, wiggling back and forth, her cries of exclamation becoming moans of raw passion.
I crushed her mouth with mine as stars floated in front of my eyes. I was wild with desire, wanting to control and dominate every aspect of her. If only for a single night. The kiss was barbaric, my savage needs roaring to the surface.
She wrapped one leg around mine, her hands now stroking my arms and neck, roaming up and down my back as the kiss continued. There was no fight as I slammed my tongue against hers, taking full control. She simply arched her back, acquiescing in the manner I always required. She seemed to sense my needs, her fingers crawling down my chest, sliding between us. The moment her hand wrapped around my cock, I could no longer breathe from the dazzling sensations rocketing through me.
Everything about this was utterly wrong, but she would soon learn who was in charge.
And what kind of man she shouldn’t play with unless she enjoyed the sear of fire.
I was prepared to take her right there, in the moment, no concern of people seeing what nastiness was being played out on the private terrace. I rolled my hand over her shoulder, easing the strap of her dress halfway down her arm as she moaned into the kiss, still grinding against me.
Still awakening the beast.
And I would take her savagely.
I broke the kiss, nibbling on her earlobe as I tipped her back, the move exposing her breast. The look of rapture on her face was further fueling, creating another rush of intense heat.
“Oh... Yes...”
I adored the sound of her voice, so melodic in nature. I licked down the side of her neck, rubbing my lips against her shoulder blade.
She arched her back as her hands gripped my arms, her long hair dangling in the breeze. Unable to resist, I lowered my head, swirling my tongue around the tip of her already hardened nipple. Dear God, the taste of her was sweet, driving me to the point of near madness. The adrenaline rush was surreal, almost as perfect as the woman.
I felt her hand sliding between us, cupping and squeezing my cock. I bit down, taking the tender tissue between my teeth, savoring the way her body shimmied. “Do you want me, Roxy? Do you hunger to have my cock inside your sweet pussy?”
“Mmm...” She squeezed even harder, her long fingers dancing over my aching shaft. I heard the sound of my zipper being pulled.
I fisted her hair as I brushed my lips to her other nipple, pushing away the slender material until I was able to free her breast. I could lick her for hours. Pleasure before pain. Why not?
“Why don’t we get a room?” she whispered, dragging her tongue around her lips.
“I think I’d enjoy an appetizer right here. Don’t you?” I wasn’t going to take no for an answer, pulling her further into the shadows.
“Aren’t you worried someone would see?”
“Let them, sweet cherie. What do we care?” I countered.
“Such a bad boy,” she purred then lifted her dress.
I wasted no time, wrapping my fingers around the thin elastic of her panties. With a single jerk of my hand, there was no more hindrance.
“I love a dominating man, one who can control me.” Panting, she snagged her fingers in my hair as she threw one leg around me, arching her back.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I eased my cockhead to her sweet little pussy, slipping past her slickened folds. I thrust all the way inside before pulling her other leg around me, the force pushing her hard against the side of the building. “But when I dominate a woman, I own her. Break her. One day, you’re going to belong to me.” The words were easy to say, my hunger unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
“Oh, God. Oh...” Willow tossed her head back and forth, her breath skipping, her fingers digging into the skin on my neck.
She was so hot, searing every cell in my body, her muscles clamped around me like a tight vise. I plunged harder and faster, enjoying simply taking her.
“Do you like fucking a man you don’t know?” I asked.
Her response was another squeeze of her muscles, a lilting laugh. “Do you like being in control?” she countered, grinding into me as the hard fucking continued.
“I’m always in control.” I shifted the angle and the moment I did, she let out a loud shriek.
“Yes. Yes!” She lolled her head on my shoulder, her legs tightly wrapped around me.
Within seconds, I could tell she was close to coming. I kept the thrusts hard and even, slamming into her again and again.
“Oh, God. Oh...” Her moans continued and she tugged on my hair, her body shaking uncontrollably. “I’m going to... Oh. Oh. Oh!”
I could feel the warm gush seconds before I exploded into her, tipping my head back and roaring toward the night sky. This was exceptional.
Perfect.
Dangerous.
And I wanted more.
The sound of laughter was boisterous as several partygoers pushed their way onto the patio.
Willow shot me an almost horrified look then her expression quickly changed, a sly smile crossing her face. Easing her legs to the floor, she rose onto her tiptoes as she adjusted her dress then kissed my cheek and whispered, “You are one dangerous man.”
Mere seconds before she dashed off and back inside.
The woman had secrets of her own, a darkness surrounding her very soul and I was determined to pick away the layers, unearthing the truth. I held her panties under my nose, reveling in the sweet smell of her. The woman was delicious.
I exhaled, shaking my head then retrieving my drink. “Touché, my sweet. Until we meet again.”
And I knew we would.
And I would be ready.
For anything...
Chapter Five
Willow
Present time
Break me.
The bastard could try. Then Aleksei would soon learn a lesson he’d never forget. “Where are we going?” The rumble of the car engine was frightening as he took every turn in a powerful manner. He hadn’t bothered tying my hands or restraining me in any manner. He was taking me at my word. I would follow along with this game until I knew all the details.
Information was power, after all.
When he didn’t answer immediately, I turned to gaze at him, memories of the dance on the patio high above the city firmly planted in my mind. I had to remind myself that he was a cold-blooded killer, not a suave businessman establishing a deal with a colleague. He was out for my brother’s company, but there was no indication this was anything but business.
The mystery surrounding the reason why Peter had long held a dark grudge against the Petrov family nagged at me. I knew there were two sides to every story. Perhaps it was time I came out of my brother’s shadows, learning the full truth.
A pang of anxiety tugged at me.
There were so many complications, far too many secrets. I didn’t need a brooding Russian with a gun to tell me that. I
’d simply chosen not to engage in any of Peter’s business practices, preferring a quiet life, when I wasn’t called to fulfill my duty.
This one had been marked urgent.
I had asked questions over the years and they remained unanswered to this day, raising my suspicions. That wasn’t entirely true. I’d looked the other way more than anything, determined to work through the ‘sentence’ that Peter had imposed then find a new life.
If I really could do that.
I shivered and not from the temperature in the car or the presence of true danger. My instincts were working overtime, screaming that I should have found a way out of Peter’s clutches a long time ago.
If you ran, Peter would ruin you.
The thought always remained in my mind. What little I knew about my brother highlighted his vindictive nature. I wasn’t stupid enough to think he wouldn’t seek revenge, even on his own sister.
I gave an exaggerated sigh as Aleksei sped through the city, hitting the highway at excessive speed. He was a man on a mission.
Everything he’d said about my brother pinged in my mind, refusing to let go, tentacles weaving in a sickening manner. Peter had been secretive, even more so as of late. He was also obsessive about being cautious, terrified that he’d lose investors.
“You need to see something,” he finally said.
“What now? Candyland?”
He slowly turned his head, accelerating until he was flying around various cars. He seemed on edge, but for what reason? He’d played my number and now he held all the cards. I continued studying him, every feature of his aristocratic face. He was obviously highly intelligent, polished in every manner and quite capable of securing any woman he hungered for.
Our attraction was... unforgettable.
I shuddered and huddled in the seat, trying to keep the paralyzing fear at bay. After ten minutes, I realized he was driving out of the city. “Where are we going?”
He offered no answer of any kind and the silence was even more terrifying. What could he want to show me?
When his cell phone rang, he cursed in Russian before bothering to yank out his phone. “Da?”
I’d studied several languages, perfecting three. Sadly, Russian wasn’t one of them, but I could easily tell how frustrated he was, the sudden smash of his hand on the steering wheel followed by a loud string of words said quickly.
“Blyad!” Aleksei tossed the phone on the dashboard, grumbling under his breath.
That word I knew easily. Fuck. Whatever news he’d received was obviously worse than anticipated.
When we entered New Jersey, I knew exactly where we were going. One of the port terminals. “What do you have on my brother? How did you get the information?”
“I have my sources, Willow. I make it my business to learn all about those attempting to kill me.”
“You think you’re going to show me anything that will allow me to believe you?”
“We shall see. As I told you before, I appreciate and value the truth as much as you seem to.”
He was throwing my own words in my face. Sadly, he was right. I hated liars of any kind, but this man, this... monster was a consummate liar. That much I knew. I folded my arms, staring out as the night sky, trying to figure out how I was going to get the hell out of the terrible position I’d placed myself into.
Peter would know I was missing. Right?
The answer was no. I went under the radar, often for days when I was on a job. Any contact could easily derail my mission, notifying my target even before I arrived. I closed my eyes, thinking about how I’d managed to be coerced into becoming a killing machine.
A creature no better than Aleksei.
You know why. You’re just as much a monster.
I bit back a whimper, the little voice inside my head nagging me more than usual.
Certain decisions I’d made when I was still naïve and stupid had altered my fate, stripping away my innocence and my happiness. But that had been all my fault. The rest had been a blur.
Peter had nurtured my talent, as he liked to call it, helping me understand that there were devious and very evil people preying on the talent and good nature of others. I’d known all about the Bratva existence early in life, following stories of their brutal savagery. I also knew there were criminal elements in all walks of life, men and women allowing greed to overtake any concept of humanity.
And my love of all creatures big and small had been used, told I was only killing the scourge of the earth, people who didn’t deserve to breathe air.
I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion settling in.
“How long do you plan on keeping me?” I finally asked.
“As long as necessary.”
“But you are going to let me go.” I made the words a statement.
His expression finally changed, becoming even more devious. “I may never let you go, Willow.”
“Then one night you might not wake up from your enraptured sleep. Keep that in mind.”
He laughed. “We shall see. You are quite the woman and I obviously know you’re capable of killing.”
“You have no idea.”
“I wonder what else you’re capable of.”
I took his words as a dare. He was enjoying my predicament far too much.
“What made you become an assassin?” he asked almost casually.
The truth was I couldn’t stomach the reasons any longer. Maybe I should have accepted my fate early on. Then I wouldn’t be burdened by the horrific guilt following me to this day. “Because it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“Murder?”
“If you think the men I killed were innocent, you’re dead wrong. They were treacherous, vile beasts just like you are. They killed dozens of people, ruining families in their quest to fulfill their greed. Just to move up the ladder of some mafia organization. Meanwhile, innocent lives were lost. I killed them because of who and what they were. I’d do it again.”
I heard the sound of his hands twisting around the thick leather covering the steering wheel followed by a deep sigh. There was nothing he could say to contradict my words.
But he tried.
“Did you ever stop to think that you also destroyed innocent lives? Those men you talk about as nothing more than animals had families, children, beautiful souls depending on them to make a buck. One thing I do know about the majority of soldiers within any mafia organization is that they are loyal to their families, worshipping their wives and children. They would die for them. What you took away from them is just as painful, just as destructive, and just as incredibly wrong. Actions that deserve consequences, just like disobeying orders.”
He gave me a long, cold stare, his eyes penetrating into my very soul. When he finally turned his head away, I realized I was shaking.
Because he was right.
I had nothing else to say as he continued driving, the almost two-hour ride more nauseating than anything. I concentrated on everything he’d told me, trying to rationalize some if any of the details. What in God’s name could he have to show me?
The signs for the Port Newark Container Terminal forced another shiver down my spine. While Peter hadn’t known, I’d certainly stolen more than once glance at various documents he’d hidden in desk drawers. Away from prying eyes, or so I’d been told. I knew this was at least one port the various ships left from. Their origination points? That I had never seen. Was I too trusting?
The ugly truth had always been there. I’d looked the other way, pretending that even with my required duties for Peter and his regime that I was somehow distanced from all of it.
Innocent.
There was no such thing.
He parked the car, cutting the engine. “You will stay right here. If you attempt to go anywhere, I will find you. If you think you’re going to alert either the port authority or anyone else, you forget just how many people work for me. You will go nowhere and when I find you, you will be placed in that cage you talked about. Are we cle
ar?”
“Clear as shit.”
Aleksei sighed, taking the keys and grabbing a flashlight before exiting the vehicle.
I watched as he talked to several people, at least one conversation heated. The entire area gave me the creeps, the various garish lights highlighting dozens of containers, all ready to be loaded onto a cargo ship, destination anywhere.
But usually outside of the United States.
Another tale my brother had told me.
I knew our father had been fortunate to build a decent business, leaving everything to his only son before his premature death. What little I’d witnessed as a child had seemed normal, my brother doting on his only sibling at first. Then everything had changed.
Peter had placed me in the finest private schools, although they were far away from home. As my guardian, he’d told me he wanted the best for me. I’d been far too shell-shocked and shy to fight him in any manner.
Besides, he was my family.
Lowering my head, I burst into laughter. I’d worshipped Peter, the only man who seemed to protect me. I’d been devastated when my parents were killed, the accident so sudden, so horrible. He’d been there to wipe my tears and keep me grounded. I looked up to him, his wisdom and knowledge. He was almost twenty years older than me, for God’s sake. He should know better.
Then why initiate you into a life of crime?
The short answer was one that would haunt me for the rest of my life. I’d accepted my role after his... encouragement, even enjoying the power it brought me. Lying to myself. Believing I was doing the right thing.
What the hell was wrong with me?
I was killing dangerous criminals, but what about their families? They were innocent in all of this. Or were they? I had no idea what to believe any longer. How could I?
He took long strides back to the car, moving around to the passenger side, pulling me out and keeping his hand wrapped around my arm.
“You will say nothing to anyone. You won’t even look them in the eyes. They are dangerous men, soldiers who would enjoy killing an assassin who targeted their organization. Do you understand me?” He kept his voice low as he pulled me away from the car and deeper into the stacks of cargo containers.
