Kingpin's Foxglove (The Tarkhanov Empire Book 1)

by Bree Porter

Konstantin grabbed my book and flung it at Roman. It zoomed through the air, smacking the bodyguard straight in the forehead.

  “Next thing I throw is a bullet,” Konstantin hissed.

  Roman got the message, hand to forehead. “I’ll be right outside when you need me.” His eyes gleamed. “Anything at all. Cameraman, snack guy—”

  Konstantin growled.

  “Right, right. I’m gone.” Roman shut the door behind him, but as soon as he was in the hallway, we heard him yell, “BOSS IS AWAKE!”

  Konstantin sighed deeply and pressed his forehead to mine.

  “They’ll all be here in a moment,” I said. “We might scandalize them in this position.”

  He kissed my nose. “I’m willing to take the risk.”

  I grinned as he leaned down to kiss me. This kiss was slow and languish, the seduction of our mouths—

  Someone banged on the door. “Kostya? You’re awake?” It was Roksana who spoke, but I could make out the deep voices of Artyom and Dmitri as well.

  “I might kill your family,” I noted.

  Konstantin grinned and squeezed my hip. “Try and refrain yourself, lyubimaya. There has been enough poisoning today.”

  The comment was meant as a joke, but a somber mood took a hold of me.

  Oh, Kon, I thought. You have no idea.

  I couldn’t help but wonder if Konstantin would still love me after I told him what Tatiana had done.

  Part Three -

  Heart of Foxglove

  “It is humbling to think that all animals, including human beings, are parasites of the plant world.”

  - Isaac Asimov

  27

  Elena Falcone

  Odessa nickered when she spotted me, tossing her head over the fence. She was fitted with a blanket and ankle warmers, an attempt to fight the chill.

  I greeted her with a nose scratch. “Is your Pakhan here?”

  Judging from the pair of byki playing durak, guns on show, this was exactly where Konstantin was. They nodded to me as I passed.

  The stables were warm, heated to keep the horses comfortable as November grew colder. At the end of the path, Konstantin stood, feeding Basil handfuls of barley. He had recovered quickly, though I suspected he was ignoring any lingering discomfort so he could get back to being king of the Tarkhanov Bratva.

  Konstantin wore a casual suit, the sleeves of his shirt rolled to his elbows and revealing his tattoos. He looked relaxed as he tended to his horses, but I wasn’t fooled into thinking his guard was down. In a second, Konstantin could snap into the feared Pakhan he was.

  “Lyubimaya.” he turned to greet me. His eyes darted down to my bare feet, the corners of his mouth tugging up. “Walked, did we?”

  “It’s not as far as you think it is.”

  Konstantin inclined his head.

  “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

  “I am perfectly fine.” His eyes gleamed. “Thanks to you, Elena.”

  I shrugged and came to stand beside him. Basil sniffed me in interest, but when it became clear I didn’t have any food, he directed his attention back to his master.

  Konstantin plucked out a twig from my hair, holding it between his fingers. “How poor you have become at hiding your savagery, Elena,” he mused. He pressed down, snapping it in half.

  “Unlucky for you.”

  A quick grin snapped over his face. “I disagree. Your wildness is refreshing in our word of duty and secrets.”

  “You don’t have to flirt anymore, Kon,” I said. “You’ve already gotten a blowjob from me. The game’s over.”

  Konstantin didn’t laugh. Instead hunger gripped his face, warping and darkening his features. “The game hasn’t ended just yet, lyubimaya.”

  My heartbeat began to speed up. “Oh?”

  He leaned down, eyes leveled with mine. This close it was easy to get lost in the power of him. “There are still a few more things I want to do to you before I claim my victory.”

  “What makes you so sure you’re going to win?” I asked, rising an eyebrow at his arrogance.

  “A worthy opponent you are,” he purred, “but no one has ever beaten me.”

  I smiled, feeling my plan weave together in my mind. “Oh, yeah?” I leaned my face closer to his, our lips a whisper a part. “Then catch me.”

  Konstantin’s arms snaked out, but his fingers barely managed to graze me as I skidded out of his grip. My laughter rose to the ceiling as I sang, “Too slow, Kon.”

  He didn’t move, watching me with a small smile on his face. “Run, then, lyubimaya,” he murmured. “And we’ll see if I can catch you.”

  I wasted no time. I spun on my heel, legs pumping beneath me as I fled out of the stables and to the paddocks. In the distance, the line of forest loomed.

  Moments later, I felt Konstantin on my heels. He wasn’t going as fast as he could, letting the game play out before it came to an end.

  When I hit the mess of woods, he yelled, “Don’t get lost, lyubimaya.”

  I laughed and skidded around a tree, barely avoiding a collision. Branches and leaves shaded the path, darkening the world all around me. Leaves crunched and twigs snapped as I darted over logs and around bends.

  Behind me, I could feel Konstantin getting closer.

  Then he was gone.

  I dug my heels into the ground, spinning and searching the woods behind me. A loose branch, an empty birds’ nest, a dozing Caucasian Shepherd, but no Konstantin.

  My ears strained as I listened. Besides the rustling of leaves and babbling brook in the distance, there was no sound of footfalls or twigs crunching.

  An unnerved feeling rose up in me, quickening my heart and lungs.

  “Elena.”

  I turned. Konstantin stood before me, eyes dark. “I’ve caught you,” he murmured.

  “Not yet.” I took a sharp left, almost twisting my ankle off in the process. His laughter, cruel and dark, followed me as I fled.

  I leaped down a small ditch, my knees groaning at the force. The air had grown dewier, indicating the brook was nearby.

  Moments later, I stumbled upon it, the rushing river that cut through the property. Little rocks cut up the water, acting as a makeshift bridge.

  I looked over my shoulder. I could see his tall form moving through the forest, his legs eating at the ground as he hunted me.

  Grinning, I strode into the river. The current threatened to sweep me off my feet but I plowed through, managing to get to the other side. Wet dirt clung to the bottom of my shoes, my heart pounded in my chest.

  I turned just as Konstantin reached the bank. I expected him to pause, to wait, but instead he stepped straight into the water, with little care for his thousand-dollar trousers and shoes.

  Oh, shit.

  I began to run again but without a destination in mind. I had thought the river would make him hesitate, but Konstantin had paid it no attention, treating it as just another obstacle to be conquered.

  Trees flashed as I kept sprinting, my speed broken up by random geographical obstacles.

  Konstantin was getting closer now.

  I could feel his footfalls behind me, the earth trembling as he neared.

  Go faster—

  A hand grabbed my arm, yanking me to the ground. Konstantin broke my fall, his arm banding around my waist and bringing me to him.

  He loomed over me, the predator looking down on his prey. “I win.”

  I heaved down air. “What are you going to do with me…now that you’ve caught me?”

  Konstantin tore my pants down the middle, his hands going straight to the apex of my thighs. Pleasure roared through at me the force, the brashness of his fingers pressing down into my wetness.

  “I’m sure I’ll find something to do with you,” he growled in my ear.

  He pushed me down into the earth, leaves cradling my fall.

  There wasn’t enough air in the world to keep me alive, not enough ice in the universe to cool me down.

  Konstantin’s l
ips pressed against mine, scorching in their collision. Our teeth clashed; tongues twisted. There was nothing else around us except for the feel of his mouth against mine, devouring me like I was his own personal feast.

  Cold air pressed my skin as he carelessly tossed the remnants of my jeans away. His finger curled around the band of my panties, tugging.

  Konstantin growled into my mouth. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

  The fabric came away easily beneath his strength, and Konstantin broke away to hold them up. He enjoyed the little bow.

  “I didn’t know you had such pretty underwear, lyubimaya,” he purred.

  “They’re not mine,” I returned.

  Konstantin tossed them carelessly over his shoulder, before bringing his mouth back down to mine. One had gripped my waist while the other ventured to my now bare sex, running a finger through the wetness.

  A growl rumbled low in his chest, “So ready, Elena. So wet from the chase.”

  His fingers tightened on my hip, threatening to leave bruises. I gasped.

  Konstantin leaned down to my ear, his hot breath sending shivers down my neck and spine. “I’m going to fuck you into the earth, Elena.”

  I tipped my head back, lips widening, “Do it then.”

  Konstantin grabbed my legs, holding them in place, as he shoved down his trousers. I felt his tip press against me.

  I hissed at the contact, just as he snarled.

  With a single thrust, Konstantin entered me. I felt the entire length of him, stretching me and pressing against my walls.

  A cry erupted from my lips.

  Konstantin pushed my legs to the sides, looming over me as he pushed in deeper. “Lyubimaya.” He didn’t even sound like himself anymore, so wrapped up in lust and carnality.

  His thrusts quickened, a steady pounding pace that pressed me deeper and deeper into the earth and insanity.

  I dug my nails into his biceps, so hard they tore the skin.

  The pleasure was overwhelming. I could only focus on the slap of his hips against mine, the feeling of his cock entering and stretching me. Anything else and I would’ve exploded, left as nothing but pieces of shrapnel to be blown away in the wind.

  Then Konstantin leaned down, pressing his teeth to the crook of my neck. The skin pricked in pain as he bit down.

  Pleasure shocked through me, another moan flowing from my lips.

  “Kon!” I cried out.

  He pinched one of my nipples through my shirt, laughing deeply as I let out another squeal of pleasure.

  “Lyubimaya,” he said against my neck. “Like pain, do we?”

  My brain couldn’t form a coherent answer. I only responded by whimpering loudly, desperate for more and less.

  Konstantin stretched above me, lifting my hips. My back arched as he positioned me higher, his thrust growing faster and harder and rougher. I felt the thrusts rock through my body, pushing me deeper into the ground.

  “Kon,” I groaned, head tipping back.

  My muscles contracted as my pleasure began to reach its peak.

  “Not yet, Elena,” he growled.

  I gasped down air. No command could stop the shock of orgasm that rattled through me, bucking my hips and causing a scream to escape from my throat.

  Konstantin stopped suddenly, peering down at me. “Didn’t I say not yet?” he inquired. “And yet you orgasmed anyway? Naughty.”

  A few muscles twitched in the aftermath, but I managed to say, “I couldn’t stop.”

  Konstantin buried his fingers between my thighs, pinching my clit. I cried out, sensitivity still heightened from the orgasm.

  “Dear me, lyubimaya,” he murmured. “What will I do to you now?”

  I was quite happy to let Konstantin do anything to me, but I held up my chin, letting him see the challenge in my eyes.

  His teeth flashed as he grinned. “Well, then…”

  Quick as a whip, Konstantin pulled out of me and flipped me onto my stomach. The air left my lungs in shout of surprise.

  Konstantin yanked my hips up, positioning himself at my entrance. His teeth scraped the back of my neck, teasingly and warningly.

  “This time you won’t come until I say so,” Konstantin said against my skin. Shivers skidded up and down my spine. I couldn’t see his expression but the bite to his tone, the growl to his voice, told me he wouldn’t be denied.

  I nodded, not sure I could form words.

  Konstantin’s grip tightened on my hips as his tip pressed against my folds. “Say yes, lyubimaya.”

  “Yes,” I gasped.

  “Yes what?”

  “Is this a quiz?” I demanded. “Yes, I won’t come until you say so.”

  His laugh rumbled through his chest. “See, lyubimaya, that was all I needed.”

  Behind me, Konstantin pushed into me in one stroke. My teeth rattled as he picked up speed, pounding against my hips. I dug my fingers into the dirt for balance, but Konstantin was stronger, his force sending me onto my elbows.

  Konstantin arched over me, trailing his lips and teeth down my neck and shoulders. He was moving too fast to sink his teeth—

  I gasped as a he hit the pleasure spot. Dirt and moss filled my nose and lungs.

  “Kon,” I gasped.

  He aimed for it again, causing my neck to lose strength and drop into the ground.

  Another animalistic scream tore from my lips as his rhythm grew faster and harder.

  It was all too much. I could barely feel or think, the pleasure was riveting through my blood like a wave.

  Konstantin pressed his nose to the back of my neck, his teeth teasing the sensitive flesh. “Come now, lyubimaya.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as my muscles contracted, his teeth sunk into my neck.

  I screamed. Birds flew from their branches, insects grew silent. The noise lifted high, alerting anyone where we were.

  I felt him growl. In the next second, his cock twitched, and I felt his warm seed spill into me. His bite grew harder as his pleasure hit its apex.

  We came together in a final burst, surrounded by the mossy logs and November breeze, our limbs entwined in a vine-like grip—never to be torn apart.

  Konstantin held me in his arms, fingers combing through my hair. We hadn’t moved from the ground, still laying half-naked amongst the moss and trees. A cold breeze slid over us, causing me to bury myself further into his chest, seeking warmth.

  The ache between my legs had dulled into a pleasant throb, a soft reminder of how Konstantin had taken me. I had never had sex like that; nothing in my life bore any sort of resemblance. Like two animals, lost in the haze of lust, and unable to stay away from each other until they tore each other apart.

  I wanted to do it again.

  He rubbed a hand down my back and dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “If you’re cold, lyubimaya, we can go inside.”

  I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay in Konstantin’s arms listening to the thrum of his heartbeat until the forest’s roots grew over us, forever solidifying our embrace.

  “I’m not cold,” I murmured against his chest.

  His arms tightened around me. “If you say so.”

  Silence fell, interrupted only by the noises of the forest. The steady rise and falls of our chests synced as we both calmed in the aftermath of our wild sex.

  Konstantin was the first to break it. “Another meeting has been called amongst the bosses of New York,” he said. “Would you care to join me?”

  “I’m not a boss.”

  “No, you’re not. But you would be welcomed as my guest.”

  I lifted my head, catching his gaze. “What sort of boss brings a guest to a mobster meeting?”

  He smiled. “You were more than happy to join me when I spoke to the Hell’s Henchmen motorcycle club. Are you no longer happy being my guest?”

  “Shouldn’t I be?”

  “Don’t be coy.” his lips tugged. “But if you insist, I could introduce you as something else
other than my guest.”

  “Thaddeo’s widow?” I mocked.

  Konstantin’s entire expression hardened. “No.”

  I tilted my head to the side at his intensity. “Relax, Kon. I am happy being introduced as your guest.”

  “No, no. I think another title deserved.” His light-brown eyes searched my expression.

  A certain seriousness had settled over this conversation. Both an invitation and offer.

  I pressed my lips together. “Konstantin…”

  “I will introduce you however you wish to be introduced,” he said. “Even if I have other things, I wish to call you.”

  The strange sensation of tears forming welled behind my eyes. “Konstantin…I can’t go to that meeting. You can’t introduce me as your mistress or girlfriend or guest.”

  “You require a better title?” His eyebrows rose.

  “No,” I said firmly. “I don’t want any title.”

  Konstantin’s features flickered. I could tell that hadn’t been what he had wanted me to say. “And why is that, lyubimaya?” he asked softly.

  The truth rested on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I could feel the threat of losing what I had hovering over my head. I could lose Konstantin, his arms and care and respect. But I could also lose Danika. Roman and Roksana. Artyom. Dmitri and Anton.

  But what was the alternative? Keep silent forever? Would I sit beside her at breakfast, pass her the butter, all while knowing her secret?

  I squeezed my eyes tightly, my thoughts growing louder and louder.

  “Elena.” Konstantin’s hand cupped the back of my head, his thumb tracing my cheek. “What is the matter?”

  I pushed out the words, “I need to tell you something.”

  “Open your eyes and tell me.”

  I forced myself to peel them open. The concerned look in his eyes almost made me bury my head in the dirt. But I was not one to cower when the moment was right.

  There was no other alternative, no more waiting and watching.

  It was time to tell the truth.

  “Tatiana was never really sick.”

  Konstantin paused, brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”

  As soon as the accusation was out, the evidence followed easier. “She was poisoning herself. Her symptoms matched with someone overdosing on their prescribed medications.” I swallowed. “The first tonic I gave her was meant to subdue her illness, giving me enough time to actually figure out what was wrong. But when she miraculously recovered…I—I became suspicious.”