by Zoe Blake
I nodded. “Exactly. There is no comparison. McDonald’s is better.”
She shook her head. “Russians are weird.”
I smiled. “I still remember the first time I tried McDonald’s. I was a very young boy in Moscow, and we stood in line for hours with over forty thousand people to be one of the first to try an American hamburger and fries. I was hooked.”
She gave me a strange look as she drained her wineglass.
I reached for the bottle and poured her another as I asked, “What? What is that look?”
She shrugged. “This is weird.”
“What is weird about two people sharing ten different entrees and five different desserts over a bottle of wine?” I asked as I forked a piece of steak and brought it to my mouth.
She used a spoon to swipe a bite of warm fudge brownie with whipped cream. “The fact that you don’t think ordering everything on the room service menu is weird is a topic for another conversation but this,” she gestured with her spoon between us, “is weird! We’re sitting here pretending to have a typical first date conversation about burgers and childhood memories and it’s just… weird.”
“It seems normal to me.”
“I’m sitting here half-naked, draped in thousands of dollars’ worth of pearls, trying to figure out how to escape this hotel room without you following me. Trust me, there is nothing normal about this.”
I ran my fingertip over the corner of her lips to swipe the small dollop of whipped cream there and brought it to my mouth. “It’s actually over a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of pearls and the answer is you can’t. If you try to leave, I will find you and bring you back.”
Her eyes widened. “A hundred thousand!” She reached for the pearls.
I warned her, “If you try to remove them, I will place them somewhere else you can’t easily reach.”
She swallowed and left the necklaces alone. She reached for her wineglass. I watched until she had drained half the glass in one gulp.
I took the glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table. “You’ve had enough wine.”
She snatched the glass back. “It’s been a rough few days. I’ve been stuffed in a trunk, kidnapped twice, lost two family members, and am now being held hostage. I think I’m allowed to drink as much as I damn well please.”
I pried the glass out of her hand. “I said, you’ve had enough. Most of the things you mention are your own fault. If you were just honest with yourself, you’d admit you’re fighting me for no fucking reason. And don’t lay that crap on me about losing two family members. Those two assholes barely meant anything to you, and you meant less to them.”
“Not wanting to date a criminal is a pretty damn good reason to not want to get involved with you.”
I frowned. “Dating? Is that what you think this is?”
She threw her arms up. The pearls draped around her neck shifted, giving me a glimpse of one perfectly pink and pert nipple. “Sorry. We’re not dating. You’re just fucking me.”
I set the plate between us aside and grabbed the pearls around her neck. I yanked till she fell forward against my chest. I swept my hand around her throat to the back of her skull, where I fisted her hair and pulled her head back to meet my gaze. “I’m only going to say this once. We are not fucking dating. You are not my girlfriend, and I won’t be making ‘dinner and a movie’ plans with you.”
Her lips thinned as her eyes filled with tears. She placed her palms against my chest and tried to push away from me. “Yeah, got it. I’m just the fuck toy trip souvenir.”
I pulled on her hair to stop her from trying to escape. I ground out through clenched teeth, “I’m not finished. You’re not my girlfriend because you’re mine. Period. End of discussion. This isn’t some bullshit trial relationship to see if we get along. This is forever. I already know all I need to know.”
She bristled. “You know nothing about me.”
I released my grip on her hair and pulled her onto my lap. I played with the pearls between her breasts, gently caressing her skin. “I know you act tougher than you really are. I know you don’t ask for help because they have conditioned you to never expect any. I know you think pieces of shit like that Oliver are somehow better than you just because you have a few assholes in your family tree.”
Using the barest of touches, I traced the outline of her black eye. “I know it made me want to burn the city to the ground when you shrugged and said this wasn’t a big deal because you’d had one before. I know that until this point, I’ve been living an empty life filled with greed and conquests but meeting you has changed that.”
Her eyes turned a deep chocolate brown as she looked up at me through her tears. Her small hand cupped my jaw, stroking my beard with her fingertips. She leaned in and gently pressed her lips to mine. It took all my willpower to hold my body in check. Every primal instinct roared to life and wanted to snatch her to me and take control of the kiss, but I held back. This was the first time she had touched me of her own free will.
The tip of her tongue traced my lips. I opened my mouth as I rested a hand on her lower back. She flicked her tongue hesitantly in and out a few times before she leaned back. She played with the chain around my neck as she averted her gaze. “Why aren’t you… you know…”
I tilted my head to the side. “Why aren’t I what?”
Her cheeks blushed a cute, deep pink. “Why aren’t you taking control and… and kissing me the way you usually do?”
I clenched my jaw to keep from smiling. “Did you want me to?”
She looked up at me through a thick fan of black lashes. “Maybe.”
I captured her mouth. I cupped the back of her head and held her close as I pushed my tongue deep inside. Intoxicated by the taste of red wine on her lips, I deepened the kiss, grinding my hips against the backs of her thighs to ease the ache in my already hard cock. Jesus, I would never get enough of this woman.
I stood, wrapping her legs around my waist. I carried her into the bedroom. Laying her back, I slipped the leggings off her legs. Thankfully, she wasn’t wearing any panties. I slipped a finger between the lips of her pussy. “Now this is my dessert,” I murmured with a wink.
I pulled her over so her ass was on the edge of the bed. Placing her legs on my shoulders, I flicked my tongue up the seam.
Her back arched. “Oh, God!”
The sight of her stretched out on the bed, the delicate flush of her ivory skin complemented by the shimmering from the countless pearls, was mesmerizing. I was already picturing what she would look like showered in diamonds. That would have to be my next gift.
I teased her clit with the tip of my tongue in a steady rhythm, enjoying her gasps and moans. It was all I could do not to stand up and drive my shaft deep into her tight heat, but I resisted. I may be an unrepentant brute, but I wasn’t a monster. My baby would be way too sore from the repeated times I’d fucked her in the last two days for me to take her again right now. My pleasure would have to be derived from hers, which was perfectly fine by me.
Dylan reached down and grasped my hair as she thrust her hips upward. I pulled her clit between my teeth, using the sharp edges to heighten her coming orgasm. Her body jerked, then tensed as she held her breath. I increased the pressure of my tongue but slowed the rhythm, letting her ride the wave of her climax.
When her body relaxed, I pulled back, kissing the soft skin of her inner thighs as I swept my tongue over my lower lip, enjoying the taste of her. I then carefully lowered her legs and swung her body fully onto the bed. Standing, I pulled off my jeans. I lifted her up long enough to pull the pearl necklaces over her head and place them in a pile on the nightstand. I joined her on the bed. After nestling behind her, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close as I draped the heavy down cover over us.
Her voice was soft and hesitant as she whispered into the darkness, “Did you mean what you said, or did you just say it to get me to stay?”
I shifted my hand up to pal
m her breast, loving the feel of its gentle weight in my hand. Nuzzling her neck, I said, “I didn’t have to say any of that, because we both know there was no fucking way I was letting you leave.” I kissed her shoulder. “But yes, I meant every word.”
She shifted, trying to pull away, but I only tightened my grip, keeping her flush against my body. “I’m not worth all this trouble.”
I smiled, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
There was a long stretch of silence, then she murmured, almost half to herself, “I won’t let myself fall in love with you.”
Her words cut deeper than I thought possible. Not once, in all my hurried plans regarding her, had the word love crossed my mind, not even when I imagined her bearing my child. Now the idea that I would be denied that love was untenable. My blood rose with the challenge. Suddenly, there was nothing I wanted more in the world, no amount of riches that would compare to winning the love of this amazing, infuriating, spirited, beautiful woman.
The speed of my regard did not concern me in the least. I had always been a decisive man who took what he wanted. Why should she be any different? Whether it was two days, or two months, or two years, she would still have all the strength, beauty, and fire that had initially drawn me to her like a moth to a flame the moment I’d laid eyes on her.
I chuckled as I pressed my still hard cock against her lower back. “I’m up for the challenge.”
“I promised myself I would never wind up with a criminal.”
I pushed her onto her back. Placing a hand on the pillow beside her head, I leaned over her. “I will never apologize for who or what I am. I fought long and hard in a brutal country to achieve my success and I don’t give a damn what society says about my methods. Maybe you need to stop looking at what I am and judge me more for who I am. I’m the man who truly sees you, Dylan Prescott. I’m the one, possibly the only one in your life, including you, who knows your true worth.”
Chapter 22
Dylan
I laid awake long after Ivan had fallen asleep. Or at least I thought he was asleep. Any time I shifted even slightly away from him, his embrace would tighten and pull me close.
His arm was warm and strong, wrapped around my middle. I wanted to sink into that warmth and never leave. It would be so easy to allow myself to be seduced by his words.
There weren’t just warning bells going off in my head. There were whistles, clangs, bangs, and shrill alarms. I had boldly announced I wouldn’t fall in love with him, but I knew I was already halfway there. There was just something so incredibly intoxicating about his strength and confidence. The arrogant way he handled me should be infuriating, and it was, but it was also an insanely immense turn-on. And the protective way he gave a shit about me was something I had never experienced.
I mean, the man had killed for me. Even after the shock had worn off, I still couldn’t summon up a single damn that my uncles were dead. They chose their paths, not me. There was going to be hell to pay when my aunt and cousin found out, but that was a problem for another day. Right now, I needed to focus on what I was going to do about Ivan.
I mean, would it be so bad if I just lived in this fantasy for a little while longer? He was only going to be in America for a few more weeks. I didn’t believe for a second he truly meant to take me to Russia. What would be the harm in allowing myself to be with him until then? Sure, I’d get my heart broken, but I was used to life disappointing me. At least this time, I would have some amazing mind-blowing sex and get to wear some fun outfits before it happened.
Finally, I fell prey to the protective heat of his embrace and fell asleep.
“The shipment of Arctic Warfare Magnums from the Czech Republic arrives tomorrow through our entry point in Canada.”
I kept my eyes closed, pretending to sleep as Ivan paced around the bedroom while on his phone.
After a pause where the other person seemed to talk, Ivan continued, “Tell him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. The .300 Winchester Magnum cartridges will only get him a sniper range of eleven hundred meters. He wants the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges I’m offering. They have less kinetic energy and a range of at least fifteen hundred meters.”
During another pause, I peeked up through my lashes. Ivan’s hair was wet, and he had a white hotel towel wrapped low around his hips. With his back turned, I had a glimpse of the ferocious-looking wolf tattoo on his back. Damn the man. I mean, seriously, how was a girl supposed to think clearly about escape when he looked so amazingly sex-on-a-stick hot in that towel with all those muscles and ink on full display?
Ivan spoke again. “Exactly. If he needs these to penetrate the armored vehicle of that local warlord, he’s going to need the Lapua ammunition. Tell him to suck it up and pay the higher price or I’ll find a different buyer.”
Ivan turned toward the bed. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to soften my breathing.
He strolled out of my sight line and opened the closet door. “Fine. Tell him we’ll meet him tonight in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. The warehouse on East 71st Street across from the cemetery. We’ll text him the time later once we secure the shipment.”
I held my breath, listening for signs of movement. All I could hear was the shuffling of clothes. Then the soft brush of footsteps on the thick carpet.
“I know you’re awake, moy malen’kaya kukla.”
I stubbornly kept my eyes shut. I just didn’t want to face him. I still didn’t know how I felt about all he’d said last night. I needed time to process the dramatic turn my life had just taken.
Something cold and hard brushed my cheek. My eyes flew open. It took a moment to focus, but a strand of gorgeous large black pearls dangled before me.
Ivan sat on the bed. He was once again dressed in a terribly expensive-looking tailored suit. It was gray with very faint light gray pinstripes. He had paired it with a cobalt blue silk tie that matched his eyes. It was strange to see him fit so easily into the guise of a respectable businessman when I knew beneath that cloth was over six feet of iron muscle and scary tattoos. I inhaled the spicy scent of his cologne. Why did even this man’s cologne have to be sexy?
He held the pearl choker aloft. “I wanted to give these to you yesterday.”
I swallowed as I stared at the stunning necklace. “You already gave me several pearl necklaces.”
He reached down and secured the necklace around my throat. I reached up to caress the large beads with my fingertips.
“Yes, but this one is different. I think the black pearls suit you better. They are more unique and rarer.”
I blushed. “I can’t—”
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Don’t say another word. You will only make me angry, and I don’t have time to punish you right now.”
My ass cheeks clenched at his sexual threat, and I couldn’t help but glance down at the leather belt secured around his waist.
Ivan tugged on one tangled curl. “Exactly. Now be a good girl and kiss me goodbye.”
My heart leapt. He was leaving me alone? My thoughts must have shone in my eyes, because Ivan chuckled as he stroked my cheek. “Don’t get too excited, pet. There will be a guard outside the door.”
I pushed out my lower lip. “Doesn’t it insult your pride that you have to keep a woman under lock and key?”
I did not know why I was trying to get a rise out of him this morning when he was actually being very nice. Perhaps that was why. It was easier to resist his charms when he was being a brutish Russian villain. I didn’t know how to handle the sexy boyfriend-like version of him.
He tapped the tip of my nose with his finger. “Nice try. Now where is my kiss?”
With a resigned sigh, I sat up in bed, closed my eyes, and waited. After a moment when nothing happened, I opened them. He was staring at me. In the morning light, his sapphire eyes glowed like the gem itself had captured a flash of lightning. I lowered my head.
He raised my chin with his
finger, catching my gaze. “YA doveryayu tebe segodnya, detka. Predayte eto doveriye, i budut ser’yeznyye posledstviya.”
“I don’t know what you are saying.”
He shook his head. “You need to start learning Russian. I said I’m trusting you today, baby girl. Betray that trust and there will be consequences, serious ones.” He kissed my closed lips and rose.
As he shrugged into his coat, he pulled my phone out of his pocket and placed it on the nightstand next to the pile of pearls. “When I call… you answer. No exceptions. Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“Dylan?”
“I understand!”
“Good. Now relax and enjoy your morning. I ordered you some breakfast. It should arrive shortly. Mary and Emma will be by later to keep you company.”
I played with the edge of the blanket. “I don’t need a babysitter,” I grumbled.
Ivan chuckled. “All evidence to the contrary. I have a few meetings. I will be back later to check on you.”
I threw my arms up and scoffed, “So, I’m just supposed to sit around all day doing nothing?”
He crossed the bedroom and stroked my cheek. “That is exactly what I expect you to do. You’ve been working since you were, what, sixteen, seventeen years old?”
I shrugged. “Fifteen.”
“I think you’ve earned a break. Eat. Relax. Try on some of your new clothes. Take a Jacuzzi.”
My cheeks burned at the memory of the underwater blowjob he’d forced me to give him in that same Jacuzzi tub. Ivan winked, showing me he was remembering the same thing. He kissed me on the top of my head and left.
The moment the hotel door closed, I snatched my phone up and turned it on. There was a text message from Carinna, letting me know she was okay, but not to call. She said she’d reach out later. I was dying to know what happened, but it would have to wait.
Slipping out of the bed, I scrambled across the room to the closet to grab one of the hotel robes. The white terry cloth was soft and plush. I traced the gold embroidered emblem on the left shoulder with my fingertip. Just then, there was a discreet knock. Before I could reach it, the hotel door opened.
