by Raven Rivers
Tearing himself away, he spun on his heel and headed for his vehicle. This woman was his one. The only one who could provoke such strong feelings of love and adoration. Whoever would have thought he could earn the affections of such a perfect woman?
Sharon
Sitting in her parent’s living room with her mother, sister, and her sister’s step-daughter, Sharon hated feeling like all the little women were holed up worrying while the men took care of business.
Her mother sat near the front door like she always did in times of trouble. Though she was working on a pile of party favors for her sister’s wedding, Sharon knew she was stressed and wanted a good vantage point of the driveway. The moment her husband arrived, she would stand up, neatly tuck away her supplies, and stroll out to meet him. He, in turn, would hold open one arm and close it gently around her. They had developed this carefully choreographed dance to hide their overwhelming anxiety at being separated by danger.
Well, screw that! When Alek came back, she was planning to jump right on top of her big Russian and dry hump him until he got with the program. Shaking her head, Sharon thought maybe that was a little over the top.
About five in the morning, the sound of vehicles pulling in drew their attention. Her mother did her thing. Looking at each other, Sharon and Cassandra followed suit. As the vehicles unloaded, Sharon realized that Alek was nowhere to be found.
Victor caught Cassandra and his little one up in a huge bear hug, lifting them off the ground and twirling them around. The little girl giggled as Cassandra kicked for him to put her down. They stood face to face, Victor whispering romantic nonsense in her ear.
Sharon’s parents were a little tamer but were having their own moment. Tony walked up, grabbed her, and guided her into the house. Tossing her on the sofa, he landed in a nearby chair.
“You looked a little lost standing there by yourself so I thought I’d snag you for a minute.”
“Is Bethany okay?”
He sat with his hands steepled together. “Yes. We got her and the other woman out, or rather, her husband did.”
“Is Alek okay? He promised to come back here.”
“Your friend insisted upon leaving her cheating bastard of a husband. The man was all kinds of pissed. It took four of his men to hold him back when she walked out.”
Her heart was pounding in her chest. “What does that have to do with Alek?”
“He intervened outside. Said he promised you that he’d get her to safety. He took her to her place and then the airport. Timur was furious for him interfering. I don’t know what the consequences will be.”
“He’s indentured to Timur. I hesitate to think what he might do to Alek.”
“I agree. He has over a million dollars left on his debt. You have money stashed away. Give it to me and I’ll try to settle his debt.”
“You know I don’t have that kind of cash lying around,” Sharon scoffed.
“You do.”
“That’s blood money and you know it,” she hissed.
Tony smiled, but before he could answer an angry voice sounded from the door. “Anthony, see that the men clean and secure the weapons. I want every munition accounted for.”
Hauling himself to his feet, Tony headed out through the back of the house.
Her step-father’s voice sounded off again. “I would like to speak with Sharon.”
Her mother and sister slipped into the kitchen to make coffee. Victor followed with his daughter in his arms.
Sharon had a hard time fighting back the tears. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she tried to gain control of her emotions.
“Talk to me, daughter.”
Her step-father’s gently-spoken command made her squeeze her eyes shut. She’d never been able to resist a direct order from the man who had stepped into the father role all those years ago. “Alek is under contract with Timur over something that happened years ago. He promised me he’d see that Bethany got out of her situation, and now Timur is furious with him. I’m worried something bad may happen to him.”
“Tell me about your brother. I only caught the tail end of that conversation and I didn’t like what I was hearing.”
“He says if I give him the seven million in the offshore account, he’ll use it to get Alek free of this situation. I don’t know how much is left on his contract but I don’t think it’s seven million since he thinks he can pay it off in a few years.”
Her father’s expression turned dark. “You will not give your brother one red cent of your savings. Am I making myself clear?”
Nodding slightly she murmured, “But, what if…”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll speak with Timur and make sure your guy is safe.”
Sharon almost told him about her conversation with Alek but a little warning sounded in the back of her head. “Thank you. When it comes to things like this, I never know how to proceed.”
“We need to proceed with caution. I have no desire to lose my wife by mismanaging this situation.”
Sharon’s eyes flew open. “What?”
“Our prenup states that you and your sister are not to be involved in my business and I am not to facilitate marriage between you and any known criminal. Alek is mobbed-up on the Russian side.”
“He’s Timur’s bodyguard.”
“Yes. He also handles all the security for their operation and probably gets a small cut of everything they have on the pull.”
Sharon stared at Charles, trying to figure out if she really believed that or not. Though she didn’t want to believe it, her step-father’s words had a ring of truth to them.
“I want to give this a go with him,” she insisted. “I don’t care what mom wants. This is my life and I have to live it for myself.”
“I will look into and get back to you with what I find.”
Chapter 17
Romance
Sharon
Alek pulled up outside her home and Sharon ran out to meet him on the porch. Catching her up in his arms, he carried her inside like she weighed nothing. Having her front pressed against his muscular chest felt better than anything she’d known.
“Is everything okay? I heard Timur was angry with you.”
“You received good intel. My boss was furious that I took it upon myself to take Miss Bethany away from her husband’s control. He wanted to lock me away in his dungeon and beat me with a wet noodle in the dark of the night while rats raced through the building, but Stiev intervened on my behalf.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Of course I am,” Alek laughed. “Though Timur is used to me being his yes man, he now knows that I am much more.”
“What do you think he will do to you?”
“Nothing too terrible, my sweet. Timur arranged the marriage between Valisy and Miss Bethany. Though he was none too happy that I supported her wish for a separation, he would never force her to stay against her will.”
“You’re pretty loyal to him, aren’t you?”
“I owe him my life. Let us now talk of more important things.”
Grinning at him, she whispered, “Like us?”
“Yes. That is a conversation close to my heart.”
Kicking the door shut, he spun around and pressed her back to it. Dipping his head, he kissed her like a man possessed. His lips were possessive as he plundered her mouth like a badass pirate from the days of old. It took her a minute to realize that her feet were still dangling because he hadn’t put her down.
Two large hands slid down to her buttocks and lifted her so he could enjoy their kiss more easily. Her arms twined around his neck, her legs around his waist, and she shifted her hips to get comfortable. Landing on the thick bar between his legs was all kinds of hot. She was rewarded with a sexy growl from the back of his throat.
“I need you,” she breathed.
Pulling back, he gazed into her eyes. “I like hearing you say that. I need you as well.”
“Shower?”
Ca
rrying her through the house, he carefully dropped her on her bathroom sink. Making himself right at home, he started a shower and adjusted the temperature. Something about him taking the initiative that way really felt right to her. Turning back to her, he lifted her shirt above her head and discarded it. Next, he worked her pants off. She put her hands on the counter and lifted her hips to help, as getting naked was her number one priority.
Her father would blow a gasket at her getting naked after knowing him for such a short while. Sharon knew her mom would probably think they could use a little more discussion. Sharon, however, was of the opinion that they’d already waited too long. Her need for the large man with gentle hands was riding her hard.
Tearing off his own clothing at the speed of light, they were in the shower within seconds. Feeling the nice warm water cascading down around them was pure heaven. As steam filled the room, Alek moved closer, drawing her to him. Sweet Jesus, if they didn’t get clean soon, she was going to internally combust. She just wanted to feel his body so badly she couldn’t take it any longer.
Sharon turned him around, tilted his head back, and lathered his shoulder-length locks. She began to soap up his back and arms and turned him around to wash his chest, in awe of his muscular physique.
He grabbed the shower gel eagerly and smirked, “My turn, beautiful.”
“If you insist,” she smiled, thrilled at the prospect of feeling his powerful yet careful hands on her.
He began soaping her arms, shoulders, back, and her chest as he spoke. “I love your beautiful curves and soft skin.”
Standing next to her in the shower, Alek looked like a stark white ghost. She felt bad for him. It was clear the man’s skin had probably never seen the light of day. He was just business suits all day long, this one.
“Well, I love all those gorgeous muscles.”
Grinning, he replied, “Where I have scars and a crooked nose, you have delicate features.”
He was clearly referring to his face, which had taken quite a lot of abuse over the years, yet she still found strikingly handsome. “I love your strong jawline and blue eyes.”
“They turn green when I am in the throes of passion.”
“Really?” Being a doctor, she strongly doubted that particular bit of information.
Alek waggled his eyebrows. “I’m dreaming up ridiculous lies to make you want to have sex with me.”
“All you had to dream up was this,” she purred. Gripping this long thick rod, she stroked him back and forth a couple of times.
Thrusting himself gladly into her firm fist, his tongue came out to lick his bottom lip. “I feel like I’ve been hard since the first moment I saw you.”
“Well, tonight’s the night.”
Climbing out of the shower, they dried off and she rubbed a little leave-in conditioner on the ends of her hair as she reflected on the last twenty-four hours.
“You did an excellent job of not getting hit during your fights.”
He replied gruffly, “I am a man of my word.”
Turning to look at him over her shoulder, she caught him looking at her ass. “Watching you fight was a little more exciting than I thought it would be but I wish you wouldn’t do it at all. You’re going to get yourself really hurt one day.”
He quickly scooped her up and carried her to the bed. “Not the time to talk about mundane things, my little love. Now is the time to enjoy my reward.”
“I don’t mean to be rude but I don’t think I’m like other women,” she told him as he set her on the bed, sheepishly looking away in embarrassment. “I… I have a hard time reaching the big O, if you know what I mean. So if I can’t, please, don’t think it’s you.”
“You have never had an orgasm with a man?” he asked, puzzled by this revelation.
Blushing, she smoothed her hair down over one shoulder while averting his gaze. “No. Never. I have when I’m by myself, so I know I can.”
She cast a quick glance at his face and could see that he was taking this as a challenge. “You are so sweet and innocent. Trust me, the males you have been with were boys. They did not know their way around a woman’s body. Unlike them, I am a man. My job is to give you pleasure and your job is to tell me if what I am doing is pleasurable or not.”
“What do you want me to do for you first?” she asked, swallowing nervously.
“Kotyonok, you have no idea all the wonderful, naughty things I would have you do for me, but for now I would like you to lay back and let me worry about what needs to be done.”
He lay down beside her and ran the tips of his fingers down her body. “I have been with many women, but none as beautiful, smart, and strong-willed as you. You are all that a man might wish for, and as long as you will have me, I am yours.” Tilting her head up, he gently took her lips again, only this time he started soft and sensual, then slowly turned the kiss passionate.
The tip of his tongue slid over her lips begging entrance, and as soon as she opened for him he was back to plundering. Gently wrapping one large hand around her breast, he squeezed as he ran a rough thumb over her nipple.
Unable to resist, she moved closer to him, exploring his taut muscles for herself. When her hands landed on his thick cock, he sucked in a breath. Using her other hand to cup his balls, Sharon was shamelessly eager to explore what she had been dreaming about as of late.
Pulling back slightly, he watched her hands jacking him off. “Your hands look so tiny.”
He was not lying about that. Wrapped around his huge cock, they did look small and delicate. How crazy was that? She said breathlessly, “Something told me you would be the exception to the boring men rule.”
One large hand came out, pressing her back against the bed, and he laid a trail of kisses down her neck as his hands slid over her body. Cupping her breasts, his devilishly skilled tongue trailed over her soft skin. He licked and teased each taut brown tip until she made soft mewing sounds. Sliding his hand down, he moved between her legs.
“See how wet you are for me, sweetness?”
He kissed his way down her body and she opened her legs for him. He positioned himself between them and let his sinfully decadent tongue tease her tender bud. The woman who never had orgasms with men found herself knee deep in the strongest orgasm of her life inside of a few minutes.
Running her hands through his hair as he nursed her down, she murmured, “That was just… that was… wow.
“Good?” he asked her with a knowing smile.
“Very. Now it’s my turn, handsome.”
Waving his hand down to his cock, he tossed her a lopsided grin. “Does that look like something that should be in a lady’s mouth?”
“Don’t be a tease, big guy.”
Reaching out with one finger, he hooked it over her bottom teeth and pulled her forward. Pretending to look into her mouth, he frowned as he told her, “I am not entirely certain it will fit.”
Smacking his hand away playfully, she laughed and replied, “Stop messing around. I want my turn.”
“Suit yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Stroking him, she ran her tongue gently over the tip. She could feel him react. Since she wanted more reaction, she gave him a double dose of mouthing. She tried every single technique she knew in rapid succession. After about ten minutes he lost the capacity to speak English and just kept muttering very naughty things in Russian. Most were words she knew, but a few left her wondering. She guessed the ones she didn’t know were straight-up filthy. Ha, she’d made a Russian gangster lose his mind!
When he was about to cum he pulled her up to his chest and said in a husky voice, “Remember, kotyonok, it is our night for lovemaking. Surely you know where my cock is supposed to go.” His finger slid down the crack of her ass and played with that area no man had dared touch before.
God, an aroused, needy Alek was just about the sexiest thing imaginable to her.
His lips fell on her and his large cock rubbed against her clit, provoking an
other intense orgasm.
“You can’t put me off all night, Alek. It’s time.”
He pounced on top of her and kissed her with a passion that left her hot and needy. He gently positioned himself and kissed her as she whispered, “Please, Alek, I need you tonight.”
“You have absolutely no idea how difficult it has been to take things slowly with you tonight, my sweet. Honestly, it is tearing me apart.”
She kissed the side of his neck. “I want you to unload it, all of it, on me tonight. Start slow and don’t stop.”
When he hesitated, she pulled back to look him in the face. His eyes slid away.
Cupping one hand on the back of his head, she massaged his scalp. “What’s wrong, baby? Don’t you want me?”
His eyes jumped back to hers. “Now that my wildest dreams have come true and I have you naked in my arms, it feels like I am taking something I have no right to touch. You are sweet and I am not.”
“That’s crazy talk. You know that, right? We’re all just people, baby. We all have a right to whoever makes us happy.”
Looking her in the eyes, he whispered, “You make me more than happy.”
“I love you and I want you. No one else will do.”
His face lit up and he looked like he was holding back a smile.
“So are we doing this thing or are you some kind of quitter?” she joked.
Throwing back his head, he laughed. When he looked at her again, all the anxiety had evaporated and his sexy, possessive smile was back. Reaching down, she brazenly placed him at her opening and slowly brought her long brown legs up around him.
He glanced down and breathed, “I look better with a beautiful woman wrapped around me.”
Giving him a playful kick with one foot, she joked, “Stop stalling. Your woman needs you.”
“Yes, my very strong-willed, pushy, sexy woman needs my cock. I had best see to that.” Giving her a playful nudge, they both looked down and watched him slowly sink into her wet, willing body. He rocked in and out a few times, forcing her to take every inch of him. Once he was fully seated, he did exactly what she asked. Beginning slowly, he gradually increased his speed and roughness until she had to put her hands up against the headboard to brace herself.
