I wrap my arms around him and kiss his neck. When he pulls back the covers and sets me down on his bed, I try to tamp down my huge smile. I’d been worried it was going to be some embarrassing moment where he pats my ass and sends me down to my room, and I’m relieved to not have to endure that.
Tossing both our towels aside, he gets in next to me and pulls the covers up. There’s an awkward moment where I’m not sure what to do, but then he gives a soft laugh and wraps an arm around me, pulling me up against him. I rest my head on his shoulder and hike my leg over his.
“What’s with the giant bear on your chest? Is that to represent your inner beast?”
He laughs and runs a hand through my hair. “Medvedev comes from the Russian word for bear, so this is the symbol for our Bratva. Vasily and Valeri have the same one.”
I run my finger up his left inner forearm where he has a similar bear tattooed, but this one has writing beneath it. It’s in Cyrillic, so I have no clue what it says. “What does this mean?”
“It’s my name in Russian.”
“Speak to me in Russian.”
He lets out a soft laugh. “Why?”
“Because I want to fall asleep to it, and it sounds sexy as fuck when you speak it.” When he hesitates, I say, “Please, Volodya. Just tell me whatever you’re thinking. Plus, you owe me. My pussy is really, really sore right now.”
He kisses the top of my head and laughs. “I’m not going to apologize for that,kiska. That felt too fucking amazing for me to feel regret about it.”
I smile and close my eyes as he switches to Russian. His voice is low and steady, and I quickly fall asleep to the sound of his beautiful language.
Chapter 10
Volodya
While Maddie falls asleep, I tell her in Russian that I’ve fallen in love with her, that I could happily get lost in her body again and again for the rest of my life, and that whether she realizes it or not, I’m never letting her go. I keep talking long after she’s fallen asleep, stroking her hair and the soft skin of her back, until I can’t stay awake any longer and for the first time in my life, I fall asleep with a woman in my arms.
My phone softly vibrating on the nightstand pulls me from my deep sleep. I don’t know how long it’s been, but it’s still dark and I’m still exhausted. Maddie’s soft body is curled up next to mine, and she lets out a soft groan of protest when I roll away so I can get my phone. The text from Vasily has me awake in an instant.
Something’s happened. I’m waiting outside.
I tell him I’m on my way down. Before I get out of bed, I lean over and kiss Maddie’s temple, whispering that I’ll be back soon. She’s already back in a deep sleep, and I don’t want to wake her since I know how tired she is from last night, so I slip out of bed and step into my closet, closing the door behind me to keep the light from waking her. Dressing in black tactical gear, I sheathe my knives and holster two guns, shoving extra clips into my pockets just in case. On my way out, I stop to get my favorite knife from where I’d left it on the bathroom counter, knowing I’ll never be able to look at it again without thinking about fucking my littlekiskain the woods. She’s quickly weaving herself into every part of my life and soon no part of it will be left untouched. I’m surprised to find the idea doesn’t bother me.
Passing the bed, I give a heavy sigh when she rolls over, showing me the tits I’ll never be able to get enough of. God, the things I want to do to that body of hers. Forcing myself to keep walking, I give the dogs a pat goodbye and then run out to where Vasily is waiting in a black SUV. Valeri is already in the back with Ilya and Andrei.
“This can’t be good,” I say when I’m in the passenger seat and I look over to see my older brother clenching his jaw tightly, looking like he’s about to snap the steering wheel in half. “What the fuck is going on?”
“We got hit last night. Oleg was stabbed but should come through okay. Roman got fucked up pretty good and may not make it.”
“What the fuck happened?” I ask, thinking about the last time I’d seen Roman. He’s one of our newer recruits, only nineteen years old, but the kid’s already showing a lot of promise. He wouldn’t have been easy to take down.
“A group jumped them as they were leaving a bar last night,” Valeri says from the back. “Before Oleg went into surgery, he said they looked like Marcus’s men.”
I let out a sigh because if it’s not one thing, it’s fucking another. Every time you squash one small-time thug trying to make a name for himself, there’s five more creeping out of the woodwork. They’re fucking roaches that we’re having to constantly stomp out. Marcus is a low-level jackass who keeps trying to take over a corner of our city. We’ve killed several of his men, but this is the first time he’s managed to hurt one of ours. It’ll be the last time he ever does.
“I hope he’s enjoying his small victory,” I say as Vasily turns us towards the northern part of the city. “Everyone meeting us there?”
“Yeah, I sent the message out to the entire Bratva. We’re ending this today. I’m tired of fucking around with it.”
A small smile tugs at my lips. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good fight, not since we kicked the Irish out, and I’m more than ready to get my hands bloody again.
“If you get a fucking hard-on, Volodya, I’m kicking your ass out of the car,” Vasily growls at me, noticing the grin on my face.
I laugh and smack his arm. “Relax, brother, I don’t get off on killing.”
Valeri gives a disbelieving laugh. “Since when?”
What I’ve said isn’t entirely true, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to orgasm from killing some fucker. I am going to want to fuck as soon as I’m done, though. We all will. That’s just how it is. The adrenaline and bloodlust will fuse together, creating a potent cocktail that will leave me rock-fucking-hard. My smile grows when I think of Maddie naked in my bed. Poor thing is going to need a couple of days to recoup after I’m done with her.
