“I’m being completely serious. You trusting me to touch you, giving a part of yourself to me, and then watching you come undone is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I can still feel how hard he is beneath me, and I feel terrible about it, but he’s not acting like it’s a big deal. He’s not making me feel guilty or making me feel like I need to do something I’m not ready to do. He seems happy, thrilled even.
“Tell me about yourself,” I whisper, already feeling my eyes starting to grow heavy.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” I say, making him laugh.
He runs his fingers through my hair while he talks. “My father started the Medvedev Bratva, and my brothers and I grew up surrounded by it. It’s the only kind of life I know. He was killed when I was twenty-seven.”
“I’m sorry, Vasya,” I whisper, palming the side of his neck and grazing my thumb along his skin.
“It’s not uncommon in this line of work.”
His words have me tightening my grip on him. I hadn’t thought about something happening to him, but he’s right. Guys like him always have enemies.
“It’s okay,zolotse,” he says, reading me so easily. “I’m very careful. My men and I take a lot of precautions, and we’re very good at what we do. I’m touched that you care so much.”
“Of course I care.” I kiss the skin of his neck, breathing in the subtle spicy scent of his cologne and his own unique scent beneath it. That’s what I really love, and I can’t ever seem to get enough of it. It’s insane that I’m falling for him so quickly, but I am. There’s no denying it. He’s the man who came in and rescued me from a hell I never thought I’d escape, and I know that part of my feelings for him are extreme gratefulness for that, but that’s not all it is. It runs so much deeper than that, and it’s so overwhelming that I’m afraid to put words to it, so I don’t say anything else. I just hug him tighter and ask, “Tell me something about yourself that has nothing to do with the Bratva.”
He sighs and lets out a soft laugh. “Sometimes I don’t think there’s any separation anymore. The devil and I go hand-in-hand now. Who am I without him? I’m not so sure I even remember.” He thinks for a second and says, “I prefer early mornings right before the sun comes up when it’s still dark and there’s a chill to the air. I’m usually up late with work so I rarely get to experience it, but it’s my favorite time of the day. I was born in Moscow, but every summer we’d go to our dacha. A dacha is like a vacation home where you can escape the city. Ours has been in the family for generations, and it’s nothing fancy, just a cabin near a lake, but I loved it.”
I can hear the smile in his voice as he talks about his family’s dacha. I try to imagine it as he tells me about the wild flowers that grow everywhere and the lake that’s so clear you can see the bottom.
“I always hated going back to the city. That’s why I like it so much here. I hate feeling closed in by huge buildings and the stink of pollution.”
“I hate it too,” I tell him. “Your house is beautiful. I love how private it feels, and the ocean is so peaceful.”
“Ourhouse,” he gently corrects, making me smile. “I’m glad you like it here.”
“Will you have to go back to Moscow?”
“No, not unless something really goes to shit there and my brothers need me, but I don’t see that happening. They’ve got a good handle on things, and the Bratva’s reputation is strong enough to make most people think twice about going up against it.”
“Does your family still have the dacha? I’d love to see it.”
“It’s still there. It’s where my mom prefers to live now. I’ll take you one day.”
I smile against his skin, giving a soft moan of protest when he starts to scoot me off him. “Just for a second,” he promises, getting out of bed and opening the bedroom door. He gives a low whistle and a couple of seconds later I hear the sound of Ruslan’s heavy paws hitting the stairs. “He doesn’t like to sleep alone,” Vasily says, giving the large head a good scratch when he comes bounding into the room.
Ruslan jumps on the bed and licks my hand, making me laugh. I pet his thick fur and watch Vasily get back under the covers and then smile when he pulls me close again. I cuddle up against him, resting my head on his shoulder and hooking my leg over his. He kisses my head and pulls me even closer. I never would’ve pegged Vasily as a cuddler, but he definitely is, and I love it. Ruslan sprawls out by my feet, and with Vasily’s strong body against mine and Ruslan covering the other side of the bed, I feel completely safe and protected. I give his chest another kiss as he reaches up to rest his hand on mine, threading our fingers together as I drift off to sleep.
The next couple of days pass by quickly. Vasily’s turning the downstairs sunroom into a library for me, and every time I step into the light, airy room with a jaw-dropping view of the ocean I feel like I need to pinch myself. Part of me still expects to wake up back at Ruby’s, to find that I’ve completely lost my grip on reality and have just imagined all this, but every morning I wake up in Vasily’s strong arms instead. My thoughts drift back to that horrible place more than I’d like, but it’s slowly getting better. I still worry about Mindy and the other women there, but I know that Vasily will find a way to get that hellhole closed down, one way or another.
I’ve just finished rearranging my books exactly how I want them when I turn around and see Vasily leaning against the doorframe. He’s dressed impeccably in an expensive suit with a freshly shaved face and a small smile playing at his full lips. God, he looks gorgeous no matter what he’s wearing, but there’s something about seeing those tattoos poking out of his dark suits that sets my heart to racing every damn time. Judging by the heat in his blue eyes, he’s been watching me for several minutes. Ever since the night he made me come, he looks at me like he wants to eat me alive. He’s being careful to not push me. He’s letting me set the pace, and my need for him keeps growing stronger. I’m torn between wanting to give him every part of me and being too scared to risk it, too afraid of the pain and the memories it might bring up.
When he steps forward, walking towards me as his eyes run over me, I clutch the book I’m holding tighter against my chest and take a deep, steadying breath. Stopping in front of me, he brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers graze my skin, sending a rush of pleasure straight to my pussy. He woke something up inside me when he made me come, and there’s no putting it back to sleep. It makes me curious about what other things would be like with him. Part of me feels guilty at my body’s reaction to him, like there’s something wrong with me for wanting sex after being raped, but that part is growing smaller with each passing hour I spend with him. He’s teaching me that it’s okay to enjoy his touch, to crave it, and to let it consume me.
His eyes widen in surprise when I grab the front of his suit and pull him down to my level so I can kiss his smiling lips. He gives me what I want, groaning and cupping the back of my head when I open even more for him, sliding my tongue in to meet his. My lip doesn’t hurt anymore, and I’ve been taking full advantage of it, kissing him every chance I can until I’m drunk on ecstasy and can barely think.
When I pull back and whisper “Please,” he smiles and kisses me again as he slowly guides me to the corner, pressing me against the wall to hide me from view. Katya’s in the kitchen preparing supper, and Svetlana is off cleaning some room in this enormous house. I have no idea about Andrei and Ilya, but if anyone walks by, they’ll see Vasily’s broad back and nothing else.
“Ready for another,zolotse?” he whispers against my lips.
“Yes.” I grab onto his hand and bring it to the top of my jeans. His fingers dip under the waistband, grazing my skin in a heated touch that lights my body on fire.
He smiles and makes quick work of the button and zipper before grabbing my hips and gently spinning me around so his chest is to my back. Bracing my hands against the wall, I turn my head to look at him.
