Why you come here and take my money?” the stout Russian woman screamed at Kaz. Mrs. Zelenka knew damned well why Kaz was here. Hell, he showed up at her shabby little house every Wednesday at three p.m. like clockwork. Still, she put up her token fight, as always.

Kaz gave a long-suffering sigh and braced his legs apart to maintain his balance, in case she charged at him again like she’d done the week before. Mrs. Zelenka might be close to eighty, but she was built like a bull. Add in her reputation as one of the most ruthless drug dealers in the West Englewood projects and it made every second he spent inside her rat-infested, filthy flophouse apartment a true joy. Or not.

“Go fuck yourself you, Bratva bastard. I give you nothing.” She spat on the floor near his feet. “Perhot' podzalupnaya!”

He let her insult pass. Yeah, she’d called him the Russian equivalent of a genital fungus and spit on his toes again, but he’d dealt with much worse in his profession. Kaz kept his gaze fixed on the wall across the room and his expression stoic. He was good at keeping calm under pressure. Everyone said this. It was why he was so effective in his job. It was also probably why he’d never really had a serious romantic relationship with anyone. Love and affection had no place in his line of work and it was hard to turn one’s emotions on and off like that.

Finally, Mrs. Zelenka came at him with a rusty kitchen knife and Kaz put an end to her tirade. He didn’t hurt her, just reached out fast and grabbed her wrist, squeezing slightly until she dropped her weapon and winced. “The money. Now.”

His flat, stern words were met with silence.

For several moments, the woman just stared at him, a visual Mexican standoff, until she stomped over to a small metal safe on the floor and dialed it open, cursing at him in Russian under her breath the entire time.

“Here.” She thrust her monthly payment of five-thousand dollars at him with a sneer. “Tell that pussy boss of yours to leave me the fuck alone. Bad for my business.”

As Kaz finished counting the bills, his phone rang in his pocket. He exchanged the money for the device and grinned at Mrs. Zelenka. “Maybe this is him. You can give Salko your kind words yourself.”

She blanched slightly. She might put up a good front, but no one screwed with the Bratva and lived to tell the tale. No one.

Kaz zipped up his now bulging jacket pocket to keep the funds from falling out then scowled down at his phone screen. Not Salko.

Shit.

The caller ID said unknown number but his instincts told him it was Allie. He’d done his best to keep her from his thoughts, to forget that passionate kiss they’d shared in her apartment. But now all those physical sensations and emotions came rushing back full force.

Clearing his throat, Kaz strode over to the rickety front door of the home. Before he answered, he turned back to Mrs. Zelenka one last time. She’d picked the knife back up, he saw. “See you next time.”

“Poshyol ty'!” she yelled, letting her rusty knife fly. Fuck you. Nice. The blade thwacked into the wall near him but Kaz just shook his head as he walked out of the shithole house. It had to be close to ninety with high humidity, but cold sweat still trickled down his back as he answered Allie’s call.

“Yes,” he said, doing his best to sound professional.

“Kaz?” Her tone sounded uncertain.

“Da.” He stared over at the black Towncar where his fellow Bratva enforcer waited. They always did these jobs in pairs due to the dangerous nature of collections, but the guy with him today was new and he didn’t want to take any chances of one of Salko’s minions running back to tattle to their boss about Kaz’s little deal with Allie. He walked away down the sidewalk in the other direction for privacy. “What do you want, Miss Charman? I’m working.”

“Oh.” The smallness of her voice made him want to kick his own ass, if that were possible. What had happened to the confident businesswoman he’d met the other night? He wanted her to sound like that, like herself, even if she was a pain in his butt. “Well, I wondered if your deal was still on the table.”

Relief and no small amount of pride burst inside him like fireworks. So, she’d come to her senses and decided he was right. This was good. In addition to dreaming about her and that kiss they’d shared, he’d also had nightmares about his boss capturing not only her brother, but Allie as well. Things would not go well if Salko got his hands on them. Her brother, they would torture and kill. Allie, they’d rape, then most likely sell her off to the highest bidder in some Asian sex trade operation to recoup some of their lost investment. With her beauty, she’d fetch a high price. The thought turned his stomach and steeled his resolve. “Yes, it’s still on the table, but only until tonight. There are only two days left until your brother is a dead man. We need to act fast to save him.”

“Right.” She still sounded distant, but Kaz was glad she’d trusted him enough to call him back. “Fine.”

He savored the small victory and smiled, the sun hot on his skin. He had one more stop to make in this neighborhood, at a house in slightly better shape than the one he’d just left. Kaz gave a brief wave to his partner in the Towncar, then walked to the end of the block and crossed the street, heading for the green shuttered two-story on the corner. “Why don’t I come over to your apartment again after I’m done working and we can work out the details of our arrangement.”

Allie hesitated again as he knocked on Mr. Vasiliev’s door. The older gentleman answered on his first knock and waved him inside before dead-bolting the door behind Kaz. He walked over and pulled out a checkbook. These weekly visits with Mr. Vasiliev were as routine as the ones with Mrs. Zelenka, though much more pleasant.

“Still fifty dollars?” the old guy confirmed, his Russian accent heavy.

“Da,” Kaz replied. Fifty dollars. He had earned hundreds of thousands from the Bratva for his mother’s treatments but he hadn’t been able to stand it when he heard how much the Bratva was going to charge Mr. Vasiliev for his daughter’s gene therapy.

“What’s fifty dollars?” Allie asked.

“Gene therapy,” Kaz answered before he realized what he was doing. Damn. Where was his mind? But he knew. Just hearing Allie’s voice made him think all manner of distracting things. Made him lose his head.

“Fifty dollars?” Allie asked, her voice pitched high with disbelief. “What kind of gene therapy is only fifty dollars?”

Truth was, Mr. Vasiliev’s payments were so low because Kaz supplemented them with his own funds to make up the difference. The gene therapy wasn’t fifty dollars per week, as he’d told Allie, but the payments were still far larger than a man on a fixed income like Mr. Vasiliev could afford. But the old guy had been desperate to save his daughter’s life and Kaz had a soft spot for those in need.

Speaking of soft spots, he focused his attention back on Allie. “Listen, I need to go. I’ll come by your apartment later to discuss our deal again. Say, six-thirty?”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” He hung up and took the check Mr. Vasiliev handed him, folding it neatly before shoving it in his pocket alongside Mrs. Zelenka’s wad of cash. “Thank you, sir.”

“I’m glad you’ve found someone nice,” Mr. Vasiliev said, gesturing toward the phone Kaz still held in his hand. “You deserve love in your life.”

“What?” Kaz frowned. “Oh, no. It’s not like that between us. She’s another collection case of mine, caught up in her brother’s bad debt. We’re business associates, that’s all.”

Except business associates didn’t generally kiss the living hell out of each other like he and Allie had the other night.

“Hmm, that’s too bad.” Mr. Vasiliev walked Kaz back to the front door. “I imagine you deal with all kinds in your line of work. Some greedy, some unlucky, some desperate. Which kind is your friend there?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

Kaz was still considering the answer to that question as he made his way back to the car and they headed north, out of the projects and toward Salko’s seedy little office in a rundown industrial park near the lake.

When they walked into Salko’s office, the guy was behind his desk as usual. Short, scrubby, with grayish-brown hair and a perpetually sour expression, Mikhail Salko wouldn’t be winning any beauty pageants these days. In his mid-fifties and wiry but strong, he’d always reminded Kaz of a mean old guard dog who’d missed one too many meals. He was hungry and weathered from being out in the cruel world and wouldn’t hesitate to bite the hand that fed him if it meant his survival.

Kaz unzipped the pocket of his jacket to pull out Mrs. Zelenka’s wad of cash and tossed it on Salko’s desk. He left Mr. Vasiliev’s check in his pocket, however. Instead, he unzipped his other pocket and pulled out a different check, this one for the full amount of fifteen thousand dollars, signed with Kaz’s fake signature for Mr. Vasiliev and drawn on the dummy account he’d set up under the old guy’s name to cover his tracks. That way Salko got his money, Mr. Vasiliev and his daughter stayed safe, she got the medical treatment she so desperately needed, and no one was the wiser.

Like he’d said, he made damned good money in his job for the Bratva and he was a single guy. So, why not do some good with it?

Salko finished recounting the cash and locked it away in the safe near his feet then studied Kaz’s check. His frown deepened as he stared at the signature. “This isn’t Vasiliev’s handwriting. It’s too sloppy. Besides, this is worthless. The last check didn’t clear the bank because they questioned the signature.”

“The guy’s old, shaky hands,” Kaz said, the knot of tension in his stomach tightening. Salko seemed to be spending a lot more time going over things today. That wasn’t good. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.” Salko stood and came around the desk to lean against the front, lessening the space between him and Kaz to only a foot or so. He stood several inches shorter than Kaz but what he lacked in height he made up for in pure evil. “I’ve known you since you were fifteen years old, Volkov. You think I don’t recognize your handwriting when I see it?”

Well, shit. He’d imagined this situation many times, thought about what he might say or do if Salko ever picked up on his ruse. Being face-to-face with the man now though had him far more shaken than Kaz had expected. Cold sweat tickled the back of his neck and he gripped the arms of the chair tight to hide their tremor. Part of his brain said that he’d be better off admitting what he was doing, helping these people, while the other part of him scrambled to figure out a way to save his ass.

The younger Bratva enforcer who’d waited by the door up until now, moved closer, essentially blocking Kaz in. His first instinct was to fight. He could take the kid, no problem. But Salko was ruthless, and smart. A deadly combination. So, he swallowed hard against the lump of anxiety blocking his throat and slumped down into the chair before Salko’s desk, hyper aware of his surroundings in case he needed a fast exit. The creaking floorboards beneath their feet, the stench of old cigarettes and musty air from the decades old ventilation system overhead, the grime covered window to his left. If worse came to worse he’d break through it and make a run for it.

“Kaz, Kaz, Kaz,” Salko continued, his beady brown eyes narrowed. “I know you’ve been making payments for some of your collection clients. The ones you feel sorry for, the ones who can’t make the payments themselves. And do you know what that makes you?”

A good person? Kaz wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut.

“Soft, Kaz.” Salko crossed his arms and shook his head, as if Kaz had committed the most unforgivable of sins. “Soft and weak. Those grateful clients of yours talk, you see. Now, word has gotten around and guess what? They think I’m soft now too. Me. Mikhail Salko. Soft. It’s disgusting and disgraceful.” He cringed. “Worse, it makes douchebags like Danny Charman decide they don’t have to pay.”

Kaz forced his tense muscles to relax and forced out the words he hoped would placate Salko for now. “I am not soft. I am trying to do good business for you. You want me to bust down doors and beat up clients? You think the cops wouldn’t be all over that shit in two seconds? Law enforcement doesn’t take too kindly to people who rough up little old ladies and desperate men trying to save their dying children.” And yes, Mrs. Zelenka was meaner than a starving Siberian tiger, but Salko didn’t need to know that. “Besides, healthy clients are paying clients. You can’t get money from a corpse.”

Salko gave him a flat stare. “I could try. Maybe Danny Charman should be my first attempt.”

“Danny and his family are working to get the money together to pay off his debt, at least partially. They are a safe risk. Give me until Friday with them and I’ll get your money. I can work out a series of installments, with interest, until the debt is paid in full. I will even front their first payment myself, to show I’m serious about collecting their debt.”

“I don’t want your goddamned money, Kaz. Besides, Danny Charman proved he was a shitty risk when he skipped his payments.” Salko spat on the floor beside his desk, his expression disgusted. “Why the fuck do you think I gave you this case in the first place? So you could play your softhearted routine again?” Scowling, he pushed off the desk and paced the room. “Nyet. Enough. Fuck Danny Charman and fuck his family. Get my money from them, not you, or he’s dead. Understand?”

“C’mon, man.” Kaz inhaled sharply. “What about the Pakhan? Does the big Bratva boss agree with turning away a partial payment no matter who it’s from? Money is money.”

Salko was at his side in an instant, fisting the front of Kaz’s shirt in his beefy fist. His stale breath heated Kaz’s face and made him cringe. “Are you challenging me, boy? You think you can cross me and live to tell? Go ahead. Call the Pakhan. Tell him what a pussy boy you’ve become with your clients. Tell him how soft you are. Go on, do it. I’ve been bringing in millions for the family for decades. You really think the leadership is going to choose your side over mine? Do you?”

Saliva glistened on Salko’s crooked, slightly yellowed teeth and Kaz’s battled the sudden urge to smash them all in with his clenched fist. Kaz ground his teeth so hard he feared they’d break and forced himself to relax. Much as he hated to admit it, Salko was right. The Bratva was likely to side with Salko on this matter, at least until Kaz had the cash. He relaxed instead of fighting back, knowing it was his best bet to get out of the office alive.

After several seconds, Salko shoved him back in his chair. “Fuck it. There’s no way Danny Charman will be able to pay in full on Friday.” Salko walked back around his desk and plopped back down in to his seat, his dark gaze narrowed on Kaz. “But I like this game better. Because I will force you out of this softness you’ve developed for these lowlifes one way or another.”

Kaz swallowed, not liking the sound of that at all, but keeping his silence just the same.

“I’ve given you my instructions. Payment in full on Friday or Danny is a dead man. And you will be the one to kill him if he doesn’t come up with the money.”

“Wait a min—”

“You’ve brought this on yourself, Volkov. No more excuses. Charman pays in full or you kill him.” Salko grinned, his expression pure evil. “If you fail to do so, I will kill you. It’s that simple. Any questions?”

* * *

Allie opened the door that evening to find a man who looked like he carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. “Come in.”

He walked past her and held up two white plastic bags. “Wasn’t sure if you’d eaten or not, so I brought dinner.”

“Thank you.” She hadn’t been sure what to expect at tonight’s meeting, but dinner wasn’t it. Still, she was touched by his thoughtfulness. Allie took the bags from him and set them on the kitchen counter before gathering plates and silverware from the cabinets and drawers, chattering the whole time to fill the silence. There was no logo on the bags, but from the smell of garlic and cheese, she guessed he’d gotten Italian again. Or maybe French? There was a new little bistro that opened about two blocks from her apartment. Her hands shook as she set the plates on the counter, her nervous mind tossing up random facts in her head to fill the heavy silence.

“Salko is refusing to accept partial payment to bring your brother’s debts current,” Kaz said, his somber tone severing her speech. “I have enough in my savings to cover a down payment but not the whole amount, with interest. I’m sorry.”

Allie swallowed hard and turned slowly to face him, her pulse drumming loud in her ears. Mouth dry, she tried to wrap her head around the implications of what he’d just said. “So, what does that mean for my brother?”

Instead of answering, Kaz just looked at her, the hopelessness in his eyes telling her all she needed to know.

“Oh, God. No.” The silverware in her hand clattered to the granite countertop and her knees felt like they would give way beneath her. She’d tried to call Danny earlier, several times, but he was either not getting service or wasn’t answering. If anything happened to her brother, their mother would never survive it. Allie wasn’t sure she’d survive it either. Yes, she had issues with her brother, what family didn’t have problems? But she still loved her brother fiercely and would do anything to save his life.

Kaz was by her side in a second, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her as he guided her around to the front of the breakfast bar and got her settled on a stool. He sat across from her and took her icy hands in his, warming them as best he could by rubbing them between his big, rough fingers. “I know this isn’t the outcome you were hoping for, kotenok, but I have another plan. One that will hopefully change my boss Salko’s mind.”

“I-I don’t understand,” she said, frowning. Her head was swimming right now with too much adrenaline and information. “I thought that if I agreed to your plan then this would all work out and Danny would be safe.”

“I thought it would be a sure thing too,” Kaz sighed, “until I got called into Salko’s office today. He thinks I’ve gone soft, that I’m putting the welfare of the clients I collect from ahead of his profit. So, he’s trying to teach me a lesson here, courtesy of your brother.”

Her brain caught up with what he was saying and snagged on his earlier statement. “Wait. You tried to pay off Danny’s initial payment for him? Why?”

“It wasn’t for him.” Kaz let her go and sat back shaking his head. She missed the heat of his touch almost immediately even as her stomach dropped to her toes. If he didn’t make the offer for Danny’s sake then why would he do it? The realization sucker punched her right in the heart. He’d done it for her.

Kaz scrubbed his hand over his face. “Maybe Salko is right. Maybe I am getting soft. I’ve used my own funds to pay for other clients before, to keep them safe and avoid trouble. I thought it would save your brother and save your store.” Her heart squeezed at his words, but he still refused to look at her. “Stupid, right? It’s just that you’re so passionate about your store, about your business. I hate to see you lose it over something that isn’t your fault or responsibility.”

Allie was speechless. To have him make such a sacrifice for her was stunning. She’d grown up second-best to Danny, was used to being the one giving up things to make her brother happy. Still, they weren’t out of the woods yet. “What’s the contingency plan?”

“What do you mean?” He pushed off his stool and stalked back into the kitchen. “You’ve had quite a shock. You’ll feel better with food in your stomach.”

“You’ve got another plan, right? Another way to save Danny?” she asked, moving into the living room to take a seat on the sofa, staring at the TV news without really seeing it. Much as she appreciated Kaz being willing to pay part of her brother’s debt so she could keep her store, a part of her was still wary of such a gift. In her family, such things always came with strings attached. They’d kissed the other night and it had rocked her world. She wasn’t going to lie. He’d set her entire body on fire with his touch. If he asked her to go to bed with him tonight, she just might say yes. But not out of obligation. Out of pure, unadulterated lust. Lust that didn’t diminish because of the shock of his news about Danny’s loan or the fact that right now, they might not have a Plan B. If anything, she wanted him more now, knowing he wasn’t the ruthless thug she’d first taken him for, but was instead a kind, caring, compassionate man who was doing the best he could under difficult circumstances.

Her thoughts kept circling back to their phone conversation earlier and his remarks about the gene therapy. He was only collecting fifty dollars from that man because he was paying the rest himself. Fresh warmth shimmered through her. Kaz’s boss might call him soft because of that, but she called him a hero.

“Here we are,” he said, carrying in two heaping plates of pasta and setting them down on her dining room table. Kaz returned to the kitchen for a bowl of garlic bread and a bottle of wine, two glasses tucked under his arm. “Come and eat, kotenok. We can talk more afterward.”

She did as he asked and took the seat he held for her across from his. He’d gotten them each an order of spaghetti and meatballs and the rich tomato meat sauce and salty beef hit just the right spot. At first, she just pushed her food around on her plate, too stressed to eat, but the longer they sat there, the more she was tempted to try a bite, then two, then a few more. They ate in silence for several minutes until she asked, “What does kotenok mean?”

“What?” he asked after a sip of red wine. “Oh, it means kitten in Russian.”

“Hmm.” She chewed a bite of crusty garlic bread and gave him a small smile. “You think I’m catty?”

“No. I think you have sharp claws you’re not afraid to use, if needed.”

“Pretty apt description.”

“I’m a good read of people,” Kaz said, smiling at her over the rim of his glass, the darkness in his eyes fading as warm heat took its place. “In my work, I have to be.”

“I can see that.” She pushed her half-finished plate away “So, let’s discuss a Plan B to cover Danny’s debt?”

He exhaled slowly and sat back, his own plate empty. Where he put all that food on his lean, muscular body was a mystery to her. There wasn’t a spare ounce of fat on the guy. “To tell you the truth, I don’t really have a plan to cover his debt yet. I assumed Salko would take my deal. So, I’ll need more time to figure something out. I do, however, have a plan to buy us some additional time to pay the debt.”

“How?”

His gaze flickered to hers then away again fast. “I don’t think you’ll like it.”

Her heart sank.

“I need to prove to Salko that I’m not soft, that I am still the dependable warrior he needs me to be as head of his collectors. To do that, I will need to rough Danny up a bit.”

“Rough him up?” her voice shook along with her hands. “What does that mean?”

“Beat him up, make it look like I’m serious about collecting his debt.” At her pained gasp, he reached across and took her hand. “I know, kotenok, but a man like Salko only understands violence. I promise not to cause any serious lasting injury to your brother, but beating him up might be the only way to save his life at this point.”

“Oh, God.” Allie shook her head and blinked back tears. “When the hell did life get so off track? A week ago, I was planning what designs I was going to produce for next year’s resort lines, maybe thinking of expanding my online retail footprint. I never expected to be sitting here now with a gorgeous Russian thug talking about degrees of harm to my brother.”

Kaz snorted, then gave her a crooked grin. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

Allie gave him a flat stare. “Really? Out of the entire conversation, that’s what you remember?”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re gorgeous too.”

His soft and sincere words caused something knotted tight within her to unfurl. Tomorrow, this man would do what he must to save her brother’s life. Tomorrow, he’d rough Danny up, hurt him enough to prove a point to his mafia bosses but not enough to kill him. Tomorrow, the warmth she felt pulsing through her bloodstream from his touch and his words and his kindness toward her might change. But tonight? Well, tonight they were alone in her apartment, a bubble of quiet intimacy surrounding them in the hours before the storm. Tonight, she didn’t want to be alone, she didn’t want to send him away, she needed him to be with her, emotionally and physically, so she would be strong enough to face the dawn and what was going to happen to Danny.

Without second guessing her actions, Allie leaned forward and pressed her lips to Kaz’s. At first, he seemed shocked, not moving or reacting at all. Then his mouth brushed against her, soft and warm and infinitely inviting, and he hauled her off her stool and between his thighs, deepening their kiss.

She gasped and he took advantage, sliding his tongue into her mouth to slide and dance with hers. He tasted of oregano and garlic and rich red wine and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get enough. His hand tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck, angling her head and keeping her close, as if he feared she’d disappear.

When they finally broke apart again, Kaz rested his forehead against hers, their heavy breath mingling in the small space between them. He looked deep into her eyes and asked, “Are you sure this is what you want, kotenok?”

In answer, she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, savoring his answering shiver. “More than anything. You need to relax and I need the comfort. Let’s do this, for each other.”

“Da,” he said, the word low and gruff as he pulled her tighter against him and kissed her deeply. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on tight as he carried her through the apartment to the bedroom area in the opposite corner. Once he’d placed her in the center of her queen-sized bed then stretched out beside her, his hands seemed to be everywhere at once—touching, stroking, undoing, removing things.

“You are so beautiful,” he said once they were both naked. He leaned over her, his weight resting on one elbow as he traced his fingertips reverently down the center of her chest, between her breasts, over her quivering stomach, all the way down to the slick heat between her legs. With a shaky moan, Allie parted her thighs for him and sighed at the first touch of his long, talented fingers against her tender folds. “That’s it, kotenok. Let me see your passion, let me see you come apart in my arms.”

She pulled him down for another heated kiss as she ground herself against his hand. He inserted first one, then two, fingers inside her, spreading her wetness, getting her body ready to accommodate him. His thumb gently circled her throbbing clit and soon, Allie was teetering on the edge of climax.

Kaz bent and took one of her taut nipples into his mouth, sucking before grazing the sensitive peak gently with his teeth. The added sensation was enough to send her spiraling over the cliff. Every muscle in her body clenched and Allie bit back a joyous scream as she arched hard beneath him, riding wave after wave of exquisite pleasure. He continued to stroke and coax her through her orgasm, teasing out every single last bit of sensation for her until she rested limply in his arms, sleepy and satisfied.

Smiling, Allie slid her hand down his torso to take his hard cock in hand. “Your turn.”

“No, kotenok,” he said, but she refused to listen, pushing him over onto his back then straddling his thighs with hers. He was bigger and stronger than her and could easily have pushed her off, but she knew what he really wanted, what he really needed. Bending over him, she kissed a slow trail down his muscled chest, stopping to admire the intricate tattoo across his neck and shoulders—a Celtic-looking design interspersed with stars and crosses. She teased his small brown nipples with her nails, rubbing and flicking them through the light smattering of dark hair on his pecs. Then she stopped and stared at a raised white scar over his heart, bisecting the tanned skin from his solar plexus to just over his ribs on the right side.

“What happened?” She touched it gingerly with her fingertips, not wanting to cause him any pain. “Who did this to you?”

He looked down at her and smiled. “Do not worry yourself, kotenok. It is an old injury. From a knife fight years ago.”

“They could’ve killed you,” she said, reverently kissing the puckered skin along the scar. “I never would’ve met you.”

Kaz slipped his fingers through her hair, his words escaping on a low moan of pleasure. “No, kotenok. I was in no danger. You should’ve seen the other guy.”

Except the last thing on her mind right now was other men. Kaz had completely taken over her thoughts and her senses. The salty taste of his skin, the spicy, clean scent of his cologne, the addictive sound of his moans and growls. Oh yeah. A girl could definitely get used to this.

Allie continued her erotic trek down the ridges of his taut stomach, stopping to kiss each of his hip bones before tracing her tongue down those muscles that formed a delicious V all the way down to his hard cock. He was big and so ready, a pearl of pre-cum glistening on his tip. Staring up into his warm green eyes, she licked him, taking that salty drop of his essence into her mouth and savoring his flavor. His nostrils flared as crimson dotted his high cheekbones and his fingers tightened slightly against her scalp.

“Do you like that?” she teased, licking him again, this time from root to tip, spending a bit of extra time on that sensitive spot behind his crown.

He groaned low and rough, gritting out his response. “Fuck, yes! Please, kotenok.”

“Please what?” She took him into her mouth and sucked him deep. He thrust gently against the roof of her mouth and closed his eyes, his head tipping back and his expression pure ecstasy. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a sexier sight in her life.

She released his cock from her mouth with an audible “pop,” then grinned up at him. “Tell me.”

Within seconds, he’d grasped her by the waist and rolled her beneath him once more, putting him firmly back in charge again. He reached over and grabbed his jeans from the side of the bed and pulled out a condom, putting it on before covering her body with his.

“Nyet, kotenok,” he said, raising her legs on either side of him then positioning himself at her wet entrance. “I will show you.”

In one long thrust, he buried himself hilt deep inside her. Allie bit back a gasp. It had been so long since she’d been with a man, with her busy life and career, that it took a moment for her body to adjust to the size and width of him. But soon, her muscles relaxed around him and they found their rhythm. She met him stroke for stroke, pulling him down for another hot, deep kiss.

Kaz pulled away, the muscles in his arms shaking with the effort of holding himself back, and his face sweaty, his cheeks ruddy with passion. She’d never seen him look more intense or more beautiful. Allie reached up and pushed his damp hair off his forehead.

“Okay, kotenok?” he asked, even now concerned for her.

Touched by his kindness and attentiveness, she nodded, her breath catching as he hit just the right spot inside her. “Yes. God, yes. Right there. More, please. More.”

“Da.” He thrust harder and deeper inside her, angling himself to hit that spot again and again. Sensation sparked bright through her bloodstream, made stronger when he reached between them to stroke her throbbing clit again. Soon, she was heading straight for another climax.

“Are you close, kotenok?” he asked, his breath panting and his eyes fever bright.

“Yes. So close.”

“Good.” He drove her higher toward orgasm, his thrusts becoming faster and less practiced until finally her world shattered into nothing but light and heat and emotion. Kaz went still and stiff against her, his back arched and his head thrown back as he groaned loud and came hard inside her. Together they clung to each other as they rode out the waves of their passion until, at last, their bodies calmed.

Kaz sank down onto the mattress beside her and pulled her into his arms, snuggling Allie into his side. She shivered, her sweat slicked body chilled now in the afterglow of great sex. He pulled the covers up over them, his fingers tracing lazy patterns up and down her back.

“God, I needed that,” he said, his voice gravelly with exhaustion. “Are you okay, kotenok?” he asked. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. Not at all, you were wonderful.” She moved closer to him, laying her head on his chest and resting her hand over his heart. “I needed that too. Tomorrow will be hard, when you beat up my brother.”

“Yes.” He kissed the top of her head. “It will be. But we’ll get through this together.”

As Allie drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t help taking comfort in his words, even though they barely knew each other, even though he was technically the enemy, even though she should technically hate him for what he was about to do to her precious baby brother.

He was right.

They would get through tomorrow, and the rest of this ordeal.

Together.