Chapter Ten
Maksim ran one hand down Nika’s side, over her hip and down to her thigh. Her skin was so incredibly soft. Placing a kiss on the taut muscle of her inner thigh, he was gratified when her legs fell open in welcome. The room was dark, lit only by the flickering torchlight from outside. The only sounds were the waves crashing onto the beach and the ragged breathing of the woman beside him.
He couldn’t see her expression, but somehow that didn’t matter. He could smell her arousal. The light, feminine scent made his mouth water. For the first time in a long time Maksim wanted to taste a woman. Somehow the intimacy of this act surpassed any other, but he wanted to share it with Nika.
Her belly quivered when he placed a kiss just above her mound. The short blonde curls shielding her sex were damp with her cream. He nuzzled her, enjoying the way she responded. Her hips jerked and she gave a little moan as if she was afraid to seem too eager.
“I’m going to make you come with my mouth, Nika,” he told her. “Would you like that?”
He heard her swallow. “God, yes!”
Maksim settled his shoulders more comfortably between her knees and let the lower half of his body hang off the bed entirely. With Nika’s knees bent, he had full access to her delectable pussy. Very gently spreading her vaginal lips with his thumbs, Maksim gave her one long lick.
Those little moans turned into broken cries of arousal and need. He used the flat of his tongue to manipulate her clitoris. He rolled the tiny bundle of nerves in little circles, finally sucking it between his lips and giving it a good tug. Nika’s resounding cry of pleasure was followed only seconds later by her first orgasm.
Her hips arched off the bed as if she had been shocked. Maksim held on as she began to tremble. Then he lapped at her opening until she moaned and thrashed on the bed. He could actually feel her next climax building. The tension curled throughout her body and the taste of her cream became more intense. He pushed his tongue inside her body and stroked her inner muscles until he felt her quivering on the edge of bliss.
“Maksim!”
She shouted as she came again. He withdrew his tongue and gently licked and sucked at her sex while she throbbed and shook on the bed. Just the sheer power of her orgasms was enough to make his cock beg for mercy. He wanted so badly to be inside her, but he wanted to bring her pleasure first.
“Maksim,” she panted. “I need your cock. Please don’t make me wait any longer.”
The words pushed him over the edge of restraint. He got to his knees between her legs and positioned himself with shaking hands at the opening to her body. His cock was rigid and almost painful to the touch. He was half afraid he was going to come just as soon as he breached her opening.
Exhaling to give himself some control, he began to penetrate her in slow increments. Nika arched her back and tilted her hips, grinding his shaft against her pelvic bone even as he was entering her body. There was nothing sexier than the look of her at that moment. Her full breasts jiggled with every motion and her hair was in wild disarray. She had twisted her fingers in the sheets and her body was telling him that she wanted him badly.
He groaned when he bottomed out inside her channel. She wrapped her lithe legs around his waist and pulled him even deeper. Then she began to roll her hips to create friction. The movement rocked his world. Maksim grabbed her thighs and surged into her. He pushed as hard as he dared, and still her body begged for more.
Sweat dribbled down his spine and gathered at his hairline. The room was dominated by the sound of their flesh slapping together and the scent of their mingled fluids. Finally he felt his sac tighten beneath his body as his climax stole over him. He needed to come. Some primal instinct inside him demanded it.
Reaching between them, he found her clit and began to rub tiny circles over the taut bud. Nika gasped and cried out as she began to spiral toward a peak. The smooth muscles of her channel squeezed him tightly and Maksim finally came. Seed poured from his cock as he strained to get as deep inside Nika as he could.
He wasn’t sure how long he stayed in that position, deep inside her warm body. Slowly he became aware of his heart hammering away in his chest and the limp woman who looked as sated as he felt. Then Maksim rolled to his side and pulled Nika close.
“I love you,” he told her softly. “Even though I know that’s crazy.”
***
Nika couldn’t help but chuckle. Or at least that was the sound she meant to make. It came out more like a strangled moan, considering she was having trouble remembering how to breathe. Yes. It was crazy for Maksim Petrov to love her. Of course it was also crazy for her to love him back. But she wasn’t about to tell him that, so what did it matter?
“You know, when a man tells you that he loves you, it’s usually not a good idea to laugh.” Maksim sounded disgruntled at best.
“I think it was your timing that made me laugh.”
“That’s fair.”
She snorted. “I’m so glad you think so.”
“You’re harsh.”
Maybe she was. Nika just didn’t know what to think about all of this. She loved being with Maksim. Sex with him was amazing. He was hot and he definitely made her hot. The guy had just given her two orgasms with his tongue for goodness sake. But it all came down to the future. What sort of future could the two of them possibly have?
“Maksim, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be something other than Ivan’s enforcer?” She tried to keep her voice soft and neutral. She had no desire to make him angry about her question.
“All the time.”
Nika thought about her work at the flower shop. She didn’t want to be a florist, but it was the family business. She swiped at her eyes, feeling the first sting of tears. “Sometimes I wish I could make my own choices and not worry about what my family might think.”
“I know how you feel.” He gave her a squeeze and pressed his lips to her hair. “I used to think about what I would do if I was on my own. I thought about what job I might want, or if I could make money doing something else. Then Ivan would need me and the whole idea of being on my own just sort of died.”
“It’s not fair.” She felt that for herself as much as him.
“Some might say it’s the price of belonging to a family.”
“Then maybe I don’t think the price is worth it. Can I opt out?” she teased.
“Baby, most days I believe you could do anything you damn well pleased.” He nuzzled her neck and gave her a kiss.
It was flattering, but the truth was when this was all over she was going to go back to her father’s shop and he would go back to helping Ivan. Her sister would get married and live happily ever after and Nika would wither away like one of her father’s roses left out of water too long.
“I don’t want to work in the shop anymore,” she whispered. “I haven’t for years.”
He stroked her hair. The tenderness in his touch nearly undid her. His lips brushed her forehead. “Then why don’t you find something that you want to do?”
“I suppose I was afraid to leave my father alone.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem now,” he pointed out. “We certainly aren’t collecting from your father anymore. Ivan considers him family.”
Maksim was right. She had stayed for so long because of the mess their family was embroiled in with the mafiya. Now there was no mess. She could do something else if she wanted to.
“What about you?” she asked suddenly. “Don’t you want to do something other than work for your brother?”
“I used to think that I would like to open a gym.”
“A non-mafia run gym?” she teased.
His chuckle vibrated against her back. “Yes. Exactly.”
“Maksim, what if we just ran away together?”
There was a long pause, and she was almost certain she had made him angry. Then he exhaled a shuddering sigh. “How would that be possible?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we don’t even have to know.” She thought about what it would be like to fall asleep next to this man and then wake up beside him in the morning. What would it feel like to see his face over the table each day and laugh with him and even get pissed at him? They would likely fight like cats and dogs, but it would be so much fun she didn’t even care.
“Running away isn’t an answer, Nika. It’s a whole new set of questions.”
“Maybe what I’m saying is that I’m tired of the answers. All of them.” As the words kept coming she realized they were exactly how she felt. “Please, Maksim?
“I can’t do that, Nika. Not now. Maybe once this situation with the Tretiaks is settled. Maybe then. But I cannot leave my brother to his own devices when we are so close to ending this feud.”
“Wait. I thought we were hiding here because the dirty Tretiak cops were closing in on our location.” Nika was losing track of the game.
“We have Petrov men on an operation tonight. Once this is through, we should be nearly in the clear. And the heat is off your father’s shop. As soon as you like, you can probably go visit him.”
“Oh.” Nika should have been happier about that. Right? Seeing Papa and going back to her regular life was supposed to be the goal. Yet this whole adventure with Maksim had been exciting.
“Do you want to see your father?” Maksim’s voice was soft.
“Of course I do.”
“This entire situation will be over soon. That’s good news. Your sister will be safe. You want your sister out of danger, right?”
It was on the tip of Nika’s tongue to say that she didn’t care one bit about her sister. But that would have been a lie. She did care about Katrina. At least she didn’t want to ruin the happiness her sister had apparently found with Ivan the Russian mobster.
Nika made a growling noise, feeling as trapped as some wild animal. “Fine. You’re right. I don’t want to ruin my sister’s happiness, and I want her safe. Although some days I will admit to having a secret desire to watch her fall on her face just so she can have a day that isn’t perfect.”
“That’s my girl,” Maksim said with a yawn. “Now can you settle down so we can get some sleep?”
“Oh, I’m so fucking sorry. Am I interrupting your beauty rest?” Nika sneered.
Maksim only cuddled her closer. “That’s right. I need to wake up beautiful for my special woman.”
Okay. That was the lamest thing Nika had ever heard and yet it made her heart soar. What were the two of them going to do once all of this had blown over? Was there a future out there for them somewhere?