ZIVEN PICKS ME UP and carries me straight to the bedroom. I vaguely hear the balcony door slamming behind him as my eyes stay glued to his. My sweet husband, my husband that came home early because he knew I wanted him before he left this morning, and he wanted to make good on his promise. My husband who killed a man who abused me, something that wasn’t a reality until I saw it with my own eyes.
“Undress me, my katyonak,” Ziven rumbles as he untangles me and sets me on my feet.
I do as he’s requested and I slowly undress him, taking my time to kiss and lick different parts of his body until he’s completely naked and standing in front of me, his cock jutting out and begging for attention.
I start to reach for his hard length, but he wraps his fingers around my wrist and stops me. Then, without a word, he slowly peels my clothes off, until I’m completely nude.
“You’re so beautiful, Quinn,” he rasps as he licks his lips and his eyes travel up and down my body.
“Ziven,” I whimper, pressing my thighs together.
“How do you want me to fuck you?” he asks.
I blush at his words, and even more at the fact that he wants me to actually tell him.
“I don’t care; however, you want,” I whisper.
“Good answer, but this is for you, katyonak. How do you want me?”
I think about his question. Choosing how we make love isn’t something I normally do. Ziven is always in control and, honestly, I like that about him—about us. But I can’t deny that there is something extremely exciting and powerful about being able to make this decision right now.
“I just want you inside of me, Ziven, it’s all I’ve been able to think about today,” I lie.
I’ve only been able to think about the fact that I could be pregnant all day, but I’m not about to say anything to him until I know for sure.
Ziven lifts his hand and wraps it around my waist before he tugs me into his body, our chests brushing against each other. I look up at him through my lowered lids and eyelashes. Without a word, his lips press against mine and he consumes me, just as he always does every time he’s anywhere near me.
One of his hands slides down my body, and his fingers gently glide through my wet center before he thrusts two inside of me. I gasp and widen my eyes as I begin to ride his hand, unable to stop my body from moving. I’ve been so turned on all day long that I already feel as though I’m about to come.
“Ven,” I whimper.
“Come on my hand, then you can have my dick,” he growls as he leans forward and nips my bottom lip with his teeth.
My legs shake before my knees give out, and I gasp with my climax. Ziven’s hand on my waist tightens as he holds me firmly against him. I ride his hand until my orgasm has completely left and I’m just a pile of relaxed flesh.
Ziven walks me over to the bed and lays me down, my legs dangling over the edge. My eyes stay glued to his, and I grin when his hands grab where my knees bend and he spreads me wide.
He slowly enters me, and I groan when he’s fully seated inside of my pussy, his eyes downcast and focused on our connection. He lifts one of my legs and places my ankle on his shoulder as he sinks a little deeper inside of me.
My eyes widen at the new position, and my body tenses slightly.
“Relax, katyonak, feel me move inside of you,” he murmurs.
I force myself to relax around him, feeling every stroke of his cock as he moves inside of me, and I let out a moan. When I feel his thumb against my clit, I almost cry out, but I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself as calm as possible.
I arch my back as he brushes his fingers against my clit, his thrusts becoming a little faster and harder with each down stroke of his dick.
“Ziven,” I whimper, grabbing the sheets beside me in my fists.
“I want to feel you come again, Quinn. Can you do that for me?” he rumbles between breaths.
“I want to,” I say with a nod.
He continues to pump in and out of me, harder and faster, sweat now sheening both of our bodies. I feel him pinch my clit, and my pussy instantly clamps down around his cock, trying to hold him inside. He refuses to relent as he fucks me so hard my entire body moves on the bed. Then, with a long groan, he throws his head back and stills inside of me.
“Christ,” he whispers, releasing my leg and bending over, placing his forearms on either side of my head.
“Perfect,” I practically purr, wrapping my legs around his waist.
“Mmm, your pussy feels so good. It’s all wet and warm,” he whispers as he slides his nose alongside mine before he presses his lips to mine.
“You and your obsession with me having your cum inside of me,” I say wrinkling my nose.
“It feels good though, right? Being full and sticky,” he grins.
“Ziven,” I hiss in embarrassment.
“Nobody is here but us, katyonak. You can admit you like your husband’s cum inside of your pretty little cunt. It’s nothing to be embarrassed of,” he chuckles. His cock slips from me as his lips touch mine in a sweet kiss.
“You can be so gross, and yet so sweet,” I whisper against his mouth.
“Hmm, I’m always sweet,” he grins as he stands up. “You want to go out for dinner tonight?”
I look at the skyline, upside down, and I see that there are some clouds rolling in, like it could perhaps storm, and I shake my head.
“No, let’s stay in,” I offer with a shrug.
“I’ll cook,” he smiles.
“I’ll bake dessert.”
“It’s been too long since you’ve made me something sweet to eat,” he mumbles as he walks into the closet and grabs a pair of sweats to pull on.
“Hmm, someone has kept me busy in bed,” I cluck as I reach for his button-up shirt and slide it on, closing a few of the buttons in the middle before I find my panties and shimmy them back up my legs.
“Don’t clean my cum from your pussy, Quinn,” he demands before he walks out of the room.
“Ziven, seriously, I have to,” I call out.
“You do, I’ll punish you.”
I stand in the bedroom and I think about his punishment, wondering what it may consist of. This is the second time he’s mentioned some form of punishment for what he feels would be disobedience. I can’t help the fact that I’m fairly curious about it. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to find out what it could be.
That day is not today.
Ziven makes dinner for us while I bake a pretty, delicious looking, butter pecan cheesecake with a sugary buttery crust. I can’t wait to taste it, even if it looks much too pretty to eat. I’m just placing it in the fridge to cool when he informs me that dinner is ready.
Neither one of us feels like eating at the table, so we take our plates to the sofa and dig in. Ziven flips through the television channels and he stops when he finds a show on BBC America. It’s about a knight, and I’ve been watching it, trying to catch up on the first season before the second starts.
“How’d you know I’ve been watching this?” I ask, arching a brow.
“I turn on the television in the morning to catch the early news, and it’s always on this channel. I figured there was something of interest to you that plays on it,” he shrugs.
When we’re finished eating, I place my empty plate on the coffee table, along with his, and then I curl into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. I place my hand in his and let out a contented sigh.
This is where I was always meant to be. This is my happy place.
I hear a bang and then wood splintering before there are loud male shouts for us to get on the ground. I scream as I turn my head and see a swarm of men in black uniforms filling our living room.
“Get down,” Ziven’s calm voice orders. He dips his chin to the ground.
I do as he says and get on the ground, on my belly. Ziven does the same. My arms are wrenched back and handcuffs are placed on my wrists.
Then I place my cheek on the ground as I watch one of the men pick Ziven up by his wrists and start to speak.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.”
Ziven doesn’t say a word to the officer; instead, he turns to me.
“Call Mika. He’ll know what to do.”
I watch as he’s taken out of the condo, and then an officer unlocks my handcuffs and helps me up, guiding me back over to the sofa.
“Do you know the man you were with, miss?”
He’s kind looking, a little round in the gut but still very fit for a man obviously in his late-forties.
“My husband, Ziven Dorosh,” I say with a nod.
“Husband?”
“Yes, my husband,” I confirm.
He looks up to one of the other officers and lifts his chin.
“Do you know who he is? What he’s involved in?”
“Do I need an attorney?” I ask.
“We’re arresting him in connection to the death of the District Attorney of Denver. Do you understand that? We’re arresting him for murder, honey. Anything you think we need to know, it would be very helpful to him to tell me.”
I’m sure that to anybody else, this would feel very warm and fuzzy, but I’m not stupid. Oswald Johnson was a monster, and I’m glad he’s dead. I don’t care who killed him, but the fact that I know it was Ziven makes me love him that much more. There is no way in hell I would ever give anybody damaging information on Ziven, not ever.
“Is there a reason you look as though you’re pressuring or trying to extract information on a woman who is not under arrest, and on her husband, no less?” Mika asks as he walks into the room. I look down and grin as I bite my bottom lip.
“No, just talking to Mrs. Dorosha,” he murmurs as he stands.
“Do you have a search warrant?” Mika asks.
The officer shakes his head.
“So, they refused to come to the door when you announced yourself, that’s why you broke it down like this is some crack house in the ghetto?”
The officer refuses to answer but waves his men along. One by one, they file out of the door. I sit, frozen, and watch them walk out of my broken door.
“I’ll call a repair man immediately,” Mika announces.
“They arrested him,” I whisper, my face heating with the fact that I’m practically naked while Mika stands in front of me.
“Nyet, Quinn. Be strong. Go and change. Pack a bag. You won’t be staying here,”
I hurry into the bedroom and throw on a pair of jeans, some wool socks, my boots and a thick oversized sweater. Then I grab a small suitcase from underneath Ziven’s side of the bed and quickly throw as much as I can inside, anything that I can think I’ll need. Once I’m finished, I hurry back to the living room, where Mika stands as a man is repairing the door.
“You have enough to last a few days?” Mika asks without even looking at me.
“I do, but where am I going?”
“I’ve called an attorney, so hopefully you won’t be gone for long, but I’m taking you to a hotel. You’ll be heavily guarded, not only inside of your room, but outside as well,” he murmurs.
“Why, what’s happening?” I ask as tears start to fill my eyes.
“We’ll talk about it somewhere else,” he mutters.
Another man appears and Mika walks over to him, murmuring something. He nods before his eyes cut to me and then he nods again.
“Come on,” Mika orders as he steps out of the condo. I hurry behind him and tug on his arm to stop him.
“What about the door?”
“The guy I talked to, he’s a guard for us, he’s going to stay until the repair man finishes; then I’m going to schedule men to stand guard twenty-four hours a day,” he rumbles.
I nod and continue to hurry after him. His gait is longer and faster than mine. I’m surprised when Timofei flanks my other side before we make our way outside. The ride to the hotel is silent, and when we pull up, I’m in awe of where they’ve brought me.
We’re at the Ritz-Carlton, the Ritz.
I try not to squeal in delight, given that the reason I’m here is not something to be excited about, but I’ve never stayed in a fancy place like this before, so it is pretty exciting.
Timofei wraps his hand around my elbow as Mika walks up to the counter. I look up at him in surprise, but he shakes his head once.
“You stay back here, with me,” he murmurs.
I don’t question him, although I feel like I should. I want to know what happens next, and how we get Ziven out of jail. The reality of Ziven being gone and the adrenaline of what just happened less than an hour ago finally starts to sink in, and I start shaking.
“Calm down, mishka,” Timofei murmurs into my ear.
I nod, but I don’t calm down. How can I? Ziven is gone. He’s in jail. What if he gets sent to prison for an infinite amount of time? What happens to me? What if I’m pregnant? Then I’ll be all alone to raise his baby.
Thoughts are flying through my head at lightning speed, and I can’t stop them. They keep coming, and it’s becoming overwhelming. I feel my feet moving, but I don’t see anything. Everything is black, and then It’s as though I’m out of my own body, unable to speak or even breathe.
“She’s panicking,” I hear Timofei murmur in the distance.
“I imagine so,” Mika coolly declares.
I start to breathe deep, even breaths, and then I turn my head to Mika, noticing we’re in the elevator.
“You know, you’re not as nice in this situation as you were in my last situation,” I observe.
“I’m focused on business, Quinn. I have phone calls to make and plans to discuss. I’m preoccupied. I apologize if I’m not coddling you enough,” he grunts.
“Mika,” Timofei hisses.
“Don’t be a cunt, Timofei. Take care of her. I have work to do,” he growls as the elevator door slides open and the two men start walking toward the room.
Timofei’s grip on me tightens, but he doesn’t say anything. He walks me over to the sofa in the sitting room and gently sets me down, rolling my suitcase to the side.
“Do you need anything?” he asks curtly.
“I need to know what’s going on,” I state.
“Ziven was arrested.”
“Yes, I know, but what happens next?” I ask.
I’m not above begging. I need to know what’s going to happen to my husband.
“Our lawyer is on his way down there. He’s an associate of my father’s attorney in New York, and a friend of the Bratva. Once he gets out, we figure out what to do then. They don’t have anything, not really. They’re riding on suspicions and hopes that they’ll take down a Bratva leader,” Timofei explains, trying to ease my worry. I still feel panicked and sick.
“How long until we know something? How long until he’s out?” I ask as my eyes well up with tears.
“Once the lawyer talks to him, we’ll know more. For now, we wait.”
I lean my head back against the sofa and close my eyes. We wait. How can I just sit around and wait? Ziven is gone, taken away in handcuffs. Our house was stormed by an army of police, and they just took him away from me.
“Be strong,” Timfoei rumbles. “You are a Pakhan’s wife, you must be strong. Cry at night when you’re alone, but you never, ever, show your emotions in public. You never look weak.”
“I don’t know if I can help it,” I murmur as my lips tremble.
“You have to. When you look weak, Ziven looks weak. You are a reflection on him, especially when he’s away. If you appear to be vulnerable, then men who deem to do you harm to get to him will do so,” he explains.
“I’m his wife, that’s crazy,” I breathe.
“That is reality,” he says as his expression goes hard.
I don’t say anything else and neither does he. He gets up and walks over to the windows. I have a feeling he’s working through some things, most likely to do with his mother, who was brutally murdered not long ago.
I suck in a breath and fight my tears, trying to hide the array of emotions that are swirling through me at a rapid pace. There is something so uneasy about this situation; not only because Ziven was arrested, but also the way it happened. It didn’t seem right to me.
I lie down on the arm of the sofa and close my eyes. I’m feeling overwhelmed. Maybe if I could sleep for a few minutes, I could wake up feeling less cloudy.
Then again, if I could sleep, then maybe by the time I wake up Mika will have some good news for me, too.