Kolya watched Helena move through the house. He was besotted with her beauty and her innocent, inquisitive nature as she moved from room to room. His heart wrenched when she finally did speak.

“And…this is really yours?”

“Ours.”

“Oh. I’ve never had a home—a real home.”

His large frame moved with the ease of a well-trained athlete. She found it distracting to watch him as he walked toward her. He was gorgeous. She was enthralled with his every move, as if she’d been put into a trance. She couldn’t help but stare as her gaze roamed his massive body.

A large, calloused hand cupped her cheek as he looked down at her tenderly. “What’s your story, little one?”

“I think you know it all too well. Mom was a drunk and Dad was a ghost. She doesn’t know who he is and I don’t care anymore.” The tears in her eyes told a different story.

He pulled her to him, slowly and carefully, as if she were a skittish, frightened animal. With her pressed close against his chest, he murmured, “Let me take care of you. I know you’re strong. And I also know that what happened between us the other night wasn’t typical for you. You’ve managed to survive without cheapening yourself, without sleeping around. It takes a strong woman to do that. To be honest, I don’t think I’d even care if you had. You were lied to. Everybody in your life up until now has used you for your body, one way or another.”

He exhaled harshly as his hands moved up and down her back until they finally settled on her hips, squeezing lightly. “Baby, God knows, you’ve got a beautiful body. I’ll never forget watching you pleasure yourself, knowing that you were doing it for me…with me…to please me.” She blushed, and he laughed softly as he stroked her heated cheek. “But I don’t want to use you, I want to cherish you.”

He clasped her jaw and bent his knees until he was at eye level with her. “Live here with me, Helena. I’m not asking you to be some demure housewife. We’ll make a future together. Hell, I need a manager, somebody who has my back. I trust Glazov with my life, but this career I’m in has a shelf life. I need to make the most of it while I can, I need to save for the future—our future. If you’ll have me.”

He straightened as he waited for her to respond. This time it was her hand cupping his cheek, her thumb rubbing along his sexy five o’clock shadow. He clasped the back of her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her. At first his lips brushed against hers in a gentle caress, but in an instant they were eating each other alive. Hungry lips, tongues, and teeth clashed in their frantic effort to get as close to each other as possible. He needed to take her, to own her, to mark her, to make her his.

“God, I want you,” he groaned. “Let me take you. Fuck, let me in, Helena, I’ve got to make you mine.”

Her hands threaded through his thick, dark hair. She pulled him in as close as she could. He was inviting her into a life she’d always dreamed of and he seemed to really mean it. She wanted nothing more to do with a way of life that had made her feel like a piece of meat. She was tired of being a distraction for men trying to escape the boredom of their suburban white picket fences—the same white picket fences she had always dreamed of.

Helena yearned for peace. Security. True love. This giant of a man was offering those things to her. She couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to say no.

“You need to understand, I couldn’t give you up now if I wanted to,” he whispered as he unbuttoned her blouse, glancing at her face as he released each button, needing to confirm that she was with him every step of the way. His breath hitched in his throat when he pushed the fabric over her shoulders and released the front clasp of her lacy demi-bra.

Kolya’s hand dwarfed her breast, his tan flesh in stark contrast to her creamy alabaster skin. His lips tilted up at the corners as he ran his thumb over the rosy nipple that had previously been concealed from his view by the glittery pasties she’d worn at the strip club. “Knew you’d be beautiful, baby. Need to taste you.” His lips brushed slowly back and forth over her nipple before closing around it softly, suckling like he’d finally found his way home.

She reached for his zipper, eager to touch this man who had only occupied her dreams until now. With his jeans finally off, she slid her hands under his boxer briefs, grinning as she cupped his ass and playfully squeezed the taut muscles. As she tugged the fabric down his thighs, he reached back and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it carelessly to the side.

All the air left Helena’s lungs when she saw Kolya’s naked body for the first time. He was enormous…everywhere. Broad shoulders, with bulky, granite-hewn slabs of muscle forming his powerful chest and torso. Then, lower still. His cock was long and substantial, with a slight upward curve at the end that made her mouth water.

With a groan, he rolled his hips into her hand. She touched him tentatively, wrapping her hand around his considerable girth as she stroked his shaft and traced the thick, angry veins that fueled his erection.

Kolya couldn’t contain himself any longer. He scooped Helena up in his arms and knelt down to gently place her on the floor, lowering himself down beside her. He wished he had a damn sofa or even a rug. “I’m sorry there’s nothing here but the damn floor. Call me crazy, but I bought furniture last week,” he said somewhat sheepishly, “but it won’t be delivered until--”

She pressed a finger against his lips, shaking her head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s perfect. It’s crazy, I know, but…everything I want is right here. Right. Here.”

He lowered his forehead to hers, just breathing her in. “Fuck, I want you—Damn…”

He got to work helping her wriggle out of her jeans and panties. He struggled to focus on the task at hand when her hands kept wandering over his body every time he got close enough for her to touch. But he understood completely and was right there with her. Her soft skin called out to his baser instincts, as if pleading with him to claim what was his.

Her thighs were silky and smooth as he ran his hands over her lean, supple muscles. Gripping the backs of her knees, he spread her legs wide and looked his fill. He focused on her core, taking in the beauty of her femininity. He had to taste her, had to feel her on his tongue. He spread her open and slowly lapped up the evidence of her need. Her fingers threaded through his hair and she tugged hard in an effort to bring him closer.

He looked up at her through sultry, hooded eyes, his lips glistening with her cream. “Come for me, baby, you’re going to need it when I get this cock of mine inside you.” She knew it was true. His size was something she’d never be able to take without the help of an intense orgasm…or three.

He slid his hand up over her torso and reached for her breast, kneading the firm flesh as he continued to lick and suck at her pussy like a man possessed. With a gasp, she surrendered to the sensations that rushed through her core, lighting up every nerve ending and curling her toes.

Her body was boneless and her pussy was drenched when he slowly pushed into her. His girth was every bit as much of a challenge as she had known it would be and she panicked as he continued to press forward.

“I can’t take it. I don’t want to disappoint you, but--” she whimpered even as her hips instinctively lifted to take more of him.

“Yes, you can. Shhh, just let me in. Gonna give it to you so fucking good, so hard. I know you can take me, baby, because this cock was made to be in you. Now, relax and open for me.”

She grabbed her knees and pulled them back as far as she could. He pushed in little by little, pausing long enough to let her adjust to his size. A few strokes of his thumb around her swollen clit and the muscles at her entrance softened enough for him to sink in a few more inches. He pulsed in and out then, moving just enough to tease her.

“Fucking hell, what are you doing to me?”

“I’m making you mine. Relax.” He kissed her again, his tongue sliding against hers in heated exploration. He smiled against her lips when her core relaxed and accepted his cock all the way to the root. He began to move in earnest, soaking up every inch of delicious friction as they moved together, skin to skin.

“I feel so full,” she groaned. “I want…oh, Kolya, I love you.”

As she clamped down on his cock, her body quaked against him and he knew he had accomplished what he set out to do: she was his. He lunged forward a final time, releasing deep inside her with a groaned, “Fuck, I love you,” that sent molten ripples of satisfaction through her body.

They were one now. Nothing and no one could change that. He would do whatever he had to do to ensure his woman’s safety. She had given him something he had always yearned for but never had: a soul-deep connection.

For the first time in her life, Helena fell asleep in the arms of a man who loved her. Kolya would give her everything she had always thought was only meant for other women -- the ones who grew up with good families, attended Ivy League schools, and married childhood sweethearts.

She and Kolya were two broken pieces of a puzzle, but together they created what each of them was missing in their lives. They’d seen the one night stands and the love lost to trying times and problematic lives. They would appreciate the simple beauty of a monogamous relationship and never take it for granted. What others cast to the side so easily in the name of boredom and restlessness, they would cherish and nurture for a lifetime.

Pavel strode toward the nursery with Beast loping along at his heels, fresh from a long walk along the grounds. After a week guarding the babies, he and Beast had established something of a routine, although Pavel was careful to change things up. A guard could never be predictable. Most mornings they would walk the grounds to let Beast stretch his legs and look for any signs of trespassers. Then they would return to the nursery.

As they got closer to the nursery, Beast picked up his pace and let out a small, excited whine when he reached the door. As he waited impatiently for Pavel to catch up, Beast leaned down to sniff under the door as his tail wagged happily.

“I know exactly how you feel, boy,” Pavel muttered as he turned the knob and entered the room. As expected, Katya was already there, quietly putting small stacks of baby clothes in drawers. At the sound of the door opening, she turned quickly and put her finger to her lips, her lips puckering as she made the universal sound for quiet, “Shhh…”

Pavel nearly groaned at the sight of her soft, full lips pressed to her index finger before she dropped her hand and continued her work. She smiled over her shoulder at him before dropping her gaze to his canine companion, who rushed across the floor and promptly got the royal treatment.

“C’mere, you,” she whispered. She knelt down and reached out for Beast, giving him a hug before scratching behind his ears and under his chin. “Such a gooood boy…”

“Fuck…” Pavel muttered, adjusting his pants as he cleared his throat. He shook his head as he stepped over to peer down into the crib, deciding that he could use a wholesome distraction. There were two cribs in the nursery, but the babies seemed happiest when they slept together so they were only using one so far.

“What?” Katya asked, looking up at him with a frown.

“Nothing,” he murmured, his neck flushing as he glanced somewhat resentfully down at Beast. 

“Um,” she whispered softly as if gathering her thoughts. “You know, Pavel, you don’t have to sleep in here at night. I’m sure you’d be more comfortable in your own bed.”

Her mentioning his bed had him picturing her in his bed. As sexual hunger rippled down his spine, he ran his hand over his smooth scalp and said, “No!” more sharply than he intended. “It’s fine. I’m fine in the recliner.”

“But I can arrange for a cot to be brought in if you’d like--”

“I said, it’s fine.” His lips pressed into a hard line and he instantly regretted the harshness of his tone. Whenever he was around Katya, he never knew what was going to come out of his mouth or how it would sound. He had spent a lifetime living up to his reputation as one of the most disciplined, stoic Bratva guards on Glazov’s payroll; he should know better.

“Oh,” she said, her eyes wide as hurt flashed in her eyes before she lowered her gaze to Beast once more. “Okay, then. Well, I’ve asked for a doggy bed for Beast. Isn’t that right, beautiful boy?” She stroked his head before strolling over to stand next to Pavel by the crib. “At least one of you will be comfortable.”

“I don’t need to be comfortable. I just need to be nearby in case you -- I mean, in case the babies need anything.”

He would never speak of the simple pleasure he got from watching her move gracefully around the nursery during the night, her nightgown fluttering around her feet as she helped Natasha with the 2 a.m. feedings. He could look his fill then, unobserved, as womanly curves that were usually hidden beneath her modest, starched gray uniform were revealed to him by the light of the moon.

“I see.” She slid her fingertips along the edge of the crib railing, stopping just short of where Pavel’s hands were gripping the rail. He looked down at their hands, so close together. Katya’s skin was like the most flawless porcelain, her fingers long and delicate, tipped with oval nails painted in a soft, neutral pink.

He imagined how soft and supple her skin would feel against him and nearly groaned. His life had been a solitary one in all the ways that counted, and deliberately so. It had been many years since he’d allowed himself to notice such fine details about a woman.

Without conscious thought, he moved his hand over until his pinky brushed against hers. He could feel her posture straighten as she stiffened next to him. And no wonder: his hands looked so leathery and old next to hers. That’s because you’re leathery and old yourself, fucker. He knew his calloused hands would feel like an old man’s hands to her if he were to dare touch her the way he wanted to…the way he touched her in his dreams.

Considering how abruptly she turned away and busied herself with the laundry again, he’d probably never find out. And that was as it should be. She was too fucking young for him, that was all there was to it.