Guilt ate at Boris and he did not know why. He didn’t care about this mysterious Jin that lived in Japan and intended on taking Laney away from him. In fact, first chance Boris got, he intended to find the man and dispose of him. He didn’t need a competitor for Laney’s affections wandering around out there. He suspected she would object to his plan, but he didn’t intend to tell her. He had enough to contend with once she woke up.
Glancing down at her slumbering form, he decided she was going to be pissed when she woke up in Russia. Certainly, that last look she gave him with those gorgeous jewel-like eyes had been anything but loving as they’d drifted shut. He held her against his chest and watched the clouds drift below the window of his airplane. And it was his airplane. Now that he was back in Russia, he could reclaim all of his assets, including this private jet. It might have meant more to him, except Boris rarely felt much beyond duty. A brutal and bloody childhood, multiple incarcerations and the bounty on his head had beaten a weary numbness into him.
Until her.
Now that he finally had her where he wanted her, he was never letting her go. He didn’t care if it took her another six months to forgive him for the death of her Jin. She would eventually get over it. He was keeping her. He needed her too badly to let her go. He needed her by his side to face the unknown enemies that would come at him in Russia. He needed her to determine what kind of shit his own brother intended to throw at him.
He loved her. He was too selfish to let her go. She would learn to love him, too. They would have a lifetime together. He held her tighter, his eyes devouring her delicate features. Even in repose she looked sad. He brought a finger up and traced her lips and cheeks, loving the near obscenity of his thick tattooed hand against her smooth, flawless features. Her pointed chin, her sharp cheeks and long lips. Her slanted eyes and long lashes. He touched everything, knowing she would struggle and jerk away from him once she was awake. Or shoot him the first chance she got her hands on a weapon.
“Mr. Grekov?” the flight attendant interrupted his silent exploration.
He glanced up with a frown and a growl of annoyance, uncaring that he might frighten the girl with his sinister, scarred visage. She backed up a few steps and swallowed visibly.
“We are approaching Moscow,” she said in Russian. “Y-your companion should have her own seat if she is able.”
The girl did not wait to see if he complied, but hurried quickly away to take her own seat. Boris gently placed Laney’s slumped form in the seat next to his and belted her in. He took her hand and kept his eyes on her to make sure she was comfortable during their entire descent.
***
Laney came awake slowly, confusion and headache merging to cloud her brain. She was incredibly thirsty and reached out for one of the water bottles that Boris always seemed to provide. A strong arm reached around her and helped tilt her head until her lips reached the edge of a glass. She sipped gratefully until her thirst was quenched and she relaxed once more with a sigh. The headache immediately began to recede until she was able to open her eyes and greet the man hovering over her prone body.
Dark, intense eyes and a bearded face greeted her. Massive arms crossed over a huge chest. He stood arrogantly, with legs spread apart. His whole body language screamed cruelty and dominance. He was exactly like his brother in every way, except for the eyes. Though he watched her with the same possessive longing, there was something different about this man… something missing. Though she could tell he wanted her, he didn’t feel for her what Boris did. She shivered.
“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice still weak from sleeping for so long. She wondered how long she had been out.
“Dimitri Grekov,” he said.
“Brother,” she murmured.
He nodded, his hooded eyes never leaving her. His body language made her very uncomfortable. It spoke of the same intense determination that Boris had when he declared his intention to take Laney and keep her. She didn’t understand why he was there instead of Boris. She knew her giant protector well enough to know he would never condone another man’s presence in her bedroom. Not even his brother.
She licked her lips and pushed herself up against the pillows, feeling vulnerable as Dimitri’s sharp eyes caressed her shoulders and breasts when the blanket fell away. She was grateful to discover that she was adequately covered in a thin high-necked, long-sleeved wraparound shirt.
“Twins,” she acknowledged succinctly, eyeing Dimitri. She didn’t particularly want to look at him, but his similarity to Boris drew her scrutiny. His tattoos were similar to Boris’ but slightly different, as though they were missing the wear and tear. And he didn’t have any scarring that she could see. Though he was wearing a heavy sweater and jeans so there was a wealth of skin she couldn’t see.
He nodded his head. Apparently, a man of few words. She shifted restlessly, growing annoyed under his unrelenting perusal. She was about to demand an explanation for his being in her room when the door slammed open and an extremely angry Boris strode in.
“What the fuck are you doing in here!” he snarled, quickly placing himself between Dimitri and the bed.
Though Laney was not happy with Boris, she was glad he hadn’t intentionally left her alone with his intimidating brother. The possessive look in Dimitri’s eyes quickly shifted to pleasantly mild and he twisted his lips into a semi-smile. Laney’s stomach turned in protest. She decided he looked nothing like Boris.
“I was merely looking after your property in your absence,” he said easily, moving toward the door. “Keep an eye on that one, she is temptation personified, brother.”
Laney shivered and lifted her eyes to Boris as Dimitri left them alone. He watched his brothers’ retreating back with speculation. He turned back to Laney and, placing his fists on the bed, leaned over and sat next to her. He reached out and ran his knuckles down her arm. She immediately moved away from him, jerking her arm from his hand when he would have reached for her.
“Don’t,” she snapped.
He sighed and rubbed a huge hand over his head, tattoos flexing over his knuckles and merging briefly with the tattoos on his head and neck. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. She leaned her chin on top of her legging clad knees and stared at him accusingly with bright blue eyes.
“You going to curse me out, kotenok?” he asked, looking as though he had to stop himself from forcing her back to his side. “You should have known I would never allow you to go back to Japan without me. You belong to me. We belong together.”
She fisted her hands where they were curled against her legs and narrowed her eyes at him. “You are a pig, Boris!” she snapped. “You should have talked to me about Japan if you were so determined to keep me with you. You had no right to bring me here.”
“You would have fought me and insisted I let you go. I am done fighting with you, Laney. We did that for months and all it did was keep you from my bed. I have no intention of letting you run back to another man. This was the best way. In time, you will see.”
She huffed out a breath and glared at him. “I doubt any amount of time will make me think that your drugging me and flying me to Russia is an appropriate response to anything,” she retorted angrily.
“It doesn’t matter. You are here to stay. It is my hope that you will reconcile yourself to this situation and that we become friends again. I am in love with you and I know you have feelings for me as well. I will give you time to adjust to this life before I make demands. I know I was rough on the ship and that I have shocked you by bringing you here. We will start over, here in Russia, become lovers as we are meant to be.”
Panic flared in her eyes as he spoke of their future together. She crawled toward him and took hold of his hand, her expression clearing of anger as desperation took hold. “You must release me immediately and send me back! Come with me if you must, but please, just let me go to Japan,” she begged.
Annoyance flared in his eyes. He turned swiftly toward her and took her arms in a biting grip. “Why do you need to see Jin so badly?” he demanded.
She opened her mouth to tell him, but hesitation clouded her eyes as mistrust took hold once more. A lifetime of betrayal and beatings hadn’t prepared her to give him the benefit of the doubt. She shook her head and looked away.
Finally, she said, “You had no right to bring me here. I did my duty by you. I have not completed my mission. Now I must get to Japan and fulfill my duty to another.”
“Jin,” he growled in her face, shaking her.
“Yes!” she snapped, turning her head to glare at him. “If I am lucky, Jin is not already dead! If I am lucky, I can make it back in time.”
“And if I am lucky, your Master will cut off his head,” Boris snarled, his dark eyes glowing cruelly.
The blood drained from Laney’s face and pain pierced her heart. Her shoulders bowed inward as the crushing pain of remembered grief shot through her like a vicious stab wound. Concern and jealousy over her extreme reaction swept over Boris, leaving him torn. He pulled her toward him, intent on seeing her face so he could determine if she was alright. Suddenly her head snapped up, her eyes flashing with hate. Her small fist flew toward his face before he had a chance to move back. She caught him in the side of the jaw with enough force to swing his head to the side. He was impressed.
She yelped and drew her fist back with a gasp. He was sure that, despite her years of training, she had just bruised her knuckles on his concrete jaw. Still, he was damn proud of the type of punch his woman could throw. She might be small, but she punched like a motherfucking tank. He started to grin, but then caught sight of the residual pain in her eyes as she crawled up the bed, away from him.
“My Master… he cut the head off of my first love. The only man that I had made love to, until you.” She spoke quietly, her words halting. When she raised her eyes to his, the look on her face gutted him.
“Laney kotenok, I am sorry. I did not know this. I spoke stupid words in haste. Please forgive me,” he reached for her, but she turned away from him and curled on her side.
“Please, just go away,” she whispered.