Chapter Four
Gavriil ignored his phone once more and continued to watch Abigail as she slept. It spoke to the inner Neanderthal in him that he loved the fact she was here in his house, sleeping in his shirt, in his bed, on his pillow. She was completely surrounded by his scent.
When she had looked at him on that street, her home burning to the ground behind her, telling him that she would come with him, allow him to take care of her, and listen when he talked to her about his past, he felt ten feet tall. His only concern now was having to actually do it. It was one thing for her to imagine the sins of his past, and a completely different matter for him to spell it out to her. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his past. Hell, no. He’d played the cards he had been dealt and come out the other side with a family he never thought he’d have. He just never imagined having a woman in his life he wanted to keep, especially one as sweet and pure as his Abigail.
When his phone vibrated once more in his pocket, he sighed. The real world wanted in, and it was apparently not taking no for an answer. He stood up, casting one more longing look at his woman asleep in his bed, then stepped out onto the balcony to take the call.
“Speak.”
“Damn, Gavriil, I’ve been calling you like a thousand times. The fire was definitely set by Angelo Battaglia.” Gino got right to the point. “In fact, the asshole is fucking bragging about it to anyone who will listen to him.”
“Did he say why?” Not that it mattered. Fucker put his woman at risk and made her cry. As far as Gavriil was concerned, that sealed his fate.
“Said he was sure she had helped Poppa John escape, and if she had then she was nothing more than a Carlisi family whore. He wanted her desperate and with nothing so he could take her and, I quote, ‘teach that bitch a lesson.’”
Now Angelo was going to have to die hard. Painful and bloody.
“Is there a warrant out for him?”
Gino made a pfft sound that said it all. “You kidding? Despite his fingerprints at the scene and on the fucking bottle of accelerant the dumb prick left behind, twenty of the Battaglia crew all swear he was with them.”
Of course they did. “Bring the head of each crew to John’s house. Meet me in his rooms in an hour.”
“We going for a little retaliation?” Gino’s excitement was easy to hear in his voice.
“Hell yes, we are going to retaliate. Those fuckers killed two of our own, nearly killed John, scared my woman, and burned down her damn house. They chose to take a run at this family, it’s our right to show them why that was a stupid fucking idea.”
A sound behind him had Gavriil turning quickly. Abigail stood there, her eyes wide with an emotion he couldn’t name.
“You want me to bring Tony as well?”
Gavriil held Abigail’s stare. “Yes. Angelo and his crew killed Tony’s father. He’ll want in on this, as is his right. One hour.”
He disconnected the call and put his phone back in his pocket. “Sleep well, moy angil?”
Abigail nodded slowly, staring at him warily. Gavriil had never liked being stared at, and right now he felt like an insect beneath a microscope. Not a feeling he appreciated at all.
“There something you want to say to me, Abigail?” His voice came out harsher than he’d planned, and he regretted it when his angel flinched.
Abigail frowned. “I’m not sure where to even start with that.”
“The beginning is always a good place, I’ve found.” He knew he was throwing attitude like he always did when he was in a situation outside his comfort zone.
Abigail stared at him a moment longer then turned back into his bedroom. He followed her as she strode to her pile of clothes from the night before.
“Oh, so because you can’t think of something to say, you’re gonna walk, is that it?” Gavriil heard the snarl in his tone, but couldn’t find it in himself to care.
Abigail spun toward him and he expected anger and frustration, truly anticipating being yelled at for being an ass. He was completely unprepared for the confused sadness that shone in Abigail’s eyes.
“I wasn’t going to leave,” she spoke softly and it was much worse than had she ripped into him. “Not just because of the promise I made to you last night, but because I truthfully have nowhere else to go. That shop was my— God! It was my everything. But you were so angry just now, and from what I heard you have a right to be. Having someone close to you murdered is something I know a lot about, so I can appreciate that.” Shock rocked through him. “I thought that some of that anger might be directed at me, and I—” Abigail dropped her eyes to the floor and exhaled slowly and Gavriil wanted to rip his heart from his chest and lay it at her feet, “—felt too vulnerable and exposed wearing just your shirt. I wanted to get d-dressed and then t-talk to you and apologize for eavesdropping on your call.”
Gavriil saw light reflect off a single tear as it fell from her perfect cheek and he couldn’t stay away from her a moment longer. He moved swiftly to her, falling to his knees in front of her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, burying his face in her midsection. He held her like that for a few moments, afraid that she would reject him, and he couldn’t blame her if she did. When he felt her arms wrap around him and cradle his head to her, he was able to breathe once more.
“I’m so sorry, my angel. Please forgive me.” Gavriil realized he was speaking in Russian. “I’m sorry, moy angil. Forgive me, please. You have nothing to apologize for. I invited you into my world, and I mean for you to see everything in it. I find that when it comes to you, angil, I want you to see only the very best of me. I know that’s completely the opposite of what I’ve said, but it’s the truth.”
Abigail took a deep breath, running her fingers through his hair, and using her nails on his scalp. Gavriil groaned at the sensation and rubbed his face against her tummy, inhaling her scent deep into his lungs.
“I like that you are as uncertain as I am, Gavriil.” The sound of his name on her lips had his cock twitching behind the zipper of his trousers. “I want to know who you are. I-I understood what you told Gino last night.”
Gavriil frowned, searching his memory for what he had said, but came up with nothing. “What did I say?”
“You told him that you liked me and not to look at me,” Abigail spoke in a soft tone, and he could tell she was a little embarrassed by his claim. “Then you said you’d hurt him if he looked at me again.”
Gavriil grinned, pulling back to look up her. “I love that you can understand Italian, angil, and I look forward to teaching you to talk dirty to me in Russian.” Gavriil loved the sweep of color in her cheeks, and reveled in her shy smile and the fact she never dropped her gaze from his. “But I think you might need a little help with your translation. I told Gino that you were mine, because from the moment you spoke to me on the phone, angil, you have been. And I believe that I said I would ‘gut’ him not ‘hurt’ him if he stared at you like that again.”
Abagail cupped his face with a hand that he could tell shook a little. “No, I understood it perfectly, I was paraphrasing.”
Gavriil leaned in to press a kiss against her nipple, leaving it full and erect behind the thin cotton of his shirt. “I get that, baby, but your way takes too much of the threat out of what I said.” Abigail was breathing heavier now, her eyes a lot darker than they had been and he could tell she was getting as aroused as he was.
“Do you like being in my arms, Abigail?” Gavriil said in a voice even he could tell was deeper than before. From the way his Abigail nodded—and the flush of color that swept across the soft skin of her neck he could see over his shirt—she liked it.
He moved his arms to place his hands on her hips, loving that although his thumbs slid into the slight dip above her hip bones, there was plenty of warm woman to hold. He had never understood the appeal for some women to be as thin as possible. Men liked to feel a woman between their hands, not just skin and bone.
He rotated his thumbs, watching her for any sign that this was too much too soon, but when all he got was a soft moan of excitement and a pulse of her hips against his hands, he figured she was just as caught in the moment as he was.
“There is a lot we have to talk about, baby,” Gavriil said softly. “And when I get back from my meeting tonight, I want to start having those conversations. But right now, I want to show you how I can make you feel. Let me show you that you were made for me.”
****
Abigail swallowed in an attempt to get moisture in her mouth. She was so far out of her comfort zone they were in completely different time zones. But she knew this was one of the times where she would regret not reaching for what she wanted for both hands. Still unable to find the ability to speak, she nodded, loving that Gavriil’s eyes lit up with joy when she did.
“Say it for me, angil,” Abigail loved it when he called her angel. “I need to hear it from your lips.”
“Show me, Gavriil,” she whispered, taking hold of her courage with both hands.
His smile turned into a cocky grin in a heartbeat. He pushed against her until she moved and her back was pressed against the wall. “I can’t wait until I have the time I need to do this properly, but for right now, this will work perfectly.”
As he spoke, he pulled her feet forward slightly so that she was leaning heavily against the wall. Abigail kept her gaze locked to his as his hands slid beneath the shirt she wore.
Gavriil’s eyes closed briefly and he cursed softly in Russian. “Blyat! If I’d known you weren’t wearing panties and—” Abigail inhaled sharply when she felt his fingers slide over her pussy, “—Christ, were completely bare, I would have had my mouth on you hours ago.”
Gavriil took a couple of deep breaths and Abigail could see him struggling for control. It felt strange to think that it was she that had such power over this man.
When his eyes snapped to hers, they were so dark they looked black. “Take your shirt off for me, baby. I want to see all of you.”
Biting her bottom lip, a habit she had been fighting since childhood, she did as requested, pulling the shirt up and over her head.
“Sweet Jesus,” he whispered, his hot gaze sliding up and over her body, and Abigail could have sworn she could actually feel it moving across her skin. “You are perfection, moy angil. And you are mine.”
Abigail was not prepared for what came next, and cried out when Gavriil leaned in and swept his tongue between her legs.
“Mmm, sweet with a touch of spice,” Gavriil looked up her, licking his lips before grinning at her. “I love your taste, baby. I think I’m going to become addicted to your sweet taste.” Gavriil lifted her left leg and moved his shoulder beneath it. “I’m gonna need some room for this. I want to make you come so hard you forget anything and anyone from before.”
Abigail would have thought that being pressed naked against a wall with one leg hanging indelicately over a man’s shoulder, she would have been embarrassed or nervous for what was about to happen. But all she felt was need and bone-deep desire. Shocking herself, she reached out, slid her hands into Gavriil’s thick hair, and pulled him closer.
It was all the invitation he required. With a growl, Gavriil leaned in and Abigail cried out in pleasure as he slid the flat of his tongue right down her pussy, pushing inside her body and taking everything she had. And she had a lot to give. He had been turning her on for so long her body was hot and wet and ready for anything he had to give her.
Gavriil groaned again and lapped at her faster, alternating between long licks and quick flicks of his pointed tongue against her swollen clit. Abigail could only hold onto his head, gasping and jolting as he devoured her in the most intimate and intense manner. She had never felt something like this before. She had never taken a man willingly, but had enjoyed the pleasure she could bring herself with the vibrator she had bought online a few years ago, but it felt nothing like this.
Her orgasm was building to epic proportions within her and it was frightening how fast it was approaching. She sobbed Gavriil’s name out loud when she felt him add a finger to his play, thrusting it in and out of her, twisting it within her to touch a place within that lit her like a firework when he dragged the tip of his finger against it.
“Oh my god, Gavriil!”
She heard the desperation in her own cry, even over the roaring in her own ears, her harsh cries echoing slightly in the large room, but she was beyond caring. When her release began its final rush at her, she rolled her hips against Gavriil’s face. He took that as a signal to up his speed and a moment later she was spiraling out of control. She screamed as her body seemed to leave solid ground and she gave herself over to her release.
She had no idea how long she was held in the tight grasp of her orgasm, but when she finally became aware of her surroundings, she was on the bed, wrapped in Gavriil’s arms as he watched her.
“Hey,” she whispered in a voice that sounded slightly raspy.
Gavriil’s grin was sweet and sexy, and, if she wasn’t mistaken, had a pretty heavy dose of smugness to it, too. “Hey back. How do you feel?”
Abigail smiled back, lifting her arms over head and stretching, reveling in his groan of appreciation of the move. “I feel decadent.”
“You taste decadent,” Gavriil ran the back of his fingers between her breasts and down her torso then slid his hand to cup her hip. “I wish we had more time. I want to explore your body a little more.” His expression turned serious. “When you came so beautifully for me, giving me everything you had to give, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced in my life. You slay me, angil.”
Abigail smiled and lifted her hand to his face. “It felt pretty special for me, too.”
Gavriil leaned down and gave her a sweet kiss. Abigail giggled and Gavriil pulled back.
“You know, it does terrible things to a man’s ego for his woman to laugh when they kiss.”
Abigail giggled even more. “I’m sorry, Gavriil. I just realized that was our first kiss. At least our first real kiss.” She giggled again at the look of surprise that crossed his face. “I mean, you’ve kissed my temple and my—” Abigail waved her hand down near her private parts, her face blooming with heat once more.
“Pussy,” Gavriil was quick to add. “I kissed your beautiful, bare, deliciously tender pussy.”
“Yes, you did,” Abigail agreed, ignoring her embarrassment. “But that was the first time you kissed me on my mouth.”
Gavriil leaned in and kissed her again. “And now that’s twice. I’ll be doing it a lot, and much more thoroughly from now on, I promise. But for now, I have to go to join the family for a discussion.”
Abigail’s humor evaporated completely as she remembered his phone conversation from earlier, and something she had missed in the moment slammed back to her with force. “Wait, it was these Battaglia people who burned my place down?”
Gavriil’s gaze became guarded. “Yes. Like you said, you didn’t use gas. But an accelerant was used, and the police have a suspect. The only problem is that suspect has an airtight alibi.”
“Then I want to come to that meeting.”
Gavriil tensed. “No.”
When he moved to get off the bed, Abigail clung to his arms. “Gavriil, they took my shop, they took my home, and they very nearly took my life. I think I should be allowed to hear what you and your family are going to do. Is it not my right?”
Gavriil flinched at those words and she knew she had him. She might only just be starting on the journey to get to know this man, but there was one thing she knew beyond doubt. Honor, family and loyalty ran thick in his veins and if she was hurt by someone, then it was her prerogative to be involved in the decision around whatever line of justice that person would receive.
Gavriil took a deep breath. “If I allow this, moy angil, you stay by my side. I wanted to talk to you about my world before you saw it for yourself first hand, but tonight, if you come with me to his meeting, you will see a lot more than you may be ready for.”
Abigail nodded. “I understand that, Gavriil. But if I am ever to come to terms with who you are, you need to let me see everything you are.”
Abigail held her breath as Gavriil simply stared at her. After what felt like an eternity, he nodded and she fell just that little bit more for the man. What concerned her most was that there was very little distance to go before she fell for him completely.