Which made him want to wrap her up and kiss her until she saw herself the way he did. He wanted to make all her hurts go away and again, wished he could pulverize that father of hers.
It also underlined how careful he needed to be with her. Another man did a great deal of damage. The last thing he wanted was to make it worse.
Her body against his, lithe and strong, fit just perfectly.
His.
His.
His.
His pulse beat out that word over and over as her taste lived against his lips as they skimmed over her belly. The muscles in her thighs flexed against his palms as he pushed them open.
Here she was soft and sweet and vulnerable in ways that shook him to his core. She trusted him with this heart of her as well.
Humbling to think a woman like her saw him as a person worthy of that.
“In,” she urged, her voice gone hoarse.
“Why do you rush? I’ll get there in my own time.” To underline that, he opened her to his kiss and took a long lick.
She gave a whole-body shiver as the breath stuttered from her lips.
Alexsei smiled against her flesh. Seemed a few things could get her to shut up and this was his favorite.
In this bed it was just the two of them. There was no misunderstanding, only that unspoken language of attraction and chemistry. No need to second-guess. Fucking was at its most honest and raw with her. Something he’d never actually experienced before.
Something he now craved.
It seemed a wonder to him that he wanted her as much and as constantly as he did. A pleasant warmth usually, though just then it was a sharp ache.
Her taste and her scent surrounded him as he let himself drown. He took and took, each gasp and sigh, the way she said his name, the urgent movement of her hips.
He toyed with her, letting her dance on that sharp edge of climax until she pulled his hair hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. Then he shot her over strong and fast, keeping up the pace until she scooted up the bed, chest heaving.
“Holy shit,” she gasped. “That was awesome.”
Laughing, he swooped in on her, the condom he’d been keeping nearby was on in a quick few steps and then he was in that blessed heat, her legs wrapped around his waist.
He leaned in to kiss her as slow as the first few thrusts but after a time, moved to her throat and ears as he dug in deeper. She moved, changing her angle just slightly but it was enough, too much and not enough and orgasm clutched his gut with its claws.
Skin to skin, the length of their torsos slid with delicious friction. The room smelled of sex and their skin. A snarl buried itself in his throat like a burr as he picked up the pace.
“Jesus, when you make that sound,” she gasped out, her inner walls clutching around him and holding on, dragging him into climax as he dipped to claim her mouth.
She unraveled him. Took him down to a place where he was at his most elemental and vulnerable.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in as he shifted his weight off her.
She hugged him with a satisfied sigh and he realized that he’d been made stronger and better. Because of her. Because he was utterly in love with her and understood what love truly was.
Again, because of her.
He rolled out of bed to get rid of the condom and clean up a little before rejoining her in bed.
“What are you doing for Christmas?” she asked in a lazy, warm voice as he gathered her close.
“I hadn’t much thought about it other than to assume I’d be with you in some way.”
If he hadn’t been looking down into her face, he’d have missed the flash of pleasure at his reply. Tenderness flooded him.
“Oh. Well, that’s nice. My aunt Robbie, the one who I lived with before? Rachel and I are going to spend Christmas Eve and Day there and she wanted me to invite you too.”
He hadn’t even considered that she’d invite him back to a place she considered home for the holiday. That she had, that her family wanted to meet him meant she’d told them about him in the first place.
“I don’t know the protocol,” Maybe added in the silence he’d left while thinking. “I’m sure you have plans with your family and stuff. So you can say no. I just, you know, wanted to ask.”
He flipped them so she was on her back and he loomed above her. “I’d love to come. My family is still Orthodox so we celebrate Christmas in January. You can come to that. I’m sure Iriskha already told you to be there, but I figure I’ll say it too.”
“Oh that’s right. Okay. So. Yeah. Cool.”
Bittersweet, the way she responded to him sometimes. “It’s perfectly acceptable, you know, to let me see you’re happy.”
Her frown made him want her anew. Which was better than wanting to hurt her parents for making her so worried about such things to start with.
“I am. Happy I mean.” She smiled at him, it reached her eyes and he eased back a little. “We’ll leave here Christmas Eve morning. We’ll drive. They’ll send us back with so much stuff we need the trunk.”
Still touched, he brushed the pad of his thumb over the piercing in her nipple. “You told them about me.”
“Well. Yeah. Of course. They’re not like my parents. I mean, they are a lot like parents to me, but though Robbie and my dad grew up in the same house and both went into law enforcement, Robbie is the black sheep like me.”
Alexsei knew the concept of the black sheep, understood it was a negative connotation. But as far as he was concerned, it made one unique, not bad, to be different.
“Does she bake kittens into pies for unsuspecting children?” he asked.
Her face screwed up a moment and then she snickered. “I’m going to tell her that because she’ll think it’s hilarious. She’s a feminist and votes Democratic, which in my family is as bad as feeding kitten potpies to kindergartners.”
“It’ll be good to finally put a face to the people you talk about so much. Democrat or not.” He kissed her quickly.
“She’s going to ask you a million questions. She’s still a cop and she’s going to want to be sure you’re good enough for me.”
“As she should. I can handle questions, Maybe.”
“Yeah, I know you can. She’ll be invasive and embarrassing.”
“Zajka, you’ve met my family and you’d say that? Embarrassing is second nature to me by this point.”
Pleased, he stole another kiss.
“Okay. Just remember I warned you.” But she smiled as she said it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CRISTIAN WALKED INTO Whiskey Sharp, lifting a hand in greeting as he caught sight of Alexsei.
The brothers hugged and Cristian settled into the chair next to Alexsei’s to wait until he’d finished the cut he was halfway through.
“I booked you for your next cut,” Cristian said. “I figured it would be a good way to catch up with you since you’ve pretty much decided your new life is skipping from place to place.” He looked over to Maybe’s empty station. “Where’s Maybe?”
“She’s at lunch with her sister and Cora. You can just call me if you want to catch up. It’s not like you don’t know my number.”
He’d been spending a lot of nights at Maybe’s place, stopping over each day to water Gregori’s plants, check the mail and keep an eye on things. But each morning he’d woken up with her next to him had been better than anything else he’d experienced.
She hadn’t complained at his presence. And that regular contact with her meant he and Rachel had gained a level of comfort and ease they hadn’t had before. Which in turn seemed to cut down Maybe’s stress level.
His woman was very protective of her sister and she put a great deal of time and energy into making sure Rachel was okay. It was a beautiful thing to watch. To see the love and
loyalty between the two.
At the same time, it grated on him that she took the brunt of the hassle with their parents. In his opinion, there was more to what went on between Maybe and her father that she hadn’t revealed. Not to him and perhaps not to anyone.
It was the way she talked around it, skirted something but never gave him anything specific. Not more than a feeling.
“I have your number, yes, but I like to see you and I’m nosy. Seth and I caught some major eye fucking between you and Maybe at his birthday party weekend before last. I want all the dirt.”
Alexsei snorted as he cleaned up the cut, made sure everything was perfect.
“Oh you and Seth, huh? You sure it’s not just you?” His little brother loved gossip with all his heart.
“Seth seriously digs her. He thinks she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
Alexsei agreed with that.
He finished up with his client and motioned Cristian into the chair before getting him draped up.
“What is it you want to know then? Go on and ask before she gets back. I suspect there might be margaritas with lunch so she’ll be even more talkative.”
“I really figured that would drive you nuts. She talks a lot.”
That made Alexsei laugh. “To be honest, even when I first hired her, it didn’t bother me. Other people who talk that much? Hell, other people who don’t talk that much bother me. Her chirping is...” He lifted his shoulders. “I like it. She has a lot to say. Most of it is unexpected. But she can be quiet. Usually when she’s sleeping.”
They both laughed at that.
“She started taking a class to learn Russian. I only learned of it after the dinner where Rada acted like a total asshole.”
Cristian’s face brightened. “That’s awesome. Not the Rada thing, the language class.”
To Alexsei it meant she considered him worth the time and effort. Considered her ability to communicate with him and access what was a pretty important part of his life as worthy of her hard work.
That was...well, he could count the number of people he believed felt that way about him on one hand.
“I take it you two worked things out? After that?” Cristian asked.
Alexsei nodded and knowing his brother would demand details, he gave some. “We had a talk after leaving the party. I need to be better about not automatically responding to Rada’s demands.”
“I was wondering when that was going to happen. Good for her. Rada is toying with Maybe. Whether that’s an affectionate tease or a smug taunt is the real issue, right? Seems to me, Maybe’s the type to be cool with teasing, but not so much with a taunt.”
“Astute.”
Cris smiled at his brother. “I can be the pretty one and the smart one too, you know. And since you’ve been telling me all this, I’ve figured out what I had suspected. This is serious.”
Alexsei hadn’t expected to be standing there, totally certain just six weeks after a first date, that what he had with Maybe Dolan was forever.
“Yes.”
“You know people will bring up that you’ve only dated for a short while.”
Alexsei nodded. “I’m sure they will.”
“I’m of the opinion that she’s sort of been your work wife for two years, so really, you’ve been courting her this whole time. Not so sudden at all when you think of it like that.”
“Work wife?”
“Yes. People have them sometimes. She handles things here when you’re not around. She does your hair and beard. Exclusively. You spend what? At least six hours a day with her at least five days a week. You were coworkers and then friends. That’s a good base. That’s how Seth and I ended up getting hitched. He reminded me to tell you that, by the way.”
When he put it that way, it made sense.
“She’s going to have to slap Rada down herself. You know that, right?” Cristian asked, his eyes closed as Alexsei used the trimmer.
“She shouldn’t have to. Rada knows what she’s doing. And it’s not like if Evie was doing the same thing. She’s our little cousin, that comes with the package.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me on that. But she’ll still have to do it. Maybe’s smart. She’s badass. She’ll handle it, I’m sure. Especially if you back it up.”
She was a badass without any doubt. But she was soft inside. Vulnerable in ways so few understood. She shouldn’t have to deal with people poking at her and making her feel bad as much as she did. Alexsei didn’t say any of that aloud, knowing she’d be embarrassed by the sentiment.
“What are you doing for Christmas? Seth and I are doing this the American way with a tree and the celebration on the twenty-fifth. I figure you might like to bring Maybe and Rachel over for turkey and whatnot.”
“I’m heading to Spokane with her. To meet the aunt and uncle.” He added quietly, “I’m too old to be nervous about it. But I am. A little.” Maybe loved her aunt and uncle, trusted them and their opinion a great deal.
Because they loved her, Alexsei could only hope they’d see how much he loved her too and they’d be fine.
Cristian’s brows went up. “Really now? Nervous is good though. I was a wreck before meeting Seth’s mom and dad last year. But they’ll like you. Why wouldn’t they?”
“We’ll see. We’re headed out Friday morning first thing to drive to Spokane where they live. We’ll all be back the day after Christmas so it’s just a quick trip.”
“That’s nice. You won’t have to worry about the shop since you’re closed those days anyway. And if it’s bad, it’s not totally endless or anything. What about her parents? They’re here in Seattle, I know that much. Vic says they’re fuckheads.”
“Vic might be slightly biased on that count. But I don’t think he’s wrong. I haven’t met them so all I know is what I’ve been told and have experienced secondhand. They make Maybe very unhappy and that’s all I need to know.”
Cris frowned. “They sound awful. Come over for dinner then. No holiday needed. The week after Christmas, before New Year’s Eve. Seth wants to show off the house and play host and we want to get to know Maybe better. She’s been the weird woman you worked with for a while now, it’ll be nice to know her as the woman you’re in love with.”
“And because you’re nosy.”
His brother flipped him off.
“I’ll check with her on her schedule for next week and get back to you.”
Cristian got up, pausing to pay on the way out and bumping into Maybe as he opened the door to go.
“Hey!” She hugged him. “Sorry I missed you. Loving that haircut. Your brother has some serious skills.”
Cristian preened for her a little. “Seth says no one else is allowed to touch it so I suppose that’s the seal of approval. By the way, I invited you and Alexsei over to dinner next week so we can visit then.”
He gave her one last hug after they chose a time right then and there before he got back on his way.
* * *
IT HAD BEEN many years since Alexsei had been in the kind of snow they experienced in Eastern Washington on the way to Spokane. At least that side of the mountains was flatter than the west side, so the conditions weren’t that treacherous. Especially in the four-wheel drive Rachel had.
As he’d expected, Maybe on a road trip was beyond delightful. Endlessly cheerful in a genuine way. Snarky at times. She made her sister stop for ice cream and other treats and controlled the radio because Rachel insisted on driving.
Alexsei would normally want to drive, but not driving allowed him to pay more attention to his hummingbird.
“All I’m saying is maybe three times is enough Hamilton for now,” Rachel said. “You’ve got nine million other songs, play those.”
“I don’t see how you can hate Hamilton so much.” Maybe scrolled through the music on her phone.
“I don’t hate Hamilton. I just need a break sometimes so stop being so dramatic and choose new music or I’ll choose,” Rachel said.
Before they could bicker any further, Maybe chose something that in a few beats Alexsei recognized as Alabama Shakes. Before long, both sisters sang along and Alexsei smiled.
The drive seemed to go by relatively quickly and Alexsei pretended he wasn’t a little nervous when they finally turned up a driveway and parked in front of a pretty rambler decked out for the holidays with lights around the rooftop and in the big trees out front.
He wasn’t sure what he expected, but the sprite of a woman and her giant male companion probably wasn’t it.
She rushed down the steps toward the car, gathering Rachel and Maybe into a dual hug.
The big guy waited his turn, smiling when both sisters moved to hug him. He left an affectionate hand on Maybe’s shoulder as he said something to her quietly. Her quicksilver smile made Alexsei relax a little.
* * *
“COME ON INSIDE, it’s cold out here,” the tiny woman told them all before her gaze locked on Alexsei’s. “You’re Alexsei. I’m Roberta but most folks call me Robbie. That’s Teddy over there. He’s Theodore, but well, you might have guessed we’re a family who loves nicknames.”
She held out a hand and he took it, liking her already. Teddy followed with a handshake of his own. He didn’t squeeze really hard or anything like that, but he definitely took Alexsei’s measure, which comforted him a great deal, glad someone else cared enough about Maybe to act like that.
They brought in the suitcases and presents. Dogs, and there were three of them he could see, happily greeted Maybe and Rachel. He noted Maybe was far more at ease there than Rachel, though the older sister wasn’t hurting or uncomfortable or anything like that. It was just clear to him that Maybe viewed these two as her parents and Rachel still thought of them as her aunt and uncle.
This made him think about the Dolans once more and the way they seemed to run roughshod over their youngest child.
“We’ve got mulled cider. I figured you might need the warm-up and the alcohol. How was the drive?” Robbie fussed over the sisters a moment. “I put you and Alexsei in your old room. Rachel, you’re in the blue bedroom.”