Alexei

  “I’d like to see him try,” Alexei replied, totally unfazed. “He doesn’t scare me. My relationship with Eric goes back years. Back to the days when he was a patrol cop.” Clearly interested in my history with Eric, he asked, “How do you know him?”

  “Eric was the first cop to bust Shannon. That was way back when Mom was still around,” I said, my brain bombarded with memories I didn’t want. “He also responded to some of the 9-1-1 calls when things got out of hand between Mom and her boyfriends.”

  “I’m sorry that you had to go through that, Shay.” The tenderness in his gaze was enough to make me forget all about Eric’s visit. “You deserved a better childhood than that.”

  “I survived it, and I’m better for it.” In so many ways, I believed that. “You had a rough start in life, too. You didn’t deserve that either.”

  “Most of the rough things in my background were my own fault.” Not wanting to talk about his past, he held out his hand. “Come into the pool with me.”

  I gulped and shrank back. “No, thank you.”

  “Come swim with me, Shay.”

  “I don’t have a bathing suit.” I stated the obvious and gestured to my leggings and sweater.

  “We’re alone in the house. Take it off, and get in the water with me.” He ran his hand through water. “It’s warm.”

  Feeling embarrassed, I realized I couldn’t come up with enough excuses and finally admitted, “I don’t know how to swim. I never learned.”

  Alexei’s eyebrows arched with surprise. “As hot as it is here in the summers and you never learned to swim?”

  “There weren’t many pools in the neighborhoods I grew up in,” I said somewhat bitterly.

  “Take off your clothes,” Alexei all but ordered.

  “What?”

  “Strip.”

  Biting my lip, I thought about telling him no but he had that gleam in his eye. Slowly, I rose to my feet and started peeling out of my clothes. Naked and feeling vulnerable, I stood in front of him.

  “Come sit on the edge of the pool.” He patted the space right in front of him. When I hesitated, he promised, “I won’t pull you in or try to do anything stupid like that. Just come sit here and put your feet in the water.”

  Trusting him, I did as he asked and sat on the cold tile. I slipped my feet into the pool. The warm water lapped at my calves. It felt nice, but I was terrified of going in any deeper.

  As if sensing my fear, Alexei put his hands on my waist. “You’re perfectly safe with me, Shay.”

  “I know.” I rested my hands on his shoulders. “I’m just afraid.”

  “It’s okay to be afraid.” He touched his lips to mine in a sweet kiss. “This water isn’t that deep. I’m standing flat footed right now.”

  The water hit him mid-chest, but with our height difference, I was pretty sure it would cover my head.

  He must have been reading my mind. “If you wrap your legs around my waist, I’ll hold you up.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Wrap my legs around your waist, huh?”

  He laughed. “Humor me.”

  Swallowing anxiously, I nodded. “Okay.”

  Alexei enveloped me in his strong arms and lifted me off the edge of the pool. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he gently lowered me into the water. “I’ve got you, ptichka.”

  Even though I knew he never would, I begged, “Please don’t let go.”

  “Never,” he promised and kissed me again. Floating in the warm water and safe in his arms, his sensual kiss ignited my passion like a spark to dry tinder. His incredible body, hard and honed, supported me so easily. He flicked his tongue against mine, and my thighs tightened around him in response. There was a flutter in my lower belly, and I moaned against his mouth.

  Pulling back, I gazed down at him and whispered, “I have a feeling I’m not going to get that swimming lesson.”

  “Probably not,” he agreed, a relaxed smile playing upon his lips. “But there’s always tomorrow.”

  As Alexei kissed me again and slid one of his big hands down to cup my bottom, I had a pretty good feeling we wouldn’t get to the swimming lesson tomorrow either…

  Chapter Eighteen

  When Alexei’s alarm sounded early the next morning, he did the unthinkable. He slapped the top of the annoying machine until he found the button to switch it off and then curled around Shay’s lithe body. She made a soft, kittenish sound as he kissed a lazy line from her shoulder to her neck and up to her ear. He didn’t want to wake her so he left it there and simply held her until her breaths deepened and she relaxed completely.

  Long conditioned to be out of bed before the sun, he wanted to linger in bed with her this morning. The thought of being separated from her during the coming day was almost too much to bear. A small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that he was the boss and he could take the entire day off if he wanted. Those were the perks of running his own businesses.

  But that was a slippery slope. He’d seen what happened to businesses run by absentee owners. If he gave in to the urge to call off and stay in bed with Shay today, Tuesday would be even harder and Wednesday damn near impossible.

  Deciding to skip his usual morning run, he closed his eyes and breathed in her feminine scent. Flashes of their evening together taunted him. Once he had her in the pool with him, it hadn’t taken him long to show her all the different ways they could enjoy the water. They had ordered delivery and kicked back in his media room to watch the Food Network which was, apparently, her favorite channel. She started to nod off during one of the cooking competitions so they had cut their night short.

  It wasn’t a particularly remarkable night, but he had enjoyed it more than any other night he could remember. Sitting there next to Shay in his media room, he had realized just how lonely he was and how empty his life had become. In his drive to amass more wealth and more expensive things and his desperate need to keep himself walled off from other people, he had starved himself of the most necessary things for a man.

  When Shay had placed her head in his lap and dragged his arm over her waist so she could hold his hand while watching television, he had experienced the strangest yearning sensation. Like a lump he couldn’t swallow, his emotions had balled up in his throat. She would never understand how something so innocent could affect him in such a way.

  “You’re going to be late,” Shay murmured sleepily.

  “I have plenty of time to get to work.” He nuzzled the back of her neck and stroked her stomach through the thin cotton nightshirt she wore. “Hear that rain hitting the windows? I have no desire to lace up my running shoes and splash through that when I can stay right here with you for another hour.”

  Shay interlaced her fingers with his and dragged his hand under her shirt. “I have an idea how you can still burn some calories here in bed with me.”

  Laughing softly, he nipped at her earlobe. “Show me.”

  Shay guided his hand to her bare breast. He could feel her heart beating as fast as a hummingbird’s underneath his fingertips. With her hand resting atop his, he caressed her silky skin. He cupped her breasts and brushed his thumb over her nipples, feeling them pucker and harden as she breathed a little faster and shallower.

  Reaching back, Shay slid her smaller hand into the loose shorts he liked to sleep in and discovered his hardening cock. She stroked the length of him, coaxing him to grow harder and longer. As he kissed her neck and shoulder, she pushed back against him, rubbing her tight little ass against his dick in a daring way.

  Never one to turn away an invite like that, Alexei grasped the bottom of her shirt and dragged it up her body. Shay shifted so he could remove it and helped him when he tugged on her panties. It didn’t take him long to kick off his shorts.

  Skin to skin, they kissed passionately. He couldn’t get enough of this woman—my woman—and wondered if she had any idea of the powerful sway she held over him. Like a witch, she had enchanted him and held him right in the palm of her h
and.

  When Shay arched onto her back and tried to wrap her legs around his waist, to draw him inside her and get the satisfaction she craved, he made a low warning sound and lifted off her nubile body. He manhandled Shay, drawing an excited laugh from her, and flipped her right onto her belly.

  Shoving aside her hair, he nibbled her nape and kissed across her shoulders. She wiggled her bottom, and he gave her a good smack, causing her to yelp and hiss. But she wasn’t daunted by that brief bite of pain. She pushed back even harder, almost as if to test his resolve. He answered her teasing wiggle with another swat and another.

  “Alexei!” Desperation filled her voice. “Please.”

  “Please what?” He skimmed his lips down her spine. Those scars crisscrossing her back still hadn’t been discussed, but they would have to be soon. For now, he put them out of his mind and concentrated on the beautiful, sexy woman begging him to fuck her.

  “I can’t take anymore,” she said, nearly breathless. “Don’t make me wait.”

  “Kotyonok.” Smiling, he brushed his mouth over her back. “Patience.”

  He nudged her thighs apart and cupped between them. Shay inhaled a ragged breath of excitement, the sound urging him to continue. She was already wet for him when he probed her with one finger and then two. Dropping her head to the mattress, Shay moaned as he worked her with both hands, thrusting into her pussy with two fingers on hand and strumming her clit with the other. She swiveled her hips, and he moved his hands at a faster pace until she came with a strangled groan. Her back bowed as she rode his fingers until the last burst of bliss left her.

  Gripping her hips, he hauled Shay onto her knees and pushed them apart. He sheathed himself with one swift thrust. She clawed at sheets and rocked back against him. He took her easily at first, enjoying the leisurely pace and sweeping his hands up and down her back. The grey light creeping through the windows washed over her body, but it wasn’t enough to highlight the sensual curves he’d grown to love so much.

  Cloaked in shadow, he ran his palms over her perfect ass. Wondering if she might be interested in one of his favorite bedroom activities, he dragged his thumb between her plump cheeks and then circled the tight pucker hidden away there. She gasped when he touched her so intimately, but she didn’t pull away or tell him to stop.

  Permission granted, he drew lazy circles around it, applying a subtle pressure, but he didn’t try to penetrate her. She wasn’t ready for that yet, and he’d only hurt her if he tried to slide in dry. But he could tell by her excited breaths and movements that she liked the way it felt. She was definitely curious, and he intended to help her explore that curiosity soon.

  Alexei slid his hand along her waist and down the slope of her lower belly until he touched her clitoris. She bucked against his hand, and he grinned devilishly. She responded so beautifully and easily. The combination of his deep, measured thrusts and his rubbing fingers was enough to push her over the edge again.

  Her orgasm felt incredible for him. The sensation of her snug pussy gripping him as she cried out his name made his balls ache. Dropping his hand, he gripped her hips and took her faster. She jerked on the sheets, her fingers fisting around the fabric as she met each powerful thrust. Deeper. Harder. Faster. He chased that burning, throbbing pull building at the base of his spine.

  Taking her hair in one hand, he pulled her head back, gently but with some force, and bit the side of her neck. He wanted to leave a love bite right there, a little mark to remind her that she belonged to him and that she drove him fucking crazy when they were together. Shay’s shocked gasp was the trigger for his orgasm. Buried deep inside her, he closed his eyes as a pleasurable bolt rocked him.

  They collapsed together onto the bed. Tangled in the sheets that had popped free, they panted and trembled. When Shay turned toward him, he gathered her hot body in his arms and drew her in close. She pressed sweet, soft kisses on his jaw, each one causing his heart to swell with his unspoken love for her.

  The urge to confess it all was so strong, but he knew she wasn’t ready. Instead, he declared, “Fuck running! I’m going to set my alarm for this every morning.”

  Shay giggled and pressed up on one hand. Looking down at him, she caressed his face. Her hair fell around them like a curtain. He almost couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. Running her finger around his lips, she whispered, “You amaze me.”

  “If you think this amazing, wait until you see what I have planned for tonight.”

  Shay laughed again and bent down to kiss him. Drawing back, she said, “I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going to cook you breakfast.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Let me guess. Mistresses don’t cook breakfast, right?”

  “No, they don’t.” But wives do, he thought wistfully.

  Touching her forehead to his, she whispered playfully, “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’ve never played by the rules.”

  He patted her bottom. “A very good thing.”

  Shay kissed him one last time before crawling over him and sliding out of bed. He gave her a few minutes of privacy in the bathroom and waited until he heard the shower running to join her. Glad for the multiple shower heads, he went through his usual morning routine, but he kept sneaking glances at Shay as she washed and conditioned her hair, shaved her legs and soaped up her body.

  He had always dreaded this kind of closeness with another person. With earlier relationships, he had feared sharing his home with a woman with a nearly claustrophobic desperation. Today he couldn’t bear the thought of Shay straying beyond arm’s reach.

  When she stepped out of the shower, he switched off the water and followed her. Watching her dab the water from her skin and rub lotion into her legs and arms was better than a striptease. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he decided he liked how comfortable she had grown with him. They’d come a long way since that first night at the penthouse when she had covered up like a nun and run for cover behind a door to avoid being seen.

  Standing at the counter, he leaned down at the sink and splashed hot water on his face before reaching for his shaving brush and the canister of shaving soap he preferred. He had just started to work up a lather with the brush when he noticed Shay standing in front of her meager selection of clothing. Wearing only her panties, she held a pair of those black yoga pants she liked and reached for the last remaining clean shirt.

  As he lathered up his face, he said, “We’ll have to get your things from the house.”

  “If we don’t, I’ll have to raid your side of the closet.”

  The thought of Shay in his button-downs brought a smile to his face. When she was dressed, she wrapped her damp hair in a towel and brushed her fingers across his back. He paused his shaving to quickly sneak in a kiss before she moved out of reach.

  “Alexei!” She laughed and wiped at the shaving foam on her chin and nose.

  Chuckling, he handed her the nearest towel. “Sorry.”

  “I doubt it.” She cleaned her face and put the towel back on the counter. She leaned toward the mirror and eyed the love bite on her neck. “And this?”

  “Not sorry,” he said, scraping his razor down his cheek.

  “Just remember that two can play that game,” she warned as she backed out of the bathroom. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll send you to work looking like the quarterback after the homecoming dance…”

  He wasn’t so sure that was a bad thing, but he didn’t dare tell her that. He finished his morning routine and put on a crisp black suit and shoes. He picked out a watch and cufflinks, slung his jacket over his shoulder and left the master suite. Downstairs in his office, he crouched down to open the safe hidden in the credenza behind his desk.

  As was his habit, he counted the neatly stacked envelopes of cash, ensuring not a single one was missing. Each envelope contained a mix of cash, the notes bound tightly in their brightly colored currency straps, and the dollar amounts contained within writt
en on the upper right corner of each one. He had a good idea of the monthly salary Shay brought home so he added it to the allowance figure he had in mind for her so she could cover her expenses and have plenty extra to spend on herself.

  After he gathered up the envelopes he needed for Stas and made a mental count of the amount of replacement cash he needed from the bank, he eyed the extra set of house keys and the key to the garage lockbox. When he’d called in a locksmith to change all the locks the day that he closed on the property, the locksmith had assumed he would need a set for his wife. Alexei had dropped them in the new safe a few days later, and the set had been waiting here ever since.

  Waiting for her…

  His phone started to ring as he was locking up the safe. Tossing the envelopes of money and the keys onto the credenza, he answered it. “Hello?”

  “Alexei?”

  “Yes.” He closed the cabinet door guarding the safe and rose to his full height. He pocketed the extra set of keys.

  “It’s Spider. I wanted to let you know that my girl is boxing up Shay’s place. I’ll have some of my guys drive the truck over to your penthouse this afternoon.”

  “No, have them bring it to my house.” He rattled off the address while gathering up the envelopes. “Stas can help your men unload the truck.”

  “Whatever you want,” Spider replied.

  “Is there a balance on the lease?”

  “They just renewed in May.”

  “Have someone run a bill to my office. I’ll cut a check to cover the rest of their lease.”

  “If that’s the way you want it,” Spider said. “But you should know that the police were crawling all over that house yesterday.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Alexei confirmed with irritation.

  “I trust you know how to handle your business.” Spider didn’t need to say anything else. “If you need my help, you know where to find me.”

  The call ended and Alexei pocketed his phone. Envelopes in hand, he made his way to the kitchen, his stomach growling as he inhaled the delicious scents wafting from there. When he arrived, he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of Shay cooking.