Zel: Markovic MMA

  I couldn't believe how different it felt to kiss Ivan. There was nothing awkward or uncertain in the way he captured my mouth, branding me with his insistent kisses. He knew what he wanted—and that was me. His skilled lips and tongue drove me wild as they ghosted along my jaw and down my neck. I cried out when he bit down gently on the fleshy spot where my neck curved into my collarbone. The sharp sensation traveled right down to my throbbing clit.

  "Take this off," Ivan urged, his big hand jerking on the shirt I'd borrowed. "I have to see you. I have to touch you."

  I grasped the bottom of the shirt and pulled it up and over my head. Ivan snatched away the shirt and tossed it on the floor. He stared at my naked breasts, his hungry gaze searing me and leaving me trembling. Those rough hands of his caressed my bare skin. He palmed my breasts and brushed his thumbs across my nipples. The dusky peaks drew tight to hard points.

  "Ivan." I sighed his name as his lips skimmed my breast. He swirled his tongue around my nipple. The sensitive flesh responded instantly to his teasing licks. My breasts ached as arousal saturated my hot, fast pumping blood.

  While he tormented my breasts with his mouth, I ran my hands over his buzzed scalp, the short hairs surprisingly soft against my palms. I'd had a handful of sexual experiences but none of them had been as electric and exciting as this one. No man had ever spent so much time stoking the flames of my arousal. Maybe that was why my other experiences paled in comparison to this one.

  Ivan whispered something in Russian, his voice husky and thick. He must have seen the confusion on my face. He nuzzled my neck and captured my mouth in a sensual kiss that made my toes curl against his thighs. "You're beautiful. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

  And he meant it. He wasn't simply flattering me to get into my pants. He actually thought I was that beautiful.

  I touched my lips to his and reached for the buttons lining his shirt. My fingers faltered as I tried to kiss and unbutton at the same time. Coordination was clearly not my strong suit. Ivan chuckled against my mouth and gently swept my hands away from his chest. "Let me."

  I watched as he peeled out of the shirt. Inch after delicious inch of unbelievably muscled and toned chest was revealed to me. I couldn't keep my hands off him. I ran my palms up and down his sexy pecs and washboard stomach. The crisp hair on his chest was something of a novelty for me. The tattoos and scars now fully revealed showed me just how much pain he'd known.

  Giving in to the urge to kiss those old wounds, I leaned down and kissed the puckered scar that marked a spot just below his right shoulder. I knew what it was the moment I saw it. He'd been shot at some point in the past. I knew because Vivi had similar scars on her chest and another on her belly.

  Ivan's sharp intake of breath accompanied the touch of my lips as they danced from one scar to another. His fingers sifted through my short hair. He tugged gently, silently urging me to lift my mouth. He claimed me in a passionate kiss. Eyes blazing with desire, he broke the kiss and pushed me down on the desk.

  Flat on my back, I hissed as the cold wooden surface met my hot skin. A heartbeat later I hissed for another reason. Ivan's mouth dropped to my belly. He kissed and licked and nibbled his way right down to the waistband of the boxers I wore. With a couple of powerful jerks, he rid me of the boxers. Totally naked now, I licked my lips and waited.

  His mouth was on my leg now. He kissed his way up my calf before grasping both ankles and lifting my feet to the edge of the table. His hands cupped my inner thighs and pushed them gently apart. I held my breath at first, unable to draw even the smallest bit of air into my lungs as he petted my bare pussy.

  "Oh!" I gasped as he parted the lips of my sex with his thick fingers. I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip as he carefully traced my pussy and slowly circled my clit. One big, long finger penetrated me, my slick nectar easing his entrance. I clawed at the desk in a desperate search for something to hold onto as he sensually teased me.

  He whispered in Russian again, the words so alien to me but the meaning fully conveyed in his tone. He was fascinated by me. "I have to hear you come now."

  "Ivan!" I cried out his name when his lips touched my pussy. I'd been on the receiving end of oral sex before but it had never felt like this. Ivan didn't attack my clit with fast strokes like my last boyfriend. No, he took his time exploring my pussy with his pliable tongue and avoided my clit.

  He painted my entrance and nudged inside. My thighs tightened as the delicious sensation he evoked rocked me. He licked up one side of my labia and then the other before finally—finally!—letting his mouth drift toward my clit. He swirled his soft tongue around the pink pearl and suckled it gently. I arched up off the desk and moaned his name. "Ivan."

  He groaned against my pussy and fluttered his tongue over the swollen bundle of nerves. I could feel myself growing wetter and wetter as that finger of his found its way inside me again. Thick and hard, it stroked shallow and slow at first. As the pace of his flicking against my clit hastened, so too did the pace and depth of the finger fucking me.

  Ivan drove me crazy with his sensual assault. My lower belly burned and my thighs clenched and released. Curling my toes tightly against the desktop, I let my hand fall to his head and stroked his scalp as he ate me like a starving man. Never before had I gotten this close this fast. There was just something about Ivan that ignited my lust like no other.

  "Please," I begged and scratched my nails against his scalp. "Please, Ivan."

  He hummed against my clit and attacked the little bud with such fervor that I nearly passed out from sheer bliss. A flitting sensation of panic invaded my core. A split-second later, I came hard. His tongue lashed my pussy. Muscles tense and nipples pulsing, I rode the waves of ecstasy. "Ivan! Ivan! Ah!"

  As my climax faded, Ivan's tongue stabbed into my wet pussy. I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle a shriek. His fingers bit into the supple flesh of my inner thighs as he feasted on my pussy. While his tongue plunged into me again and again, he strummed my clit with his thumb. Bliss coiled low and tight in my belly until, finally, the tension snapped and I came a second time. Head thrown back, I moaned against my palm and tried not to screech with sheer delight.

  Just when I thought I might pass out, Ivan showed mercy. He gently wiped his mouth on my inner thigh and kissed my mound. A moment later, he shocked me by pulling me off the desk and right onto his lap. I stifled a gasp and stiffened at the sudden burn of his body heat as my breasts touched his chest.

  "Easy," he urged gently, his lips so close to my ear. "I've got you."

  Oh yes he did. There was just enough space in the roomy office chair for my knees to fit on either side of his thighs. "Ivan…"

  When he kissed me this time, I could taste myself on him. The heady, intimate experience left me dizzy. My pussy ached to be filled by him. I gripped his strong shoulders. "I need you, Ivan. I need you inside me."

  "We can't," he said with a growl. "I don't have any condoms."

  The insertion of reality jarred me. Still, I wasn't about to let this perfect moment pass. "I'm on the pill."

  He chuckled. "Don't tempt me, Erin."

  I wiggled my naked ass and reached between our bodies to grasp his erection through the tented fabric of his pants. Smiling, I reminded him, "That's the whole point, Ivan."

  With a strangled groan of reluctance, Ivan grabbed my hand. "I won't risk it. I'm clean, of course, but that's not the big issue."

  Even through the dense haze of lust clouding my judgment I understood what he meant. We hardly knew one another. One moment of passion could lead to a lifetime as parents. That was a step we definitely weren't ready to take.

  "Then let me touch you." I brushed my knuckles over his erection. "Let me make you feel good."

  "You already make me feel good," he assured me. I detected the barest hint of frustration in his voice, almost as if he didn't want me to have that power over him. Even so, he reached down and unbuttoned his pants. I pushed his hands out of the way and
lowered the zipper. The bulge in his black boxer briefs drew my attention.

  "Oh my god," I whispered in awe. "You're huge."

  Ivan laughed. "You don't have to flatter me, Erin. I've already opened my pants to you."

  "I wasn't flattering you." My gaze fell to his lap. As if unwrapping a package on Christmas morning, I slowly peeled down the front of his boxer briefs. His massive cock sprang free. Long and thick, it throbbed beneath my fingertips. Shiny droplets of pre-cum oozed from the tip. I gathered them with my thumb and brought the slick wetness to my tongue. Ivan's nostrils flared as I licked his seed from my skin. "Delicious."

  "Are you always such a dirty girl?" he wondered softly.

  I shook my head and brushed my lips against his. "Only for you, Ivan."

  As our tongues dueled, I reached down and grasped him with both hands. I stroked him at a leisurely pace. There was no reason to rush. His velvety skin covered such steely heat. Holding his big cock in my hands, I had to wonder if I could take him when the time came. None of my boyfriends had ever come close to this. What would it feel like? Amazing, no doubt.

  Ivan's heavy breaths buffeted my cheek. His hand moved between my open thighs. He caressed my slit, rubbing his fingertips over my clit before plunging two fingers deep inside my pussy. I gasped against his mouth.

  Eye to eye, we didn't say one word. Hearts racing, we communicated with staccato breaths and shallow pants. My fingers tightened around his rigid shaft. His curved inside my slick channel. Gyrating on his lap, I rode his fingers. He lifted his hips to meet the downward strokes of my hands. His lips danced across my collarbone and drifted toward my breast. When his thumb moved to the side of my clit, the pressure was just enough to send me hurtling over the edge into the abyss of ecstasy.

  Ivan buried his face against my neck as I came and grunted my name. "Erin!"

  A split-second later, I felt the first hot splash of semen on my belly. We clutched and jerked in the chair as we shuddered in the grips of our shared climax. I stroked him until he trembled and the last bit of cum had been milked from his cock. Forehead to forehead, we panted and held onto one another.

  In that moment, nothing outside the walls of his office existed. There was no Ruby, no Andrei, no Albanian mob or Hermanos street gang. It was just the two of us—and it was perfect.

  Ivan caressed my cheek. "Erin, I—"

  The shrill ring of a phone interrupted him. Frowning in annoyance, he reached for the cell phone rattling across his desk. He answered gruffly in Russian. I spotted the instant change in his demeanor. Whatever was being said wasn't good. My gut clenched and I waited to hear the worst.

  * * *

  Ivan couldn't believe someone was calling right now. Erin had the sweetest, most tender look on her face. His cum was still wet on her belly. He needed to tell her that she meant something to him, that this wasn't simply a quick fuck to him.

  Irritated, he grabbed the phone and answered. "Yes?"

  "Ivan." Yuri's familiar voice filtered out of the speaker. He was barely audible over the thumping bass of music in the background. No doubt he was in the VIP section of one of his sleek, ultra popular clubs. "I found something you've lost."

  He instantly perked up. "And what's that?"

  "A certain limping fighter just tried to sell his cheap shit in my bathroom," Yuri said, his voice laced with disgust. "The bouncers tossed his ass onto the street before I realized who he was. He can't have gone far."

  Ivan knew Yuri wasn’t about to send one of his own men after Andrei. He'd never put them in the crossfire of the Albanians or the Hermanos. "I'm sending Dimitri."

  "I hope you know what you're doing."

  "I do."

  "Is she very pretty?" There was no mistaking the amusement in Yuri's voice.

  Ivan frowned. How the hell did Yuri know about Erin? "Nikolai?"

  Yuri laughed. "Who else?"

  Ivan glanced at Erin who looked perplexed. It occurred to him that she couldn't understand what he was saying. Even with that confused expression on her face, she was still the loveliest thing he'd ever seen. "Yes, she is."

  "I'm glad to hear it. I'd hate to think you were risking everything for anything less."

  Yuri's subtle warning came through clearly. Of their tight-knit group, Yuri had always been the most cautious and conservative. Undoubtedly that had been the secret to the multi-billion dollar fortune he'd amassed in oil and minerals.

  "Thanks for the tip. I'll see you around."

  "Be careful, Ivan."

  He ended the call and pulled up Dimitri's number. As he waited for his friend to answer, he held Erin's concerned gaze. "We've found Andrei."

  Chapter Four

  My stomach churned with anxiety as Kostya navigated the heavy night traffic. I glanced at Ivan who sat in the front seat and wished he was back here with me. After what we'd shared in his office, I felt our connection more than ever and craved his heat and strength. If Ivan's friend was right about Andrei, Ruby might finally be within grasp.

  When Ivan's cell phone rang, my ears perked. I held my breath as he talked in rapid-fire Russian. A few seconds later, he hung up and barked instructions at Kostya. The SUV switched lanes and made an unexpected turn. Before I could ask what was happening, Ivan looked back at me.

  "Dimitri missed Andrei by a few minutes but he found someone else who knows Ruby. She's at a crack house across town. Dimitri is taking the kid with him to find her but we'll probably beat them."

  I nodded and swallowed hard. My hands balled into fists on my lap. If Ruby was alone again, she was a prime target for both of the vicious gangs hunting her. I closed my eyes and prayed we'd get there first.

  Within twenty minutes, we were driving the rough streets of one of Houston's more blighted neighborhoods. Broken-down cars sat in the front yards of ramshackle houses. There were few windows that weren't boarded up and covered in graffiti. Most of the houses looked unoccupied. There were only a handful of lights to be seen on the empty streets.

  "Erin."

  Ivan's firm voice drew my gaze. "Yes?"

  "You will stay behind me. If I tell you to get back in the vehicle, you go. Understood?"

  "Yes." After my narrow escape at the last crack house, I wasn't keen on repeating the experience.

  As the SUV crawled to a stop along the cracked sidewalk, another pair of headlights came into view. The other vehicle, this one a silver truck, parked across the street from us. I recognized the man who climbed out of the driver's seat from the gym. Tall and blond, he sported the classic Russian look. His hawk-like gaze scanned the street before he gestured to the person riding in his front seat.

  The young man who came around the front of the truck surprised me. The Latino boy wore a stark white wife-beater and low slung jeans and held tight to his waistband. There was no missing the dark black gang insignia tattooed across his neck.

  Kostya mumbled something to Ivan who grunted. Curious, I glanced at him but Ivan shook his head. Whatever the story, I wasn’t getting it tonight.

  Out on the sidewalk, I fought the urge to run into the house and frantically search for Ruby. Dimitri and the young man joined us. Kostya hung back, his shoulders pressed against the driver's door as he watched the street like some kind of sentry guard.

  "Johnny says he saw Ruby and Andrei here earlier." Dimitri gripped the young man's shoulder tightly. The high-school aged kid winced. "Apparently, the Hermanos have a flop house a few streets over. Johnny supplies the place with stolen booze and drugs to keep the whores happy." Dimitri's gaze fell on me. "He says your sister went there looking for work."

  My stomach lurched painfully. Ruby a prostitute? As if sensing my horror, Ivan gently rubbed the small of my back. Compassion flashed across his harsh face.

  "She didn't stay," Johnny said, his voice low and soft. "When she realized who the house belonged to, she ran. I was worried she was going to get hit by a car or something so I followed her back here. She was in a bad way. I tried to get her to come wi
th me but she was really confused and asking for a guy named Aaron."

  "No, it's Erin. That's me."

  "Oh." He looked a bit sheepish. "Well I tried to help her but then her boyfriend came back and I realized who he was so I got the hell out of there. I was going to tell my crew I'd Andrei." Johnny hesitated. "But then I heard that Dimitri and his crew were looking for the girlfriend and I thought maybe she'd be safer with him than out here with a big fucking target on her back."

  His kindness surprised me. "Why did you want to help her?"

  Johnny lowered his gaze. His jaw tightened. "I've got a sister."

  I understood then. Looking to Ivan, I asked, "Can we go in now?"

  "Hey, man," Johnny addressed Dimitri, "that place is packed with tweakers. They're all fucked out of their heads. You don't want to just go busting in there. One of those methheads might think you're a cop and pop your Russian ass."

  "Then maybe I should send you through the door first." Dimitri pulled a flashlight from one back pocket. I spotted the outline of a pistol under his thin jacket. He glanced at Johnny and pointed at the truck. "Go. Now."

  The kid nodded but I had a feeling he was going to run the second Dimitri's back was turned. With Dimitri leading the way and Ivan two steps behind, I followed the pair into the house. Once inside, the overpowering stench hit me. The putrid mix smelled of piss and so much more. I put a hand to my mouth and tried not to gag. How the hell could Ruby stand a place like this?

  My eyes widened as Dimitri's flashlight beam bounced around the cramped rooms of the small house. There were bodies littering couches and the floor. A television blared a late show, the crowd's applause deafening as it ricocheted off the walls. Two faces turned our way but the two men seemed unable to focus. Their bleary-eyed gazes turned back to the television.

  In the kitchen, one man was slumped over a table. A stark naked woman stood in front of the fridge and scribbled aimlessly on the once-white surface with a black marker. She mumbled incoherently. I couldn't drag my gaze away from the bizarre markings she'd placed on her bare skin.