A couple.
The idea didn't frighten me as much as it should have. I'd always been timid about men and relationships, always afraid to take chances, but with Ivan I felt none of that. Deep down inside, I recognized that he was something special. The connection we shared was unique and worth pursuing.
"So?"
Dimitri's question drew my gaze. "So what?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Did you want to hit up a drive-thru or not?"
"Oh! Yes."
We settled on my favorite burger chain. As we waited in line, I finally worked up the courage to ask him something that had been nagging me all day. "How do you know that Johnny guy?"
Dimitri studied me for an unnervingly long moment. "He's the younger brother of my landlady."
I hadn't been expecting that. "I see."
"Benny took over her family's bakery last year but I've lived upstairs for nearly five years. Her grandmother let me rent the place cheaply in exchange for certain services. When she died, I decided to stay. It's a nice place. The rent is cheap."
"Services?" I considered what I knew of Dimitri. He didn't strike me as the type of man I'd want to cross. "You keep the place safe?"
He nodded. "It used to be a vibrant neighborhood but it's going through some growing pains. I make sure no one tries to strong arm the bakery into paying protection fees or taxes on deliveries."
"Jesus," I said softly. "I had no idea it was that much of a headache to run a bakery."
"You'd be surprised," he muttered. "People can get nasty when it comes to greed and money."
"And this Johnny? He's in the Hermanos gang?" I touched my neck. "I saw the tattoos he had."
Dimitri scowled as he let his foot off the brake and eased his truck forward in the line. "He's a dumbass kid who thinks being part of a gang makes him tough. He has no idea what kind of mistake he's making."
"But you do?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
Dimitri's jaw tightened. "We're done talking about me."
My eyes widened at his gruff reply. "Okay."
He exhaled a little roughly. "I'm not angry with you. Please don't misunderstand me."
"I get it. We're fine."
And we were. I'd gone too far in my questioning and he'd shut me down. It was that simple and didn't hurt my feelings.
By the time we reached Ivan's house, I was starting to feel the effects of my long night and eventful day. I took my lunch upstairs to the guest room and stripped out of my clothes for a quick hot shower. Clean and sleepy, I slipped into one of the sleeping shirts my friends had packed and scarfed down my lunch.
With a full belly and an aching head, I climbed into bed and hugged a pillow. My gaze settled on my phone. I'd left it on the bedside table, just in case the hospital tried to call me. Right now, I desperately wanted to call Ivan but couldn't work up the courage. Somehow I didn’t think listening to me whine for an hour was a good way to start our relationship.
In the end, I decided not to chance it. All those confusing emotions and conflicted thoughts could wait. My eyelids drifted together and I succumbed to exhaustion and the blissful pull of sleep.
Hours later, I came awake to the sensation of being watched. The sheet was twisted around my hips and thighs. Apparently I hadn't found the peaceful respite I so desperately needed. After a little tugging, I got free from the sheet and pushed up into a sitting position.
"I'm sorry." Ivan's rumbling voice pierced the darkness. "I didn't mean to wake you."
My gaze finally found him. He stood in the doorway of the room, his silhouette dark against the light from the hallway. "I don't mind."
He chuckled softly. "No, I didn't think you would."
"Is it late?"
"It's nearly nine. I tried to get here sooner but kept getting sidetracked. I was surprised you didn't call me."
"I wanted to," I admitted, "but I wasn't sure you wanted to listen to me cry about Ruby."
"I wouldn't have minded."
Feeling a bit nervous and glad for the shadows that hid my face, I asked, "Will you stay with me tonight?"
Quietly, he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. The room was totally dark except for the small bit of moonlight streaming through the window. He made his way to the bed and switched on the lamp there. The soft, dim glow gave off just enough light. I watched him toe off his shoes and shed his clothing. He left on his boxer briefs before lifting the cover and sliding in next to me.
Though he'd seen me naked last night, this was the most I'd seen of him. His tattooed skin tantalized me. When he reached for me, I went willingly. His strong arms hauled me close. Gently, he pressed me onto my back and slid down onto his side. He caressed my face with his callused, scarred hands and gazed down at me with such tenderness.
"I'm sorry your sister was so ugly with you." He brushed his lips across my mouth. "You didn't deserve that."
No doubt Dimitri had given him a blow-by-blow of my dust-up with Ruby. "She's just sick and in pain."
"That doesn't give her the right to make you her punching bag."
"No," I agreed and rubbed my hands up and down his muscled biceps. His hot skin awakened my desire. I lifted up to meet his mouth. He claimed me with a kiss so intensely sensual that my lower belly flip-flopped. "Ivan…"
He traced my jaw. "We don't have to do anything tonight. I'm happy to hold you if that's all you want."
The strangest sensation of rightness settled over me as I stared into his light blue eyes. Beneath that mean looking exterior existed the sweetest, gentlest man I'd ever known—and all he wanted to do was hold me. No man had ever just wanted to hold me. There was always some other motive to the cuddling but not with Ivan.
As much as I appreciated his offer, it wasn't what I wanted. Not tonight, at least.
Caressing the back of his neck, I whispered, "Make love to me. Make me feel something other than worry and guilt."
He nuzzled my cheek and ghosted his lips across my ear. "I'll make you forget. I'll make it good for you."
Of that I had no doubt.
Ivan's kisses left me dizzy and breathless. I ran my hands up and down his broad back, feeling the hard muscle beneath his surprisingly soft skin. His tongue plundered my mouth. The way he took possession of me made my fingers tremble. How he'd learned the secrets to my body so quickly confounded me.
Unlike last night, when we'd come together in a rush of lust and need, we took a leisurely approach. Ivan's rough hands slipped under the thin fabric of my night shirt. He peeled it off my body and tossed it onto the floor. Naked beneath him, I purred with delight as his searching hands and teasing mouth moved over my bare skin.
His tongue laved my nipples. The dusky buds formed tight peaks that he pinched and rolled between his fingertips. I rose up on my shoulders, arching my back from the sheer torment of being so sensually tweaked. He eased the pinching bite of his fingertips with his wet tongue, circling and sucking my nipples until I was groaning and gripping his sides.
With my legs wrapped around his waist, I could feel the hot, hard length of him jutting into my belly. His boxer briefs were so tented by his huge cock that the waistband no longer touched that plane of skin below his navel. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him and reached down between our bodies to grasp his steely shaft. Ivan grunted with pleasure and captured my mouth again.
"Please tell me you have condoms." I couldn't imagine being denied the sensation of his cock buried inside me another night.
"I do," he said with a laugh. "In my pocket. I stopped at the store on the way home, just in case."
"Oh thank god!" I giggled and kissed him. "I want to feel you inside me so badly."
"Not yet," he murmured and grazed his lips down the curve of my throat.
I shuddered as his mouth skimmed my body. He kissed a ticklish trail from my neck to my navel before throwing back the sheet and comforter and shoving my thighs wide apart. I rose up on my elbows to watch him parting the lips of
my sex. The sight of this big, strong man between my thighs left me quivering.
"Ivan!" I cried out his name and fell back to the bed when his tongue finally touched my throbbing clit. He nibbled the pink bud before flicking it a few times. When he suckled that tender pearl, I thrashed wildly. His tongue fluttered over the swollen bud, expertly pushing me closer and closer to the edge. My thighs were pushed even wider apart, forcing me open to his oral assault.
I came with a strangled groan. My hips rocked off the bed but he held me firmly in place, lashing my pussy with his tongue until I climaxed a second time. The hard, fast orgasm made my heart race and my belly clench. Gripped by the waves of pleasure, I panted and shook when he was done with me.
He kissed my mound and lower belly before sliding over to the edge of the mattress and reaching down for his pants. When he'd retrieved a condom, he shed the last piece of clothing covering him and pushed up onto his knees. I licked my lips and watched with fascination as he stroked his long, hard cock in his big hand. He tore open the package and tossed it onto the floor. His fingers rolled the condom down his shaft.
When he moved over me, I experienced a thrill of excitement. He planted his hands on either side of my head. Our noses touched and then he kissed me, drawing out the sensual mating of our mouths. I wound my arms around him and clutched his shoulders. He broke away from my mouth and caressed my cheek while whispering in Russian. I didn't need to speak his language to understand what he was saying to me.
His cock nudged my pussy and his punishing kisses drove the air right out of my lungs. With one rough thrust, he entered me completely. I gasped at the sudden intrusion. His long, thick dick filled and stretched me. "Ivan!"
He kissed me tenderly and rocked slowly in and out of me. My slick wetness eased his way as his cock retreated almost completely before plunging forward again. The intimate joining of our bodies felt unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Pinned beneath Ivan's hot, strong body, I felt completely owned and incredibly secure. There was no other place I wanted to be than right here.
I grasped his shoulders and responded to his snapping hips by rising up to meet his deep, hard strokes. Gripping and clutching, we moved together atop the bed. Ivan awoke such fiery need within me. I couldn’t get enough of him. Saturated with desire, I relished the vibrant sensations rippling through me.
Ivan shifted above me. One of his hands moved down between our bodies. I moaned loudly when his fingers found my clit. He tapped the little bundle of nerves, eliciting a sharp gasp from my throat. He chuckled with amusement and fucked me harder and faster. His fingertip swirled in the wetness coating the swollen bundle of nerves. My thighs tightened around his waist. Coils of bliss unfurled in my belly and spread through my core.
"Please," I begged, my pussy throbbing and clit aching. "Please, Ivan."
"Come for me," he ordered, his voice so gruff and demanding. "Come now, Erin."
With a cry of passion, I shattered beneath him. The climax stole my breath but his playful nip on my exposed collarbone forced me to inhale. His fingers circled and stimulated me until I was pleading with him to stop. "Oh god! No more. I can't…ah!"
He claimed my mouth with a searing kiss but showed mercy by abandoning my clitoris. Growling with desire, he grasped both my wrists in one massive paw and dragged them up over my head. He held them in place and began to fuck me like some feral beast. His cock slammed into me again and again.
Head thrown back, I cried his name over and over while he ravished me. The bed rattled beneath us, the headboard slamming into the wall with such force that I was sure he was going to need to call in a crew for repairs. Sex had never been like this for me. It was wild and wicked and ever so good. His body brushed against mine in just the right way. In no time at all, I hovered on the verge of coming again—and he knew it.
All it took was one subtle shift of his hips and I shrieked with pleasure. Ivan groaned as my pussy clenched him in time with the rhythmic bursts of delight coursing through me. His jerky thrusts and grunting sigh of my name heralded his release. As we clutched and shuddered together, his forehead touched mine.
When he finally pulled away from me, I was sad to feel the loss of his heat and his weight. Ivan brushed his lips over mine before sliding out of bed and walking to the bathroom. I rolled onto my side and enjoyed the view of his taut ass and tattooed back before he disappeared.
The necessities dealt with, he climbed back into bed with me. "Come here, angil moy."
I let him tug me close to his soothing warmth and settled my cheek to his chest. "What does that mean?"
His fingertips moved up and down my cheek. "My angel."
I glanced up at him and smiled. "That's sweet."
Ivan tipped my chin and kissed me tenderly. "You are my little angel."
"Oh, I don't know about that." I drew my initials on his chest and traced the outline of a scar there. "I'm pretty sure what we just did was less than angelic."
He laughed, the rich baritone sound rolling through me. He started to reply but a loud snap echoed in the house. Everything running on electricity stopped working. Ivan stiffened and carefully shifted me out of his arms. I sat up and let my eyes adjust to the faintest sliver of moonlight streaming through the window where Ivan had gone.
"Maybe it's a blackout," I suggested. "You know how hard the grids get hit in the summer. Everyone runs their air conditioners at full blast."
"It's not a blackout." Ivan's tight voice scared me. "Get your shirt on and get in the closet."
"Wh-what?"
"Now, Erin!" He lowered his voice to a hiss. I didn't dare refuse his order. I scrambled to find my discarded shirt on the floor. Ivan found his way back to me and hopped into his pants. Before I could ask, he explained, "My neighbors have power. We're the only dark house. Someone's here."
"For me?" The awful reality struck me. "Oh god."
"No." Ivan grasped my shoulders. "You will not panic. Grab your phone. Get in the closet. Call 9-1-1."
"Okay." I snatched up my phone and let him push me into the closet. My hands trembled as I started to dial for help.
The glow from my phone lit up his face. "After you've made that phone call, you stay quiet. Not one noise from this closet, do you understand? Whatever you hear, you stay quiet and hide until the police arrive."
"Yes, Ivan."
He kissed me, his lips lingering for a second, before he stepped out of the closet and shut the door. I heard the low scrape of furniture moving and realized he was putting something heavy in front of the door. It dawned on me that maybe Kostya hadn't stayed like last night. Terrified by the thought of him alone out there, I hit dial and brought the phone to my ear.
As I waited for someone to answer, I tried to slow my frantic breathing. After the nightmare of the last 48 hours, I would have thought that I'd grown immune to such fear but apparently not. I squeezed myself into a tiny ball in the far corner of the closet and brought my knees to my chest.
"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"
"Someone just broke into my boyfriend's house. They cut the power." I forced my voice to remain calm even though I was freaking the fuck out inside.
"What is your address, ma'am?"
I blanked for a second before finally remembering the street name and the numbers adoring the curb. I rattled them off and waited for the dispatcher's instructions. She promised me that help was on its way—but then a gunshot tore through the silence of the house.
"Someone is shooting!"
"I heard that, ma'am." The dispatcher's concern came through loud and clear. "Are you in a safe spot?"
"Yes, I'm in a closet upstairs." My heart beat wildly in my chest. "Please, hurry! My boyfriend—"
"Ma'am, we'll have units on scene in just a minute or two."
A minute or two? Oh god! What if Ivan had been hit? What if he was bleeding and needed me?
Another gunshot ripped through the night. I clapped a hand over my mouth and scurried to the door. There was no way
I could get it open but I pressed my ear to the wood and listened. The sounds of a scuffle met my ears. There were loud grunts and the sound of skin impacting skin. A loud crash and shattering glass made me gasp.
"Ma'am? Are you all right? Is something else happening?"
"They're fighting." I whispered into my phone. "Please, you have to hurry."
"We are. Stay as quiet as possible."
She continued to talk but I tuned her out. I focused only on the sound of fighting in the bedroom. The brutal noises made my stomach lurch. If Ivan was fighting hand-to-hand, I had no doubt that he could hold his own but I'd heard gunshots. If there were weapons involved or if he was already hurt…
Something heavy hit the floor. Heavy boots slammed against the wooden planks. Someone was kicking, I realized. There was so much grunting and gasping—and then it became eerily quiet.
I held my breath and waited. Footsteps sent me rushing back from the door. I hugged the back wall of the closet and prayed it wasn't one of the monsters who had broken into the house. The furniture shoved in front of the door made an awful scratching sound as it slid across the floor. A moment later the door opened and I squeaked in fear.
But it was Ivan's hulking form that stood silhouetted in the doorway. I let loose an anguished, relieved cry as he knelt down in front of me. My phone hit the floor and I flung myself into his waiting arms. The slick sweat from his skin made him hard to grasp but I held on tight.
Our lips met in a seeking kiss. The metallic tinge of blood didn't bother me. I hated that he'd been hurt defending me but he was alive in my arms. That was all that mattered to me right now.
"Sh," he cooed and squeezed me tighter. "I've got you, Erin."
And I hoped he never let go.
Chapter Six
Ivan hated police stations. They set his teeth on edge and brought back memories he'd just as soon forget. Of course, he hadn't ever been on this side of the equation. The experience of being taken in to give a report and interview was much different than being hauled out of bed and cuffed for committing some crime.