His hand stopped halfway down his stomach. He couldn’t lie to her. Not after everything they had survived in the last two days. “I don’t know, Shay. There was blood in the bathroom. She left her phone behind.”
“A lot of blood?” She seemed afraid of the answer.
“No. If I had to guess? She probably cut herself trying to get out that small window. I think she’s still alive, and I hope she’s smart enough to lay low for a while. She has everyone looking for her now.”
“Even that Besian guy?”
“Everyone,” he repeated.
“You two go way back?”
“Me? And Besian?” He took special care to clean his hands and feet, not wanting any lingering blood or mud under his nails. “We’ve known each other for years. Even before we came to Houston,” he added. “We ran in the same circles back home.”
“Oh.” She didn’t sound particularly impressed by that but didn’t press for more information. “Alexei, where is Tirana?”
“Albania.” He glanced out the foggy shower door. Still seated on the counter, she had her head down and seemed to be drawing shapes on the marble. “Why?”
She lifted her head and met his gaze through the steamed up glass. “Stas said something yesterday about Tirana and Shannon. I wasn’t sure what he meant.”
Tirana? Shannon? Alexei had a bad feeling Stas meant that Shannon’s secret buyer for the information she had stolen was none other than Zec. Which explained why Besian had been so helpful about finding Shay’s sister!
“Tell me about Kylee and her history with Besian.” He stepped under the nearest showerhead. “What the hell was all that back at the motel?”
She didn’t answer him immediately. He suspected she was trying to sort out her loyalty to Kylee and her desire to be honest with him. Eventually, she said, “Kylee’s dad was an investment guy. I’m not really sure what his job title was exactly, but he managed a lot of money for really wealthy people. She used to live in Carlton Woods in one of those stupid crazy huge mansions on the golf course there.”
He grinned at her description of the area. That particular development was the ritziest in The Woodlands—and that was saying something. He had briefly considered settling there when he’d been in the market for a home, but his ties to Nikolai and the rest of his “family” had proven too strong to break. Now he lived a few blocks from the boss in one of the newer homes in Houston’s most expensive zip code.
“Anyway,” she continued, “her dad got into some trouble gambling and betting on horses and sports, I guess. He started stealing from clients, and the whole thing blew up in his face. Besian was the guy who came and took her horse, their vehicles, the boat and all of her mother’s jewelry and paintings. Her dad was indicted a few days later and hanged himself that night.” She got quiet. “Kylee found him swinging a rafter.”
Alexei went still under the water. It was a horrible tale. “That must have been very difficult for her.” Now he understood why Shay’s friend had reacted so badly at the motel. “But she can’t go around threatening him like that, Shay. He isn’t like Nikolai. He doesn’t make exceptions for women. He’s hard—and dangerous.”
“I think, deep down inside, she’s still that scared but really angry little girl,” Shay said. “She didn’t just lose her dad and their home and the life she’d always known. Her mom was really sick when all that money trouble started. She had Huntington’s disease.”
He reached for the bottle of shampoo. “That’s genetic, right?”
“Yeah, but Kylee doesn’t have to worry about it. Her mom and dad used a donor egg to have her. They wanted a baby, but not the risk of the child inheriting her mother’s disease.”
Alexei wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he was getting to an age where thoughts of children were occurring to him more and more often. Watching Ivan become a husband and Nikolai become a family man had awakened something in Alexei that he didn’t quite understand. He had gone to visit Dimitri and Benny after the birth of their daughter, and holding that baby had sparked something unexpected in him. Not a desire to start a family, exactly, but a curiosity.
“Her mom was so sick when they got kicked out of their house. I met Kylee when she transferred into my school. They couldn’t afford the tuition to the private school she went to, and they were living in a women’s shelter here in Houston that was zoned for my school. We met in home economics. I had smuggled in a copy of Vogue, and she wanted to look at the dresses while I looked at the handbags and shoes. Within a couple of days, we were sketching outfits together and dreaming about owning a business someday.” Her voice drifted off for a moment. “Her mom died a few weeks later, and my own mom split a few months after that. I think those experiences pretty much sealed our bond as friends forever.”
Hearing that made him worry. If she considered Kylee a sister, what would she do to keep her friend safe? Would she get in between Kylee and Besian if those two went after it again? The thought of all the trouble their friendship could cause down the line had him vowing to schedule a sit down with Besian in the next few days. The Albanian boss needed to understand how far Alexei would take things.
Finished with his shower, he switched off the water and stepped out onto the mat. He grabbed a towel from the nearby shelf and wiped his face and hair before dragging it along the back of his neck and then securing it around his waist. He caught her staring at him. Recognizing that gleam in her dark eyes was easy enough.
She wants me.
Even though he ached to be with her, to connect in the most intimate way possible after everything they had survived tonight, he refused to be the one to make the first move. He didn’t want any regrets, not after they had both waited so long to be together.
As if reading his mind, she held out her hand. “Alexei?”
It was an invitation he couldn’t refuse. In three long strides, he was in front of her. She took his hand in hers and dragged him closer. Her other hand touched his chest, gliding over his skin until it stopped along the side of his neck. She pulled down gently, and her lips finally touched his in a gentle, seeking kiss.
But when her tongue shyly flicked at his, all thoughts of going slow, of taking this one step at a time, of doing this differently were incinerated. Not wanting to overwhelm her, he tore his mouth away, but she wouldn’t have it. She peppered ticklish kisses along his neck and jaw and slid her hands to his shoulders. Every kiss, every touch, caused a wild flare of need.
“If you keep that up, I’m taking you to bed,” he warned. He wasn’t sure if she understood what that meant. He doubted she had ever been with a man who shared his tastes. Tonight, it might be too much for her.
She answered him by winding one slim leg around his waist and hooking her heel against his thigh. Leaning back and meeting his heated gaze, she said, “I’m ready.”
With two softly spoken words, she shattered his control. Tangling his hand in her hair, he crashed their mouths together in a burst of pent-up desire. She mewled, that kittenish sound traveling through him and settling right in the bottom of his stomach.
Tonight? Tonight, he was going to give her exactly what she wanted and everything he needed.
Chapter Thirteen
I couldn’t breathe. My heart was beating like a panicked hummingbird’s. With shaky fingers, I clung to Alexei’s broad, powerful shoulders as he kissed me like a man starving for affection. Maybe he was. Or maybe he was feeling that earlier rush of adrenaline fade after our harrowing experience at the motel. Did he crave the heat and touch of another person as I did?
Something had changed in him. Something I had said or done had flipped an invisible switch. I was finally seeing the passionate, dominant man that had always been hinted at but never revealed. I had given him the permission he needed, and now he was totally in control. I didn’t think I wanted it any other way. Not tonight. Not my first time.
My first time.
Surrendering to the stab of Alexei’s tongue, I whimpered softly and clawed
at his bare back. A deep growling sound rumbled from his throat, and he picked me up off the counter. While our tongues danced, he guided my legs around his waist before settling his big, strong hands on my bottom. Holding me close, he walked toward the bedroom.
This is really happening.
I panted against his mouth and nipped at his lip. He repaid me for that little bite with a swat that left my ass stinging. I clenched my thighs, squeezing his waist and drawing another groan from him. He murmured something in Russian before unceremoniously dumping me on the bed.
“Alexei!” I squealed with surprise and excitement as I bounced on the mattress.
He threw back his head and laughed as I pushed up on my palms and waited to see what would happen next. He walked around the bed and turned on the nearest lamp, illuminating the room in a warm glow of light. Able to see me fully, he raked his gaze along my form and then dropped the towel wrapped around his waist.
I swallowed hard when I saw his cock. It was every bit as thick and long as I had expected, maybe even more. As if tired of watching me study him, Alexei crooked a tattooed finger and gestured for me to crawl toward the edge of the bed. I knew what he wanted even before he asked, but I wasn’t sure I could satisfy him. The mechanics of giving head were easy enough, but I hadn’t every actually done it.
When I reached the edge of the bed, I waited to see what would happen next. Should I tell him? Would he want to know that we were sailing into actual virgin waters here? Worried that he might stomp on the brakes, I decided to keep the status of my V Card a secret for now. I didn’t want this night to stop. I wanted this. I wanted it with him.
Fake it. I could hear Kylee’s voice in my head as I considered my next move. Just fake it.
Emboldened by desire and curiosity, I shamelessly grasped his shaft. Alexei growled and pressed into my hand, wordlessly urging me to stroke him. So I did. I slid my hand from the blunt tip all the way down to the base of him before gliding it back down again. Hot. Hard. Soft. Steel. I explored him with my fingertips.
Touching him like this, I had a better feel for his length and girth. A quiver of panic stabbed my stomach. There was no way around it. This was going to hurt. Even if I was one of those lucky girls who had a relatively easy first time, putting something this big inside me was going to an experience I would never forget.
But right now I was more interested in seeing how he would react when I licked him…
Leaning forward, I grasped the base of his shaft and swiped my wet tongue along his penis. Staring up at him, I sucked the tip between my lips. Alexei gazed down at me, his dark eyes smoldering, and his breath coming in sharp pants. I might not have the skills of his former mistresses, but he clearly enjoyed what I was doing. My confidence growing, I used my tongue to paint his shaft and then tried to suck him a little deeper this time.
Alexei let loose a loud groan of approval. “Open your mouth a little wider, baby.” I relaxed my jaw, and he sighed. “Da. Yes. Like that.”
He gathered my hair in one of his hands, drawing it to the back of my head, and gently thrust into my open and willing mouth. I tensed up, suddenly afraid he would take things too fast or too hard, but he was careful as always, reminding me yet again why he owned my trust. He wasn’t going to hurt me. He wasn’t trying to debase or degrade me or force me to do anything I didn’t want or like.
Alexei took his time enjoying my mouth. His cock glided across my tongue with slow, measured thrusts. He caressed my face with his free hand and continued to hold my hair with the other. Every now and then, he slid a little deeper, almost as if to test me, and each time I swallowed every inch he offered. Something about pleasing him, about making him groan and pant, invigorated and excited me. I liked knowing that I could make him feel like this.
“Look at me,” he ordered in a strained voice. I glanced up at him. Lips stretched wide around his cock, I locked into his lascivious gaze. He pushed deeper into my mouth, so far back that I felt my throat start to tighten. A momentary quiver of panic rattled my core, but I shoved it down. He won’t hurt you. Relax. Feel. Enjoy.
“Shay.” His nostrils flared, and his breaths were heavy and fast now. “You look so fucking beautiful like this.” He retreated ever so slowly, dragging his cock out of my mouth until just the tip remained. I tightened my lips around him, refusing to let him go just yet. He groaned and then said on a harsh breath, “Suck. Da. Harder. More.”
I gave him what he wanted until it was too much. He drew back with a sharp intake, pulling free from my mouth and panting for air. Tangling his fingers in my hair, he hauled me upright until I was kneeling. He claimed my mouth in a fierce kiss. I spread my hands along his smooth, tattooed skin and finally gripped his shoulders, hanging on for dear life.
“Shay,” he murmured in between kisses. He grasped the oversized hoodie and my nightgown and dragged them up and over my head. He tossed them over his shoulder, leaving me clad in only a plain pair of cotton undies. Whatever embarrassment I might have felt at being so sorely underdressed for the occasion, I quickly lost when I noticed the way he looked at me. That hungry, needy gaze left me trembling inside.
“Look at you.” His muscular chest heaved with each breath as he gazed at my nearly naked body. He smiled, his mouth curving slowly as one of his hands reached for me. He traced a line from the dip of my lower neck to the valley between my breasts. His finger traveled to my left nipple, and I inhaled a shuddery breath as he circled my flesh, causing it to pucker and throb.
Alexei put a knee on the bed and cupped the back of my neck. Holding me at the nape, he titled my head back and skimmed his lips along the curve of my throat. I clutched at him, gripping his incredible biceps as he kissed and nibbled his way down my neck to my breasts. When he latched onto my nipple, I experienced a piercing jolt of delight that left my clitoris throbbing almost painfully.
He must have known what he was doing to me because his other hand slid down until he gripped the back of my thigh. He forced my thighs apart and pushed his leg between them. The sudden friction of his muscular thigh against the most sensitive part of me was too much. I tried to pull away, but he held me right there, silently daring me to move.
But I couldn’t. I was too embarrassed to rub against him in the way I wanted most. This was happening so fast, and I was quickly realizing that I was way out of my depth here.
Alexei’s mouth moved to my other breast. He suckled and grazed his teeth over me while kneading my bottom in his big hands. When Alexei pushed me back on the bed, I pressed my knees together to assuage the pulsing ache between my thighs. He grinned knowingly, his sexy smile making my stomach do wild flips.
Crawling toward me, he gripped the waistband of my panties and tugged them down my hips. I lifted my bottom to help him, and with one good jerk, he swished them down my legs. Completely naked now, I leaned back on my elbows and waited to see what he would do next. He sat back on his heels and idly stroked his shaft. Seeing his hand moving over his cock was a shock to me. He was so comfortable in his skin and seemed wholly unfazed by touching himself like that in front of me.
“Open your legs, Shay.”
I gulped and did as instructed, slowly widening my thighs so he could see me.
He swore under his breath. “Use your fingers. Show me everything, Shay.”
Fingers trembling, I reached between my legs and parted the lips of my sex. Slick with arousal, I glistened down there. My clitoris throbbed, and I couldn’t help myself. I circled the aching bud with the tip of my finger, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough.
Growling in Russian, he abandoned his cock and moved toward me. Dipping his head, he kissed the top of my left foot before skimming his lips up my calf toward my knee. He repeated the same kissing maneuver on my right leg and then peppered light kisses along my thigh up to my hip. His mouth danced across my lower belly, hesitating at my navel where he placed a noisy kiss that made me laugh, and then continued its trek down the curve of my hip and thigh to my lef
t knee.
His mouth shifted course when he reached my knee. He dragged his tongue along my inner thigh. Lightheaded, I inhaled quick, shuddery breaths as his tongue moved closer and closer to that spot where I was throbbing and aching. I gasped when he swiped the length of my slit. He did it twice more before dotting a kiss right on top of my clitoris.
The heady sensation he evoked left me clutching at the covers and desperate for air. I wanted him to use his mouth on me even more, but I wasn’t brave enough to ask. This was all too new, and I wasn’t sure what to do or how to do it.
Alexei continued kissing his way up my body, across my stomach and along my ribcage and didn’t stop until he reached my neck. I could feel his cock rubbing against my belly. Arching into him, I lifted my hips and rocked into him. Alexei groaned and grabbed my wrists in one big hand. He dragged them above my head, pinning them to a pillow, and shoved my legs apart with his knee.
Suddenly his captive, I experienced the most delightful thrill. Alexei buried his face in my neck and nipped at my sensitive throat. His other hand rode the outline of my body, sliding down my ribcage to my hip before gliding between my thighs. He cupped my pussy and pressed his lips to my ear. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to touch you like this?”
I licked my lips and shook my head.
“Do you know many nights I fucked my own hand while thinking about you?” His fingers traced and then parted my labia. I whimpered when he found my swollen nub and started to strum it ever so slowly. His hand touching me so intimately felt nothing like my own hand, and I didn’t want him to stop.
“Feel how wet you are?” His fingers slid down even lower and dipped into me. There was no resistance as he carefully probed. One finger slid inside me, curling just a little. His thumb rubbed side to side over my clitoris. It felt so good. My toes curled against the duvet, and I lifted my hips, desperate for more. I was getting close. So close…
“You’re ready for my cock, aren’t you?”