Page 29 of Climbing Everest

Maddox

I don’t give a shit how needy or clingy I seem, but I refuse to let Everest off my lap, even while she’s eating the pancakes I made for her while she did… whatever she was doing with Brix before coming downstairs.

She doesn’t have that just been fucked glow about her and her cheeks and tips of her ears aren’t pink nor have the gray of her eyes changed to that afterglow blue she often gets.

So maybe they were merely talking. Personally, I’m having a hard time not pulling her panties to the side and sliding inside her. She can eat while warming my dick and then when she’s done, I’ll bend her over the table and fuck her senseless.

Of course, even fantasizing about the possibilities does nothing but send more blood straight to my groin until I have to adjust her to keep her small movements from grinding against my boner.

Not that I mind the feeling of her round little ass rubbing against my shaft, but just like last night, it won’t take much to cause me to blow my load in my sweats.

My brothers would never let me live that shit down.

Fuck, I’ve missed her. I’ve missed every single thing about her, not just the way she feels in my arms or wrapped around my cock.

I’ve missed the sound of her voice, the way her eyes seem to damn near twinkle when she laughs, the way she plays with her hair when in thought, the way she rolls her shoulders when she has something important to say.

Like right now.

“What’s up?” I ask.

She leans to the side and glances at me over her shoulder. “What makes you think something’s up?”

There’s a drop of syrup on her bottom lip and I can’t help myself; I lean forward and lick it off before kissing her, reveling in the velvety soft sweetness of her mouth that is partially from the syrup but mostly just her unique flavor.

Yeah. Something else I missed about her.

“Because I know you. You have so many tells you’d lose your ass in poker.”

She rolls her eyes before dropping her fork onto her mostly empty plate and leaning against me, her back to my chest.

I wrap my arms around her and set my chin on her shoulder, simply breathing her in and enjoying the sensation of my love right where she belongs, where she’s belonged all along.

I knew it. All that time, I knew it. Even when Brix and Kato demanded I accept she played us for fools, I knew my girl would never fuck around on us, she would never hurt us intentionally, would never walk away willingly.

I mean, seriously. Why the fuck would she let us carve up her skin if she was simply going to turn around and marry some Russian fuck?

“I was just thinking,” she says with a shrug.

I nuzzle her throat, pressing kisses along the curve of her neck and smiling against her skin when she practically melts into me with a sigh.

“About?”

“Well…”

When she doesn’t speak for a few seconds, Kato leans forward. “Stop fucking seducing her at the table so she can talk, dumbass.”

I can’t hide the smile when I crane my neck a little and see her eyes closed.

“Sorry.” Yeah. Nah. Not sorry at all.

“Thinking about what?” Brixton asks around a yawn.

None of us are wearing shirts except Everest, and she’s currently donning one of the skimpy ass pajama sets Kato ordered. It had all been meant as some form of a punishment, a way to humiliate her.

But fuck me am I glad for the lack of fabric. Gives my hands and eyes more access to her body.

“My dad thinks I’m dead, and I assume Viktor is still working for him.”

There’s that fucking name again. I’d asked her about it yesterday, but she skirted around the subject.

My muscles tense and I tighten my hold on her. “Who the fuck is Viktor and when do I get to kill him?”

“The man who saved my life, and you absolutely may not kill him,” she says to me, turning her head to look into my eyes.

“Her father told Viktor to take her out into the woods and kill her, but he got her help instead. He’s the only reason she’s still sitting here,” Brix says, his eyes on Everest the whole time.

“I assume you want us to find a way to get him out of the estate and out of the line of fire before your presence is made known.”

“Yes. Please. Because there’s no way my dad will let him live if he finds out Viktor didn’t follow his orders.”

Kato stares at her, leaning forward on his elbows, his hands clasped together. “How do you expect us to get him out?”

I can feel her tense, feel the anger begin to boil up inside of her.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe use your super-duper mafia skills. You know, the same ones you used to track me down. Find a way to get him away from the estate and warn him. Otherwise…” She lets her sentence trail off and I really, really want to know what the otherwise will be.

“Otherwise, what , Everest?” Kato asks.

I release a growl of anger and frustration when she physically pries my arms from around her waist and pushes to her feet.

“Otherwise, I’ll have to disappear again, and you can stop glaring at me.

Hate to break it to you, K, but I’ve endured far worse than mean mugging.

I won’t be responsible for someone’s death.

That’s why I stayed away, to protect you, and to protect him.

The second my father realizes Viktor didn’t do what he was ordered to do, he won’t be the only one who’ll fall.

You know damn fucking well my father will order the execution of Viktor’s entire family, and he’ll probably have them all killed right in front of Viktor before he kills him. ”

Brix is glowering at Kato before turning pleading eyes to Everest.

“We’ll get him out,” he says before turning those hard eyes on the man who might be our brother from another mother, but is also our boss. If Kato really wanted, he could have both of us cut down right where we sit with nothing more than a word to one of his guards.

But he won’t, because he loves Everest as much as we do.

Fuck, I hope that’s the case. Because if this asshole decides to off one or both of us, there’s no way in hell Everest will ever forgive him.

“You think you’ll just walk out the door again?”

Fucking Kato and his big fucking mouth.

Everest tilts her head to the side and stares at Kato for a few heartbeats, and I swear I can physically feel her rage building in the room, stealing the oxygen until it’s fucking stifling and uncomfortable in here.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” she says, her voice low and deadly.

Holy shit. Why the hell is that so sexy? I should not be turned on by her anger, but I’m pretty sure there isn’t a damn thing she could do that wouldn’t make my dick hard.

Kato doesn’t speak, just continues glaring at her, his hands clasped in front of his mouth. Maybe he’s trying to keep shit in, to keep from blurting out more stupid bullshit.

Because that’s exactly what he did, said stupid shit, the kind of shit that could make my girl run again.

No way in hell will I allow that to happen. I’ll walk away from my brothers, from this life, if it means staying by her side.

And you know what? I don’t give a fuck if that makes me sound completely pussy whipped. I have never felt the way about another living soul the way I’ve felt for Everest since the moment I saw her as a girl instead of simply a friend.

I can honestly and confidently say I’ve been in love with Everest since I was thirteen. That’s a long fucking time to carry a torch for someone. I won’t let Kato or Dima Sidorov or any other cocksucker on this planet take her away from me again.

“You can try, and I’ll find you again and drag you right back here,” Kato says.

My mouth pops open the same time Brixton’s fist slams on the tabletop.

But neither of us have a chance to do shit, because Everest closes the few feet between her and Kato, raises a hand, and slaps him right across the face.

Not quite a nut shot, but the sound of skin against skin bounces against the walls and a red outline of her hand is already blooming on his cheek. I know that shit has to sting.

Kato’s head stays to the side a second as a muscle jumps in his jaw.

Then he lunges to his feet, the chair he was occupying slamming to the ground with his quick motion.

To Everest’s credit, she doesn’t budge, doesn’t cower, simply lifts her chin and widens her stance as though ready to take whatever Kato dishes out.

Brix and I are on her feet within a nanosecond of Kato standing, because no fucking way will I let anyone lay a finger on her. I don’t give a shit about my relationship to Kato. I don’t give a shit that he’s technically my boss or the closest thing I have to family aside from Brix and Everest.

No one will ever hurt my girl again.

But Kato doesn’t touch her. Doesn’t lunge for her. He simply stands there heaving deep breaths, his nostrils flaring with each exhale.

Oh, he’s pissed. There’s no mistaking that, and I can tell he’s fighting with his instincts to punish her.

Spanking her ass or fucking her pussy raw is one thing, but I won’t allow him to raise a hand to her in anger. It was hard enough watching him wrap his hand around her throat to keep her from speaking.

If he’d just kept his fucking head straight, we might have learned the truth that first night we found her, or even the first morning she woke here.

Everest’s hands are balled into fists. I’m not sure whether she’s preparing to defend herself or if she’s thinking about clocking Kato again. As long as I’m around, she’ll never have to defend herself again. I’ll rip the throat out of any motherfucker who even so much as thinks about hurting her.

But this is Kato. I won’t rip his throat out.

I will, however, beat the shit out of him if he tries to hurt her.

After a few moments of this tense standoff, Kato turns on his heel and storms from the room. “Figure the shit out yourself,” he says as he turns the corner.

Figure what shit out? Viktor? Was he talking to her, or Brix and me?

Because no way will we let her endanger herself in an attempt to rescue some old Russian fuck.

Okay, yeah. He saved her life. I suppose we owe him that. We’re technically indebted to him.

Doesn’t make me want to share space with a member of the Sidorov Bratva.

No. I’m not counting Everest as a member of that syndicate, considering she had no part in her father’s business.

So, fuck. We’ll have to figure out a way to extract him from the Sidorov estate without any of us ending up full of bullets.

What if he doesn’t want to leave? What if this Viktor dude doesn’t even work for Dima anymore? He could have since retired. Or been gunned down while working for the Bratva.

A lot of what ifs and unknowns.

But one look at Everest, at the glassiness of her eyes as her bottom lip trembles and I already know I’ll climb the gate and walk right through the front door to find Viktor if that’s what it takes.

“We’ll get him out,” I reassure her, standing and pulling her into my arms.

“Why is he being such an asshole? He’s giving me fucking whiplash with his mood swings.”

I huff a laugh. “He’s always been an asshole. You’re just now seeing it.”

Brix grunts a sound of agreement.

Thing about Kato is his inability to express his feelings. Not that Brix or I could ever be called emotionally mature, but we don’t lash out at anyone who doesn’t deserve it.

Instead of telling Everest he’s worried about one of us getting hurt or killed while trying to save the man who saved her, he shut down and became a prick. That is a surefire way to push her away.

But hey, as long as she’s being pushed into my arms and not out of my life…I’ll consider it a win.