Page 23 of Cruel Russian Pakhan (Safin Bratva #1)

Lev guided me to the sofa, sinking down and pulling me into his lap, straddling him. His kisses deepened, hungry and unrelenting; his fingers tangled in my hair like he couldn’t get close enough.

His mouth trailed kisses along my neck, then lower, to my collarbone, until my shirt was somewhere on the floor, followed quickly by his.

“God, you're beautiful, Katya,” he grunted as he took one lace-covered nipple into his mouth.

He licked and sucked, alternating between both breasts while massaging them with his hands, his touch both reverent and possessive. I arched into him, shameless, wanting more. When he unclasped my bra and his hot mouth enveloped my bare nipple, I moaned from the very center of me.

Lev eased me onto my back, never breaking the kiss, his hard cock pressing insistently between my thighs.

I shifted under him, restless with want.

My sandals hit the floor, forgotten. In one fluid motion, he peeled away my jeans and panties, while shoving down his own pants and boxers.

The second our bare skin met, we both groaned.

He lifted himself slightly and slid his fingers between my soaked folds, teasing me.

“Lev…” I whispered, breathless.

My hips bucked toward his touch while my hand slid between us, wrapping around the thick length of his cock. I rubbed the tip gently, felt the slick wetness already there, and stroked him slowly. Lev hissed through his teeth.

“Katya,” he growled, thrusting two fingers inside me, and I gasped as he gripped my ass with his other hand. “Let go, baby. If you keep touching me like that, this is gonna be over before it even starts.”

Startled, and turned on, I dropped my hand.

“Good girl,” he praised, through a growl. “Put your hands over the side of the couch. Keep them there.”

I obeyed, bracing myself as his fingers began to thrust in rhythm, his mouth descending to my clit. The moment his tongue flicked over me and sucked hard, my body jolted. He did it again, and again, until my cries caught somewhere between ecstasy and surrender as I was pushed over the edge.

When his mouth finally pulled away, his fingers took over, drawing every last pulse from my climax, then he drove into me, making me gasp.

Lev wasn’t gentle tonight, but he wasn’t cruel, either. He needed this, needed me. After the updates Mariya and Ninel sent, knowing they had lost three men tonight, it made sense. This wasn’t just about pleasure, it was about release.

And I’d give him anything he needed.

His thrusts grew harder, rougher, laced with a desperate intensity that made me clutch the sofa beneath us. My body arched to meet every movement, every need he poured into me.

“Come with me, Katya,” he said through clenched teeth.

I slipped my hand between us, and he shifted, giving me just enough space. My fingers moved fast, circling my clit as he drove into me.

“Fuck,” he growled. “I can feel you…you're right there.”

He slammed into me, then reached up and pinched my nipple just hard enough to tip me over.

I shattered, crying out his name as I came.

Two more hard thrusts and he followed, his body going rigid as a deep grunt tore from his chest. I felt every twitch, every pulse of him as he emptied himself inside of me.

He hovered over me for a moment before he shifted, bringing me with him until my back was pressed to the sofa and he slipped out of me. I melted over him, completely spent, utterly boneless.

Exhaustion swept over me, and I drifted off to the steady, soothing sound of Lev’s heartbeat.

Over the next few days, every night when Lev came home, we made love. And for a little while, I let myself pretend. Pretend that Lev and I had been high school sweethearts who fell in love, got married, and were now living our happily ever after.

I knew it was foolish, but I didn’t care. I needed something, anything, to keep me from tipping over the edge of whatever thin line held my sanity together.

If pretending this was my perfect life with Lev helped me survive, then that was exactly what I was going to do.

One morning, just after breakfast, Lev placed his hand over mine.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“Really? What is it?”

He smirked. “If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?”

I groaned. “I hate surprises. Why not just show up like, ‘Katya, I got something for you?’”

Something shifted in his eyes. “It’s not something I can bring. It’s somewhere I have to take you.”

My eyes lit up. “A road trip?”

With everything going on in the faction, I'd been stuck in that damn house like a prisoner. Again.

“Yes, a road trip.” He kissed the back of my hand. “Go get ready. And maybe wear sneakers.”

Where could he be taking me that I needed to wear sneakers?

“You're not taking me on a hike, are you? Cause I'm not built for climbing over boulders and crawling up hills.”

Lev laughed. “I promise it's not hiking, and that's the only hint you'll get.”

I rolled my eyes playfully, and when I stood, so did he. He traced the side of my face, and I shivered at the contact.

“I’ll meet you by the front door in twenty minutes,” he said huskily.

I kissed his cheek quickly and rushed to my room.

Twenty minutes later, Lev was behind the wheel of his SUV, pulling out of his compound. Two cars led the way, two followed behind.

“So,” I turned to him with a grin, “any chance you’ll give me another hint?”

He glanced over. “Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s not how surprises work.”

I crossed my arms. “Oh yeah? Then how do they work?”

Lev flashed a smile. “I tell you I have one, and you stay in wonder until you get it.”

I pouted playfully. “Well, that sucks.”

Lev laughed.

“Can I at least put on the radio, since you refuse to tell me about this surprise?”

“Sure, why not.”

I turned it on and flipped through the stations until I landed on one playing “World on Fire.”

Lev glanced at me as I started to sing. “Wait, you like country western?”

“I do.”

“And Nate Smith?”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Seems to me like you enjoy a little country western, too.”

“I will neither confirm nor deny that statement.”

I laughed, grabbed a pen from the compartment between the seats, and pretended it was a mic, passing it back and forth between us.

And wouldn’t you know it, Lev not only knew every word, but his voice?

His voice made me wish I’d packed a spare pair of panties.

The man had hidden talents, and every time I unlocked one, he left me amazed.

Damn.

After about thirty minutes of singing, he pulled into a gas station to grab some drinks. I opted to stay in the car.

I watched him disappear into the mini mart, then leaned back in my seat, eyes closed, softly singing along with the radio, still smiling.

“Katya, we're here,” I heard Lev say gently as he stroked my face.

My eyes fluttered.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep.” The words tumbled out my mouth groggily as I blushed.

“It's fine. I actually like watching you sleep. And besides,” he smirked, “you haven't been doing much sleeping the past few nights.”

I blushed harder but still managed to smack his hand playfully.

“Then tonight, I'll remedy that. Tonight, I'll sleep in my bed…alone.”

Lev growled, “Like hell you will.”

Goosebumps ran along my arms, and I felt my panties get a bit wet. As much as I hated how controlling and possessive he was outside the bedroom, it was totally hot in the bedroom. Knowing how much he wanted me? It was mind-blowing.

To avoid his gaze, I looked out the window. We were parked outside a cemetery. I looked across at Lev, totally confused. He smiled and hopped out of the car, jogging around to open my door. He took my hand and helped me out.

“This is your surprise?” I tilted my head at him.

“Yup.”

He opened the back door and pulled out a bouquet of roses. Then he tucked my hand into the crook of his arm as we walked through the gates together.

We weaved between gravestones until we stopped at one. It was clearly well-maintained, unlike the others, which were choked with weeds.

The tombstone read: Stephanie Hudson.

I froze.

Hudson. That had been my last name before Daisy and Arnold adopted me.

My breath caught as I stared. Lev stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned back into him.

“This is your mother’s grave,” he said softly.

A sob tore from my throat before I could stop it. His arms tightened around me.

“I had Timur dig into your background,” Lev said gently. “Then we had someone go to the orphanage and rummage through the old files. There had to be something, some clue. They couldn’t have just taken in a child without paperwork. Once we found something, we kept digging.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I cried, and Lev turned me toward him. I buried my face in his chest.

“I’m sorry you never got to meet your parents,” he murmured. “But they’d be so damn proud of the woman you’ve become.”

I pulled back slightly, sniffling.

“Thank you for finding her. They told me they had nothing…I just…” I buried my head in his chest again. “Thank you,” I whispered.

I finally had the names of my parents: Stephanie Hudson and Grigori Rykov.

As I stood in the cemetery wrapped in Lev’s arms, it felt like a missing piece of me had quietly slipped into place.

A part of me that had been broken…had healed. I couldn’t believe he did this for me.

Lev’s voice was soft against my ear. “I have another surprise for you.”

I looked up at him, my voice watery. “Is it going to make me cry, too?”

His lips curved into a smile. “Probably. But you’ll like it. I promise.”

Then he kissed me, tender and slow, and the longing I had for him stirred. When we pulled apart, he handed me the bouquet. I placed it gently on my mother’s grave. Kissing my fingers, I pressed them to the tombstone.

“Hi, Mom.”

That was all I could manage before I broke down again and Lev pulled me back in his arms.

We stood there for twenty minutes before I wiped my eyes. “I’m ready for the next surprise.”