Page 24

It’d been two months since the whole fiasco with the FBI and Tyfun-1. Luckily, the cops hadn’t found anything to implicate me with the drugs, and the news about it had become irrelevant.

A lot of things had changed—like my relationship with Andrei.

I’d started to truly enjoy his presence, with no fear or doubts attached, and I missed him in his absence—like a part of me had been torn away.

He’d changed a lot, too, over the months.

Although he was still that dominant, fearful, and brutal man others feared, he’d become softer with me. He smiled more now and didn’t have to pretend to be cold whenever we were together.

To be honest, I didn’t think I could’ve pulled a better man than him on my own, even if I tried.

It was the middle of summer, and the weather outside was scorching. Andrei wouldn’t be home until evening, and I’d grown tired of watching TV.

I went to the pool outside, sliding off my robe and slipping into the water. I groaned as a blissful chill cascaded over me, washing away the sweltering heat of summer.

The two bodyguards stationed around the pool were something I’d have to discuss with Andrei when he came back home.

Despite how everything had died down, he still believed I had to be guarded whenever he wasn’t home, and he’d threatened to chop off one of the men’s balls if he found even a scratch on me when he came home.

He didn’t try to restrict my movements. I could go wherever I wanted and do whatever I pleased, but he believed there could still be enemies out there who might harm me, so I needed to have my bodyguards with me whenever I stepped out of the mansion.

And then there was the betrayal I’d felt when Dobryn agreed.

A smile spread across my lips at how overprotective he had become. The more comfortable we grew with each other, the more he wanted to keep me safe.

I immersed my entire body in the shimmering pool, holding my breath for a few minutes before surfacing and filling my lungs with air for a moment. Then, I held my breath again and dipped back into the water once more.

I didn’t know how much time I’d spent in the pool, but by the time I got tired and chose to float instead, the water had already begun to feel cold against my skin, and the sun dipped lower, its once-blazing rays now a golden caress.

I stared at the sky, lost in the beauty above me.

Three weeks ago, I’d decided to tell Mom the truth about me and Andrei, and while she’d been disappointed she wasn’t invited to the wedding, she didn’t seem very upset that I’d gotten married to someone in the mafia.

She didn’t hate the mafia; she’d known Dad was a double agent, and what she feared was what they would do to him when they found out.

Mom smiled as she thanked Andrei for protecting me and ensuring my happiness. She didn’t care if he was a seven-horned devil; all she cared about was that he kept me safe and helped me through my grief.

“You look at peace.”

I almost flinched at the deep sound of his voice, and when I glanced up, Andrei was standing at the edge of the pool, watching me with a flicker of adoration in his eyes.

“What?” I heard him clearly, but I hadn’t noticed him come in, and that was the only logical reaction I could offer, along with the grin playing on my lips.

“You look at peace,” he repeated, crouching at the edge of the pool and smiling back at me. “And you look sexy in that thing you’re wearing.”

I swam toward him, resting my elbow on the edge just by his feet and tilting my head to look at him. “It’s called a two-piece swimsuit.”

“Ah, I see.” He whipped his head around and glared at his guards, a silent signal for them to look away.

I laughed. He hadn’t just grown more protective; he’d become even more possessive and jealous as well. It was cute to see. “You know they’ve been watching me swim every day for weeks now, right?”

“Well, they’re not allowed to watch you swim anymore. No man is allowed to watch you swim beside me.”

I huffed. He’d just saved me from having to discuss the bodyguard situation. “How was work today, husband?”

“I had a couple of meetings with the Pakhan and a couple of members of the Bratva. All I could think of while I was there was coming back home to you.” He placed a finger beneath my chin and leaned in. “I missed you.”

“Me, too.” I squinted and grinned. “I think I missed you more.”

He pretended to think for a moment. “I doubt it.”

Something about the way he said it reminded me of my dad. He would pretend to think the same way and always claimed he missed me more than I did.

I heaved a sigh. Maybe he used to miss me more, but now I was the one missing him. There was a splinter of pain in my chest at the realization that I’d never see Dad or hear his voice again, no matter where in the world I went.

He was gone forever.

“You’re thinking of your dad again, aren’t you?” Andrei asked, scrutinizing me.

We’d grown so close over the last couple of weeks that I didn’t have to pretend when I was around him. I didn’t need to hide when I was sad or when something was bugging me. Andrei had become that shoulder I knew I could lean on whenever I needed it.

I nodded. “You just reminded me of my dad. When I was little, I used to tell him I missed him more, and he would tell me he doubted it—that he missed me more.”

“What’s your fondest memory of your father?” Andrei asked.

I thought for a while. There were many of them, but I couldn’t choose any as the fondest because they all held equal importance to me. However, there were a few that stood out the most in my memory.

“When he gave me piggyback rides.” I chuckled as a mental image of those moments flashed in my mind. “Oh, and I think my fondest memory of him was when he took me on a fancy date at the age of ten.”

“A date?”

I bobbed my head. “It was a seafood restaurant an hour’s drive from where we lived. We spent time together, just the two of us, and he fed me lobsters. I ended up chasing him with a crab leg.”

Andrei’s head rolled back, and he let out a throaty laugh. His blue eyes gleamed with sheer happiness, and a pool of heat gathered between my legs. I was amazed at how incredibly handsome he looked.

He was a beautiful sight to behold.

“Did you actually chase him with a crab leg in a restaurant?” he asked, a wide grin stretched on his lips.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. And he didn’t even care what others would think. He played along.”

“So, my wife has been crazy for longer than I thought.”

“I was born insane.” A shiver ran through me. The sun had started to disappear beyond the horizon, and the water had gotten colder.

Andrei walked to the lounge chair, grabbed the towel I had placed there, and returned to the pool. He wrapped the towel around me and said, “Let’s take you inside before you catch a cold.”

I climbed out of the pool and noticed his gaze lowering to breasts. My nipples were hard, both from the cold and the intensity of his stare, and they were poking against the fabric of my swimsuit.

My breathing grew harder, and my pulse spiked.

“You look magnificent,” he whispered as he inched closer, his eyes dark with dangerous desire. “Let’s get you warmed up.”

Before I could say a word, he lifted me bridal style.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, reveling in the heat seeping from his body and into mine as he carried me to our room.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his body pressing against mine and enveloping me with warmth.

We barely made it past the bedroom door when I shifted from the position in one fluid motion, wrapping my legs around his hips and tracing his lips with mine.

His arm snaked around me, and one of his hands slid under my swimsuit, finding my bare breast and cupping it.

I raked my fingers through his hair and kissed him. It was a hot, searing, primal kiss that evoked something deeper than lust from both of us. It was need, mixed with deep yearning.

He deepened the kiss, dragging his thumb across my nipple and twisting it lightly.

I moaned into his mouth, bucking when I felt his erection poke against my sex, and ground against him, desperate to ease the throbbing between my thighs.

He slid a hand through my thong and cupped my sex, and then, fisting the thong, he ripped it off me and pressed a firm finger to my clitoris.

I gasped, the ache in my core becoming more intense with anticipation. “Andrei,” I moaned.

“Get down,” he ordered as his gaze landed on my face, the look in his eyes dangerous.

I stopped grinding and stared at him with raised brows. “Why?” I asked. I needed him now.

“Because you’re riding me today.” He pushed a finger deep inside me, curved it, and thrust it a few times.

My body quivered at the contact, and a sultry cry left my throat. God, I needed to feel him inside me right now.

“Now, solnishko ,” he groaned when he pulled his finger out of me.

I got off him and waited for him to take off his jacket. He unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it to the floor, and then reached for his pants.

“Let me,” I offered. I knelt in front of him, taking my sweet time to unbuckle his belt and salivating at the sight of his erection. He was hard, and I was thirsty to have a taste of him.

His dick sprung out as I pulled down his pants, and I swallowed at the sight of precum on the tip.

“Do you want to taste it?” he asked, his voice so rough and husky that it unraveled me completely.

I nodded.

“It’s all yours, solnishko . Do as you please.”

I wrapped my hand around the shaft and swiped my tongue over the tip. A smile pulled at my lips when I tasted the salty bead of precum. It honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought.

“You like it?”

“Yes.”

A pleased grin appeared on his face. “Stuff your face with it.”

Like a good girl, I took the length of his dick in my mouth, pumping with my fist and choking on the sheer length of him.

My jaw ached, my throat burning to stop, but I didn’t.

The satisfaction in his groans was all I needed to hear. The way he wrapped my hair around his fist and thrust it into my mouth sent a ripple of heat through me. The more I took him in my mouth, the more my pussy wept to have him inside me until I could feel the wetness of my arousal dripping down my legs.

My sex yearned for some pressure, so I pressed my thumb against it as firmly as he usually did and circled it until I could feel my orgasm build.

Holy crap! This was perfection.

The fact that I could bring both him and myself so much pleasure…. The feeling was heavenly, and it filled me with much more confidence than I could have imagined.

I pulled away, rising to my feet and pushing him down onto the bed. Then I climbed on top of him and slid down on his cock until it was completely inside me.

We both groaned, and a shiver ran through me as our eyes met. A blush crept up my cheeks, but I didn’t let that stop me as I began to bounce on him, grinding back and forth until I could feel him deep inside me.

Andrei cupped my breasts, teased my nipples, and stroked my clit. His fingers dug into my ass, his growls growing more sensual.

A delicious tremor spread through my body, setting every nerve alight. I squirmed as my orgasm built, riding him faster and faster until I clashed against the tides of our climax.

Andrei growled, his fingers digging into my ass as he fucked me from beneath.

I slowed my pace, reeling in the aftershock, with my body trembling and my breath labored, and then I collapsed on top of him, jerking as his cock moved inside me.

“That was…intense,” I said, gasping for air.

He pushed my hair from my face and pressed a kiss to my cheeks. “You’re so perfect, solniskho .”

He flipped us over in one fluid motion so I was beneath him this time.

My eyes widened. “Are we…?”

“We’re just getting started,” he said with a grin, and then he buried his head between my thighs.