Page 6

Slider

A week had passed since I’d chased down Vasha, and we were finally back home.

Except, as I looked around, I realized this place hadn’t really been turned into a home but was just a resting place for me.

I had the basics and not much else.

Since she’d washed my sheets the last time she was here, she must have looked around a bit.

There wasn’t a lot of house here to justify a tour, but I wondered if I should still show her around.

“I’ll just put my things away,” she said, carrying the sacks I’d crammed into my saddlebags down the hall to the bedroom.

I watched her walk off, admiring the sway of her ass with every step.

I hadn’t fucked her again, not since that first time, and I was starting to get a serious case of blue balls.

Waiting had seemed like the right thing.

It was clear that she wanted me, the way her gaze tracked my every move, and I’d caught her staring at me multiple times.

There wasn’t a lack of heat between us, but we’d gotten off on the wrong foot, and I felt like I needed to make amends.

After hearing more of what she’d suffered, I’d realized that my little Vasha had been more sheltered than I realized in a lot of ways, and had been subjected to one too many horrors.

If I ever got my hands on Grigori, I’d find the biggest fucking dildo I could, jam it down his throat until he gagged, then I’d shove it up his damn ass.

I’d strap him down and instruct him on the proper way to spread his legs, just the way he’d done to Vasha.

Knowing he’d seen her naked, had touched her, forced a damn toy down her throat, was enough to make me want to go on a murder spree.

Thankfully, her tormenters were far away in Russia.

If they ever stepped foot on US soil, the only way they’d be leaving was in body bags, but more than likely, I’d cut them into little pieces and scatter their remains.

I heard a knock at the door and went to answer it.

Philip stood on the other side, three large boxes at his feet.

I’d made sure to order more clothes and shoes for Vasha, hoping I timed it right for them to arrive today.

It seemed I’d been right.

I jerked my head letting Philip know to bring them inside.

“Down the hall. Take them to the bedroom.”

Philip carried the first two together, then came back for the third.

There was a flush on his cheeks and his head was bowed.

It made me curious so I followed along, only to find Vasha bent over, putting things into the bottom drawer.

The leggings she wore hugged her, cupping her ass and leaving little to the imagination.

No wonder Philip looked a little warm.

Poor guy had gotten an eyeful without meaning to.

I already knew he’d never look at my wife in an inappropriate way.

Although, if Vasha weren’t taken, I had no doubt he’d have been all over her.

“Vasha, zolatka , we have company.”

She jerked upright and spun toward me.

Her gaze flitted over to Philip and I saw the nervous twitch in her fingers.

Her body tensed and white bracketed her lips.

His presence scared her, and I hated that.

None of the men here would ever harm her.

She was safe, and I needed her to know that with absolute certainty.

The bastards in Russia had made her fearful of any men, and it pissed me off.

“Vasha, this is Philip. He’s a Prospect.”

“Ma’am,” Philip murmured, not holding her gaze for long.

I saw amusement flicker in her eyes.

“Ma’am?” she asked.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-four,” he said.

Her lips twitched as if she fought not to smile.

“I’m six years younger than you. You may just call me Vasha. If that’s all right with Slider?”

“Whatever you want them to call you, as long as they remember you’re mine.” I winked at her so she’d know I meant the words teasingly.

Sort of.

Anyone looked at her in a way I didn’t like, I’d pound them into the ground -- after Vasha was out of sight.

Wait a minute.

Six years younger?

She was only eighteen?

We hadn’t discussed our ages.

I was ten years older than her, but it didn’t really matter.

Not to me anyway.

Spider and Luciana were happy together despite the age gap, and same for Rocket and Violeta.

I didn’t know what Vasha thought about it, though.

She didn’t appear to care one way or another.

She had to know I was older than her.

Then again, the pictures Rocket had shared meant that older men were the norm for her.

She’d been expected to marry a man who looked as old, if not older than Spider.

“I should get back to the clubhouse,” Philip said and beat a hasty retreat from the room.

I heard the front door slam and smiled.

“That’s funny?” she asked.

“He wanted to give us some space. Or maybe he noticed the way I look at you. I don’t think he wanted to be here if our clothes started coming off.”

She eyed me up and down, sucking her lower lip into her mouth.

She’d tried more than once to get into my pants while we were gone, but I’d wanted her to take the time to rest and heal.

The more time I spent with her, the less angry I was with Surge.

He’d saved her, and that was what mattered.

The fact he’d married us without even letting me know hadn’t turned out to be a complete disaster.

Vasha was sweet, and more tempting than any woman should be.

And she was mine.

I tried to keep hold of my caveman tendencies so I wouldn’t scare her.

Or maybe it was more that I didn’t want her to lump me in with the other men she knew.

The thought of her believing I was every bit as evil as Grigori and Vladimir made my stomach twist.

For her, I wanted to be better.

I’d used plenty of women in my life, but she made me regret those moments.

Not the ones I’d kept around for a while, even though those had been few and far between.

I even regretted the random guys I’d hooked up with when I was younger.

For her, I’d be willing to wipe away the majority of my past, if only such a thing were possible.

The brothers who stood with me would help protect her, and the blood on my hands would never wash clean, but I’d kill again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping her and them safe.

The violence wasn’t what bothered me.

It was the fact I might have hurt someone vulnerable.

What if any of those men or women had been through something similar to Vasha?

What if they’d been groomed to submit, to accept whatever happened to them?

No one deserved that kind of life, and I wished I could change the world and make it a better place so that innocents like Vasha would never know cruelty or abuse.

Then again, a Utopia would never exist and I’d have better luck finding a magic lamp.

“Are you still going to insist I need more time?” she asked.

“Guess that depends.” I crooked my finger and she came closer.

“If my controlling side comes out, are you going to have a flashback to your time with Grigori? Will you slip into that mind space he made you create? Or will you stay present with me?”

She took so long to answer I worried she never would.

Finally, she huffed out a small breath and gave a nod.

“I’ll remain with you.”

“If anything I do hurts you, or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, you need to tell me,” I said.

“I want you to feel safe with me, Vasha.”

She reached out and took my hand.

“I know you will never hurt me, Slider.”

I arched an eyebrow and stared her down, making her cheeks flush.

“Upton,” she corrected.

I’d never cared for my name, but I liked the way it sounded on her lips.

It was the only thing my mother had given me, other than a letter of apology, and maybe that’s why I’d hated it so much.

That and it made me think of preppy boys from the private school I’d grown up near.

The orphanage couldn’t afford to send us to the school up the street so we’d all attended public school.

Didn’t mean the boys from that fancy, expensive school hadn’t walked by our home and thrown out taunts every chance they had.

Until the nuns chased them off.

Vasha reached up and ran her fingers down my cheek, then lightly tugged on my beard.

I needed to trim it down a bit.

“What are you thinking about? It’s like you went somewhere in your mind just now,” she said.

“Sorry. My name reminds me of my mother, which in turn makes me think of my time at the orphanage and the places I went after that.”

Vasha led me to the bed and sat, pulling me down next to her.

“Tell me about it.”

“I had a few friends who lived there with me. I told you about the one who taught me Russian. Another came from an Italian family who had only been in this country a few generations. His entire family was killed in a house fire, but he’d not been home that day. He was the only survivor and went into the system. And then there was Mack.” I smiled faintly, remembering the huge redheaded kid.

Everyone had been afraid of him because of his sheer size, but he’d been a giant teddy bear.

“He had a bit of a reputation, but it was undeserved. Great guy.”

“Do you keep in touch with any of them?” she asked.

I shook my head and looked off, not really seeing anything.

I traveled back to the day I’d left, placed in foster care with a family.

It was the first of many, and each was worse than the last.

I had no idea what had become of the boys I’d known back then.

Maybe one day I’d look them up, but I was almost afraid of what I’d find.

“I’m glad you had friends,” she said.

“I had Anatoly.”

My hand clenched into a fist.

I hadn’t brought up Anatoly, but she’d murmured his name in her sleep more than once the last few days.

I’d wondered just how close they were.

Obviously they’d never slept together since she’d been a virgin, but had she cared for him as more than a friend?

It was ridiculous for me to feel jealous over someone she knew long before me, but I had to admit that was exactly how I felt.

“Tell me about Anatoly,” I said, wondering if I needed to track the guy down and kick his ass.

She smiled softly.

“We were friends when we were younger, but he was several years older than me. One day, he began training. When I became old enough to be considered as a potential bride, Anatoly was assigned as my bodyguard. He had to ensure that I not only didn’t escape, but that no one touched me inappropriately.”

I almost didn’t want to know, but I had to ask.

“Was he in the room during your lessons?”

She shook her head.

“Grigori made him wait in the hall. But he was outside the door and heard everything. I was embarrassed the first few times, but Anatoly took my hand and said that I was brave for enduring everything they did to me.”

He was right.

She was one of the bravest people I knew.

Even though I had a feeling she didn’t see herself that way.

It had taken guts to leave the compound when she’d thought I didn’t want her here.

She’d known no one in the area, had no place to go, and yet she’d set off anyway.

I wasn’t happy that she’d disappeared like that, but I had to admire the courage it took.

“As the time drew closer for Vladimir to claim me as his bride, Anatoly saw what it was doing to me. He placed an ad on the Dark Web for a Russian bride. As you know, your Surge found me and here we are.”

“And Anatoly?” I asked.

“He came to America with me, but we parted ways. Surge sent someone for me and once Anatoly handed me off, I guess he thought his job was done. I don’t know where he is now, or how to even contact him.”

“Surge might know, if you’d like to speak with him.” I might not like that she said his name in her sleep, but I owed the guy.

He’d saved her and gotten her away from Vladimir and Grigori.

“No. I think it’s best that chapter of my life stay closed. Perhaps one day I’ll run into Anatoly somewhere, but I won’t seek him out actively.”

I placed her hand on my thigh and traced her slender fingers.

I found myself holding her hand as often as possible.

There had never been a man or woman in my life who made me want to touch them as often I craved the feel of Vasha.

Whether it was running my fingers through her hair, holding her hand, or just sitting close enough that our bodies touched, I needed that contact with her as much as I needed air.

There were times when I watched her it was as if I’d known her my entire life.

Some part of me just seemed to know that she was mine, that I needed to protect her.

Maybe it was a throwback to the times of Neanderthals, but the possessiveness I felt with Vasha was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

“I want you to meet my family,” I said.

“All of them.”

“You mean your club?” she asked.

“Yes. They’re my brothers. I don’t really have a blood family, so they’re the closest thing I have, and in a lot of ways, they’re better. They’re your family now too. You can also meet Luciana and Violeta. You might like having women to talk to about stuff.”

“You mean you want me to meet them now ?” she asked, her eyes going wide.

I looked at the clock by the bed.

It was still early enough there wouldn’t be a party at the clubhouse.

I shot off a text to Spider, letting him know that I wanted to introduce my wife to everyone.

Then I realized I’d never told him I was married.

I had a feeling Surge hadn’t said a damn word.

Fox knew, and as VP he may very well have told Spider.

What wife ?

Then again…

I responded quickly.

Can you just call everyone to clubhouse?

I can explain later .

I didn’t get an answer, but a few minutes later my phone went off.

Every last fucker wearing club colors better get your asses to the clubhouse.

Rocket, bring Violeta .

Eloquent as ever.

I snickered, then noticed Vasha was stiffening next to me, and going deathly pale.

“They won’t like me,” she said.

“They won’t think I’m good enough.”

I made sure I had her attention, then lightly brushed my lips against hers.

I’d noticed that kissing her seemed to calm her down, or at least redirect her thoughts.

“They will love you. You’re mine and that’s all that will matter to them.”

She gave me a slight nod and stood.

“I should change.”

I leaned against the headboard and watched her flutter around the room.

“Vasha, open the boxes.”

She turned to face me, frozen for a moment, then scurried over to them.

She pulled off the tape and gasped when she saw the contents.

It didn’t take her long to pick a deep purple dress and a pair of black heeled boots.

I admired the lines of her body as she stripped off her clothes and pulled on the new things.

I didn’t know the first damn thing about women’s fashion, but I’d bought items similar to what I’d noticed Violeta and Luciana wore, hoping Vasha would like them.

From where I lay, I could see her as she ran into the bathroom and started brushing her hair, her teeth, and even when she stared at herself hard.

There was panic flashing in her eyes and her chest rose and fell rapidly.

If she didn’t seem so upset or worried, it would be cute that she cared so much what my family thought of her.

“You’re beautiful,” I called out.

“Stop worrying, kroshka .”

She chewed at her bottom lip and I stood up, knowing I needed to distract her again.

I walked up behind her, placed my hand on her stomach and pulled her flush against me.

Her gaze met mine in the mirror and I leaned down to rub my beard against her neck before kissing her gently on the column of her throat, then her shoulder.

Didn’t hurt that I had a perfect view straight down the front of her dress and could admire her breasts.

She sighed and tipped her head back.

“You’re mine. Remember that. No one will take you from me. No one will call you names or sneer. Anyone who hurts you in any way will answer to me. Understood?”

“Yes, Upton.”

I ran my hand up and down her bare arm.

“You look beautiful. If anything, I should be the one worried.”

Her startled gaze met mine.

“Why would you worry? I won’t do anything I shouldn’t! I won’t even talk to another man.”

“You misunderstand, kroshka . My brothers may flirt with you. They will know you’re mine, but they’ll delight in trying to get a rise from me. If I feel the need to knock their heads together, I don’t want you to think badly of me, or fear me.”

She turned in my arms and placed her palms on my chest.

“I’m not afraid of you. You’ve been so kind to me, so sweet. No one has ever treated me as well as you do.”

I disagreed, but after her previous experiences with men, I could see how she might feel that way.

I kissed her brow, then tugged her from the bathroom.

If I didn’t get her out of here, I’d be tempted to flip up her skirt, and then we’d be really late.

I needed her to meet the others and realize that she had more than just me.

My family was her family now.

I knew that Luciana and Violeta would welcome her, and my brothers would watch over her whenever I couldn’t.

It was important to me that she realize she wasn’t alone.

After everything she’d been through, I wanted Vasha to feel welcome here.

More than that, I needed her to realize that there were people she could rely on.

Her days of isolation and fear were at an end.

I’d do whatever it took to give her a happy life.

The idea of keeping her, of staying married to a woman I didn’t know, should have me running the other way.

But every time I held her, or just watched her, there was a part deep inside that knew she was right where she belonged.

I didn’t know what made Surge look for her, or what led him to her, but I was grateful.

Not only would she no longer suffer at the hands of Grigori or the man who had planned to marry her, but I had a feeling that having Vasha in my life would be a good thing.

“Time to go meet the family,” I said, kissing her quickly, then leading her out to the bike in the driveway.

If I didn’t get out of the house, I’d end up taking her to bed.

I stared at the machine, then eyed her dress and knew I couldn’t ask her to ride on it.

It looked like I would need to buy a truck or SUV in the near future.

I didn’t even know if Vasha was able to drive.

But if she couldn’t, then I’d still need a vehicle to take her places when a bike wasn’t practical.

Not to mention she could very well be pregnant already.

I wanted to ask when she’d know, but I wasn’t certain how she’d take the question.

My home was far enough from the clubhouse that I didn’t want to ask her to walk, especially since she was dressed so nicely.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I shot off a text to one of the Prospects, telling him to bring an SUV to my house.

It didn’t take long before Jack pulled into my driveway.