Born into Temptation (Devils Will Rise: Melnikov Legacy #4)

10. Valentin

Nothing on earth tastes as good as my wife. I’ve known it since I was a teenager. The first time I buried my head between her legs, I’d known I was getting a taste of heaven, nectar straight from the fucking gods. The feminine scent of her, the sweet arousal that had dripped onto my tongue—it had knocked me on my ass then, and it still has the same effect on me now. No matter how many times I drink her in, it will always stun me in the best way possible.

I suck and nip on the pussy I recently shaved, feeling that same sense of ownership it always gives me to know this part of her, like every part, is mine, just as every part of me belongs to her. When I grip the backs of her thighs, spreading her wider, I take a moment to drink in the sight of her splayed open for me. The lingerie she’s chosen looks stunning on her, and I commit every inch of her to memory, because like every moment with her, I never want to forget any of it.

Kissing my way along her smooth skin, I smile when she lets out another soft moan. A subtle rock of her hips has me digging my fingers into her thighs and spreading her even wider. With my mouth hovering over her eager pussy, I say, “This is all you have to do tonight, wife.” I run my nose along her smooth skin, breathing her in. “Just let me worship you. Let me love every inch of you. Let me show you how much I love you.”

She moans my name and brings her hands to my head, threading her fingers into my hair like she loves to do. And when I run my tongue up her slit, lightly delving inside, she lets out a soft gasp and fists my hair tighter. As ready for me as she is, I meant what I said about going slow.

When she lets out a soft, frustrated moan and digs her fingers in tighter, I give her another lick and say, “No matter how much you tug and pull on my hair, I’m not lifting my head until I’ve had my fill. And, myshka , I’m fucking ravenous tonight. I could feast on your sweet pussy for hours.”

Before she can argue with me, I lock my lips to hers and slide my tongue into her. The taste of her fills my mouth, but instead of sating me, it just reminds me that I’ll never be able to satisfy this particular hunger.

I will always want more.

Losing myself between her legs, I kiss and lick and suck on her delicate flesh until her voice is hoarse and her thighs are shaking. My only thought is that I need more . I want to consume her, to join our bodies in a way that ensures they’ll never be separate again. It’s not possible for me to get as close to Yelena as I want, but by god that’s not going to stop me from trying.

With my cock so hard it’s painful, I give her clit one last suck before kissing my way up her body. I stop to nuzzle against the stomach that I’m so eager to see swollen and whisper a quick “I love you” to our baby before making my way up her body. I want her thigh highs to stay on, but I can’t tolerate anything hiding her perfect tits from me. When I unhook her bra and toss it aside, I hover my body over hers and take in the sight of her.

“You are perfection,” I tell her, barely keeping myself in check as she looks up at me with her big dark eyes.

“That’s not true at all,” she whispers, “but I’m glad you think so.”

“I know so,” I tell her, because she’s out of her mind if she thinks for one second it’s not true. Where she’s always seen flaws, I’ve seen beauty. The breasts she thinks are too small have always been the perfect size for my hands and mouth. The ass she’s convinced is too flat has always fit so perfectly up against me when I spoon her at night. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and she’s finally my wife.

When I slide into her, I savor the slight wince she gives before her body relaxes and accepts all of me. I’ll never get tired of seeing it, but the thing that really gets me is the desire in her dark eyes that only grows stronger, not despite but because of the quick flash of pain. She loves that I spread her wide enough to hurt, and knowing that drives me crazy.

Her arms and legs wrap around me in a tight embrace, and then she’s pulling me closer and kissing me with enough passion to push everything out of my head except for the feel of her body around mine and the taste of her filling my mouth. I’ve never been a religious person. I’ve never cared about the possibility of a heaven, because I’ve always known that I already have it in Yelena. She’s the only person I want to worship, the only one I want to devote my life to, and the only eternity I’ll ever care about. There’s nothing else for me, and I’ve always known that. It’s her or nothing.

The feel of her hand pressing against my chest has me breaking our kiss to look down at her. “What’s wrong?”

Her kiss-swollen lips spread into a beautiful smile. “Nothing’s wrong. I want to be on top.”

The grin I give her is so big it makes her laugh. She’s usually happy to let me take the lead, but she knows it drives me crazy to watch her ride me. Keeping her pressed against me, I roll us over so I’m on my back and she’s lying on top of me. She gives me one more deep, slow kiss before lifting up.

“Jesus,” I sigh, taking in the sight of her. When I reach my hands up and cup her tits, she closes her eyes and starts to slowly rock her hips. She’s always shy at first, but the longer she rides my cock, the bolder she becomes. I drink in the sight of her, watching the transformation, and soon she’s bracing her hands against my chest for leverage and sliding up and down the length of me in a rhythm that threatens to undo me.

“Fuck, baby,” I growl when her inner walls squeeze me even tighter, gripping my cock and demanding I fill her pussy with the cum she’s begging me for.

With her eyes open, she watches me—dark hair hanging down, tits bouncing with her movements, and the sexiest grin playing at her full mouth.

“Give me what I want,” I tell her, barely getting the words past my lips. Every part of my body is tense with the need to let go. My release is so fucking close, and the tiniest spark is going to set me off.

When she circles her hips and I let out a pained groan, the sound of it is both a plea for mercy and a hope that it will never end. She knows what she’s doing to me. I can tell by the wicked, playful glint in her eyes.

“I love seeing you like this, Yel.”

Her voice is a sexy, breathless whisper when she asks, “Like what?”

“Fearless, myshka . You’re a queen, and I should be bowing at your goddamn feet.”

She smiles down at me. “I kind of like you right where you are.”

I laugh, but it quickly turns into a groan when she circles her hips again and takes me in even deeper. I grab onto her hips and rock up into her, desperate for more, for anything and everything she wants to give me. She moans my name on a sigh, meeting my thrusts, rocking against me in the perfect rhythm, and as soon as she throws her head back and starts to come, I allow myself a few perfect seconds of watching her come undone before my body takes over, demanding release.

The orgasm slams into me, stealing my breath and darkening the edges of my vision. My cock pulses inside her, filling her as I claim my wife for the first time. The world freezes. Everything outside this room ceases to exist. There’s nothing but the feel of her pussy gripping me, the soft sway of her hips as she rides out her pleasure, and the sweet sound of her moaning my name.

When I’m finally empty, I feel a soft shiver run through her body before she lowers her chest to mine. Sweaty, breathless, and limp from exhaustion, she brings her face to my neck and kisses it, and the moment is so perfect that all I can do is hold her and bury my face in her hair because words could never do this justice. Some things are just meant to be felt, because that’s the only way they can be experienced. I clutch her tighter and fill my lungs with the strawberry scent of her.

Her soft breaths hit my neck as I lightly caress her back and run my fingers through her hair. I feel her breathing start to slow, and I know she’s seconds from falling asleep. Right before she does, she kisses my neck again and whispers, “I love you, Val.”

I smile and kiss her head. “I love you, too, Yel. Get some sleep, myshka . We have all the time in the world together. This is only the beginning.”

She gives a soft nod and reaches up to touch my cheek. Cupping her hand, I kiss the palm and set it back on my chest. I hold her while she sleeps until I’m too tired to keep my eyes open, and then I tuck her body up against mine and wrap my arm around her.

The realization hits me yet again that this is how I’ll get to fall asleep every night from this point on. No more separation, no more dropping her off at my uncle’s apartment, no more goodbyes.

It feels too good to be true, but when I wake up the next morning and my wife is still cuddled up against me, I start to believe that this is my new reality. We spend the next three days barely leaving our bedroom. Every morning, I help her while she’s sick, and when she’s feeling well enough, I make her something to eat, and then we spend the rest of the day lost in one another. Thanks to our moms, the fridge is stocked with food, and I’d laughed when I first saw the case of Gatorade in the pantry with the note attached to it, handwritten by my Uncle Matvey.

Don’t let my daughter get dehydrated, Val.

Yel’s cheeks had turned a pretty shade of red when she saw that note, but she still drinks one every time I hand her a bottle, because her dad is right. We can’t have her getting dehydrated. It wouldn’t be good for her or the baby.

After lunch on the fourth day of being married, Yelena watches me load up the dishwasher. I give a soft laugh at the hungry look she’s giving me. Max is coming over in a few so we can all drive over to his house. I want to grab the last few things I have over there, and he needs to get a few things, too. He’s still staying with his parents, but things have been quiet, and I’m not sure how much longer it’ll be before he moves back out.

Loading the last of the plates, I shut the door and lean against the counter while I dry my hands and eye my horny little wife. “You’re insatiable,” I tell her.

She smiles and takes a step closer. “You’re the one loading the dishwasher while shirtless. What did you think was going to happen?”

I look down at my bare chest. I’d thrown on a pair of jeans when we left the bedroom but hadn’t bothered with anything else. In seconds she’s standing in front of me, running her fingers along my back and pressing her lips to my chest. I watch her slowly kiss a line along my tattooed skin. Forcing myself to wait is the sweetest kind of torture. My cock strains against my jeans, but I’m addicted to the way her soft lips feel brushing against my skin and I’m in no hurry to stop it. When she runs her tongue over my nipple, I groan and remind her that Max is on his way.

She smiles and says, “Then you’d better be fast, Val.”

Never one to back down from a challenge, I turn her around and place her palms on the kitchen island before freeing my cock. She’s wearing one of my hoodies, and when I slide my hand up her bare thigh and realize she’s not wearing any panties, I let out a soft laugh and nip at the crook of her neck.

“My wife is full of surprises.”

She moans and arches her ass out for me. My eyes run over the curve of her lower back and the ass that always makes my mouth water. I’d drag this out for hours if I could, but neither one of us wants Max knocking at the door, so without wasting any time, I slide into the wet heat of her, giving us both what we need.

It’s fast and hard, but so fucking sweet, because nothing we do ever feels impersonal. Sex with Yelena will always involve my heart and soul. It will never just be about getting off or fucking. It’s so much more than that, and we both feel it every time our bodies are locked together. Bringing one hand between her thighs, I tease her sensitive skin while my other hand slides up her neck. My fingers run along the side of her face before I fist her hair, holding her in place until she shatters in my arms, taking me with her.

“I love you so goddamn much,” I whisper against her skin.

“I love you, too,” she whispers back, still catching her breath as I keep my arms wrapped around her and my nose buried in her hair.

I hold her until I know we only have minutes to spare before I slowly slide out of her. “I hate to leave your body, but you can’t meet Max without any pants on.”

She gives a soft laugh and turns her head to kiss me. “And you can’t leave the apartment without a shirt on. You’ll drive the women crazy.”

“What women?”

“All the women in the city, Val. They’ll be chasing after your car.”

I laugh and kiss the tip of her nose. “You’re crazy, myshka . I’m glad you think I could cause a traffic jam, but just so you know, you’re the only woman I want chasing after me. I’m more than happy to be invisible to everyone else.”

She gives me one of her sweet smiles and then laughs when I smack her bare ass before she goes running down the hall. When she’s halfway there, she stops and pulls the hoodie off.

“Jesus,” I groan at the sight of her standing naked in the hall.

Smiling, she tosses the hoodie at me. “You need to get dressed, too,” she says and then runs into our bedroom.

I bring the hoodie to my face and breathe in the sweet strawberry smell of her before pulling it on over my head. I’m more than happy to walk around smelling like my wife. Smiling, I grab my gun from the counter and slip it into my jeans at the small of my back while I wait for Yelena. She returns a few minutes later in jeans and one of her own hoodies.

“Most women have to spend several hours to look as gorgeous as you do after you just toss on some clothes.”

She laughs and shakes her head at me like she thinks I’m joking. I’m not. Yelena is effortlessly gorgeous, and it never ceases to amaze me how clueless she is about it. Grabbing her hand, I lead her out the door and toward the elevator. It’s the first time we’ve left the apartment since our wedding night, and everything feels different, like the world just got a few shades brighter. I know it’s crazy, but I’m too happy to care that I sound like a lovestruck idiot. Once we’re in the elevator, I use my phone to do a quick check of the surveillance cameras. Our men are already waiting for us, and when I see Max pull in, I put the phone away and cup Yelena’s face, wanting to kiss her before the doors open.

Her arms wrap around my waist as she parts her lips for me, kissing me just as deeply as I’m kissing her. It’s a perfect kiss, one that I never want to end, but when I hear the doors give a ding, I force myself to step back. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes have that dreamy look in them that lets me know she’s thinking about me taking her to bed. I give her a wink, letting her know without words that it’ll be the first thing I do when we get back.

Her sweet smile is the last thing I see before the doors open and I look away. For a second, everything is normal—a packed parking garage, my Jaguar parked next to my uncle’s Camaro, and a few black SUVs with several of our men standing around the closest one. Max is just getting out of his car. He sees us and starts to hold up his hand in a wave when an engine revs and a black SUV comes charging around the corner. The squeal of tires echos through the garage right as everything goes to shit. Gunshots go off, and I quickly step in front of Yelena and reach for my gun. Her hands grab my waist, willing me to stay in the elevator, but I’m already firing off a shot at the masked fuckers who come barreling out of the unfamiliar SUV. The elevator doors try to shut, but my shoulder stops them. Our men return fire, and when I see one of them take a hit and fall to the ground, I know I have a choice to make.

The only problem is with Max out there, it isn’t really a choice at all. I can’t leave him, not when his life is in danger, but I also know Yelena is never going to let go of me so I can run out into the middle of a gunfight. With one of her hands still locked on my hip, I know she’s using the other to call her dad because the next thing I hear is her frightened voice yelling that we’re under attack. I’m guessing an alert from the security cameras has already notified Niki and Uncle Danil, but no one else is here today. Uncle Matvey is with my dad, and it’ll be at least twenty minutes before any of them can get here.

“No, I’m not leaving him,” she yells to her dad over the sound of gunfire, and I know she means it.

She will never let go of me, so I need to make the choice for her. Giving a sharp whistle, I wave Feliks over as soon as he turns his head to look at me. Pavel and Ivan give him cover fire so he can run back to us, and as soon as he’s close, he’s prying Yelena’s hand from my side and wrapping an arm around her so she can’t run after me.

“No!” she screams, flailing her arms and trying to free herself from Feliks’s hold, and it breaks my fucking heart to see it.

I wish I had the time to hold her, to give her one more kiss and tell her I love her, but I don’t. Another one of our guys is on the ground, and they’re closing in on Max. Before I run out, I have just enough time to run my fingers over Yelena’s cheek and say a quick “I love you,” before I’m pushing the button for the doors to shut and racing out to get Max.

“Val! No! Come back!” She screams until the doors shut and her voice is cut off.

Forcing myself to ignore everything except the chaos in front of me, I aim and take out one of the men who’s aiming at Max. When I come around the corner of our SUV, I see Pavel and Ivan on the ground. Ivan’s taken a bullet to the head, and I don’t bother feeling for a pulse. I know a dead man when I see one. Pavel’s been shot in the chest. He’s losing a lot of blood, but when our eyes meet, I see the determined look on his face. He’s not giving up, and he wants to get these fuckers just as much as I do. I give him a quick nod and grab Ivan’s gun so I’ll have more bullets.

Rolling himself onto his stomach, he looks over at me and yells, “Go!” right before he gives me cover fire so I can run to the SUV Max is using as a shield. All our vehicles are bulletproof, but we both know this is a temporary solution.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asks me when he stops shooting to reload. With his back against the door, he quickly pops out the old magazine and replaces it with a new one. “You should’ve gone back up with her.”

I fire a shot over the hood, narrowly missing one of the masked men. “I couldn’t leave you,” I tell him. “You’d have done the same thing.”

“We’re fucked,” he says, and he’s right. I know he’s right, but I still refuse to believe it, not even when two more SUVs approach and more masked men get out. My brain won’t allow me to believe that three days of marriage is all I’m going to be allowed, because fuck that. I refuse to let that be my reality. Max and I keep shooting until we’ve used every bullet we have, and once the ammunition is gone, we both grab our knives. I’m prepared to see this through to the end, but without our guns, it’s not hard for them to surround us, and within seconds every gun is trained on our heads.

“Don’t be stupid, Valentin.”

I turn at the unfamiliar sound—a deep voice laced with a Spanish accent—and with my knife in my hand I face him. Their masks aren’t full face coverings. They’re black, and they only cover their mouths and noses, leaving their eyes visible. His are hard and empty and if I could allow myself to think about Yelena right now, I’d say they were as dark of a color as hers.

“No one else has to die,” he says, slowly taking a step closer. I raise my knife and shake my head.

“I’m already a dead man. We both know it.” I wave a hand at the destruction and death around us. “Unless all this was just so you could say hello.”

He gives a soft laugh. “We didn’t come here to kill you.”

When I scoff at that, he raises a brow and says, “We will if you give us no choice. Both of you come with us, or we shoot one of you and take the other. It’s your choice to make.”

While he lets us decide, he casually turns and walks over to where Pavel is still lying on the ground, hand pressed to his chest in an effort to staunch the blood. Without any hesitation, he raises his gun and fires two quick shots to Pavel’s head, killing him instantly.

“Fucker.” Max growls the word, but the man just gives another soft laugh and nudges Pavel with his boot.

“You shouldn’t get attached to your men. They’re expendable.” He looks between the two of us. “Decided yet?”

I look around the garage. We’re outnumbered and our only weapons are the knives in our hands. In seconds, they could put a bullet in both our heads and that would be the end of it. If we fight, one of us will die. It’s guaranteed. I’m not ready to leave Yelena, and I can’t live with Max’s death on my hands, so I say the only thing I can say. “We’ll both go with you.”

“Wonderful.” Turning to his men, he yells something in Spanish and within seconds Max and I are surrounded.

I look over at my cousin as someone takes my knife and then zip-ties my hands behind my back. I see the fear in Max’s eyes, even though we’re both trying like hell to hide it. We’ve trained for this, but training will never truly prepare you for a moment like this.

Before a dark hood is pulled over my head, I lift my eyes and stare directly into the security camera that I know is hidden on the column right in front of us. I know there’s audio, so I say in Russian, “Tell her I’m sorry,” knowing my dad will pass on the message. The man in front of me pulls the hood over my head, snuffing out the light and with it my last link to the woman I love. Yelena will never be allowed to see the security footage, but it still feels like I’m losing a connection to her when I’m roughly shoved forward. There’s a hand on my arm, guiding me forward. When I’m pulled to an abrupt stop, hands run over my body, patting me down and relieving me of my phone, and then I’m pushed into one of their vehicles. I must be in the back because there’s no seat, just my ass on the ground and not enough room to stretch my legs out.

With my vision gone, I try like hell to focus on listening to everything around me, but all I can hear is Spanish and the sound of doors being shut. I’m surprised when I hear Max grunt right before he’s shoved in next to me and the back of the SUV is closed.

“You okay?” I ask him, making sure to stick to Russian because I’m pretty sure the men around us don’t speak it.

“Yeah, but this is not good, Val. It’s the fucking cartel.”

“I know,” I tell him, and there’s no point in saying any more. We both know that what we’d feared is true. The Amaya Cartel is behind this, and now we’re their prisoners.

“You should’ve left with her,” Max says, and I shake my head, even though I know he can’t see it.

“That was never an option, and you know it.”

“We’re both going to die,” he says. “You and I both know what’s coming.”

“If they wanted us dead, we’d be dead,” I remind him.

He’s quiet for a second before he finally says, “They want information. That’s the only reason we’re alive.” In a softer voice, he adds, “For now.”

I don’t say anything. Instead, we sit in the back, our bodies so close that my entire right side is leaning against his left, and we wait while they drive us to some unknown location. The zip tie digs into my skin, cutting off my circulation until my arms and hands eventually go numb. It feels like we’ve been driving for hours, and through every second of it all I can think about is Yelena. She must be so scared, and I hate that I’m not there to comfort her. Her screams echo through my head—the fear and terror in her voice will haunt me for the rest of my life, no matter how long or short that ends up being.

Aside from the occasional word or two in Spanish, the men seated behind us are quiet. I’m surrounded in darkness, and the heavy fabric of the dark hood is threatening to turn me claustrophobic. Sweat drips down my forehead, stinging my eyes and making me feel like I can’t breathe. I feel a panic attack coming on, and I force myself to take long, slow breaths in an effort to stave it off. Tucking my head, I breathe deeply and have to bite back a cry of pure anguish when I get a lungful of Yelena. Her strawberry scent still permeates the hoodie she’d stripped out of and tossed to me. The thought of her threatens to break me, but it’s also a comfort unlike anything else. I breathe her in, letting her presence give me strength.

I lose myself in thoughts of Yelena and our baby, telling myself over and over again that no matter what happens, I will find my way back to them. I’ve almost convinced myself of it when I feel the vehicle start to slow.