Chapter 34
Briar
An hour later, after watching Rurik clean up the mess he made in the kitchen, we”re settling on the couch and finally enjoying the cookies I made. His cleaning of the shattered plate would have only taken fifteen or fewer minutes, but Rurik kept pulling me to the side and kissing the shit out of me whenever I walked past him.
He’ll never admit it, but he so loves kissing.
“This is so delicious,” Rurik groans after swallowing his second cookie. “It tastes almost as good as your pussy.”
My face heats up. Jesus, was this the same guy who lost his mind earlier?
I’m about to go for a second cookie when I feel fingers lightly brushing my thighs. I glance over to see Rurik staring at my skin with a guilty expression.
Not liking that look on his face, I look down and gasp.
I have bruises already developing on my thighs and hips that resemble handprints.
“Shit,” I murmur. “Nice.”
I look up to see his guilty look replaced with a hungry expression.
“It is nice, isn’t it?” Rurik murmurs, tracing the bruises with his thumb. “I quite like seeing my mark decorated all over you.”
I stretch my legs out, enjoying how his eyes roam all over my body. “Behave, mister.”
Rurik grins so sexily that I’m tempted to strip in front of him again. But I won’t because I need to know what happened between him and Philip. “How did brunch go?”
His grin drops, and he looks away with a groan. “Great. Until he asked about you.”
I scoot closer to him and wrap an arm around his stomach, placing my head on his chest. “What happened?”
I could feel his breath blowing on my head as he sighed. He proceeds to tell me how Philip was being vague about me. He didn’t tell Rurik how he knew me, only that he knew I was behind the attacks against him. He threatened me and my friends, and Rurik freaked the fuck out.
I look up at him, not liking how I can feel his heartbeat picking up as he asks, “What do we do? He’s going to come after you guys. He’ll hurt you.”
“Well, we won’t do anything. Me and my friends will, though,” I say.
I refuse to get Rurik involved more than he already is.
He frowns. “What are you guys going to do?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I murmur, tilting my face. He still has that worried look on his face as he kisses me. I sigh against his lips and immediately change the subject. “Want to help me paint?”
He hesitates for a second before nodding.
I grin. “Let’s go.”
A few hours later, I look up at Rurik from my random gothic painting of a ferry woman with ghosts surrounding her. His brows knit together, and his lower lip tucks beneath his teeth as he concentrates on his task, wholly lost in his work.
In other words — He looks so damn mouthwatering.
And I’m bored now. Aaand, I need to do something about that.
He told me he hated it whenever I loomed over his shoulder. So now, I don”t want to annoy him that way.
What do I do instead? The one thing that makes sense to me, of course. I dip a brush into one of my colors and flick my wrist, watching the paint splash spectacularly over his canvas.
He freezes, his hand suspended mid-air, brush still wet with fresh paint. As if watching a movie in slow motion, he gently puts the brush down and slowly turns to face me, his eyes so wide that I can see specks of light blue scattered across his bright irises.
I grin, and his face tightens as his jaw clenches.
“What the actual fuck, Briar?” Rurik growls so low that I barely hear him.
And fuck me, does that make my pussy tickle. Seriously, is something wrong with me? Yes. “What? I thought this was a couples activity?”
“I was working on something, Briar,” He grunts, turning back to the canvas and glaring at it.
I stand beside him and sigh, “I don’t know, I think it looks good. What is it supposed to be?”
Rurik huffs, shaking his head as he takes up the brush again and quietly says, “I was hoping to paint our little slice of paradise again but with you and me.”
Awww. Did my heart just fucking grow 10x bigger?
“Really? Aww, that’s so sweet.” I look at the canvas again and sigh, “I mean, could the yellow paint I added be the fireflies?”
Rurik rolls his eyes as he dabs the canvas with his brush. “You’re so annoying. Don’t ever do that again. I don’t ruin your paintings, do I?”
“No, I prefer you ruin me in other ways.” I tease, swooping down to kiss his cheek.
His face turns red as he grumbles. “Fucking migraine.”
I fake an offended gasp and flick my brush once more, sending a spray of paint—this time, splattering onto him. “How dare you, angel! I’m hurt.”
Rurik freezes and then gawks at me as if I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen—okay, okay, that”s just my delusion. But he is staring at me like I”ve gone crazy, which, to be fair... Yes.
Just as I”m about to unleash something wild and annoying, he springs from his stool, brandishing his paintbrush like a weapon. I yelp in surprise as the paint splashes across my face and neck, and then I gasp in horror when I recognize the color.
“Rurik! Green? It”ll turn into this ugly brown color after washing!”
“Who’s fault is that?” Rurik grins evilly, his brush trailing down my chest.
I freeze. He raises a brow, the brush now resting on my thighs, its bristles teasing dangerously close between my legs.
Earlier, before we began painting, we had laid down a drop cloth on the floor to catch any stray paint. So, I’m not afraid of the floor getting messy.
What I am afraid of, though, is that wicked look on his face.
“What are you doing?” I ask slowly as the brush goes under my shirt and caresses my nipples. “Rurik—”
“Ssshh. Stop talking. I’m working on a masterpiece and need concentration,” He snaps, sitting up as he starts stripping me.
“Wait,” I giggle as he dips his brush in more paint before focusing back on my naked body. “That tickles.”
“I said… Sssshh.” Rurik growled. I open my mouth to say something brilliant but stop when he reaches down to pull his shorts down. Fuck, how is he hard again? “Rurik, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m sore.”
“What the fuck did I say about talking?” He says, standing up.
I frown, leaning on my elbows as I watch him grab his small buckets of paint. My eyes widen as he turns around and stares at me with an evil grin.
“What… The hell… Are you doing with those paints?” I ask, all humor disappearing from me.
But Rurik just walks up to me, and I watch in horror as he tips the buckets, pouring some of the paint all over me. Yellow, green, blue, and red mix as they land on my body and the floor protector.
Chuckling, he drops the buckets and clamps the paintbrush handle between his teeth to keep it in place as he returns to his knees before me. He smirks, spreading my legs open and thrusting into me in one go.
He groans, taking the paintbrush from his lips, and continues stroking the bristles on my body with each thrust.
Fuck.
How is this the same man I met months ago?
The same man who hated me and acted as if my touch was repulsive to him? As I stare at him, I revel in the feral look on his face as he grips my thighs, the way his hips thrust into me, making my body snap, and the low rumble sound he makes when I clench around his dick.
God, I love this man.
But I’m too afraid to let him know.
I don’t know why, but I have this sense of doubt regarding his feelings for me. He looks at me like I’m his. Like I belong to him — And I do. Definitely so. He also belongs to me, but I want more than just his body.
I want his heart. His literal broken heart. His heart, I’m too afraid to break, too scared to hurt.
I never thought I would fear outliving someone else because it would mean witnessing their death first. I”m terrified that one day, death will separate us. Even though I will follow Rurik seconds later, the mere thought of him not being on earth with me, even for half a second, is torturous.
“Briar,” Rurik moans, his thrusts becoming gentler.
I blink, my hazy vision clearing as I see the drop cloth covered in different colors from our bodies moving.
I laugh before groaning with him as I match his rhythm, “We’re making a mess.”
“No,” He sighs, dropping the brush on the floor as he leans down to kiss me. He nibbles on my lips, our tongues wrapped in an embrace, and our breaths mixed. He murmurs, “We’re making something beautiful, baby.”
“Yeah?” I gasp as he hooks his arms under my knees and pulls me against him closer.
“Yeah, a new art showcase piece?” Rurik grins.
And holy fucking shit. That grin. That sexy, beautiful grin. I close my eyes and groan, my back arching as I feel the waves of pleasure washing over me as he continues fucking me, the sounds of our bodies coming together pushing me over the edge.
“Holy shit,” Rurik gasps roughly, “Fucking beautiful.”
And I watch, completely enthralled, as he comes. I reach over to squeeze his ass, his dick twitching as he slows the rolling of his hips while he empties inside me. Minutes later, he pulls out with a groan. Is it gross to say I find it super hot that his release is added to the creation on the white floor cover?
Rurik kisses my paint-covered breasts; his fingers run through my hair as he starts kissing my lips. “You okay, baby?”
“Perfect.”
Because that’s what he is to me. He’s perfect.
*-*-*-*
After we showered and let the drop cloth dry, I sent Rurik to the Farmers Market to grab some things for dinner tonight. I would have gone with him, but I saw his absence as an opportunity to call Nat.
“He knows.” I blurt out as soon as she answers the phone.
“He knows…” She trails off questioningly. “Who are we talking about?”
I told her what happened between Rurik and Philip and how he knew about our vendetta against him. It reached the point that Nat had to put me on loudspeaker so Oscar, Mr. Rogers, and his wife, Emma, could hear me.
“What do you want us to do, Briar?” Oscar asks. “Can we have Mr. Rogers send some men and keep an eye on him?”
I hesitate. “Wouldn”t he know that we’re watching him?”
“So? It’ll give him incentive to behave.”
“True,” I sigh. “Okay. Yeah. Tell them not to make it obvious, though. Mr. Rogers? Maybe warn your friends at the police station?”
“Of course,” Mr. Rogers answers. “I’ll have my inside to keep an eye out in case we need backup.”
My phone vibrates with a text notification.
“Thank you guys! I have to go, Rurik’s texting me.” I could hear Nat snickering before I hung up on her.
RURIK MY ANGEL:
-What are you craving for tonight?
I grin slowly. Sometimes, my angel just makes things too easy for me.
ME:
-Cum à la Rurik ;)
RURIK MY ANGEL:
-For fucks sake. What are you craving for DINNER, my little migraine?
ME:
-Oh, why didn’t you just say so, silly?
-I need some protein. How about a nice, long, thick, delicious sausage? Bonus if its juices flow deliciously down my throat when I bite into it. Yum Yum Yum.
RURIK MY ANGEL:
-brIAR! My cock isn’t food, you crazy woman.
ME:
-Who said anything about your dick? Lol I’m craving sausages! Like we can make some pasta with italian sausages or something.
RURIK MY ANGEL:
-You’re a nightmare. Fine. I’ll find some tomatoes and veggies we can use. I’ll see you at home.
There he goes again, calling my apartment his home. Damn, I love this man.
Which is why I’m here at the Farmers Market, watching him like a creepy little stalker. Don’t judge me. It’s not my fault I miss him so much.
I stand behind a random person, blocking Rurik’s view of me. I watch as he casually browses from vendor to vendor, stopping now and then to ask questions. I notice him grabbing some chocolate bars for baking and inwardly rolling my eyes at his sweet tooth.
When he finally reaches the meat vendors, I dart through the crowd and pounce on his back.
“Boo!” I whisper in his ear, wrapping myself around him like a sloth.
“What the…” Rurik sputters, dropping the grocery bags he was carrying, and places his hands on my thighs to keep me in place. “Briar? What are you doing here?”
“I missed you!” I grin as I slide off him. I pick up the grocery bags and hitch them onto my shoulder. “I figured I could help you with the groceries.” I hesitate, a small drop of dread spreading through my gut. “Is… is that okay?”
His face softens as he takes the bags from me, “Yeah. Of course.”
And then I fight the urge to pinch myself, thinking I must be dreaming because he did the most surprising thing ever.
He holds out his hand and waits for me to take it.
I stare at it, blinking.
Is he… Is he serious? He wants to hold my hand? In public? Holy fuck. I’m dreaming—
“Briar?” Rurik asks, his brows furrowing. “Shall we continue?”
I grin cheesily as I take his hand, reveling in his fingers wrapping around mine.
In public.
“Yes, let’s go.” I flash him a teasing grin, “Did you miss me, angel?”
But Rurik just rolls his eyes. That’s fine because I feel like I’m on cloud 9. I can’t believe he’s holding my hand in front of everyone!
This is unbelievable. This is wild.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks.
I clear my throat and look at him. He’s staring at me with amusement as I swing our clasped hands together.
“Nothing,” I grin. “Just thinking about food.”
Rurik smirks as he leads me to other vendors, where we pick out veggies, playfully debating what should go with dinner tonight and what we don’t need to buy. Ultimately, we both end up with arms full of grocery bags, which is fine. I will never complain about having a full fridge and pantry.
After deciding to call it quits, Rurik and I head toward the exit, where I accidentally bump into someone.
“Oh!” I gasp, my heart skipping as I scramble to grab the grocery bags that fell on the floor. “Sorry! I’m so sorry.”
I look up, ready to apologize to the stranger and hand them their bags, but I freeze.
I can feel Rurik stiffen beside me, too, our faces draining of color as we face the man I least expected to see today.
After a few seconds of us staring at each other, I straighten up and clear my throat. “Why, hello there, Mr. Senator.”