Chapter 20 #2
I watch her as she slithers away, my fury pounding in my ears. I whip out my phone and dial Dmitri’s number. Dmitri is a well-known assassin, but he’s also very talented with finding people. If I’m going to entrust anyone to look into this for me, it’ll be him.
He answers on the second ring.
“Dmitri,” My voice is a low growl of intensity. “I have a situation I need your expertise with.”
I hear his sigh over the line. “Okay, go for it.”
“It’s in regards to Natalya Andreev. She’s made an outlandish claim about me having an older half-brother.” I grit out.
There’s a silence before he responds, “A brother? I’ve only ever heard your father talk about you and Vera.”
“Which is exactly why I need you to look into it. She seemed confident in her claim, but I have my doubts.” If she’s correct, an older brother would completely abolish my claim to inherit the Bratva.
However, it makes me wonder if it’s true, why hasn’t my father said anything? There must be a reason for it, but I will wait until I get an answer from Dmitri until I confront my father.
“Rest assured, I’ll look into it, Maxim.” Dmitri says, his tone sharpening.
Natalya... she’s a fucking mess. I quash the rising storm within me.
She toys with me, tries to get into my head.
But the fact remains, she is dangerous. An unwanted complication in our already complicated world.
I wasn’t lying to her—she will die. I just have to plan it out to ensure no one witnesses the mess I’ll make.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. Call me whenever you have an update.”
“Certainly,” Dmitri replies.
I slip the phone back into my pocket, turning my icy gaze in the direction Natalya and those girls were in. All of them are gone, so I make my way out of the alley and flag down a cab.
The driver nods at me, his eyes barely leaving the road ahead as I slide into the backseat of the cab. “Where to?” he questions me.
I mutter off the address to mine and Aria’s condo. The smell of worn leather and stale coffee hangs heavy in the air. My mind drifts back to Natalya’s smug expression.
The city lights blur past as we drive through the now quiet streets. The usual traffic has fizzled out, a rare peaceful moment in our hectic city. Streetlights cast long shadows across the empty sidewalks, painting an eerie picture that matches my mood.
I lean against the cold window, watching my breath fog up the glass. With every passing minute, my fury subsides, replaced by a cold dread seeping into my bones. Natalya’s words keep echoing in my head, like an unending nightmare.
Finally, we pull up to the building where mine and Aria’s condo is. It stands tall and imposing, a fortress among modern architecture. I pay the driver and leave him a hefty tip, then head into the building.
I make my way up to our unit and let myself in. Andrei is sitting at the island sipping a cup of coffee. “How’d your evening go, Boss?”
I shrug my shoulders and give him a knowing look. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
Aria pipes up from the other side of the kitchen. “With that tone, you’d better tell me now.”
I look at her, her eyes fiery and ready to take on any challenge I might bring. God, I love the stubbornness in her veins. It’s one of the first things that pulled me toward her.
There’s a part of me that wants to keep this from her, but knowing Aria, she’d find out eventually and it would be worse for me to keep the truth from her.
I run a hand through my hair and exhale heavily. “I saw Natalya Andreev tonight on the street.”
Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, a frown tugging at her lips. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was,” My voice is low, bordering on a tired sigh. “She claims I have an older half-brother–a potential heir to the Bratva.”
The shock is noticeable on Aria’s face as she reaches out, steadying herself on the kitchen counter.
She’s silent for a moment before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.
“What would that mean? Do you think it’s really true?
Wouldn’t it change everything?” She fires questions out back and forth faster than she can catch a breath.
“She’s lying,” I state firmly, not wanting Aria to worry more than she needs to.
“What if she isn’t?” Aria’s question hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating. Her face is ashen, her eyes ringed with fear. I hate that look on her and I’m the one who gave it to her.
“Then we’ll deal with it.” The words come out more gruff than I intend them to, but the fact is, I don’t know what to say. The truth of Natalya’s words has yet to be confirmed. It could all very well be a lie.
“Deal with it,” Andrei repeats my words, his tone laced with skepticism. “Boss, if this is true, you know this will change everything. The balance of power...”
“I said we’ll deal with it!” My booming voice silences him instantly.
“You’re not alone in this,” Aria says softly, reaching out to place her hand over mine on the counter. Her touch is warm and comforting amidst all the chaos in my mind.
I turn my gaze to meet hers. “I’m sorry for snapping, I’m just a bit stressed.”
She offers me a soft smile. “There’s no need to apologize. I understand completely.”
Aria takes a step toward me and leans up, pressing her lips to mine. We kiss for a moment and I break the kiss to look back at Andrei. “You’re free to leave for the night. We won’t be going anywhere.”
Andrei gives me a curt nod and leaves, giving me the privacy I desperately need with my wife.
Aria licks her lips and smirks at me, “Where were we again?”
I can’t help but smirk back at her infectious charm.
“Right here,” I whisper huskily, pulling her closer to me.
I draw my fingers through her hair, securing her body against mine.
She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down for a heated kiss that momentarily erases the weight of the world from my shoulders.
Her lips are soft against mine, intoxicatingly so, and for a second, just a second, I forget about the chaos outside of this room. The taste of her lips and the feel of her body against mine feels like coming home.
She breaks away from our kiss, resting her forehead against mine. Her breath is warm as it caresses my face. “We’ll get through this, whether it’s a lie or the truth," she murmurs, but there’s a tremor in her voice that rips through my heart.
“Yes, we will,” I reply, gripping her tighter and sealing the promise with a kiss to her forehead.
Leaning back, I look deep into her eyes, but it’s only for a moment. Aria’s hands roam over my body and she captures my lips in another kiss, making exactly what she wants crystal clear—me.
A soft sigh escapes her lips, and I can’t help drowning deeper into the sea of her desire.
Her fingers trace my jawline, eliciting raw need from the pit of my stomach.
It’s how she always touches me— with a gentle fierceness that makes me feel like I’m the only thing that exists in her universe.
I’ve fucked a lot of women, but they’ve never made me feel the way she does.
Her fingers travel down my chest, tugging at the hem of my shirt.
Within seconds, it’s discarded on the kitchen floor, her hands now becoming more adventurous, roaming over my bare skin.
The touch of her cold fingers sending shivers down my spine, causing an almost animalistic growl to rumble deep in my throat.
Then she’s pulling me closer, inviting me into the heat of her body. That familiar scent of vanilla and strawberries intoxicating me all over again, making it hard to think straight, let alone remember our troubles.
“Make love to me,” she whispers against my lips, her eyes staring deeply into mine. Those four words are all I need. It’s as if the world stops, and it’s just me and her.
With a smooth motion, I pick her up and carry her toward the bedroom.
Her arms wrap around my neck, her fingers playing with the curls at the back of my head.
A shiver runs through me—she knows exactly what that does to me.
When we reach the bed, I gently lay her down before crawling over her, my body looming above hers.
Her ice gray eyes look up at me, filled with trust and want.
Her fingers work their way across my abdomen again, tracing every line and muscle as if they’re reading a road map made just for her.
She hooks her fingers in the loops of my pants, pulling them down my legs until they join my shirt on the floor.
Her fingertips then travel upwards, ghosting along my skin as she pulls me closer to her.
Heat flares between us, our bodies pressing against each other in a dance. “God, I fucking need you.”
Everything happens so fast. I take off her clothes in record speed and I’m devouring her, capturing her perfect nipples in my mouth. I give attention to one and then the other, all while lining myself up at her entrance. I have to be inside her.
“Fuck,” she moans as I enter her. The desperation in her voice only adds fuel to the fire burning in my veins.
Every stroke is met with another delicious sound from her lips, pushing me closer to the edge.
Her legs wrap tightly around my waist, pulling me deeper, and I swear I’ve never felt anything like this.
“Look at me,” I growl, needing to see those eyes filled with pleasure and love. She complies immediately, her icy gaze locking onto mine as I increase the pace. Her gasps and whimpers harmonize with the rhythmic sound of our skin slapping together—music to my fucking ears.
Her nails dig into my back leaving a stinging trail, marking me as hers, just like she is mine, because she is. She’s my wife, the woman I’m very well falling for. The slight bite of pain only heightens the pleasure coursing through every nerve of my body.
Suddenly, her body tightens underneath me, her moans growing louder and more urgent. “I’m right there...I’m so close,”
“Fuck, yes,” I grunt back at her, my thrusts becoming more frantic. She’s so goddamn beautiful, writhing beneath me, her body arching into mine as she chases her release. I can’t even think about all the stress that plagues me any other time. All I’m focusing on is her, us, the connection we have.
Sweat drips from our bodies, slickening our entwined forms and adding to the intoxicating heat between us. Her breath hitches, her thighs tightening around me even more as she teeters on the brink. “Come for me, Aria.” I rasp into her ear, my voice low and guttural.
And then she does, her body convulses violently as her orgasm hits.
Her eyes are wide and unguarded as she falls apart beneath me, and it’s the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever seen.
She screams my name into the silence of our room, the sound echoing off the walls and marking itself onto every inch of my heart.
Her release is my undoing as well. With a few last desperate thrusts, I empty myself into her and collapse onto her sweat-ridden body.
God, if only I could feel this good all the time.