Chapter 4 #2
“Vell, vit Nadya because you’re adorable and she likes adorable zhings. Don’t you see Dimitri? She’s been obsessed vit him since zhey were kids when Mikhail introduced him as his best friend.” I swallow at that… O-oh… so Mikhail and Dimitri are best friends?
That tracks. I can see the Dimitri being cute and bold, leaning over and kissing Mikhail while studying, thinking he’ll be pushed away when instead they wou— My head swims and I fan my hot face.
“Connie, are you okay?” Alik asks, watching me over. I smile and turn us to keep walking. Alik is so damn overprotective.
“Y-yup… perfectly fine. Tell me more about them three.”
“Vell, you’ve met Nadya. Beautiful, right? Brilliant. Trained in five languages, three combat styles, and probably could poison a man vit her lipstick if she wanted to, but she hangs on Mikhail’s vord and only listens to him and Pakhan.”
That tracks as well. I bet she came onto Mikhail too… that man is fine as hell, so I don’t blame her for wanting to bounce on it even if they’re cousins by marriage. Yeah, it’s some sweet home Alabama shit, but man…
“Oh...”
“Da…”
“And Dimitri?” I ask, and she huffs a laugh, looking down.
“He’s soft. Gentle. Loyal to a fault. But don’t let zhat fool you, he’ll destroy anyone who tries to hurt zee people he cares about.
He’s cute, but he’s calculated. Everyzhing about him is deliberate.
” Hot… and I damn sure wouldn’t say everything about him is gentle… that man likes to fuck hard and long.
“A-and Mikhail?” Pyper’s whole face shifts and for the first time, so does Alik’s. His jaw tightens, while Pyper’s eyes narrow. They are wearing the kind of expression that says don’t ask, but I already did.
“Mikhail,” Pyper finally speaks after a short silence.
“Is a valking red flag vrapped in money. He’s reckless and arrogant, unbozhered by rules or consequences.
He acts like ze vorld belongs to him, and to be fair, most of it does,” she pauses briefly.
“But he’s psychotic and he’s alvays been like that.
Ze kind of boy to set ants on fire vit a magnifying glass and laugh. ”
“Sounds charming,” I mutter dryly, and she nods.
“Mikhail is dangerous, ruzhless and doesn’t care about anyone. He just collects. Vomen. Men. Power. Secrets. He uses you until he’s bored, zhen tosses you aside like you never mattered. And ze vorst part?” She looks me straight in the eyes. “People alvays go back for more.”
That tracks…
I don’t say anything. I can’t, because my pulse is in my throat as I walk in silence, my eyes on Alik, who’s been unusually quiet as we make our way back to the house.
By the time I see the house again, I’m breathing hard because this place is too fucking big. Like unnecessarily big. I need a golf cart if I’m going to stay here.
“I zhink I’ve done enough oversharing for one night,” Pyper yawns, giving me a half-smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m calling it.”
“Already?”
“Da,” she nods, stretching her arms. “Tomorrow, ze real circus starts.”
“What’s happening tomorrow?”
“Ze engagement celebration,” she answers, sagging and groaning.
“And what’s so groanable about that?”
“Ugh, you’re lucky you don’t have to see, but if you do decide to stop by, you vill see vhat I mean,” she cringes and I grin, glancing over to Alik who’s smiling lightly.
“Damn, sounds like my kind of party.” I wiggle my brows, and she snorts.
“Vhen you see people chugging enough vodka to drown a small village, and zhey want you to join ze novelty quickly wears off.” Alik rubs his temples and I chuckle.
“Right,” Pyper mutters as we walk a few more steps until we reach the steps and she yawns.
“I’m calling it a night. Are you guys coming?
” I shake my head and she turns to Alik, who also shakes his.
“Fine, you guys don’t stay up too late.” She winks and I want to groan, but instead, I watch her walk off and go back to walking, Alik falling in step with me.
I walk ahead, legs and body oddly feeling better after drinking that delicious ass silver medicine that Alik gave me. I stretch my arms, feeling at peace. This place is huge and even though we all walked for hours, there’s still so much more to see.
Alik and I have been walking for a while in complete silence, and while I don’t mind, I can tell he wants to ask me something.
“Whatever it is, just say it,” I tell him, and he looks my way.
“Hov are you feeling? Are you enjoying your stay?” he asks bluntly, and I smile awkwardly, glancing over to Alik. This is why even after our breakup he’s still my best friend. He’s so damn caring.
“It feels good here. For the most part, the people are kind, it’s quiet, and there are a lot of guards so I can walk freely. In fact, that’s the perfect word… I feel free here,” I breathe out and he stops in his tracks and takes my hands.
“I’m glad. I really vant you to be happy.” he frowns, watching my every facial expression, and I school them perfectly so as not to worry him.
“I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time,” I tell him honestly.
I did go through a bit of a depression when him and I broke up, but I couldn’t figure out why since it was mutual.
It felt like a piece of me was missing… like a link had been forcibly cut off being with him now feels right as he places my hand on his heart, breathing out a sigh of relief.
“Good… your happiness means everyzhing to me.” My heart hurts hearing that but I smile… I need to smile.
“Th-thank you, Alik. Yours means a lot to me too,” I beam at him then look up, loving the night sky and breathing in the air, tired yet happy to be able to be outside like this. I want to take advantage as much as I can before we go back home.
Being here is so thrilling and freeing, to the point I almost regret having to return home to my box with closed curtains, shaded windows, and extreme paranoia.
High gates. Cameras everywhere. Tight security. Who would think I would be the most at home in a place like this?
“Alik you are so sweet, you know that?”
“Only to you, Connie...” I wait, begging my heart to do something but in lieu absolutely zilch while being in front of such an attractive and sweet man…
hell, I’d even take the butterflies I get in my stomach when I’m in the presence of Nadya and Dimitri…
but nothing… and I don’t know why but that fact that it doesn’t makes me sad and feel weird…
Because this emptiness I feel doesn’t feel right… I love being with him, he makes me smile, and he’s packing something rather deadly that ALWAYS had me up the wall, but I feel nothing?
And our connection just one day happens to shut off?
One day he’s fucking me like he’s never had pussy a day in his life, whispering sweet nothings in my ear and holding me tight.
The next day it was like I woke up from a fever dream and our love was a hoax.
Suddenly, he was my best friend and not my lover.
It all happened so fast, to the point I just went along with the breakup, but…
something deep within feels like there should be something there.
However, no matter how many times I’ve thought about it and questioned it, there’s nothing…
almost like he’s slipping away from me and I can’t grip the rope to stop it.
“Connie, I vas zhinking… vhile you’re here, m-maybe you and I could try again?” he asks me sweetly and this time my stomach does do something. Not because I’m happy, but because I don’t know what to say.
Something wants me to say yes, but a sharp tug has my heart aching.
Hell, I thought I would go home and hide away like I usually do, but after that… I want more… no I need more.
“Alik… look I—”
“A movie… hov about just a movie? You and I as friends. Zhat’s not too much to ask for, right?” He takes my hand, kissing it before placing it back on his chest, and I can feel the fast pace beat of his heart… so different from mine.
“Alr…” I pause when I hear footsteps coming in fast.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Scared, I turn, ready to fight, but Alik stops me when we see Mikhail jogging shirtless. Bro… what the fuck is wrong with this family? It’s like twenty degrees Fahrenheit right now… how is he sweating?
But even if I think they are crazy… he is beyond crazy. My eyes hit every point of him, from head to mother fucking toe and uhm… I squeeze my legs tight. Why is God testing me like this?
His skin glistens under the pale fading sun, the sharp lines of his abs flexing as he slows down, breath steady like he isn’t jogging in the brutal cold.
His sweatpants hang low, too low…and for a second, my brain fully blanks out.
Just static as I watch his muscular man titties bouncing like some perverted screensaver.
“Alik? Pechenye?” He stops, cocking his head to the side, looking between us, eyes locking on my hand that’s still on his heart. “Vhat are you doing over here?” he quirks a brow, looking at me pointedly.
“O-oh… I was… uhm w-w-we were j-just walking uhm… st-stretching my l-legs,” I stammer, and his eyes go to my legs, then back to my face, then over to Alik.
“Mmm. I see… and you, Alik?” He cuts his eyes over to Alik, who flinches.
“I… I vas walking vit my friend. What of it?”
“Nozhing, I just vas curious since I’ve never seen you out here.”
“Zhat’s because I’ve never had a reason to be out here…” he grits and I look between them, the tension thick.
“Oh… vell maybe you should have a nice jog. Does ze body good.” He flexes and I nearly drool. Yes the fuck it does.
“I’ll take zhat advice into consideration,” Alik huffs and Misha steps closer to me, and I shrink into myself. This man… for fuck’s sake, he’s huge and I just can’t get over it.
“Sveet one,” his smooth voice teases that damn nickname again. It shouldn’t sound so hot, but it does. Everything about him sounds hot. Looks hot. IS in fact very hot. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Y-yeah,” I cross my arms over my chest, hiding my nipples though there’s no way they would be able to see them under my jacket. “B-but we were thinking about heading in… r-right?” I look over to Alik who comes over to my side.
“Da, vee vere just leaving.” He wraps his arm around my waist. Shit, I wasn’t expecting him to go that far, but Alik has always been touchy feely, so I should have known better.
“Oh, so soon?” Misha asks, stepping closer to me.
I smell the sweat on his body and I run my tongue over my lips because I want to lick it off…
not my body is having a reaction to him!
I step back, heart skipping a beat, pussy throbbing and feening for that big ass dick that felt like it was going to crush my fucking pelvis.
“I’ve… I mean w-we’ve been walking for hours… it’s not soon at all,” I let him know, but my body is going haywire right now.
“But you don’t look tired at all… in fact, Pechenye, you look like you need to blov off some steam.” He steps closer, reaching a hot hand out against my cold cheek, and I puff out air that looks like smoke in the cold.
“I- I’m n-n-not tired,” I swallow, heart racing and his eyes flash.
“I zhought so,” he laughs, completely closing the gap between us.
I don’t move. I should move, but my body’s too busy betraying me, heartbeat in my throat, thighs burning, remembering exactly how hard he fucked me before Alik shifts next to us and I snap out of it, looking away as Misha steps back.
“Vell… I’ll finish my jog. It vill be over in six minutes. I zhink you both should head in since it’s so late.” He eyes me and my heart skips at the six minutes comment. Is he telling me what I think he’s telling me, or am I tripping?
“Just go. I’ll vorry about Connie,” Alik responds, and Misha chuckles.
“I guess you vill. Anyvay, see you later, Pechenye.” He winks and lifts his hand.
In a second, a guard comes up in a golf cart.
I knew they had golf carts here! I watch as he jogs off and Alik glares but helps me climb on, and I place my hand on my face, remembering his feverish touch.
Shit... what did I just get myself into?