Chapter 30
CHAPTER
THIRTY
MAXIM
I’m so full.” Kira moans as she drags the last dumpling on her plate through the remnants of sour cream and pops it between her luscious lips, her eyes fluttering shut in satisfaction.
“They are excellent,” I say, unable to tear my eyes away when her tongue darts out the side of her mouth, chasing a dollop of sour cream.
Good God, that mouth. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing her lips wrapped around my cock, but damn, I’m ready.
Her eyes flutter open, shining with contentment, and something in me softens.
“I know it’s good. It’s my aunt’s recipe. Literally the only thing that woman was able to cook.”
At Kira’s suggestion, we settled on the floor near the coffee table to eat. With the meal over, I shift back onto the couch, drawing her with me so she nestles against my front. She sighs happily against my body, and a slow realization hits—I like having her close.
“I can’t imagine Masha cooking,” I admit, testing the waters of discussing her aunt in life, not in death.
Kira is quiet for a while, drawing circles on my wrist, before she finally responds, “How well did you know her?
“Not all that well. She was an acquaintance.” I shrug.
“You know how it is in Moscow—we ran in some of the same circles. We’d bump into each other at parties and such.
I remember her swanning around the room in bright dresses and cornering any minister whose policies she disagreed with.
She was fearless. That’s why when we first met, I said you remind me of her. ”
“I remember that,” Kira says, her head nestling into my chest. “It was when we were walking in your vineyard a few days after you abducted Alyona and me.”
“Are you still bitter about that?” I tease.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I still object to your methods, but if things hadn’t played out like they did, I wouldn’t be here. And you wouldn’t be helping me track down my aunt's killer.”
“True," I concede with a nod. "Now, tell me what you remember about your aunt."
“I don’t know where to start. My father dumped me in her arms as a newborn, and instead of telling him to go to hell—as I’m sure she wanted to because Masha disliked my father as much as anyone else—she realized if she did, then I would have no fighting chance of a decent future.
My father would have left me at the next orphanage without a second thought.
He never really wanted me—he wanted to ruin the Kozlovs.
” She sighs deeply, and I feel it in my chest. “The funny thing is, I’m not sure Masha wanted children.
She was made for glamorous parties, runway shows, weekends in Paris, and sailing through the Greek Isles.
” Her voice carries a hint of a smile. “Still, she raised me with all the love any mother would offer.”
"Did your aunt ever reveal the truth about your lineage? About who your mother and brothers really were?" I ask, brushing her hair with my lips.
“No. She either didn’t know it herself, or she chose not to tell me because she knew I would confront my father and he wouldn’t take kindly to that.
” She shakes her head “I only discovered the Kozlovs were my brothers when I had a gun pointed at them, demanding they help me bring down my father.
You should've seen the shock on their faces.
They'd been looking for me all this time. "
I kiss her on the head. “I’m glad you found them when you did.
You deserve a family that loves you.” Kira deserves more than a family that loves her—she deserves a man that worships her, that puts her above all else.
If I still had a heart left in my chest, that could be me.
Because I see how amazing she is—smart, capable, a fighter.
But I’m too broken to give myself to any woman again.
She looks up at me as if she can hear my thoughts. “So do you.”
Pain unfurls in my chest. My past is as tragic as hers. The only difference is that I’ve locked it away, never to be looked at again. “I have my family. They aren’t blood relations, but Pavel and Roman are my brothers.”
“And you have Alyona,” Kira murmurs.
“Alyona is my blood, but I doubt she’ll ever consider me her family.
” I say that with no bitterness. When I discovered I had a daughter, little else mattered.
I wanted the best for her, to keep her safe, even if it meant she hated me for a time.
I believed she would come around. But now, I’m not so sure.
“Give her time,” Kira says gently and then with a sly grin, “Did you really think threatening her would work?”
I shrug. “My methods are persuasive, if not wise.” Gathering Kira’s hair in my hands, I tilt her head, exposing her neck to me. “Did you honestly believe you would be able to kill me?”
“Yes,” she says with absolutely no hesitation.
I kiss up her neck, enjoying the little breathy moans she releases.
“I was going to stab you in your sleep.”
I nip her earlobe. “It’s like that, huh. What would you have done afterwards? How would you have hidden my body?”
“Uhh, hadn’t thought that far,” she admits.
Or maybe she has, but my prominent erection digging into her ass might be distracting her. I suck and bite on her neck, loving how she's losing control in my arms.
“That’s not much of a plan, lastochka. You would have been killed by my men on the spot. Or worse.” Unease presses down on my chest. The thought of Kira hurt or in danger twists my insides.
“I was prepared to die.” She turns in my arms, straddles my lap, and starts kissing and licking her way up my neck.
The feel of her soft lips and warm tongue on my skin is a fierce turn-on, but I’m still stuck on what she just said.
I gently pull away from her. “No.”
“No?”
“No. I don’t care what your reason is, you’re not allowed to risk your life again.”
Kira looks at me like I’ve half-lost my mind.
Maybe I have. Because the thought of something bad happening to her feels like a vice tightening around my heart. Which is a problem. Because no matter how she makes me feel, a real marriage is not in the cards for me.
“You can’t forbid me to get hurt or die.” She reaches up and threads her fingers through my hair before trailing them down my neck, eliciting a groan from me. “These things happen,” she adds quietly.
I hold her face so she can’t look anywhere else except directly at me. “I can, and I will.”
She snorts. “Do you have the grim reaper on your payroll or something?”
“I am the grim reaper,” I tell her. Then I grab both of her ass cheeks and pull her flush against my aching length. “Now, get naked so I can make you feel alive.”
Her fingers hover over the first button of my shirt when my phone starts to buzz. I manage to resist the urge to answer for a solid minute, but when the caller tries again immediately after hanging up, I know it's urgent.
"What is it?" I snap into the receiver, seeing Pavel’s name on the screen.
“The Black Company hit one of our shipments in Vladivostok an hour ago. We’re trying to make contact with our men on the scene. So far, no luck.”
“Gavno,” I curse.
This day is back to being a fucking nightmare, just when I thought it was about to get a lot better. I desperately need to taste Kira again, to have her sit on my face while choking on my dick. But that will have to wait.
“I’ll call you back from the office,” I say to Pavel, then hang up the phone.
“Is everything okay?” Kira raises an eyebrow.
“The usual. More shit I have to deal with.” I roll down my sleeves and reach for my suit jacket. “This will take a while.”
She nods and sits back on her haunches. “You know, I might be able to help. The Kozlov Bratva has come up against a triad before. I have knowledge about how they work.”
I stand, shrugging my suit jacket onto my shoulders. Not much I can do about the raging hard-on. “I know you’re smart and capable, but I don’t want to get you caught up in my syndicate’s drama. Sometimes the less you know, the better.”
“Back to this 'delicate lady' act? As if I can't handle more,” she scoffs.
I lean forward, brushing my lips softly against hers. “Please, let me protect you from all the bullshit.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Guess I’ll go back to the room and get myself off tonight since you won’t be around to do the job.” The look she flashes me is pure evil.
I grip her wrists in one hand and lift her chin with my other. “What did we discuss earlier? Your pussy is mine, and you’re not allowed to touch yourself without my permission.”
She pouts. “I think that rule is bullshit.”
“I’m serious—there will be hell to pay if you touch yourself below the belt tonight. Don’t think I won’t be watching. There are cameras everywhere,” I warn her.
“Or you could let me be part of your meeting. My brothers always did. They valued my opinions. You might too.”
I firm my voice. “I do value your opinion, but it’s not happening.” I know she's capable, but I can't bear the thought of her getting caught up in my tarnished world, even if it’s the world she comes from. I want better for her. “I need to go now. Don’t disobey me or I’ll be forced to take action.”
“Again with the spanking? I thought you’d be a little more creative.”
Jesus, my wife is a brat.
“I’m plenty creative. Don’t test me to see.” Kissing her on the head, I leave the room with the distinct feeling that she has no plans to heed my warning.
“What do we know?” I bark as soon as I enter the office.
Konstantin has already set up a conference call with Roman, Pavel, and Viktor.
Pavel is the first one to speak. “They blew up our transport truck as it was coming out of the port. It only contained empty bottles and labels, but it will put our production behind by at least a week. All three of our men were killed on-site.”
My fists clench on the desk in front of me. “How did they find out about our shipment?”