Mikhail Petrov (The Petrov Family)

CHAPTER 1

MIKHAIL

FOUR YEARS AGO

Dallas, Texas

Late.

I hate being late. Lateness is equivalent to laziness. And my reputation and name mean everything to me. As the oldest of my brothers, I’ll sit at the head of the table one day, take over my father’s business dealings, and rub elbows with the vilest of society’s underbelly. Sure, I can demand respect and take it, but there’s something about earning it that sets a man apart.

The chime of my phone breaks through the low hum of music in my car and pulls me from my thoughts.

“How far out?” Rodrigo’s voice blares through the speaker, a loud bass thumping in the background.

“About fifteen.”

“Everyone is hungry. We’re waiting on your ass.”

It’s Emilio Castellanos’s sixtieth birthday celebration. Rodrigo’s father and family have been long-time allies of ours. While I would have instead spent my Saturday night at home, a glass of scotch as company, part of my obligations in Dallas is maintaining relations and alliances. This is an easy task where Rodrigo is concerned since he’s more of a brother to me than a business partner.

“I’ll be there...” My voice trails off as I catch sight of a smoking car up ahead, its hood raised. Any other time, I’d keep driving, but something interesting draws my rapt attention.

“Rod, I’ll see you soon.”

Without waiting for a response, I end the call and cross the median, veering onto the shoulder and stopping about twenty feet behind the stalled vehicle. The road is desolate, and the sun has just begun to set. It’s not the safest scenario for a woman in such a vulnerable state.

Why I give a fuck is another story.

As I round the hood, a pair of legs—sleek and tanned—in light-colored denim shorts, revealing the underside of a sweet, plump ass, is all I can see as the rest of her is bent over the billowing steam.

My cock twitches as I imagine taking her just like that, out here in the open. “Fuck, fuck!” she shrieks and pounds the car, clearly frustrated.

“Hey.” My tone rushes out, colder than I intended, causing her to stiffen and go quiet. A beat later, she twists around with a Glock trained on my chest. For a fraction of a second, I reach for my weapon until awareness dawns on us both.

“Mikhail?”

Leah Castellanos.

She gasps and holsters her gun, a broad, almost relieved smile lighting up her beautiful face. Fuck me. She’s gorgeous.

Always pretty. But now... she’s something else.

A woman .

“Leah.”

That’s all it takes for her to break and rush me. Tears fill her eyes as she throws her arms around my waist.

I hesitate before returning the hug, uncomfortable with the thoughts I’d had as I pulled up.

The ones I’m still having while she’s nestled in my arms.

And damn it all, if she doesn’t feel perfect.

“I’m so happy to see you. This piece of shit was all they had for rent. It started smoking, and I tried to remember what Rodri taught me, but—”

I cut off her rambling. “It’s okay. I’ll get you home.”

She rests her chin on my chest, and her big brown eyes find mine. “I left my cell at the rental place. Just one disaster after another. I was about two minutes from hitchhiking home.”

The thought of Leah getting into some stranger’s car fills me with unease.

“That wouldn’t have been very smart.”

She shrugs. “Well, it was either that or walk the ten miles. But thank God you passed by.

Crazy, huh?”

“I was on my way to your father’s party— But Leah, I thought you were still in New York. Rod didn’t mention you coming.”

The last time I saw her was at her high school graduation over a year ago. She’s been home for holidays and random visits since leaving for college, but somehow, we never coincided. Eight years younger and the baby of the Castellanos family, I never made it a point to keep in contact. And I certainly never thought of her in any other way.

Until now .

Something fractures inside me the longer I hold her.

“I wanted to surprise everyone. It’s why I rented this shitty car instead of having Rodri or Ann pick me up.” She smiles and squeezes me tighter, and my cock responds accordingly. If she notices, she doesn’t give anything away.

“Come on. It’s getting dark. Let’s get you home.”

Pushing away from me, she shakes her head. “I can’t go home right now. I’m too shaken up, and the last thing I want or need is my mom or Ann down my throat.”

“Leah, your brother is expecting me. I can’t not show up.”

I’m a son of a bitch because, despite everything, my eyes are focused on her ass as she walks back toward the wreck and bends under the hood again. The hem of those goddamn shorts slides up just enough to indulge my eyes with the swell of her cheeks. Leah tosses a look over her shoulder and bites her lip. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s doing it purposely to fuck with me.

“I don’t want to keep you. A friend of mine is just about an hour away. Let me use your phone, and I’ll wait for her. You go ahead—”

“The hell I will.”

Leah’s head snaps up, her eyes narrowing as she watches me. “Mikhail, I’ll be fine,” she says, returning to my side and patting the gun at her waist.

My gaze falls to the sliver of smooth skin peeking out from the top of her shorts. I’m so entranced I don’t realize she’s only inches from me now.

“Your phone. Mikhail?”

“You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m going to leave you here.”

“What?” Vulnerability and confusion flicker over her expression, but she quickly squares her shoulders. “What’s your problem?” she asks, poking my chest.

“You’re Rod’s little sister. I’m not going to just leave you out here while I go back to your place like nothing.”

Leah crosses her arms and purses her lips. “Mikhail, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not a kid anymore. I can handle myself just fine.” I noticed.

“Are you hungry?” I ask, against my better judgment.

When she smiles, it perturbs me to think that I’m willing to do anything to keep it on her face.

I pull into a parking spot two spaces from the nearest streetlamp, which gives us just the right amount of light versus privacy. Leah unwraps her burger and takes a bite, nodding and voicing her approval through a low moan. To my horror, everything she does elicits a response from below the belt.

“Your sister hires a renowned chef to prepare a buffet of delicious food, yet you insist on eating a greasy burger in a parking lot.”

She laughs. “Ann is always looking for an excuse to eat good food and throw a party. It’s certainly not the last one, so let me enjoy my fucking burger, okay?”

A smile crawls across my mouth, and I lean against the seat, trying to shake whatever the hell this feeling is taking up space inside my chest. There’s no denying my attraction to my best friend’s little sister.

“You’re not eating?” she asks.

“Nah. I’m not hungry.”

Leah touches a hand on my wrist. “I’m sorry I dragged you out here, Mikhail. We can head back as soon as I’m done.”

“I’m not in a hurry,” I reply, silencing the vibration in my pocket. Rodrigo’s missed calls are stacking up. He’s probably wondering where the fuck I am. I don’t want to lie to him, nor do I want to tell him I’m with Leah. I’m enjoying this...whatever this is.

Enjoying her company in a way I never have before.

“How are your brothers and Nikolai? Haven’t heard about them in a while.” “Everyone’s good. Doing their own thing. You know how that goes. And Dad is doing better.” She nods, understanding alight in her eyes.

The Castellanos have never tried to conceal who they are, not even from Leah. Being so close to Rodrigo, she was always in the mix as far as I can remember. We taught her how to shoot, throw punches, properly use a Kukri knife, and parallel park.

The important things.

But there’s nothing left of that girl. She’s someone else.

“And you, Mikhail? How have you been?”

“Good.”

She chuckles. “Such a vague answer. Always a man of few words.” It’s my turn to laugh.

“I am good, though. Business is business. Bought a new place. A couple of cars. Low-profile shit.”

Leah leans over the center console. “And do you have someone waiting for you...at that new place of yours?”

Mindlessly, I lift my thumb to her lip and swipe at a breadcrumb. We lock eyes, and she slowly glides her fleshy mouth back and forth against my skin.

Fuck.

“No, I don’t,” I say, my voice low as I drop my hand.

“Not that I’m complaining, but you’re quite the catch, Mr. Petrov. Why so lonely? Are you a serial killer or something?”

I can’t remember when I’ve laughed this much with anyone who isn’t Rod or my brothers.

And I’m not sure how to feel about it. And as far as the single thing goes, she isn’t too far off. I don’t kill for fun or thrills. Only when I need to. And finding someone who won’t call the feds on me isn’t practical in the local dating scene.

Celeste Orlova comes to mind.

My father proposed we get married, unite our families, to increase territory and wealth, a commonplace practice in our world. I said yes, simply to appease him and play the part he expects of his firstborn son. Although I’ve never met her, she’s pretty enough, I suppose.

Pretty enough . I roll those words around in my thoughts as I gaze at the striking beauty of Leah Castellanos.

“I just haven’t found someone who will put up with me. I’m an asshole.” “Well, self-awareness is the first step,” she jokes, playfully patting my thigh. Again, I find myself smiling like a fucking fool.

“And you? I imagine you have someone missing you back in New York. Look at you... You’re beautiful, Leah.”

She suddenly reaches for my arm again, fingers tracing the ink there. My eyes fall on her black nail polish, but I feel the heat of her gaze on me.

“I don’t. There isn’t anyone there that catches my eye. They’re...a little younger than what I like.”

“Is that right?”

A sense of relief followed by dread ripples through me. I’m not supposed to enjoy that she isn’t in a relationship.

Sighing, she lays her head against the seat. “But it doesn’t matter anyway, because I’m not going back.”

“As in, you dis-enrolled?”

“Exactly. School’s just not for me.” She twists and watches me with those alluring dark eyes. “I have other interests.”

Either I’m just an arrogant son of a bitch, or she’s purposely trying to provoke me.

“Your father was so happy when you got accepted. I’m sure that conversation didn’t go over too well.”

“That’s probably true... but I won’t know until I tell him.”

I rake my fingers through my hair and shake my head. Leah is Emilio’s pride and joy, as they say. He has her life mapped out and probably a husband lined up as well. That last thought makes me want to put my fist through a wall—or someone’s face, preferably the future husband.

She deserves better.

You’re no better .

“Let me know if you need a place to hide until things smooth over.”

The moment I speak the words, I realize how they can be interpreted. But I don’t correct myself. Instead, I selfishly wait for a response.

“You and me at your place together, Mikhail.” She leans into my space and whispers, “Just know I won’t be good.”

Fuck. Me.

I grip the steering wheel to occupy my hands and keep from pulling her into my lap like any other woman in her place. But this is fucking Leah.

The girl I watched grow up.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I’m not sixteen anymore,” she says, inching forward, her hand on my thigh.

“Leah... things aren’t like that between us. You know they can’t be.”

Catching her wrist, I stop her strokes and meet the fire in her gaze. Never one to hold back with someone I want as much as I do Leah, I curse and instead use my aggravation to discourage her advances. “You’re Rodrigo’s little sister. I can’t see you as anything other than that.”

“Liar,” she whispers. “Your cock is hard for me, Mikhail. And I’m not that stupid little girl with a crush anymore.” Her lips brush the shell of my ear, sending a tingle down my spine. “Because back then, I would have never told you how wet my pussy is for you right now.”

I suck in a sharp breath. “Oh, fuck.”

Without thinking, running purely on sexually driven instinct, I grasp her hips and toss her onto my lap, her warm little cunt settling over my abdomen. Our gazes collide for just a second, lips a breath away, before we crash into each other. When the taste of her spills onto my tongue, it sets every cell within me on fire.

My fingers tangle in her hair, and she moans into my mouth as I tighten my hold and goddamn nearly devour her whole.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” she pants against my mouth while grinding her hips over my cock.

“Your father will skin me alive,” I say, shoving the hem of her shirt above her bra and biting at the pink lace, coaxing her nipple to a peak.

“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

Her words are like a shock of ice water.

“Leah, stop.” I pry her hands from around my neck and push open my car door, needing some fucking fresh air. Leah slides off my lap, face twisted into a look of disappointment and something else I can’t pinpoint. “What are we doing? This can’t happen between us. You and me... No.”

“Why not?”

“You know why.” I pound the roof of the car and grit my teeth. “Get back in your seat. I’m taking you home.”

She scoots into the passenger seat without another word, and I peel out of the parking lot with tires screeching against the pavement.