12. Kyril
12
Kyril
R onan’s punch connected with my jaw when my attention wandered for a moment, and I stumbled. Damn, that fucker had some power behind him. More than I expected given his pretty-boy looks.
I shook my head to clear the cobwebs and focused on his stupid face.
“I thought you were a half-decent brawler,” the fucker taunted with a gleeful grin. “I guess the rumors were shite.”
We circled each other while Ronan’s twin, Conal, stood on the edge of the mat, waiting his turn.
“The only one full of shit around here is you,” I growled before going in for the kill. He was good, but not as good as me. We tussled, trading punches, him giving as good as he got, until I got the upper hand and floored him.
If this was an actual fight, I’d have knocked him out, but since we were only sparring, I let him tap out. The stupid bastard waited until he nearly lost consciousness before he gave in, though.
“You eejit,” Conal snapped when his brother finally conceded. “There’s no need to make the brain damage worse than it already is!”
Ronan shook his head and let me pull him to his feet. “You weren’t too bad,” I said, acknowledging his pitiful attempt to beat me.
“Fuck you, ya pox,” he muttered before guzzling water down.
“Don’t be such a sore fucking loser. He got you fair and square.” Conal punched Ronan in the arm and grinned at me. “My turn!”
“Sure, if you want to eat mat, too.” I rolled my shoulders and flexed my arms. A bit more sparring would do me good. It might help ease some of the tension. Knowing my girl was out there, unprotected, made me want to hurt someone. Since there was nobody available in need of some creative torturing, these two idiots would have to suffice.
“Wrap your fists and get on the mat.” Conal might prove more of a challenge. He was a fraction bigger than Ronan, five minutes older, and more cautious. Having seen me fight his brother, he probably assumed he knew my weak spots now.
Well, the joke was on him. I had no weak spots. Just as we began to circle each other, the gym door swung open.
“Our girl’s back!” Lan yelled before disappearing again.
“Fight’s over,” I snapped, no longer interested in beating the shit out of Declan’s younger brothers.
“Pussy,” Conal grumbled, but really, I was doing him a favor. There was zero chance he’d have beaten me. At least this way he could pretend he was better than me.
Not that I gave a fuck what he thought.
The only person I cared about was my kotenok .
She stood staring at the floor when I walked in. I noted the short pixie cut that framed her face and made her gorgeous eyes look even bigger. Dario’s hand curled around hers, and the smug look he threw me made me see red.
How dare he steal what belonged to me!
I must have telegraphed my fury because Landon shot to his feet from where he’d been sitting on the sofa and attempted to intervene, but I was having none of it.
“Calm your tits!”
“You fucking left me!” I growled when I reached her, ignoring Landon and Dario. She dipped her head up for the first time and I saw immediately she had her mask back on. Every brick in the wall between us, bricks I’d spent weeks disassembling, rebuilt.
“I had no choice,” she replied, cool as a cucumber, like we were strangers.
“Give her a break,” Dario muttered. “She’s tired. We’re both exhausted after virtually no sleep .” The way he said it made me look at him more closely. A faint smirk touched his lips, and I knew. The bastard had finally fucked her.
I paused, fully expecting a flood of jealousy to hit me hard, but it never came. Instead, the primal part of me that needed to know Thea was protected at all times purred with satisfaction. Another powerful warrior to keep our woman safe. Someone I could trust.
“If my girl is tired, she needs to spend some time in bed.” She growled at me when I pulled her away from Dario and scooped her into my arms.
“Remember what happened the last time you went full caveman on me?” she spat. My balls retracted at the painful memory of her punching me between the legs, but I strode into the bedroom I’d been using and kicked the door shut.
“Kyril! Put me down, you stupid asshole!” She tried to throat punch me, but I grabbed her wrists and dropped her on the bed.
“No. I’m mad as hell with you. You fucking left me,” I repeated. Some of my chaotic emotions bled into the accusation and she frowned, no longer trying to fight me.
“I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. “I didn’t want to hurt you. Any of you. But I needed to end the threat.”
“Is he dead?” I’d heard nothing to say he was, but maybe the news hadn’t broken yet.
“No, sadly not.” My eyebrows shot up as I lay next to her on the bed.
“Then what happened?”
“The DIA arrested him early this morning. Fausto arranged for a ton of evidence to reach the antimafia task force in the event of his untimely death. He told me just before…” Her voice trailed off and I saw the tears in her eyes. “He told me he had enough evidence saved to make sure Dad never saw the light of day again.”
“And what makes you think it will stick? He’s likely bought his way out of charges before.”
“He’s run out of cash, so he can’t pay people off any longer.”
My anger and frustration at her inability to ask for help faded. In a way, I understood her need to go it alone. Relying on other people was dangerous. I’d learned that lesson many times.
But she wasn’t alone now. She had me, and she also had them. Even if I would have preferred to covet her all to myself, I recognized she needed all of us.
“Is the baby mine?” I asked once she’d finished telling me about Francesco’s arrest. From her sharp intake of breath, she wasn’t expecting me to jump right in and cut to the chase. But I’d had a week to digest the news.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But it seems likely. I was always careful with the others. Then her eyes narrowed. “If I’m pregnant, it’s your fault for not using a condom.”
I moved over her, caging her in with my arms, knowing full well she could escape if she chose to. But she didn’t try.
“Do you think I’m upset about you carrying my baby, kotekok ?”
“Are you?” The hint of anxiety in her eyes told me she thought I might be, which sent a stab of pain through my gut. My kitten never needed to be scared of me. If anything, I should probably be scared of her. If I pissed her off badly enough, she would likely stab me in my sleep.
“No.” I brushed my lips against hers, breathing in her vanilla scent. Her mouth tasted of mint and strawberries. Fresh and tempting. “Why would I be upset?”
“We’re young. You’re the Russian mafia heir. The whole world thinks I’m a slut. Do I need any more reasons?”
I growled. I didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought, and if anyone said something derogatory about Thea in my presence, they were dead.
“My father will be happy I’ve sired an heir this quickly. It took him forever to produce me.” I nuzzled her neck, enjoying the feel of her breasts pressing against my chest. They felt bigger, and I was dying to get my mouth on them. “Besides, you’re mine, so I plan to put a lot more babies in your belly.”
“Babies?” She almost choked on the word.
“Yes, kotenok ,” I replied, smiling at her outraged expression. “Babies. I’m going to fill you full of my cum every single day, so of course we’ll have lots of little ones running around in a few years.”
“You are literally insane. I wasn’t planning to have any kids.” She scowled at me and then muttered, “It’s not like I have any wonderful role models. I’ll probably be a shit mother.”
The way she constantly put herself down irritated the fuck out of me. She was amazing, perfect , and I knew she’d make a fantastic mother to our many children.
“Stop,” I ordered, gripping her jaw. “I didn’t exactly have a functional upbringing either, but our children will be loved.”
I could tell she didn’t believe me, but that was OK. I’d smother her and our baby in so much love she’d soon forget about her shit-stain of a father.
“Kyril…” she moaned softly as my erection rubbed her clit. There was nothing but a few thin layers of fabric between us, and I was desperate for her.
“Yes, baby?” I trailed my lips down her jaw, wishing we could stay locked in this room for hours. Outside, I heard the low murmur of conversation. No doubt Dario was busy filling the others in on Francesco’s imprisonment. Thea hadn’t mentioned Francesco’s guard dog but now was not the time to ask.
Maybe once I’d had my fill of her, I’d press for more details. But first, my little kitten and I needed to get reacquainted.
“Stop! I need a shower.”
I shuffled down the bed and pressed my nose into her pussy. “You smell like fucking perfection to me.” Before she could protest any further, I pulled her stretchy pants down her legs, baring her pussy. Slick wetness coated her slit, telling me she’d missed my cock just as much as he’d missed her.
Before she could utter any more pointless protests, I dived right in, lapping up her juices with abandon. Her bitching soon turned to moans of pleasure. Moans loud enough to attract attention from outside the room.
I smirked to myself. It would do those fuckers good to hear how well I pleased our girl. And if any of them wanted to join in? Well, that was fine with me.