Chapter Four
Alora
6 years ago
“What the fuck is taking you so long?” Ray’s gruff voice echoed through my earpiece.
I wanted to say, “Why don’t you try squeezing your big fat ass through this air duct and see how long it takes?”
But I didn’t.
Getting mad wasn’t going to get the job done. Neither was pissing off Ray. But I was getting sick of this. Of stealing. Of constantly worrying if I was going to get caught. Of being under Ray’s thumb.
This wasn’t how I’d planned to spend my nineteenth birthday. Not that I liked to celebrate, anyway. Today was the anniversary of my brother’s death. So, when Ray had demanded I come with him to Albany, I hadn’t put up too much of a fight. Because it was better than wallowing in self-pity and doing something destructive.
Dust covered my body as I crawled on my stomach through the storage facility’s air duct, a bag of knockoff watches dragging behind me.
I came up to a split in the duct and went right. “Two minutes. Be ready,” I hissed.
This was supposed to be a big job, but Ray had fucked up. Like always. Instead of finding a case of vintage jewelry like I’d been told, I’d found cases of knockoff Rolex watches. The good thing was, there were a lot of them. Easily fifteen thousand dollars’ worth.
Split between the two of us, that was more than enough money to get a new apartment for me, Dove, and Dylan. It would pay the security deposit, first month’s rent and anything else we needed. Excitement surged through me. I was getting closer to living the life I wanted, not the one Ray was forcing me to.
I reached the end of the shaft and looked down at the underground parking lot below me. “Where are you?”
A cold sweat broke out across my forehead, making my ski mask stick to my skin. Why wasn’t Ray answering?
Fuck. Where was he? Had someone caught him?
A moment later, he pulled up just underneath the vent, and my heart slowed down. He stepped out of the car and held out his hands. “Drop the bag.”
I shimmied the bag up from behind me and dropped it down. He tossed it into the open door and held up his arms. It looked like there was blood on his hand.
“Why do you have blood on you?” I accused.
“What?” He looked down at his hand, then wiped it on his jeans. “There’s no time for this shit. Jump down.”
I slid down through the opening, but stopped halfway with my chest, arms, and head hanging down.
Great. I was stuck on something. This could not be happening right now. I pulled myself back up into the vent and looked over my shoulder. A screw was sticking out of the metal, and my pants were caught on it.
“C’mon, kid.” Ray looked over his shoulder.
“I’m stuck. Hold on.” I reached down and jerked on my pants to loosen them. At the same time, the sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance. They were close. Too close.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Ray gripped his head as an alarm blared in the building.
Oh, we were so busted if we didn’t get out of there.
“Come the fuck on,” he yelled.
I reached my hands down through the vent. “Pull me down,” I shouted. “I’m stuck. You have to pull me.”
“The parking gate is closing. Fuck!” He glanced at me, then at the gate, the decision already made in his eyes.
My mouth went dry as he jumped into the car. Tires screeched a second later as he peeled out of the garage.
Oh, my God.
He left me.
He fucking left me.
The sirens were growing louder, and panic raced through me. I wasn’t going to fucking jail. Nobody would be there to take care of Dove and Dylan. They would end up on the streets, or, worse, with Ray.
With all the strength I could muster, I yanked my leg and pulled myself free. But without Ray below to catch me, I dropped about twelve feet down. My palms scraped across the cement as I rolled, pain shooting through my body.
I didn’t have time to think about the pain. If I didn’t escape in the next ten seconds, I’d be trapped. Every inch of my body was on fire as I scrambled to my knees and started running. The gate was sliding shut, leaving just two feet before my fate was determined. I pushed harder, ran faster than I’d ever run before. With about a foot of space left, I slid through and stumbled out into the bushes.
I needed to get out of there and hide until the coast was clear. We were in upstate New York, over two hours away from home. I had no money, no ID, no phone, and no way of getting back. Everything was in Ray’s car, and it wasn’t like he was going to be waiting around the corner for me. He would be on his way back home.
He’d really screwed me over this time. This was the last straw. If he thought I would ever work for him again, he was crazy. I could kill him for this.
Buildings blurred together as I ran, darkness creeping up all around me. Adrenaline kept me moving down side streets and alleyways. I ripped my ski mask off, shoved it in my pocket, then took off my black hoodie and tied it around my waist, leaving me in a white tank top and pants.
Blue and red lights flashed behind me, and I turned down another alley and leaned against the wall. I took in short, rapid gasps as the cop car cruised by, not looking in my direction at all. I jogged down further, keeping as concealed as possible.
This wasn’t New York City, but that didn’t mean it was safer up here in downtown Albany. The quicker I could get out of here, the better. I just needed to find a crowded place, snatch someone’s wallet and get a cab or bus ticket back to Brooklyn.
A wave of calm washed over me as my plan took shape in my head. I was down, but I wasn’t out.
I realized too late that I was walking down a dead end. To the side of the alley was a restaurant patio. God, when was the last time I’d had Italian food? I didn’t think the SpaghettiOs I’d stolen from the corner store to feed the twins counted.
I glanced around, not seeing anyone. The back door was cracked open, and I took a tentative step closer. Maybe there was a coat with a wallet I could grab. I was a few feet away when the back door swung open and a man stepped out.
And by man, I mean a Greek god well over six feet tall, dressed in a sleek suit with his hair meticulously styled. I ducked behind the dumpster and held perfectly still. Maybe he was the owner. He looked like the kind of man who owned a place like this, not ate in one.
The dumpster reeked of rotting garbage, making me want to gag. I held my breath, waiting for him to discover me. When he didn’t, I inched forward, peeking around the corner.
The man walked down the steps and lit up a cigarette. When he inhaled, the bright cherry illuminated his face. He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in real life. Living in a place like New York, you saw beautiful people everywhere, but not like him. He looked—delicious, like a super-rich guy in the wrong part of town. He couldn’t have been that much older than me.
His phone rang, and he pulled it out, snapped at the person on the other end. God, even his voice was sexy. He could read to me from the dictionary, and I’d enjoy it.
I tried to listen to what he was saying, but it was hard to understand. I thought he was speaking in Russian, but I couldn’t be sure. But what I was sure of was that he was so focused on his phone that he hadn’t noticed the dark figure standing in the doorway behind him.
The menacing figure took a step forward, reaching his gloved hand into his pocket. Everything about him felt wrong: the black sunglasses even though it was dark; the mask that covered the lower portion of his face; the black leather gloves that blended in with the rest of his dark attire.
I pleaded in my head for the sexy guy to turn around and see him.
But he didn’t.
Not when Creepy Guy was only two feet behind him.
And not when he pulled a gun from his jacket.
I didn’t know why I did what I did next. It wasn’t like I was the “I save strangers” kind of person. When I stood up from my hiding spot behind the dumpster, the sexy guy’s eyes widened, and his hand reached down to the waist of his pants.
“Behind you,” I yelled and pointed over his head.
He pulled his gun, twisted around in a blink of an eye, and shot the man directly in the middle of his forehead. My jaw fell open as his body tumbled to the ground with a thud and rolled down the stairs.
Sexy Guy pointed his gun at me, and I raised my hands in the air. “Don’t,” I shouted and squeezed my eyes shut.
OK, I didn’t think this guy was a rich guy in the wrong part of town. I was pretty sure this guy was a bad guy on the right side of town .
And now he was pointing a gun at me.
Just freaking great. Ray had screwed me over and abandoned me out here. Now the guy I’d just saved was going to shoot me in the head.
A sense of dread washed over me. I was going to die tonight. And die a virgin.
“What?” His deep voice carried over to me, and I opened one eye to peer at him. “What did you just say?”
Oh, my God, did I say that out loud?
“I, uh…” I opened both eyes but kept my hands raised. “I was praying to, um, the Virgin Mary.”
“Did she answer you?” He took a step closer to me, the gun still pointed at me.
“I don’t know yet.” I glanced at the gun, then into his eyes. They were so dark blue, they almost looked black. A chill ran down my spine at the intensity of them.
“You have five seconds to explain what the fuck you’re doing back here with him.”
“Whoa.” I held my hands up again. “He was on his own. Or at least I hope he was.” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one else was going to pop out.
“Four seconds.”
My stomach churned at the threat in his voice. “OK, OK. I’m trying to hide from the cops, and I picked the wrong damn alley to walk down.”
“Why are you hiding from the cops?”
I nibbled on my bottom lip as I contemplated my answer. It wasn’t like he was going to turn me in. I’d just watched him murder a guy. Well, I mean, it was self-defense, but still—
“Three seconds, kotic .”
“My stepdad forced me to help him steal something, then left me to take the fall when the cops showed up. But I got away and have been running for twenty minutes trying not to get caught,” I said in one breath, my hands shaking.
He lowered his gun and slid it back into his pants, covering it with his suit jacket. “How old are you?”
“Nineteen. It’s actually my birthday.” I didn’t know why I’d said that. Like he cared it was my birthday. Maybe I was grateful he hadn’t just shot me in the head. I’d never take my life for granted again.
He didn’t acknowledge what I’d said as he leaned over the body of the dead man and went through his pockets. There was nothing on him, though, other than the gun. No wallet, no phone. Nothing.
“What’s your name?” He flipped the body over and pulled up the man’s shirt, looking at his chest.
“Ally.” Like I was going to give him my real name. “What are you looking for?” I took a step closer to him.
“This.” He pointed at the tattoo on the man’s rib cage. It looked like some type of spider.
“What’s his tattoo got to do with anything?”
He glanced at me, not saying anything for a moment. There was a look in his eyes, like—awe? That couldn’t be right.
A noise a few feet away caught our attention, and he picked up his phone and held it to his ear. He barked commands at the person on the other end.
“Come on.” He nodded toward the back door. “There’s an apartment upstairs we can wait in.”
Was I really going to do this? Go upstairs with a strange man I’d just seen kill someone? The funny thing was, I wasn’t really scared anymore. Plus, it wasn’t like I had a choice. I had a feeling if I tried to run away now, he would definitely shoot me.
“What about the dead guy?” Were we just going to leave him here?
“My people will take care of it. Let’s go.”
He held out his hand, and I eyed it warily. OK, we’re doing this. I slipped my hand into his, and little tingles of electricity shot through my fingers. He glanced at me, as if he felt it too.
That was strange.
Upstairs, above the restaurant, was a small apartment. It looked as if nobody was living there, though. There was a small living area and a kitchen off to the side. He pulled out a chair and nodded for me to sit down, which I did. Every bone in my body ached from the fall, but I knew it was better than getting busted by the police.
In the kitchen, he pulled a bottle of vodka from a cupboard, then filled a glass with water. We hadn’t said anything in a few minutes, falling into a comfortable silence, which was weird. Everything seemed so surreal. I had to figure out how to get out of here, and soon. He moved around the kitchen as if he was familiar with the place. In the light, he was even more beautiful. That seemed like an odd choice of words to describe a man, but that was exactly what he was.
Lights flashed along the apartment walls, the sound of car doors slamming and voices carrying up through the window. He moved the curtains to the side and looked out. Was it “his people,” like he’d said? I got up to look, but he held up his hand. “Sit.”
Okay. Guess I’ll just sit here.
“My people are taking care of the situation downstairs.” He walked over to the table and set down the bottle and glass. I tried not to ogle him as he stripped off his jacket and laid it on the back of his chair. The white button-down shirt he wore molded to his skin, showing every inch of muscle underneath. He definitely worked out.
Maybe I should join a gym.
“That’s good.” The words tumbled out as I attempted to sound nonchalant. Was that good? I hoped so. He slid the glass of water over to me and I quirked my eyebrow. “Really? You’re not going to offer me a proper drink after saving your life?”
He chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. He stood, and I couldn’t help but admire the view—broad shoulders, a muscular back that led to a narrow waist. I bet he had a six-pack under his shirt. No, an eight-pack.
“I guess I owe you a favor now, Ally.”
It must have been all the adrenaline from tonight—almost getting caught by the police and then killed by this sexy stranger—but whatever it was, an unfamiliar heat spread through my body. For a moment, I wished I’d told him my real name, so I could hear it coming from those lips.
No. Let’s not go there. He just shot a man and almost killed you. You should not be fantasizing about the killer in front of you.
“What’s your name?”
He came back to the table and set down two shot glasses. “Why should I tell you my name, kotic ?”
“I told you mine.”
“So?” He poured me a shot of vodka and slid it over to me.
“Well, that’s not fair. ”
“Nothing is fair in life.”
“Trust me, I’m well aware of that.” I threw back the shot, the liquid burning down my throat.
He gave me that look again, the same one from earlier.
“What does kotic mean?”
“Kitten,” he whispered, his voice rich and deep, and I knew I was blushing. “You can call me K.”
“Why’d that man try to kill you, K?” I wiggled my glass in front of him and the corner of his mouth lifted, as if trying to hold back a smile.
“He was an assassin. That tattoo indicates he’s from Pauki Teney, an elite organization.” He pulled out his wallet, keys, and pack of cigarettes and laid them on the table. “Who would have thought a nineteen-year-old American could get the drop on him?”
“People tend to underestimate me.” I sipped the shot slower this time. Drinking wasn’t really my thing, and if I took a few more of these, I might do something I’d regret.
“You’re not frightened?” He cocked his head. “I just told you an assassin tried to kill me, and you didn’t even blink.”
“Should I be? Frightened?” I asked, the alcohol warming my cheeks.
Instead of answering, he poured me another shot and held his glass up. “ Za zdaroviye —to health.”
I held my glass up against his. “To assassins never succeeding.”
He chuckled softly. “ Za tebya/za Vas —to you, kotic .”
“ Za tebya/za Vas .” I stumbled over the words, afraid I’d butchered them. But the way he smiled told me I hadn’t.
We spent the next hour talking as we drank. He was a master at revealing nothing, but making it appear as if he was sharing. The most I got out of him was what I’d already figured—he was a powerful man with a lot of enemies.
I shared more than I’d intended, telling him about Mom’s death, the first time I’d tried stealing, and how I loved taking photos and planned to be a photographer. But I left out all the ugly truths.
I didn’t tell him about struggling to feed myself and two teenagers. About Ray disappearing for days, sometimes weeks, never leaving us money for food or to pay bills. About digging through trash cans at the age of fifteen and the humiliation I’d felt. About stealing from people just to pay the electric bill in the middle of winter.
If I’d told him any of that, he would have pitied me. I didn’t want to see that look in his eyes.
“What will you do to him when you get home?” He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke up into the air.
“There’s not much I can do. I was going to use the money to get a new apartment with the twins. Get away from him and get a real job. But that’s ruined now. He’ll be gone for a week or two, and come back broke and drunk, and I’ll be there because I will never leave those kids with him. They’re fifteen. He’ll use them and…” I balled my hands into fists. “I’ll have to find another way. I always do.”
“You know what I think?” He took a long drag of his cigarette and leaned closer. “I think when he comes back this time, you take a bat and break his fucking kneecaps. And then when he’s crying on the ground, you tell him you’ll fucking kill him if he ever comes near you and your family again.”
Why did that sound so damn sexy coming out of his mouth? My gaze dragged from the cigarette to his lips. “Can I have a drag of that?” My voice was low as I reached for it.
He made a tisking sound with his tongue and shook his head. The air around us grew thick, and he took another long drag, then wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. He tugged me forward, and I came willingly, our lips almost touching. I held his gaze as he blew the smoke into my mouth, and I inhaled it in.
A knock at the door had us pulling away from each other quickly. He pulled his gun out and stalked to the door. There was a man there, but K’s body took up so much of the doorway that I couldn’t see much of anything else. He stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind him.
Reality came crashing back. I was sitting around having a good old time with a killer who casually talked about assassins and murder. I was pretty sure now was the time to get the hell out of here.
I didn’t want to steal from him, but I didn’t have a choice. I opened his wallet and found a thick wad of cash. There had to be thousands of dollars in there. I just needed enough for a cab. I pulled out two crisp hundred-dollar bills, then put the wallet back exactly how I’d found it.
I had to hurry before he came back. Was I scared of him? Not exactly. But did I trust him? No. And although I’d love to believe he was planning on letting me go, I couldn’t be certain. It was better to sneak out a window than end up staring down the barrel of a gun again.
I’d already checked out the bathroom earlier and knew that was the best way to get out. Luckily for me, the same dumpster I had hidden behind earlier backed up to the bathroom window, so the drop would only be about ten feet. Would I land in piles of disgusting trash? Absolutely. But that was the least of my worries.
Loud voices came from the hall outside, which was my cue to hurry the hell up. I grabbed the chair I’d been sitting on and carried it into the bathroom. After shutting the door, I placed the chair in the shower and stepped up. The bathroom window slid open easily enough. Careful to be quiet, I popped my head out and looked below. The dead guy was gone, and so was the car that had pulled up earlier. The dumpster was exactly where I needed it to be.
I contemplated the best way to do this, but really, there wasn’t one. I’d just have to drop down and pray. At least the lid to the dumpster was open, so my landing would be somewhat cushioned. Not like in the parking garage. The thought of Ray leaving me there to get busted strengthened my resolve, and I lifted myself up. I slid my right leg out the window, then my left, and perched on the ledge. Something sharp scraped against my shoulder as I inched forward, and I hissed at the blood running down my arm. Are you kidding me? What the hell did I do to piss off all the screws and nails in the world?
There wasn’t time to think about that, because one second I was looking down into the dumpster about to jump, and the next powerful hands gripped me by the waist and yanked me back through the bathroom window .
My back slammed against a sturdy surface that smelled like delicious tobacco and leather. K’s arm wrapped around my stomach as he pinned my back to his front.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he said, a hint of fury in his voice.
I didn’t speak for a moment. It was like I’d forgotten how to form words. I hadn’t thought he would actually catch me leaving, and now that he had, my body froze in fear. He turned me around to face him, a knot of anxiety tightening in the pit of my stomach.
His eyes blazed with anger, and it was all directed at me.
Crap.
I might have really done it this time.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I…”
His chest was rising and falling with each deep breath he took. “You’re bleeding.” He didn’t sound concerned when he said it. He sounded downright accusing, like I was bleeding on purpose.
“Please don’t hurt me.” I could barely get the words out as he gripped me by the upper arms and examined the cut.
He muttered something in Russian, not bothering to translate this time. We moved toward the sink, and he lifted me up like I weighed nothing and set me on the edge.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he growled as he pulled open a drawer in the vanity. “Stay still.”
“Yes, sir.”
His body tensed for a moment. If he hadn’t been standing so close to me, I might have missed it. He stood between my legs and reached behind me to wet a hand towel in the sink. Blood was dripping down my arm, and he started to clean it up.
His face was a mix of anger and irritation. He was focused completely on the task at hand, being careful to clean up every drop. I sucked in a deep breath when he got to the cut, and he stilled for a moment.
“You foolish woman,” he muttered, then pulled the first-aid kit out of the open drawer.
Jumping out of a window to escape a man who you’d saved from an assassin, and then let ply you with alcohol, did seem a little foolish. But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of responding.
God, he smelled good. I’d never really paid attention to the opposite sex. When you were solely focused on trying not to starve to death, you didn’t really have much time for dating. Anyway, most men were liars and didn’t deserve my attention.
But he wasn’t just any man. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he had my full attention. Especially now, as he pressed into my open thighs and focused on bandaging up my cut arm.
Up close, I could see a scar going across his chin, starting below his lip and running down his neck. I wondered how many other scars he had. Was his body covered in them? Before I could stop myself, I lifted my hand and traced my finger slowly down the jagged mark.
He froze immediately, his eyes burning into me. But I was too much of a chicken to hold his gaze. I continued exploring, trailing my finger over his full bottom lip, then his top lip, then back down to his scar. He inhaled sharply and gripped my hand, making me gasp .
This time, I held his gaze. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, and risked making a fool out of myself, I knew I wanted him. It wasn’t like I was holding onto my virginity for marriage. And hell, this had been the craziest night of my life, so why not go out with a bang? Literally.
I leaned forward, pressing my lips softly to his. He didn’t kiss me back, though. Humiliation flooded my veins at the realization. God, I was so stupid. Why would I think someone like him would want me?
Heat rose from my neck to my cheeks, and I lowered my head. “Sorry, I thought—”
I gasped as his fingers weaved through my hair and tugged my head back.
“You tried to run from me.” His grip in my hair tightened, controlled yet still gentle. There was a hint of accusation in his tone that made my breath catch. It shouldn’t have mattered. We were strangers. Although something told me neither of us would be forgetting what had happened this evening.
“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered, surprising myself because I meant it. Every instinct in my body screamed for me to run away from him. He was more than just dangerous, he was lethal.
But something else, something much stronger, wanted me to stay. To find out what would happen if I did.
“Tell me to let you go,” he murmured, his eyes tracking the movement as my tongue darted out to wet my lips. “I’m not a good man, kotic . Tell me to stop.” This time there was a command in his tone, and I could envision even the bravest of men wanting to cower at his feet .
“No.” I held his gaze. My mind was made up.
My life had always been chaotic. Too many responsibilities and sacrifices. Too much putting everyone else first, too much getting pushed around and torn down. But I stood back up each and every time because that was who I was. A fighter.
I’d nearly died tonight. Instead, I’d saved this stranger who’d turned out to be more dangerous than I could have expected.
And for once, I would take something for myself.
“Kiss me.” The words had barely left my mouth before his lips crashed into mine.
A second later, we were all tongues and teeth as he devoured my mouth. It was unlike any kiss I’d ever experienced, not that there had been many. I moaned as he dominated me, his tongue velvety soft against mine. His fingers in my hair held my head in place as he took charge, kissing, licking and biting on my lips, and I followed his lead—at least I tried to. There was an urgency between us, a desperation, like he wanted to consume me, and I was willing to let him.
My hands ran up his shoulders and down his chest, reveling in how hard and firm his body was. I unbuttoned his top button, but he pulled back, not taking his lips off mine. Buttons flew everywhere as he ripped open his shirt, then reached for the hem of mine and lifted it off.
He let out a guttural moan as he kissed down my neck to my breasts. His mouth was warm as he latched onto my nipple, sucking and biting softly, making me cry out. My body was blazing with a fire that only he could tame. He reached up and palmed my other breast, pinching and rolling my nipple between his fingers, making me whimper. “So perfect, kotic . I want to taste every inch of you. I want to fill you up with my cock until you’re screaming for more.”
Heat pooled in my core at his words. Nobody had ever spoken to me like that. “Please, K. I need more.” I ran my fingers through his hair. His hands were on the button of my jeans, and I hoisted myself up as he ripped them off me.
He dropped to his knees, his fingers digging into the flesh of my thighs as he held my legs open. “Look at this pretty pink cunt, all for me,” he growled.
Jesus Christ, his words were making me soaked. I’d never experienced anything like this. The desperate need for him to be inside me was unbearable.
Rough hands held me open as he bit my inner thigh, then sucked, leaving a dark red mark behind. He moved to the other thigh, doing the same, then moved higher. I arched my back, crying out with a breathless moan as his tongue licked at my core. It was like he was starving, and I was the only food in sight. A tingling sensation started at my toes and shot all the way up my spine to the top of my head as he spread me open and feasted on my pussy.
His tongue was so soft, yet demanding, coaxing an orgasm out of me within minutes. My toes curled and I tugged on his hair as an electric sensation rolled through me. It was like getting struck by lightning as I came, throwing my head back, my thighs trembling around his head.
“Taste yourself on me, kotic . See how delicious you are.” His lips crashed into mine, and I sucked on his tongue, tasting myself. I couldn’t get enough of him. Was this what I’d been missing out on by staying a virgin? If so, I was a damn fool. Because all I knew was that I wanted to be filled up with him until I couldn’t breathe.
I reached down, fumbled with his belt as I tried to undo it. Irritation had me grunting as I tugged, his lips pulling up in a smile against mine. Big, strong hands wrapped around my smaller ones as he helped me undo his belt. His pants came off next, and my mouth fell open.
His cock was enormous, and just as beautiful as the rest of him. There was no way that was going to fit inside of me.
He chuckled and lifted my chin up with his finger. As if reading my mind, he said, “It’ll fit.”
Before I had time to do any type of mental math on how it was going to be possible, he pulled me off the sink and flipped me around so that I was staring at our reflection in the mirror.
God, was that me? I didn’t even look like the same person. My dark hair was hanging halfway out of the ponytail. My normally pale skin was flushed and marked by him. I looked the complete opposite of him, his skin tanned and covered in tattoos all over his chest and his arms.
He nudged his knee between my legs and tapped his foot between my feet, encouraging me to open wider. I happily obliged as he ripped open a condom and tossed the wrapper to the ground.
I moaned as he rubbed his cock up and down my slit, coating himself with my juices. The sensation was maddening, as if I could come just from that alone. God knew I wanted to.
A moment of fear washed over me. Should I have told him I was a virgin? Would that have changed anything? I shook the intrusive thoughts out of my head and focused on the pleasure rolling through me. There was no way I was stopping now anyway.
The head of his cock was at my entrance, and in one fluid motion, he drove his hips forward, filling me up. I cried out and gripped the edge of the sink. Fuck, that hurt more than I’d been expecting.
He pulled back, then thrust again, his flesh flush against mine. Moans of pleasure escaped his lips, his mouth trailing kisses up the side of my neck. I relaxed into him, the pain easing as he thrust, teasing me with deep, powerful strokes.
“Your tight cunt is strangling my cock, kotic .” He bit down on the side of my neck and moaned. God, he had a filthy mouth, and I fucking loved it.
He reached down with one hand, stroking my clit. Oh, my God, was he going to make me come again? I pushed back into him, wanting more, an unfamiliar fire starting to build inside of me.
With his other hand, he reached for my throat, squeezing gently until my eyes met his in the mirror. “Eyes on me. I want to see every expression you make while I fuck you.”
“Yes, sir,” I moaned, and he squeezed my throat tighter.
He whispered something in Russian in my ear, but I couldn’t understand him. Not that I cared at this point. The entire building could be on fire, and I wouldn’t move from this spot.
“I’m going to ruin you for any other man.” He slammed his hips forward, rougher this time. I bit my bottom lip as he pounded into me. The sink was digging into my skin with every brutal thrust, but I wasn’t bothered by the pain. If anything, it made the whole thing even more intoxicating.
His fingers strummed across my clit expertly, and I moaned his name as warmth spread throughout my body. Stars exploded behind my eyes as I came, my nails digging into the arm that was still wrapped around my throat. He never took his eyes off me, just kept pounding and whispering words into my ear. His release followed shortly after mine, his groans of pleasure making me contract around his cock as he filled me up.
We stood there for a moment, both of us out of breath and holding onto each other.
He kissed up the side of my neck, goosebumps breaking out across my arms. “Are you OK?” he murmured into my ear. Before I could answer, he gripped my chin and turned my head toward him, then kissed me deeply.
I panted against his lips and smiled. “Of course.”
He looked at me in the mirror, his face unreadable. After a moment, he pulled away, picking up his clothes from the floor. “Get dressed.” His voice seemed cold suddenly. Not as soft as it had been just moments ago.
Maybe I was imagining it. I mean, this was the first time I’d had sex, and I knew that guys supposedly changed after. Was that what this was?
It didn’t matter. I didn’t want to overthink it.
I tugged my pants back on, then my tank top. My skin was flushed and still on fire from where he’d marked me. I splashed cold water on my face, instantly cooling down .
He was fully dressed when I came out, texting on his phone. It was quiet for a moment, neither of us saying anything as I stood there awkwardly, trying not to fidget. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled an envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“My phone number. I always keep my word, kotic . I owe you for saving my life.”
I opened the envelope, my eyes widening at the cash inside. “And the money?”
“For your new apartment. Get away from your stepfather. Build a new life.” He took a step forward, my butt hitting the dining room table. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me.
He moved my hair behind my ear, then wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. “You should stay far away from men like me.” His lips brushed against mine softly before he pulled away. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Stay here and I’ll get you a ride back to Brooklyn.”
With that, he walked back to the bathroom and shut the door.
He’d “get” me a ride back to Brooklyn, not “take me back.” And what was that whole “stay away from men like me” thing?
My happy little bubble had burst in less than thirty seconds. I’d made a lot of mistakes in my life, but sleeping with a stranger after I’d watched him kill someone? That took the number one spot.
I grabbed my hoodie from the chair and slipped it back on. He’d known I would leave the second he went into the bathroom, otherwise he wouldn’t have given me the money first. I wasn’t an idiot. This was his way of letting me go so he wouldn’t have to deal with me.
Well, message received.
I shoved the envelope in my pocket and slipped out the front door.
Have a nice life, K. I hope I never see you again.