Chapter 17 - Mark
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth.
Addison got out of the car, dressed in an ugly green sweater and black skinny jeans. Her hair blew in the wind and a hand clutched her arm. With a scowl, she lowered her head and stared at the driver.
A few words were exchanged before her head came up again. My men surrounded the silver Toyota, guns pointed at the windshield, and her eyes met mine.
They were hard. Angry. In all the days I’d spent with her, I’d never seen her in such a state.
I grinned, but she didn’t even blink. She just stood there, her eyes fixed in the distance and her lips drawn into a grim line. It was like looking at a statue that had no soul or feelings. The look on her face made me angry. Something stirred in me, I cared for her more than I realized.
This made me think about the message she had sent, revealing her current whereabouts with the idiot Logan and his escape plan. Her help had been unexpected; and though her personal reasons remained unknown, her actions were commendable.
The driver’s door opened and the gaunt blond—also in a horrible green sweater—stepped out. Ignoring my men, he slammed the door shut, walked past, and stood next to Addison. He rolled his shoulders, his eyes blazing.
“We meet again, Varkov. But I can’t say I enjoy a second of it. You must understand that every time I see your face it makes me sick to my stomach.”
I rested on the hood of my car and folded my arms. “I could say the same thing about you, motherfucker. You owe me.”
“No, no. You’ve got it all wrong, you fucking bastard.” He eyed Addison and glared at me. “You fucking owe me.”
He was beating around the bush, diverting attention from himself, and trying to distract. I didn’t know what it was, but judging by his shifty eyes, it couldn’t mean anything good. But two could play that game, couldn’t they?
I coughed a laugh and gaped in utter disbelief.
“I owe you? You know, the problem is, you still have a mouth to spew fucking garbage. But go ahead; tell me what I owe you.”
“Fucking peace of mind?” He shouted. “What do you say to that? When are you going to leave me alone, huh? What’s all this chasing? Why don’t you just forget I exist and move on?”
Exhaling, I massaged my temples and stood up. I was fed up. Storytime was over. It was time to end this charade. I strolled casually forward, stopping only when I was close enough to see the anger swimming in his blue irises. Yuri fell beside me, clutching the pistol tightly and looking hard at the soon-to-be-dead man.
I tapped the gun against my thigh.
“Frankly, Mercer, you’re pissing me off. We both know how this is going to end. Nobody fucks with my family and gets away with it alive. I’ll make it quick. Two or three bullets should be enough to send you to the afterlife. What do you say?”
He spat, saliva flying from his mouth to the asphalt below, and snarled.“Fuck you.”
The dumbass had to make things more difficult.
“You’re nothing but a fucking speck of dust in the desert; insignificant, useless. I always wondered what Irina saw in you; what they all saw in you. But here I am, giving a worthless piece of shit like you a chance at quick redemption. Let Addison go.”
“You and your fucking chance can go to hell, Varkov.”
“If that’s what you want. You asked for it.” I shrugged and raised my gun as my veins glowed with determination. “You’re going to die an agonizing death, Mercer. Goodbye.”
My finger hovered over the trigger and ...
I barely blinked before I noticed a silver glint on Addison. A drop of red dripped over her olive skin and a maniacal smile slid across his lips. He had acted quickly and grabbed her, pressing a gleaming dagger to her neck.
My blood ran cold.
Time slowed down and the breath left my lungs. Yuri and the rest of the world around me blurred and I heard my heart pounding in my ears. I watched in slow motion as the stiffness in her gaze morphed to fear and her hands flew to his arm to push him away.
I eyed the trickle of red on her skin and pain shot through my body. But what hurt more was the anger that surged through my veins.
Her eyes called out to me, and I stood there, deciding how many bullets I should waste on the fucking bastard.
One.Dead.
Four. Slow death.
Fucking six. Make him suffer.
The sick grin on his face grew even wider as his gaze traveled from her to my face.
“I knew it. I fucking knew it! You fucking like her! So, you do have a heart beneath all that stone-composed gentleman fa?ade you put up. She’s worth it, you know,” he said like she was anything less.
“Logan...” she choked, tears streaming down her cheeks, and he shook her violently like a lifeless rag doll.
“You shut the fuck up!”
The thunder in his voice echoed across the empty road. I saw the crazed look in his eyes, and I had to tread carefully. One mistake, one fucking act of recklessness, and it would turn to shit really quick.
Think, Mark.
But his violence taunted me, provoked my anger even further. It was like a switch had flipped inside me. All I could see was red, and overwhelming fury clouded my mind.
“I asked you, didn’t I?” He pressed the dagger deeper.
It took everything in me to restrain my desire to unleash as many bullets as the gun contained.
“But you denied it. You lied to me, Addi. You fucking lied to me. You betrayed me. I bet you two have fucked, huh? And you had fun doing it, laughing to my face. You’re now one of his fucking whores, aren’t you? That’s why you set me up.”
I inhaled.
Sderzhivay sebya. Control yourself.
“I lied to you?” She was breaking now, cracking with no reservation. “You lied to me; You betrayed me, Logan. You hid your life from me. Never told me you were married. I ... I didn’t even know you could speak other languages besides English. You made me say yes to the proposal of a complete stranger. And I loved you, Logan. I loved you so much.”
At that point, I wasn’t sure which angered me more. Hearing her profess her love for the fucking idiot—even if relayed in past tense—or watching her squirm and fight for freedom.
“And I loved you too, honey bunch.” His voice was laced with sarcasm, and he forcefully shoved his lips on hers. “I loved you so fucking much.”
A raging fire ignited in my chest and my nostrils flared.
“Well, then I guess we can only blame one person.” He turned his gaze on me. “Did you hear that, Mark? This is your bloody fault! If you”d stayed in your lane, I’d still have the love of my life. But you had to destroy the beautiful life we built, didn’t you??”
Time was ticking. How many bullets?
One.
Four.
Six.
Fucking decide Mark.
I ran my hand over my face.
“You mean you still got your next meal ticket out of poverty.”
“You see, that’s exactly the problem. You fucking Varkovs think you’re the only ones entitled to life on the high side. I mean, I loved Irina, but who said I had to stay by her side like a lapdog? I did what men do—hustle and make ends meet.” His tongue wriggled like a fucking snake. “Fucking a Varkov shouldn’t be cheap, after all.”
The balance between logic and anger tipped, and my finger fell on the trigger. A sharp bang pierced the air, leaving a lingering echo that slowly faded away.
Addison’s scream followed and Logan’s eyes grew wide.
I cocked the gun and aimed at his forehead. “I misfired. Intentionally. Shall we try again?”
“I would advise not.” His eyes were serious, and the humor was gone from his tone. Wounding her hair around his fist, he tugged her head backward, and placed the blade under her chin. “I’ll applaud you for the first round of surprise, Varkov. But if another bullet comes out of that fucking gun, I promise, I’m taking your whore down with me ...”
Addison fearfully held my gaze, and her face scrunched up when Logan licked her cheek.
“I mean, it is obvious that you want her.”
His words were lost in the deafening noise in my ears as I eyed his tongue before it went back into his mouth. If I had a knife, slicing off that wagging tongue was going to be another way to make him suffer.
“So, this is what we are going to do; tell your men to stand down, drop their weapons, and the get the fuck into their shiny toy cars. Else, I’m going to slit her throat. No bluffs.”
And he wasn’t.
He might not have been a part of the Bratva, but Logan was as ruthless as they came. The intention in his eyes was as solid as his hold on the knife.
Hesitantly, I dropped my gun. “Yuri, tell the men to stand down,” I ordered in Russian.
“But boss ...”
“Now!”
One by one, the guns dropped, the men went back to their cars, leaving me, Addison and the bastard standing there in a face-off. I flashed a smile.
“Happy now?”
“You’re still here, Mark. Every fucking person has to leave, and that includes you. No special treatment, rich guy. Get the fuck out of here.”
My hands raised in mock surrender, my gun still in one hand, I drew her attention to my eyes, and gave her a slight wink. “I do whatever I want whenever I want, but I’ll leave now.” I began to back away. “Keep her safe. Let her go.”
“Keep going, then I will decide.”
“Sure. Just ... hold on, there’s something you need to see first. I thought it would make a good parting gift to, you know, let you know who’s in charge here.” Her eyes caught mine again as I dug around in my pocket. The small steel clinked on my finger, and I fished out the pear-shaped ring. With a grin, I raised it high so he could see it. “Remember this?”
And when he did, that was all she needed.
He growled. “Son of a—fuck!”
She jammed her elbow into his crotch and pressed herself against him, so hard that his arm loosened around her. This created a gap big enough for me to take the shot. Correction, the shots.
Happily, I aimed and fired.
Four.
****
“You paralyzed him.”
That was the first thing she muttered since we entered the office. She took a seat on the other side of the desk and decided that her fingers deserved more attention than I did. I pulled open the drawer on the desk and took a lighter to the cigarette between my lips.
I exhaled and white-gray smoke rings settled in the space between us. “I’d hardly call it that.” I shrugged. “He still has his tongue and his tiny dick.”
She slid back and forth in her seat, keeping her head down and playing with her fingers.
It drives me fucking crazy how she fidgets with her fingers.
After the drama with Logan, I didn’t know what to expect from her when we went back to my place. But awkward silence was the least I expected. Something was going on in her head and I was going to find out what it was.
“Two shots to his kneecaps, one on his left shoulder, and another just below a delicate point that would have caused a heart rupture.” She mumbled.
“Do you still care for him?”
“No.”
I blew out more puffy clouds and swirled in my leather chair. A strange feeling of relief came over me at her answer and I closed my eyes. Then the question gnawed at me: why the hell did I care so much if she still liked him? Because ... I could hear my subconscious rearing its head with answers.
Because you want her. Need her.
Addison Mae was like a drug that captivates you and keeps you hooked. Like a fucking addiction. With her, I always wanted more. And still, it wouldn’t be enough. I couldn”t bear the thought of another man tasting that drug. She should have been a distraction, like the other women were; nothing more than an available toy to pass the time. But she was different. I was so hypnotized that I couldn’t process any rational thoughts. The moment I touched her, the animal in me came out. She fucked with my mind. Made me want to have and breathe everything Addison.
I missed the sound of her voice, humming crazy tunes. I missed her in my kitchen. On my bed. Naked. Spread out. Just for me.
As unusual as it was, I couldn’t help but find every single detail about her fascinating, no matter how hard I tried to stop myself. She was loving, kind, and had a big heart with room for everyone. But I didn’t want everyone in it; only me was fine. Just fucking perfect.
“You hate him,” she said.
I stared at the curve of her mouth; the fullness of her lips, and how soft and delicious I knew they tasted. Kissing her once was a tease. Kissing her twice sent my blood rushing south, needing her.
“I do.”
Her long, brown hair fell forward and veiled her face like a dark river. I remembered how Logan’s fist had wrapped around it, and wished I had severed a finger or two to remind him that he should never touch my woman again.
My woman. She was now, even if she looked like she”d rather be somewhere else than in the same room with me. Frustration built up inside me for two different reasons and I forced my gaze away from her.
“You know, I think you should thank me for saving you from your crazy fiancé.”
She looked up from her lap and gave me a blank stare. “Which one?”
Flashing a smile, I rose from my chair, rounded the desk, and leaned on the edge. If she noticed the swift change, she didn’t flinch.
I looked down at her, “You think you’re funny, don’t you?
“It’s not like you’re a saint,” she added, “Logan might be despicable, a horrible person, but you’re not exactly a knight in shining armor.”
My fascination for this woman was to be my undoing. I interlaced my fingers on my thighs and studied her closely as I said. “I never claimed to be one, hermosa. I”ve never hidden anything from you and I”m not going to now. You see me inside out, the way I am. Unlike the other one. He lied to you, didn’t he?”
She didn’t say any more and her attention returned to her lap.
“You turned yourselves in and I know you’re a smart girl, pretty. You had your reasons, and I want to know what they were.”
Her voice was so quiet that I almost missed it. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. “I learned about his past, about the other women. And about your cousin. I know what he did. He also, um, tried to kill my father. Switched his meds so that his mental health got worse, all because he had a sinister plan to rob me of half my inheritance after we got married.”
“Hmm,” was all I said, and she looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“But you already knew all of this, didn’t you?”
“What part?” I leaned lower, bringing our faces closer. “Divorcing Irina and bringing shame on our family? Or drive her almost mad with depression. She almost ran into a brick wall because of that bastard. She distanced herself from the rest of us and tried suicide as a way out. Fortunately, it didn’t work. But it broke her. She never looked at a man the same way again.”
The edges of her eyes softened, and she shook her head. “About your cousin, I’m really sorry what happened to her. Honestly, I am. Meeting Logan is a curse, and no one should ever go through that. But I was referring to me. You knew, didn’t you? About his sinister plan to get rid of my dad.”
I nodded. “I did. Even without research, his intentions were made clearer that night, after he abandoned you.”
“And you didn’t think it was important to give me a heads up? A, ‘Oh, hey, Addison. That jerk is after your father and your money,’ would have been nice.” Now she was fired up.
“Oh, but I did, numerous times. I told you to your face that he didn’t care about you. Your head was just too far up in the clouds of love to take me seriously.”
She scoffed with eyes open wide. “You were only after one thing, weren’t you? Revenge.”
“Yes. And I intended to stick to the plan.”
Her chair flew backwards as she rose from her seat. I hadn’t seen it coming: the anger and the sudden desire to leave the office. She had already started to leave when I grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
I yanked her closer and fixed her between my legs. My finger rested under her chin, and I tilted her head upwards. “What the fuck was that? Where do you think you’re off to?”
“Away.” She sniffled and at that moment I noticed the tear stains on her cheeks. Shit. I thought the beads were sweat. “I want to get away from you. Away from here. I need air to breathe, to think. And I can”t get that here.”
I stroked her cheek with my thumb and wiped away her tears. This action was the result of a sudden instinct; I did it before I thought about it. And it shocked her.
Fuck, it shocked me too.
The last time I had seen a woman so utterly distraught and hurt, it had been Irina. And even then, I hadn’t wiped away her tears. And she was my fucking cousin. But this woman ... this exotic woman with the chocolate eyes, the olive skin, and the seductive lips was to be my undoing. When I saw the sadness in her eyes, it was like a punch in the gut. And I hated being hit.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t act like you care when you don’t, okay? I can’t deal with another Logan, not right now.”
Another slap in the face. And I wanted to hurt her for even daring to compare me to that piece of filth. But I thought about the possible consequences and decided that she would hate me even more. For some strange reason, the thought of Addison hating me left me with an uneasy feeling.
Stay calm.
I ran my thumb over the seam of her lips, brought her head closer, and lowered my voice. “I wouldn’t ask if didn’t care. Talk to me, I can see it in your eyes; there’s something you’re not telling me.”
She eyed me and my thumb on her lips and raised a hand to my arm. She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. Her eyes shifted. “There is, uh ...” she swallowed. “There is a chance, a very high chance that I am, uh, pregnant.”
Fuck me! That was ... unexpected. It hit me with the speed of a wrecking ball and threw me off balance. I blinked rapidly. “What?”
“Wait,” she panicked. “Hear me out. I’m sure the baby is yours because Logan and I, we, uh, haven’t been intimate for a while ...”
My lips curled to a crooked smile, and I couldn’t resist the urge to say, “He wasn’t giving it to you right, was he?”
A red flush rose to her cheeks, but she ignored the question. “And when we did, we used protection. But with you ...”
I pulled her even closer to my chest, so close, all it was going to take was a small flick of my tongue to taste her mouth. “With me, it was different, wasn’t it? Wild and rough. The way you liked it.”
“Mark, that’s not the point,” she rasped, but I couldn’t get past my name from her lips, and then her tone was firmer. “I’m saying, I don’t care if you take responsibility or not for my baby—which is the subject of this discussion. I’m keeping it.”
Her audacity stung and the blood in my veins thickened. On any other day I would have teased or applauded her confidence, from a timid cat to a tigress. Now, some things had to be set straight.
“Our baby, Addison. And from today, never fucking forget that. It takes balls to lie to my face. If you were lying, I’d figure it out, sooner or later. But doing the math and one look in your eyes tells me all I need to know. You’re carrying our baby, and I swear I’m going to protect you both with my life. But if you try anything stupid, like running away again, I’d reign hell on earth until I get you. Comprender?”
Shallow breaths left her lips and her gaze fell to mine. She stayed silent.
“Addison, did you hear what I fucking said?”
She nodded and I smiled. She was so fucking beautiful when she was flustered.
“Good. Now, let’s seal the deal, shall we?”
My fingers ran into her hair, the blood whooshed in my ears, and I brought my lips to hers, claiming her with every fucking breath in me. But … She resisted. Pushed against my chest with fiery eyes. “Stop! Just stop it, please. I can’t do this. I can’t pretend that this doesn’t hurt.”
What was she talking about now?
Instinctively, I gripped her waist, barely processing her words. But she turned her face away, still talking.
“I don’t want to be another one of your whores, Mark. I can’t be useful for just a good fuck. This child deserves a loving and respectful father.”
For the second time, her words slapped me in the face and regret squeezed hard in my chest, tearing into it until the pain burned physically. I had said these words to her and made her feel so small. Unworthy.
I cupped her chin with one hand and skimmed her back with the other. The fucking ugly sweater was a barrier, but I needed to make my point.
“Hey, look at me.”
When she did, I swooped in again and took her mouth by storm. I savored every inch of her warm mouth and swiped her tongue, her soft moans filling the space between us. I pulled back.
“When I kiss you like that, it’s never enough. You know why? You leave me wanting more. I can’t explain it, mi preciosa. The things you do to me. How you make me feel like I want to fucking explode all the time. No other woman has ever left such an impact.”
I kissed her again.
“You are so much more than just a good fuck.”
And again.
“You mean it?” She gasped for air. I didn’t answer, but …
And again.
I kissed her incessantly until she was breathing heavily against my mouth, her hands on my neck and her warm body clinging to mine. Chest to chest. Except for the bloody sweater. It fueled even more heat and increased the friction. I wanted to fuck her. Claim her in a way that took her breath away and made her forget her own name. The need grew. Blood rushed below my belt and my cock strained in my pants.
“Strip,” I growled against her lips and pulled on the sweater. “Take that fucking thing off.”
The hideous clothes went over her head and the skinny jeans went next. Hastily, I unclasped the bra and tugged her closer from the band of her panties. I brushed the undersides of her breasts and squeezed roughly.
My mouth covered one of her soft mounds and teeth scraped over her pebbled skin. Her hands flew to my shoulder, nails digging in, and her head lolled backward.
“Mark ...I …”
“Hmm, baby? What do you need.”
I sucked and pressed her breasts together. Her fingers squeezed and her gasps were like music in my ears. I dragged wet kisses over her taut skin. She shuddered in my arms and held me closer. Her lips brushed my jaw and nibbled on my chin.
“You.” She moaned.
“You have me,” I growled.
In a flurry of motion, my hands slipped into her panties, gripped her ass and I sat her down on the desk. I yanked her to the edge and tore off her panties. My fingers dug into her thighs and held her down, right where she belonged. Here, with me. She felt like home.
I spread her legs wide and dropped to my knees, my cock so hard it hurt like hell at the sight of her.
She was so beautiful. So, fucking perfect. My mouth hovered over her dripping wetness between her legs, and I blew on it.
“Mark…”
Her back arched and her fingers tugged at my hair. I blew again and watched her eyelids fall shut and her lips open. If I could, I would have taken a photo and kept it for a long time. The hairs on my skin sang and my body hummed.
She wrapped her legs around my neck and hauled my face closer.
I smirked, peering up at the sweat droplets on her face. Relentlessly, I slid two fingers down her slit and her thighs clenched around me. “Ready for me, baby?”
“Yes.”
I sucked her clit into my mouth, and feverish goose bumps broke out on her skin. She mumbled a bunch of gibberish and I shuddered and let out a guttural groan. I cupped my erection and pressed hard against it to not blow in my pants, as I licked my tongue over her sweet, hot pussy. She moved her hips and pushed against my tongue.
She made a rough noise behind her throat and tightened her grip on my hair. “I’m so close.”
I grated my teeth. “Not yet.”
I rose to my feet, impatience surging through me like an electric current. When the zip of my pants came off, my cock sprung out. Straight as an arrow. And when she put her lips on mine, I buried my length into her warmth. Her pussy clamped around me so tightly, I could hardly think.
The desk scraped on the floor and pens clattered on it. I slid my hands to the sides of her face, covered her mouth with mine, and sucked on her tongue.
“Mark…” she whispered in between moans. Damp strands of hair stuck on her forehead and her tits bounced. I growled.
“Fuck. Nothing feels as good as you.”
“Oh my God …Mark!”
I jerked and drove deeper till I hit her core. My strong arms lifted her from the desk, and I thrust faster and harder. My thighs clenched; my breath caught in my throat.
Fuck.
I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer.
Her legs spread wider, and her heels dug into the back of my legs. She was fighting, battling for control. We jerked forward at the same time, slamming with intensity. Her nails drew a long scratch on my back and the moan that left us was bone deep.
I was completely mindless with pleasure.
I tried to speak, but stars dotted my vision. The muscles tensed, my cock twitched and jerked, and my hot seeds shot inside, in long spurts. Spilling down her legs and over the table.
And when she reached her orgasm and screamed my name, it was pure ecstasy.