16. Konstantin
KONSTANTIN
M y hands roamed her bare back, her skin soft under my rough palms.
Her hair was like silk brushing against my knuckles. That fucker could have snuffed the life right out of her, and it made my throat tighten.
I’d been in love with this woman for almost a decade.
It wasn’t lust. It was love. Devotion. She was my lightning. My rain. My sunshine. My moon. She was someone I couldn’t live without.
I was buried deep inside her and the fear of losing her made my blood burn hotter, searing the word mine into my chest. I wanted to blast it to the entire world so they’d know whose wrath they’d incur if they came close to her.
The Yakuza knew I married Tatiana. Yet, they still came after her. That chip had to be found or they’d never stop trying. And if Amon lost his allegiance to our organization, we’d lose all leverage over them.
Marchetti was a fool to let the wedding proceed.
Goddamn it!
We hadn’t made progress on that chip for weeks now. It hadn’t exactly been a priority. I was too focused on Tatiana and stalking her. But now, I had to get my head in the game. There were more lives at stake. My wife and our children.
“Illias.” Tatiana’s soft voice stopped my thoughts. Her breath was like a caress against my neck. My fingers ran through her hair. Her fingernails pushed into the hair at my nape and I could feel them against my scalp. “We need to talk.”
I stiffened. The words ‘ We need to talk’ never bode well for anyone. In our world, someone was usually shot. And knowing my wife, she probably had a gun handy somewhere.
“Talk, Wife.”
“I need you to start being honest with me.” She shifted, locking her gaze with mine. “I’m not a tool for you to use. For anyone to use.” She accentuated the word. “Hurt me or the babies or use us in any way, and you’ll see what being a Nikolaev means.”
A sardonic breath left me. Somehow it didn’t surprise me that she was threatening me. The truth was I wouldn’t want this woman any other way. And if I ever turned like my bastard father, I knew she’d kill me to protect our children. And fuck it, I’d hope she succeeded.
“Duly noted wife,” I acknowledged. “And I agree. You and our babies are most important.”
Her expression softened. My fierce queen needed reassurance too.
My hands lowered to her hips that would soon widen to allow her to give birth to our babies. Twins. Warmth and love flared, spreading through my chest.
“Hmm.” Then because I couldn’t wait to hear it, I asked. “Are you happy?” Her eyes sought mine in confusion. “About the twins?”
She smiled and the stars in her eyes shimmered like the brightest diamonds. Seeing them hit me in the chest. I wanted nothing more than to see her happy.
“Yes,” she whispered, leaning back studying my face. “So happy.”
My dick began to harden inside her at the sight she gave me. Her perfect breasts, already growing bigger with the pregnancy.
“How many children do you want?” I asked her the same question she refused to answer yesterday. I nipped her bottom lip. “I want to know.”
God, I couldn’t wait to see a little blonde angel running around her mama, wearing a matching Chanel dress.
Her gaze came to mine, a little crease between her brows. “That depends on you, Illias.”
I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, trailing my mouth down her cheek and tracing it along her jaw. “Many, moya luna. I want many children with you.”
She tilted her head, giving me better access. Her soft moans drove me mad. I thrust my hips upwards, feeling her insides clench around my shaft greedily.
“You misunderstood me,” she murmured, still straddling my lap and rocking her hips shallowly.
Fuck, my dick throbbed, eager for another round of her tight, wet pussy.
My cum dripped down her thighs and I ran my fingers upward and brought it to her lips.
Like an obedient wife, her mouth parted and I smeared my cum over her lips.
Her tongue darted out, licking the tip of my finger, then nipped it gently.
But watching her lick the cum off her lips drove me to the edge of insanity.
“What I meant, Illias, is that unless you’re honest with me and we’re partners in this, I won’t have any more children with you. And these–” she rubbed her stomach affectionately, “ –will be born to separated parents.”
A growl vibrated in my chest. “Over my dead body. I told you, Tatiana, you’re mine. For life. There is no other man for you nor our babies. Not even your brothers.”
She shook her head and her lips quirked. “I know you're Pakhan and all that. But don’t forget I grew up in this world. And my brothers can give just as good as they get.”
Sardonic amusement escaped me. Her brothers had unconditional loyalty and irrationally, it made me jealous. I wanted all of her - her loyalty, her love, her passion. Fucking everything.
“What do you want to know, Tatiana?”
Her pale blue eyes met mine. We were such opposites. Lightness and darkness, despite both of us growing up in this world. Some women in our world were timid, bowed their heads and minded their business, pretending ignorance of our world.
That was never meant to be Tatiana. Regardless of what world she lived in.
I took her chin between my fingers. “What do you want to know?”
She swallowed with a soft gulp. “When did we meet?”
Silence morphed between us. Her fingers played with the rose pendant on her necklace. A thorned rose. She reminded me of a rose full of thorns in a way. She bloomed and shined, but when threatened her thorns came out.
“When did we meet, Illias?” she asked again.
My gut feeling warned she had started to unravel some things on her own. My eyes fell on the unusual necklace around her neck. She always wore it. It was unusual. Not exactly her style.
“Your last year of college. Halloween night.” She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, they were the darkest blue I had ever seen them. “A waiter gave me a note. From you.”
Her mouth parted. “He gave it to you?”
I nodded. “You caught my eye the moment you strolled in with those boys,” I admitted. “So when I got the note, I couldn’t resist but oblige you.”
Her cheeks flushed a deep red and I stared at her in disbelief. Fuck, she was beautiful when she blushed.
She buried her face in my neck. “Oh my gosh.”
My lips pressed against her ear. “You don’t seem surprised.”
Her hands trailed down my shoulder, forearm, until our fingers met and interlocked. Her graceful fingers traced mine.
“I started to suspect,” she remarked, her breaths fanning my neck. “Something you said last night.”
“What did I say?” I cupped her head and made her look at me.
A shiver rolled through her and her eyes shimmered, like the sun rays over the Caribbean sea.
“That I’m yours. That I’ve always been yours,” she whispered softly. She brushed the tip of her nose against mine. “During all the years I’d known Adrian–” I stiffened, hating the fucker’s name on her lips. “ –I heard it only once. That night in the gazebo.”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, then asked. “Did you know who I was?”
“That night, no,” I admitted. “I tried to find you, but your information was impossible to trace. It wasn’t until I saw you approaching your brother in my L.A. restaurant that I learned why.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Maxim went through some shit that I had to deal with,” he grumbled. “By the time I came to New Orleans, you were already married. It left me with two options. Kill him or let you be happy. I didn’t want to repeat my father’s mistake.”
A gasp filled the space between us. I watched her neck bob as she swallowed and a tear rolled down her cheek. I caught it with my thumb.
“What do you mean?”
She paused, like she was considering telling me something. I grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining like stars.
“Tell me,” I demanded. “There’s something else that’s on your mind.”
“Illias, I found something.” She went silent for a moment, studying me. I waited for her to continue. “Adrian left a picture behind.” I tensed at the mention of her late husband. If I could erase that whole period of her life, I would.
She took a deep breath. “The woman in his photo was in your family portrait,” she blurted out. “I think Adrian’s mother is your mother.”