Chapter 17 Fyodor
FYODOR
The hot water pounds my shoulders and runs down my back, steam rising up around me until I can barely see the tile walls.
I stand there with my hands braced against the wall and let the heat work into my muscles while I think about the strip club and everything Rurik told me tonight.
The vodka is still buzzing through my blood, blurring the edges of my thoughts, but the information is clear enough.
I have what I need now, and I'm ready to make a move to end this thing that's been hanging over my head for weeks. I just have to make sure Sasha and Noemi are safely tucked away somewhere before I do it. Somewhere Koslov's men can't find them, so they'll be protected if things go sideways.
Rurik says they're just a few weeks from being able to finalize the case and arrest Inessa. Which means just a few weeks left until my time is up and I'm labeled a failure. And I won't let that happen.
I shut off the water and stand there dripping for a minute, watching the steam swirl and fade in the cooling air.
I'm bone tired in a way that sleep hasn't been able to fix for days.
The vodka from earlier is still buzzing in my blood, making everything feel slightly off-kilter, and all I want to do is crawl into bed and pass out for a few hours before I have to think about any of this again.
I dry off and wrap a towel around my waist, running my fingers through my wet hair to push it back from my face. My reflection in the mirror looks like hell, dark circles under my eyes, stubble shadowing my jaw. I need rest and I need to stop thinking.
I open the bathroom door and steam spills out into the bedroom, and I stop dead when I see Noemi sitting up in bed watching me.
Her hair is messy from sleep, but her eyes are sharp.
She's wide awake like she's been waiting for me to come out.
I didn't mean to wake her. The hotel security guard I paid off to keep an eye on them said the room went silent hours ago.
When I covered her up only moments ago she seemed out cold.
"You're awake," I say.
"I've been awake since you stumbled in smelling like a bar and someone else's perfume."
The words sound accusatory, and I feel my jaw tighten. I'm too tired for this, too drunk and worn down to have whatever fight she's trying to start right now.
"Noemi—"
"Where were you tonight, Fyodor? And don't tell me it's none of my business."
"Working."
"Working," she repeats, letting the word hang there between us, dripping with disbelief. "Is that what we're calling it?"
"It's none of your business what I do or where I go." I run a hand through my dripping hair and move toward the dresser to find a pair of boxers.
"Did you—?" Her voice cracks and she covers it with anger. "Did you fuck someone else and then come back here to get in this bed with me?"
Her question enrages me but I control my tone as I turn my back on her to avoid shouting. Sasha is sleeping. I don't want to wake him up over something this petty.
"You never wanted to be in my bed to begin with.
You made that pretty clear." With the towel lying on the floor and my boxers in place, I crawl into bed ready to collapse but Noemi has different plans apparently.
She scoffs and throws the covers back, swinging her legs over the side of the mattress like she's about to leave.
Something snaps in me at the sight of it, some possessive thing I've been trying to ignore since the first time I touched her.
I grab her arm and pull her back onto the bed, rolling her beneath me and pinning her wrists above her head before she can fight me off. She gasps and goes still, her eyes wide, her chest rising and falling fast against mine.
"I haven't fucked a single woman since you walked through my door," I tell her but it's not a comforting tone I'm using.
The thought that she has some sort of claim to my life and who sleeps in my bed is ludicrous, but given that she's so irrationally upset about it is telling.
Ms. Dragunova is jealous and it's not a good look on her.
She swallows hard, and I watch the movement of her throat, watch the flush creeping up her neck. "You're lying."
I shift my hips and press myself against her thigh, letting her feel exactly how hard I am. Being this close to her is like laying a line of powder on the table. Any addict would jones immediately, and that's what I'm doing. I want her and my body is responding to that desire.
"If I fucked another woman tonight, do you think I'd be this hard for you right now?" My hips pump slowly and Noemi whimpers.
"Fyodor, I—"
"I will fuck whoever I want whenever I want…
If I wanted those whores at the strip club I'd have had my pick.
" She's so close to me I can taste her and I want to taste her.
And the way her eyes are wide with fright yet filled with lust is intoxicating.
"Do you understand?" I ask again, shaking her arms.
She bites her lip and nods softly.
Then I lean down and kiss her, letting my lips linger against hers until she softens under me.
Her mouth opens for my tongue and I take it slowly, tasting her, coaxing her until her breath comes in little pants against my lips.
When I pull back she looks up at me with wide eyes, still angry but I see the desire under that anger.
I brush my thumb over her bottom lip and watch her shiver.
"That's it, sweet girl," I murmur against her mouth. "Open up for me. Let me taste how much you want this."
I slide my hand down her side, over the curve of her waist, feeling the way her body tenses and relaxes under my touch. She's warm and soft and I take my time mapping her with my palms, tracing the line of her ribs, the dip of her stomach.
She breathes faster when I hook my fingers under the hem of her shirt and push it up inch by inch, exposing her skin to the cool air.
Her nipples are already hard as I lower my head and take one into my mouth, sucking gently at first, rolling it with my tongue until she arches up into me with a soft whimper.
"Look at these perfect tits," I growl, "so sensitive for me.
You love when I suck them, don't you? Arch up…
Give me more." I move to the other breast and give it the same attention, while my hand drifts lower over her stomach, fingers splaying across her hip.
I can feel her pulse racing under my palm as I kiss down the center of her body, open-mouthed and wet, leaving a trail of heat.
When I reach the waistband of her pajama pants I pause and look up at her. Her eyes are dark and her chest rises and falls quickly. I hold her gaze while I slide the fabric along with her panties down her thighs, pulling them off and tossing them aside.
"Spread your legs for me," I tell her. "Let me see how wet you are already."
She's trembling now and I spread her thighs gently with my hands, settling between them.
I kiss the inside of her knee first, then higher, moving slowly up her leg until I reach the crease where her thigh meets her hip.
I nip lightly there and she gasps. Then I kiss the other side the same way, teasing, building the anticipation until her hips shift restlessly against the sheets.
"Such a good girl, staying so still for me," I murmur. "You know I love teasing you. Making you ache until you beg."
I finally lean in and brush my lips over her mound, breathing her in.
She's already wet and I can see how swollen her clit is.
I start with light kisses along her folds, barely touching, letting her feel the heat of my mouth.
She makes a small whimper and her fingers thread into my hair.
I part her with my tongue in one slow stroke, tasting her, savoring the way she coats my tongue.
She's sweet and I groan because I've wanted this for longer than I'll admit.
"God, you taste so fucking sweet," I growl against her. "This pussy is mine now. Let me have all of you."
I lick her again, slower, letting my tongue drag over her clit in a lazy circle.
Her hips lift toward me and I flatten my tongue and lap at her entrance, collecting her wetness, then slide back up to her clit.
I suck it gently between my lips, holding it there while I flick the tip of my tongue over the sensitive bud.
She moans and her thighs tremble around my head.
I take my time, alternating between sucking her clit and thrusting my tongue inside her, fucking her with shallow strokes that make her breath hitch.
My hands hold her thighs open, thumbs stroking the soft skin.
She's dripping now and I lick it all up, humming against her so the vibration makes her whimper louder.
I slide one finger inside her, feeling how tight she is around me, and curl it gently, searching for that spot, and when I find it she gasps and her back arches off the bed.
"Right there," I praise.
"Squeeze around me, beautiful. Show me how much you love it."
I add a second finger and pump them steadily, curling each time I push in.
My mouth stays on her clit, sucking in a steady rhythm, tongue circling faster now.
She clenches around my fingers, her moans turning into broken pleas, but I keep the pace even, building her slowly, letting the pleasure coil tighter and tighter as her fingers tighten in my hair and her hips rock against my face.
"That's my girl," I murmur against her.
"Ride my tongue. Come for me."
I hum again, letting the vibration travel straight through her sensitive flesh until she shudders hard as her thighs tighten around my head in a desperate grip.
So I suck her clit harder, pulling it fully into my mouth with steady pressure.
My tongue flicks over the swollen bud while my fingers thrust deeper into her slick heat.