Chapter 14
Sasha
Something had snapped inside.
I was no longer the man I’d forced myself to become after Selena’s murder. Cold. Aloof.
Uncaring.
Except for and around my daughter.
Yes, I could fake it with strangers, pretending I gave a damn about them while shaking hands. That was all about the art of doing business. But personally? I couldn’t give a shit about anyone’s thoughts about me or my lifestyle.
I’d even shut the lid on challenges and criticism from my family a long time before.
Yes, I’d fucked beautiful women before. Every man had needs. I’d had a few that had sparked my mind as well as my dick, so we’d talked. We’d fucked.
I’d moved on.
It wasn’t the same with Lainey. Not the same at all.
The woman was breathtaking. Every inch. Every smile. Every soulful glance.
Wanting her was easy.
Tasting her perfection.
Keeping her?
That would prove to be difficult even though I’d already laid claim.
Why?
Because Mikhail was right. There’d been enough people at the party who’d seen our close interactions that any time now, I expected my phone to ring from some ragtag magazine or newspaper demanding a quote regarding my relationship with the pop star.
That would add color to the weighted target on her back.
The innate knowledge I’d been taught since I was a small boy screamed that I had no clue what I was doing.
That was obvious. My mind was a blur every time a single thought about fucking her sweet pussy sliced through my anger and determination to hunt down the people responsible for ruining the special day.
But here she was, her bottom a perfect shade of blushing crimson, her lips pursed together like a seductive vixen, and her water-stained eyelashes skimming her heated skin.
Seeing the discoloration on her face was enough to tear me apart. The fucker would suffer for what he’d done. There was no one who could stop me.
I pulled the brush handle free and she pressed her body against the granite. When I fisted her hair with one hand, Lainey’s soft purrs kept the fire burning deep within. “Open your mouth, little butterfly.”
She did so without question, her eyelids flitting open just before I skimmed the slickened handle across her lips.
Her personality was such she didn’t like giving in easily.
The way her tongue darted out as her eyes locked onto mine wasn’t about acquiescing, but about teasing me the same way I’d been doing with her.
There was something special about the fire buried deep inside.
I was still disgusted by all those who’d been hired to mold and protect her against the evils of the entertainment business.
They’d caged the butterfly, tying her wings.
I sensed a rebirth in her awakening even if I believed she was still vulnerable.
When I sliced the wood across her tongue, she moaned and pressed her hand against my chest. Every time she touched me, I was caught off guard even if I was watching her in action. She had a way of tantalizing both my mind and my body.
I slid the handle in another inch and she wrapped her soft lips around the slender invasion. With one hand wrapping around my wrist, she used her strong jaw muscles to suck.
A slow and steady smile crossed my face even as my aching cock reminded me I was close to losing patience, the hunger that significant.
She crawled her fingers down my chest as she slowly shifted her head from side to side. I’d be damned if the woman wasn’t masterful in the act of fellatio. As her expression darkened, I was forced to take a couple of deep breaths for fear of losing it around her.
She’d offered me a gift, trusting me without question and at this moment, I felt as rattled as I had when fearing she’d been hurt or killed. Maybe that was my weakness, the inability to put anything into perspective any longer.
I saw the worst in people. That was something I wholeheartedly believed in, yet here she was, sweet and innocent. Too much so for a man like me.
The ache increased, the hole in my heart still there. Maybe I was incapable of healing. I could swear the woman was able to read my mind. She shifted to gaze upward, locking eyes with mine. Something about her expression caused me to remove the handle, tossing the brush aside.
Taking a single step forward, she pressed both hands against my chest, leaning in as she continued to peer up at me.
I wasn’t expecting her reaction to the quiet moment, lowering her head and darting just the tip of her tongue around the tattoo on my chest. As she traced the design, I was frozen in lust and in thought.
Terrified she’d be hurt or taken from me.
The belief was so overwhelming, I was ready to scoop her into my arms, locking her in the room. With every brush of her fingertips, she coaxed the suffocating fear from my mind, replacing all the angst with heavy desire.
As her light touches became caresses, I closed my eyes. She was even humming as she licked around every tattoo on my chest and arms. There came a point where I was finished with the foreplay, my hunger far too significant to ignore any longer.
I pushed her against the wall, yanking one leg around my hip then the other.
Her smile was wicked, her need evident in every quick glance and the way her fingers squeezed my arms.
“I can’t be gentle with you any longer, Lainey. I’m losing control.”
“Don’t be. I won’t break.”
If she could only understand how incorrect her statement was. She should be trembling, forcing her way from my life instead of embracing my need to dominate her. The woman was truly something special.
She was the one who wrapped her hand around the tip of my cock, licking water from her swollen lips as she stroked me.
Every muscle in my body was tense and I was shaking from a thick and heavy dose of adrenaline. “Be careful what you’re asking for, Lainey.”
Her laugh was breathless and the way her chest rose and fell indicated she was also losing control. “I’m tired of being careful. I’m finished with worrying about doing the wrong thing. Fuck me, Sasha. Just fuck me. Please.”
The dam was broken, the desire something that couldn’t be controlled. And we were both fine with that. I thrust every inch of my cock inside, immediately gasping for air just as she was doing.
The steam was oppressive, making it difficult to see and breathe. I should turn off the water, but I had no desire to move away from her by even an inch.
She cinched her thighs against my hips, constantly licking her lips as I jerked one arm over her head then the other.
Instead of securing her wrists, I clasped our fingers together.
She immediately dug her nails into my skin and damn if her expression of defiance didn’t fuel my needs to the point of being explosive.
We both shuddered at the same time and she laughed, the sound as sweet as the music she wrote.
Our lips were almost touching, her heated breath dancing across my skin keeping the fire ignited.
We were good together, too much so. I wanted to devour every inch, consuming a woman who consistently drove me insane.
A slight smile crept across her face, knowing and mischievous. She knew exactly what she was doing to me.
Incapable of ignoring the pull, I crushed my lips over hers, holding her locked in the suffocating position for several seconds. Her pussy muscles clenched around my cock and she instantly moaned into the kiss.
Drenched with sweat and water, I still took my time, pulling in and out in a practiced rhythm. She did what she could to meet every brutal thrust, pulling against my hold, but only so she could continue teasing me.
Even if she dared try to escape, she wouldn’t be successful. I was too far gone in my yearning, too entrenched in keeping her.
For a few wondrous seconds, there was no one else in the world but the two of us.
As her body reacted, another orgasm sweeping through her, a strange and powerful thought entered my mind replacing the joy shared with her.
All good things came to an end.
Only this time would be different.
If necessary, I’d be the one taking the bullet.
“Don’t be silly. I feel fine.”
“You had difficulty breathing, baby. I don’t call that fine. I’m contacting the doctor when we get inside the house.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous, Sasha. You try carrying this much extra weight around for an entire afternoon on your feet while trying to explain to the designers that no, plum doesn’t mean lilac.”
She blew a piece of hair from her eye and grabbed her purse. “You wanted to be in charge,” I teased and pulled down the long driveway.
“Yes, I did, but it might have been helpful if I’d been the one hiring the design team.”
“Did you ever stop to think you’re being just a tiny bit hyper critical?”
“Hyper critical?” she scoffed. “Did you see the wallpaper they tried to pass off for the kitchen? I told them right up front I don’t do flowers. What they suggested was atrocious. Like sunflowers on steroids. They had little faces from the Alien movie, for God’s sake.”
“But you always did like horror flicks.” I could barely contain my laughter.
The agitated look she threw my way could ignite a fire under anyone.
That included me, but the rush of heat was all about the woman sitting in the passenger seat next to me.
I pulled to a stop in front of our rental home.
Both of us were eager to move into the new house.
Construction had taken longer than expected but getting it perfect was worth the time taken and the money spent.
Plus, she was worth it. Our little family was growing.
“I’m just saying you need to take it easy.” There’d been a few complications early on, including with her blood pressure.
“Worry wort. I’m fine. You can make dinner. How about that?”
Oh, the things her wicked smile did to me. “If you’re a good girl.”
“You know what? Later, I might show you a few tricks that I learned from binge-watching a few shows over the weekend.” Selena laughed maniacally as she climbed out. But not before giving me the same admonishing glare she did when she was challenging my overwrought concern.
I remained where I was for a few seconds, shaking my head and laughing. She had a way of making me feel like an idiot and the luckiest man alive all at the same time. Okay, maybe I was a little over the top with my concern about her welfare. She was almost six months pregnant, for God’s sake.
As a first-time father, I had every right to be concerned. Try telling a stubborn woman that more than once.
Just as I grabbed the keys from the ignition, she danced around to my side, pushing my buttons on purpose.
I growled loudly enough for her to hear me just as…
What the fuck was that?
The loud popping sound came out of nowhere. Suddenly, Selena’s body was pitched forward against the window, her face only separated by a few millimeters from mine.
“Selena.”
She pressed her hand on the surface, gasping for air, but I could hear her words as she slid. “I… love… you.”
“Mr. Dmitriyev.” The man’s raspy voice caught my attention.
Jerking up, I rushed forward, nearly strangling the surgeon. “How is my wife? What’s happening?”
“Calm down, son,” my dad told me.
“I’m not going to be calm, for fuck’s sake. That’s my wife past those doors.”
The surgeon shifted his concerned gaze from my father to my brother and finally to the other members of the Dmitriyev family. Of course we were intimidating. We had every right to be. My wife had just been shot in cold blood.
“I’m afraid your wife suffered a massive stroke after the attack. She was oxygen deprived for almost twelve minutes.”
“And? You’ve taken care of everything. Right? You just operated on her, for fuck’s sake. You have her blood all over you.”
“Sasha,” Mikhail tried to comfort me. No one could at this point.
The goddamn bullet had been meant for me.
“Fuck off. I just need to see my wife.” I tried to barrel my way past the surgeon when he took a giant step in front of me, throwing out his hands.
“You need to listen to me, Mr. Dmitriyev. Please.”
“Fuckin’ listen to him, Sash,” Vissarian huffed.
I snarled at anyone and everyone. “Fine. What?”
“While your wife is alive, she’s on life support.” The surgeon darted another look toward my family.
“Just say it.”
He took a deep breath and yanked off his surgeon’s hat. “There’s no sign of brain activity and her organs are slowly beginning to shut down.”
“What?” I stared at him, the echo of his voice, keeping the words muffled. “What did you say?”
“It’s okay, son. We’re right here with you.”
Even my father’s voice was tinny, the sound faraway. She’d just been laughing. Teasing me. We were…
“The baby.” My voice was hollow.
“Your baby is fine. There’s no sign of any injuries. However…” Another fucking hesitation.
I wrapped my hand around his scrubs, jerking him forward by a couple of inches. “Talk to me like I’m a goddamn human being.”
“Whoa.” Mikhail flanked my side. I knew what he was doing. Trying to keep me from pounding my fist into the doctor. “What about the baby, Doctor?”
Since I couldn’t put a coherent sentence together, my cousin had taken over for me.
“At almost six months, the baby is considered extremely premature. I’d afraid your wife won’t… Well, she won’t make it much longer even with the ventilator. Now, we can try and deliver the child through Cesarean section, but without it the odds of her survival are slim.”
“Her?” We hadn’t wanted to learn the gender of our baby. She’d insisted we do it the old-fashioned way.
The surgeon’s eyes opened wide. “I thought you knew. I’m sorry. You’ll need to make a decision very soon. If you decide for the surgery, I’ll have the NICU team standing by. I wish I could give you better news, Mr. Dmitriyev. I’m very sorry.”
I watched as the doctor turned and walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing.
Only then did I slowly fall to the floor, dropping my head into my hands. “No!”