Misha
The good news is that my withdrawal from Mila is subsiding, with my thoughts of her well-being cut back to only several times an hour.
The bad news? Every free moment I have is spent thinking about my lesnaya.
My forest girl. Her nickname roared unbidden into my mind as soon as I saw how wild and free she was on the ice.
It hasn’t even been a week since I met Abby.
She came skating into my life like fire in the breeze, sending everything I thought I knew about myself up in flames.
I succumbed to my siren the moment I laid eyes on her, and although I’m still trying to process the depth of my feelings, I can’t say I’m mad about them.
She’s brought out a side of me I never knew existed, one that has lain dormant, waiting for a particular red-headed, green-eyed goddess with the kindest of hearts to wake him…
Jesus Christ, I sound insane.
Standing from my favorite spot on the sofa, I grab my pack of throwing knives and hurl them one by one at the bull’s-eye Mila gifted me for my thirty-fifth birthday.
I used to go through way too many of them, destroying at least one per week.
This is supposedly made with a special material meant to hold up long term, and I guess it’s done pretty well, still standing after almost five years.
I can’t believe I’m turning forty this year.
Mila was right, I need to go ahead and find someone before I get too many wrinkles.
I haven’t even considered how old Abby is.
Probably too damn young. Her complexion is flawless, and she’s got a youthful spirit, but she also has a warmth that can only be developed through living life.
Hell, Mila has fifteen years on Thatcher, and they work.
No, Misha, you need to find out how old she is before you go any further.
We got along well enough on our ice cream date, and she didn’t make any references that would lead me to believe she’s a generation younger.
She also smiled softly at a toddler who zoomed past us with chocolate all over their face, and I wonder if she wants children…
My growing erection twitches at the thought.
“Sorry, buddy, we’ll just have to do what Nikki suggested and make up fantasies in the meantime. ”
Grabbing some tissues and lotion, I head to the bedroom, cozy up with a blanket, then grab the remote. Out of all the suggestions from the guys, the princess/prince fantasy is the one that I would choose to obsess over. And to make things harder, I would pick a red-headed beauty…
Pushing play on my carefully selected movie, I reach for the tube of shame and slather a generous amount on my hand.
Wrapping my hand around the base of my cock, I work my way up my length, and a groan escapes when I reach the tip.
Fuck, this is going to be good. I’ve been left to my own devices for way too long, so I’m practically a pro at this by now.
A few slow strokes to tease and—
“Daddy?”
That catches me off guard. Not my usual preference, but I guess if that’s what she wants. Yeah, baby. Take me so well. Nobody takes me like you do. Swallowing this big cock with that tight little cunt of yours. I tighten my grip, hitting my balls with each stroke.
“I need you!”
What do you need from me? Tell me? Do you need me to fuck you faster or harder, lesnaya? My grip tightens almost painfully as I quicken my pace.
“Dammit, Misha! Where are you?”
Wait, why the fuck is it Thatcher’s voice I hear—
My door flies open, but it’s not red hair; it’s blond. “Found him!”
Oh fuck!
In one fell swoop, I put my still painfully hard cock away and grab the knife that’s never too far, throwing it at the doorframe where I know it will just barely miss Thatcher’s stupid head.
He yelps as the blade wizzes by him, and by the time he turns to face me, I’m mostly put together. I hopefully look like I’m just enjoying a cheeky little movie in the afternoon, lying on my side, one hand propping my head up with my legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
“Bro, first off, what the fuck? Second, why do you look like Burt Reynolds?”
Thatcher makes his way to the bed and plops down across my legs, forcing me to sit up.
“First, because what the fuck are you doing in my condo. And second, aren’t you a little too young to know who Burt Reynolds is?”
Before he can answer, Nikki and Teddy flood into my room. Teddy goes directly for my bed, flopping back into a starfish position while Nikki sits politely down on the edge.
“Long day, Teddybear?”
It’s Nikki who answers. “Practice, then Bratva, then pregnancy hormones.”
“Oh, is Ellie okay?”
Both men laugh, but it’s Thatcher who speaks up. “She kicked him out of the house.”
“Trouble in paradise?” I ask, knowing damn well those two lovebirds are just fine.
“Apparently my sister kicked him out after he physically picked her up and took her to the bed after insisting she stop cutting raviolis. Because she needed rest…isn’t that right, Cuddles?”
Teddy grunts from the bed and flips over on his belly. Poor guy.
“Hey, man, we’ve all been there,” Thatcher calls out to his friend. “I tried to cook for Mila once, and she almost bit off my head…and not in a good way either!”
I can’t fight the chuckle that escapes on Thatcher’s behalf.
I remember the day I found him moping in the gym because Mila had turned down his advances.
He made my warrior queen a couple of egg whites and a measly little low-carb pancake, brought it to her, then bragged about the lack of nutrition.
She really should have bitten off his head. Either one.
“And you guys decided to come here?”
Nikki rolls his eyes. “Yep! Thatcher is scared of Gabri, so he didn’t want to go to my place, and we knew you’d be home watching some trash—wait, is this Shrek? I haven’t seen this in so long, but I love this movie! Hell yeah, man!” He turns to me with childlike joy in his eyes.
The wonder in his expression changes almost in slow motion as he really takes in my appearance for the first time.
Fooling Thatcher or even Teddy is easy, but Nikki has been trained all his life, just as I was.
It’s not surprising that he would immediately clock in on the tissues and lotion I forgot to hide.
He drops his held-out fist and smirks. “Misha? Did we interrupt something?”
That gets Thatcher’s attention, and with Mila in Russia, he’s been lonely enough lately to know exactly what my accoutrements suggest. “Holy shit, no wonder you threw a knife at me. Sorry. Wait…were you…while you were watching Shrek? Wait! Did you put on Shrek to do that, or was it just on? It’s very important that I know the answer to this. ”
“I…”
Nikki covers his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide his laugh as my face flushes to a telling shade of red.
I kick Thacher and throw the box of tissues at Nikki, but neither of them stops their cackling.
And to make matters worse, Teddy is now sitting up and alert with a dopey look on his face.
“Shut the fuck up, you assholes! It’s your fault!”
“How the hell does this”—Nikki points at the TV, then to my crotch—“have anything to do with me?”
“You told me to imagine she was a princess!” I yell, standing up and pacing back and forth.
Thatcher and Teddy are still in full hyena mode, but Nikki collects himself and reaches. “Hey, let’s all calm down. Come back over here and talk to us, Misha…what’s going on?”
I do as he asks, taking my seat again. “The other night, I was asking everyone about what to do when you really like a girl, and you don’t want to fuck anyone else, but you can’t have her yet!
You said to pretend she’s a princess and you’re her prince or some shit.
” I motion toward the TV. “Princess!” Then point at myself. “Prince.”
“You…you chose Shrek, though?”
“Fiona, asshole.” I sigh. “She has red hair. There aren’t many red-headed princesses, man…and the ones that exist are like…kids! Fiona was the only one of age.”
“That makes sense, that makes sense.” Nikki nods, looking back and forth between me and the movie. “Um…but why Shrek 2? You know she’s a human basically the whole first movie, right?”
He looks legitimately worried, and for the first time since I’ve known the middle Santori brother, I think I have him spooked. “Nah, I know. I just like Shrek 2 better.”
His apprehension dissolves into understanding, and all three guys mumble their agreement.
“Okay, so can you walk us through this again?” Teddy slides off the bed to sit on the floor, then twists so his legs are on the bed. Feet too close to my pillow.
God, we look like a bunch of teenage girls. It’s fucking embarrassing.
“What do you want to know?” I grumble.
“For starters, how long have you known her?”
I wince. “Five days. I know that’s not—”
“It’s perfectly fine,” Nikki states matter-of-factly.
“When you know, you know, man,” Thatcher seconds.
“Oh, I knew immediately that Ellie was the one. The first moment I saw her I wanted to get her pr—”
“Shut up, asshole.” Nikki kicks Teddy in the head. “We all agree that love at first sight exists. Plus, it’s so early that it’s impossible you’ve been friend-zoned yet, so that’s good. We have plenty of space to work with.”
“I’m not a fucking virgin, Santori. I know how to deal with women.”
Nikki laughs. “Not like this. I’m going to bet good money you’ve never loved any of them. It’s different when you love them.”
“It’s very different when you love them,” Teddy whispers, and this time, he gets a smile from his brother-in-law-to-be.
Thatcher breaks the silence with a chuckle. “Would you look at this? You had to help me win over Mila, and now you’re the one who needs help!”
“That’s because I know everything about Mila. I don’t know much at all about her, except that she skates.”
“Brother, you have to get to know her! Ask her questions, take her on a date!” Teddy chimes in, now fully sprawled out on my floor and in much better spirits than when he first arrived.
I’ve never taken anyone on a date before Abby.
Not really, anyway. My proclivities never crossed over with romance.
Once Mila and I came to the States, it was clear that although we were just like any other horny teenagers, we’d need a safe space for her to overcome her own demons.
Luckily, a little forgery here and bribery there, and we were immersed in the world of pleasure to be found in sex clubs.
We both found what we needed early on, and for me, it was always the perfect opportunity for release while avoiding letting anyone get close enough to me to be in danger.
Or to try to blackmail me. It wouldn’t be the first time a honeypot toppled an empire, and Mila and I knew better than to allow ourselves to be trapped in a bad situation.
Transactional relationships, never lasting too long, masks or darkness when prudent to hide my identity…
“I already have, thank you very much. But I could use more ideas. What were your first dates?”
“A picnic!” Teddy and Thatcher chirp simultaneously.
“Well, I’m not doing that.” I give them my most practiced smile and turn to Nikki, a plea for help in my expression. “Any ideas for the next one?”
“Just do something simple…” His eyes gleam over as if lost in a memory. “Like taking her to a romantic cabin in the snowy mountains. One with a really nice hot tub. I can’t stress the importance of the hot tub enough.”
We wait for Nikki to expand on his idea, but he’s lost in his own little world, picking at nonexistent lint on my comforter and mumbling about snow.
“Um, thanks, guys. I love the suggestions. It would probably mean more if I came up with something on my own, though.” Weirdos.
One thing is for certain. Before I do anything, I need to rip the Band-Aid off and do a proper screening. At least to figure out how old she is, and to make sure she’s unattached. I’m already in too deep, but I need to make sure she’s safe before she completely washes me away.
As my server buzzes and begins her background check, I realize I have an even more important obligation.
One rush order later, and the most discreet security system on the market is on its way to my doorstep.
Until I can convince her she belongs here with me, the least I can do is keep an eye on her.
Nothing can hurt my lesnaya. Not while I breathe.