Chapter 9 - Kazimir
“We’ll stay the night and head home in the morning. I’d rather err on the safe side. Joseph will come round in the morning after he’s had his men scout around town,” I say, sitting across from Ben and Maria at the small dinner table in the safe house.
Ben nods. He’s been watching her very closely all evening. I wonder if he knows I saw everything.
I’m rather surprised by how much she got into it. She was riding against his cock like it was a joystick.
I can’t stop thinking about it. Her hips spread over him, her thick thighs against him.
“There’s plenty of food and plenty of space here, so I have no issues with it,” Ben says, picking up a slice of one of the frozen pizzas we threw into the oven earlier.
Maria is taking small bites of hers, watching us both. I wonder what she’s thinking? He left her unfinished…that wasn’t very nice of him.
I grin, looking down to hide it. I’d like to finish what he started.
“Are there any more of these in the freezer?” Ben asks.
“Yes, there were four or five more. You still hungry?” I ask, not surprised at all, given the size of the guy. He’s built like an ox.
Today, he proved himself to be a very efficient member of the alliance. He was quick and a brilliant shot. I’m happy to be on his team instead of against him.
“The oven is still hot, just turn it back on and toss another one in,” I say, leaning back in my chair and watching Maria.
Her eyes flicker toward me and then back to Benedikt.
Damn. She’s beautiful. I knew she’d be a little minx in bed. I could tell by how hungrily she kissed him.
Benedikt heads back toward the kitchen, and I’m alone with Maria. She shifts in her seat, picks up another slice of pizza, and eats it quietly.
“They never put enough toppings on these frozen things,” I muse.
“And the mushrooms don’t do well being frozen and unfrozen,” she giggles.
“True. Nothing beats fresh mushrooms with crispy bacon and a ton of cheese,” I agree.
Dammit, I can’t stop thinking about how she moved.
“I think I’m going to head to my room and get some sleep,” I say, standing up and stretching. “You need anything before I go?”
“No, thank you, I’m also really tired. I’ll go to bed soon, too,” she smiles.
I know she went through a lot today. I don’t want to ask her about it directly, because I don’t want her to think about it, considering she only just managed to calm down.
“Sleep well, baby bird,” I say, winking at her. “If you don’t feel like being alone, you know where to find me,” I smirk. She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.
I head upstairs, walking past Benedikt as he comes out of the kitchen.
“You turning in?” he asks, carrying a freshly heated pizza. I grab a slice, burning my fingers.
“Ow. Shit, that’s hot. Yeah, going to call it a night. Wake me up if you guys need anything,” I say. “You two stay out of trouble, hey?” I tease him.
He smiles as guilt shades over him.
“Will do,” he mutters, turning his back on me and hurrying away.
***
Groaning, I roll over, tossing in bed for the hundredth time. Not even one position feels comfortable. I lie on my back, staring up at the ceiling. It’s dark, but I can still see the faint outline of a water stain. Damn. I’ll have to get someone in to look at that. Must be one of the pipes leaking.
For fuck’s sake. I’m thinking about plumbing now? Sure, only as a desperate attempt to stop thinking about her.
Those soft little sounds she made. The way her hips arched and how he held her around the waist to push his cock harder against her. She loved it.
I can’t take it anymore.
Kicking off the sheets, I sit on the edge of my bed with my head in my hands. I wonder if she’s ok. I should definitely check on her. Just to make sure. She went through a lot today. Maybe she needs something.
The house is dark as I make my way through it. It’s my place, so I know it well enough not to need to turn on any lights.
When I arrive outside her bedroom door, the door slightly ajar, I push it gently and look inside, expecting to see her sleeping form wrapped in the sheets, but she’s awake. She calls my name.
“Kaz, is that you?” she asks quietly.
“It’s me. I came to see if you were doing ok?” I say, stepping into her room. My eyes trace over her, sitting up in bed with the curtains open and faded moonlight playing over her beautiful features.
“I can’t sleep, even though I’m really tired,” she sighs.
“The moon is gorgeous tonight, it’s really lighting up your room. Maybe it would be better if you closed the blinds? The light wouldn’t disturb you?” I suggest sitting on the edge of her bed.
She shifts over, and I jump at the invitation, climbing onto her bed and leaning against the headrest next to her.
“I’m surprised the moon is still so bright. It’s almost five in the morning already,” she huffs.
“Have you slept at all?” I ask.
She shakes her head.
“I told you, I could have helped with that. I could’ve made your body shake and sing, and you’d be sleeping peacefully now,” I flirt.
“My head is so…busy,” she tries to explain. I imagine the jumbled images of what she saw today are too fresh in her memory.
“Have you ever seen…”
She shakes her head. “Never. I’ve never seen anything like that,” she sighs.
“Well, I think Benedikt had the right solution to distract you from your own thoughts,” I smirk. “Do you need a distraction now?”
“What do you mean, to distract me?” she stammers, her eyes growing wider in the moonlight.
I scoff. “Please, don’t be shy about it. You looked like you were having fun,” I tease her.
Even in the soft light, I can see her cheeks glow red.
I shift closer to her and brush my hand over her thigh. She watches me, narrowing her eyes.
“You’re a beautiful girl, Maria, any man would leap at the chance to help you blow off some steam,” I murmur, my voice low.
She tuts and shakes her head, causing me to hesitate. My usual charm is not working on her.
“Do you know you use flirting as a defense mechanism?” she says, blatantly calling me out.
“I, uh, I…” I stammer.
She giggles. “It’s true. You flirt when you want to avoid conversations or when you want to protect yourself. Like it’s a safe wall you can hide behind to not let anyone get too close to you,” she continues, hitting far too close to home for me.
I chuckle nervously, shifting on her bed and pushing my hand through my hair.
“Okay, smartass. Fair enough. But there’s nothing wrong with having walls up. Sometimes it’s not good to let people get too close,” I argue.
“But then you’ll never know what it feels like to fall in love,” she blurts out.
I scoff. “Love isn’t real, baby bird. It’s a thing made up in movies and books. The world isn’t that pretty.”
She scoffs right back. “It is very real. I haven’t experienced it yet, but I know it’s real. It has to be. Otherwise, what’s the point of anything?”
“To have fun, obviously,” I laugh.
“So you’ll never fall in love?” she challenges me.
I shake my head. “No, I’m shocked I even agreed to this marriage alliance thing. I always said I’d never commit. It’s too permanent.”
“Real love is permanent,” she giggles.
I sigh and shrug. “Commitment, falling in love, things like that…it’s for the weak. You can’t show weakness in my world.”
“Is that why you flirt with anything that moves?” she teases.
“Kind of. I flirt, I play around. I’d rather have a string of meaningless fun than risk looking weak to anyone,” I explain.
“Why? What made you so…”
“So pragmatic? So attuned to the harsh reality of our existence?” I smirk.
“Okay, sure…what made you so pragmatic?” she gives in.
Maria rolls toward me, turning her body. Her leg brushes mine, and her body heat soaks into my skin.
It sends a current of desire through me that I struggle to control.
She senses it, too. It’s no mistake that she’s moved her body against mine. I’m not a fool. I can read her well enough.
She’s looking up at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes.
“Well?” she asks, waiting for my answer.
“Life,” I say, raising my brows. It’s growing lighter outside as the sun creeps up over the horizon and outshines the moon.
“Life, and how I grew up. I was the youngest in a big bratva family. Mostly, they ignored me, neglected me, whatever you want to call it. That, or I was the one everything got blamed on. The youngest son is the least interesting to his father. He won’t take over the empire. He isn’t the heir. He’s just…nothing.”
“No one is nothing,” she says, horrified, reaching out to touch my arm in a comforting gesture. But to me, it’s more than comforting. It’s suggestive. It’s an invitation and a tease against all the thoughts of her running through my mind.
“Well, I was with my family. That’s why I left and started my own Bratva faction.
I still talk to my family back home sometimes, but I’m happier without them around.
The whole reason I agreed to this alliance is so that my family can’t take this freedom away from me.
The alliance makes me stronger, even against men like my father. ”
“Your father is your rival?” she asks.
I nod. “He is. In a way, he always has been.”
I look out of the window and grin. “But I have a far more important question for you,” I say.
“You do?” she grins as her eyes play over my lips.
“I do,” I nod, rolling onto my side and wrapping my arm around her waist to pull her closer.
She gasps, surprised, but doesn’t stop me.
“What was the question?” she whispers.
“Benedikt started something with you last night. I think he left you unsatisfied, and I want to know…will you let me finish?”
“Oh,” she exclaims, her lips parting.
I chuckle. “Don’t be so coy with me. I saw how much you enjoyed it,” I whisper against her ear.