31. Gabby
Gabby
I’m starting to feel safe for the first time in years.
I’m sitting at the dinner table, watching Luke explain the difference between a stegosaurus and an ankylosaurus to Nikolai, who’s listening with the serious expression he gets when Luke talks. Like every word matters.
Mila and Olga are at the table, too. Pasha is taking a nap. I don’t know what happened last night, but I understand enough to know I don’t need the details.
It’s strange because I understand Nikolai’s business. More like I know it exists, but it’s not my business. This feels normal. Like a real family dinner. Not the kind I grew up with, where silence was mandatory, and tension filled every corner of the room.
Luke takes a bite of his chicken and keeps talking with his mouth full. I’m about to correct him when Nikolai catches my eye and gives the slightest shake of his head. Let him be a kid, the look says.
So, I do.
Irina made pasta tonight. Real Italian pasta with a sauce that smells like heaven. I’m halfway through dinner when I realize how relaxed and at peace I am, just sitting here with the people I care about.
“Mom, Nik says we can go to the dinosaur museum next month,” Luke announces.
I glance at Nikolai. “Does he?”
A New York trip? I really need to tell him the truth.
“If you want,” Nik says.
“That sounds fun,” I say.
“Can Mila come?” Luke asks.
Mila’s eyes light up. “Can I?”
Olga smiles. “We’ll see, malyshka.”
After dinner, I’m about to take Luke up to bed when he looks up at Nik.
Nik looks from Luke to me. “I’ll take you up,” he says.
Luke takes Nikolai’s hand without hesitation. He does it often now, but it still gets me every time.
I watch them walk down the hall together, and I have to blink hard, fast, before either of them turns around and sees.
“He’s good with him,” Olga says quietly.
“He is,” I admit.
“Nikolai doesn’t let people in,” she continues. “But when he does, he’s all in. You understand?”
I nod.
“He’ll protect you,” she says. “Both of you. With his life.”
“I know.”
She stands and clears the plates. I help her carry dishes to the kitchen, where Irina shoos us both away. I wander through the house, not sure what to do with myself. I could go upstairs and check on Luke, but Nik has it handled.
I don’t have to do it all anymore.
Greg told me to run, but I can’t this time.
Not when Luke is finally coming out of his shell.
Not when I’m falling in love with a man who makes me feel safe for the first time in my life.
I go upstairs, peek into Luke’s room, and smile. Nik is reading one of the books he bought for Luke. It’s way too advanced for a four-year-old, but that doesn’t matter. It’s about dinosaurs. Luke will absorb it.
Nik must sense me because he looks up. “Sorry. I just want to say a quick goodnight, then I’ll leave you to it.”
I give Luke a quick kiss and leave them to finish the book.
Instead of going to my room, I turn toward Nik’s. It’s bold. Maybe wrong. I don’t let myself think long enough to stop. I quietly undress and slide under his sheets.
I lie there in the dark with my heart hammering, listening for his footsteps. Every nerve in my body feels exposed. Is this too much? Am I overstepping? It’s too late to pretend I don’t want this.
The door opens. Nikolai steps inside and stops. His eyes darken as they drag over the sheet barely covering my naked body.
“Gabby.” His voice is low and rough.
“Get over here,” I breathe. “Now. I need your hands on me.”
He shuts the door but doesn't move toward me. His eyes rake over me.
“Take off the sheet.”
I hesitate.
“You were in my bed naked, Gabby. Don’t hide from me now.”
I catch the sheet in both hands and drag it slowly down my body until I’m bare beneath his stare.
“Open your legs.”
I do.
“Wider.”
Heat floods my face, but I obey.
His gaze settles between my thighs. “Such a good girl. Show me how you took care of yourself all those years without me.”
I hesitate. Then, I run my hand down my body. My thighs fall apart as my fingers slide lower. My gaze stays locked on his as I circle my clit, letting the slick heat of my arousal coat my fingertips.
He curses in a string of Russian, but he still doesn't move. He's making me work for it.
His eyes darken further, his jaw tightens, and the low curse fades into something feral as he watches me touch myself. I dip lower, pushing two fingers inside and gasping at the stretch. His stare burns my skin.
“That’s it. Don’t slow down.”
"Fuck, Nikolai," I whisper, rocking my hips against my hand, my free palm cupping my breast and pinching the nipple until it aches.
I don't look away.
He stands there, fully dressed, while I fuck myself just for him. My breath hitches when I add a third finger. My thighs tremble, but I keep going.
“There you go,” he says. “Keep taking what you need.”
He moves then, stalking closer as he pulls off his shirt without breaking eye contact. The tattoos across his chest shift with each breath. I don’t stop until he’s at the edge of the bed, reaching for me.
“I want you inside me, Nikolai.”
I reach for his waistband.
“No.”
I pull my hand back.
“Finish,” he says. “Lie down, spread your legs, and finish for me.”
I swallow and lie back, sliding my fingers deeper and curling them just right. His eyes follow every movement. My back arches off the bed, and a broken moan tears from my throat. The wet sounds of my fingers moving in and out of my pussy fill the quiet room.
Nikolai reaches for his belt, undoing the buckle with maddening patience. Then the button. The zipper. Each sound is impossibly loud in the quiet room. His cock comes free, thick and hard, the tip already glistening. I whimper at the sight, my fingers moving faster as my hips roll into my hand.
“That’s it.” His voice is rough. “Don’t hold back. I want to watch you come.”
I obey, spreading my legs even wider. I pinch my nipple, and the sharp sting sends a jolt straight to my clit. My breath comes in short, sharp gasps as I chase the pressure building inside me. It coils tighter in my belly, and my thighs tremble with the effort of holding back.
Nikolai’s hand wraps around his cock, and he strokes himself in slow, measured pulls. His eyes focus on my fingers. The sight of him touching himself while I fuck myself for him pushes me closer to the edge.
“Nikolai,” I pant, my voice breaking. “Please.”
“Please what?” His voice is a growl, and his hand moves faster on his cock. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to fuck me,” I gasp. “I want your mouth on me.”
He groans and steps closer to the bed. He doesn’t stop stroking himself. “You’re so fucking beautiful like this,” he says. “So wet. So desperate for me.”
I whimper, my fingers moving frantically now, and my body trembling on the edge. “I’m close,” I whisper. “So close.”
“Not yet,” he commands, releasing his cock. He climbs onto the bed, positioning himself between my thighs. His hands grip my hips, pulling me toward him. “I want to taste you. You know I can’t go without dessert.”
I cry out as his mouth closes over my clit, his tongue swirling with just enough pressure. I thread my fingers through his hair, holding him close. My hips buck against his face.
“Nikolai, yes. Just like that.”
“Then stay still and let me give it to you,” he growls against me, the vibration sending another wave of pleasure through my body.
His tongue pushes inside me, then drags slowly back to my clit. He sucks hard, his teeth grazing my sensitive bud. My orgasm crashes through me. I cry out his name, my thighs closing around his head as my body pulses against his mouth.
His tongue keeps working over me as the orgasm rolls through my body in sharp, helpless waves.
“That’s it,” he says against me. “Give me all of it.”
When I collapse back onto the bed with a gasp, he pulls back. His mouth glistens with my arousal. He licks his lips, his eyes locked on mine.
“You taste so fucking good.” He drags his thumb over his wet lower lip. “I told you. I don’t go without dessert.”
I reach for him, pulling him up to kiss me. I taste myself on his lips as I wrap my hand around his cock, stroking him slow and firm.
“Fuck me,” I whisper against his mouth. “Please. I need to feel you inside me.”
He stills beneath my hand, then catches my wrist, holding it between us. He lifts his head, his eyes locking on mine.
“I don’t think you understand what you’re doing to me, Gabby. What you’ve done to my life. I want you in my bed every night. I want to wake up with you here. I want to come home and know where you are. And I’m done pretending I can ever let you go.”
"Then don't waste any more time talking," I murmur, guiding him to my entrance.
He lifts one of my legs over his shoulder, then pushes the other up and open. I’m spread wide beneath him. His palm drags up my stomach before his fingers close around my throat.
“Lvitsa,” he whispers.
His hand is warm around my throat, and I want more.
“Tighter.”
Surprise flashes across his face. It takes a lot to shock him.
His fingers tighten a little more. I groan, feeling my pussy clench. With his free hand, he lines himself up and pushes inside. I grab his shoulders, my nails biting into his skin. His fingers tighten. My nails dig deeper. He stills inside me, breathing hard through his nose.
“You’re squeezing me so fucking tight, Gabby.”
“Fuck me, Nik. Hurry.”
He obeys, pulling out almost completely before slamming back into me. A broken cry tears from my throat. He sets a brutal rhythm, each thrust hitting the perfect spot inside me.
“Yes,” I moan.
“Look at me,” he says. “You’re taking me so well, baby.”
He pulls his hand from my throat, grips my hips, and fucks me hard and fast. The sound of our bodies slapping together fills the room, the wet, obscene sounds of my arousal coating his cock with every thrust.
“Nikolai,” I pant, my body tightening around him. “I’m going to come again.”
“Good,” he growls. “Come on my cock, baby. I want to feel you.”
His words push me over the edge. The first wave hits hard enough to steal my breath. My body locks around him, my pussy clenching tight with every pulse. I cry out as the pleasure rolls through me.
“Fuck, Gabby. I can feel you coming apart around me.”
I cling to his shoulders, shaking beneath him while he keeps driving into me.
A rough sound escapes him. His rhythm falters, each thrust turning harder, less controlled.
His grip tightens on my hips as he fights to hold on.
Then he drives into me once more and stills deep inside me as his release pulses.
Then he remains inside me, resting his forehead against mine as his breathing slowly steadies.
“I want you in my bed,” he says.
“I am in your bed.”
He slides off me. “Tomorrow. And the next day. The day after that.”
“We’ll see. Let’s start with tonight.”
“Good.” His hand settles on my hip, but the warmth leaves his expression. “There’s something you need to know.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.
“What is it?”
He’s quiet for several seconds. I don’t try to fill the space.
“The Italians are escalating.”
A knot forms in my stomach. “What do you mean?”
“Before the bomb, Kylie saw a man watching Luke at the park.”
I can’t make sense of the words. “What?”
“We searched for him but didn’t find him. I put a guard on Luke and Kylie. He hasn’t shown up again.”
I jerk upright, clutching the sheet to my chest. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
His expression doesn’t change. “I handled it.”
“You handled it?” My voice rises. “Someone was watching my son, and you decided I didn’t need to know?”
“Gabby. Stop.”
“No.” I’m out of bed now, searching for my clothes. “You don’t get to decide what I need to know when it comes to Luke’s safety.”
“I’m telling you now,” he says. “You need to stop working. Stay here. Let the security team do their job.”
“You want me to hide in this house while you handle things?”
“I need you and Luke where I know you’re safe while I deal with this.”
“Deal with this how?” I demand.
His jaw tightens. “That’s not important.”
“I know what you’re doing. Every time you retaliate, you make us a bigger target.”
“I’m keeping everyone safe.”
“He’s my son.” My voice turns sharp. “Mine. I decide how to keep him safe. Not you. Me.”
“Gabby.”
I walk out and slam the door behind me.