50. Stay
Jolie stared at Adrik as he slept. The sun was rising just beyond him, telling her they”d been in her room for more than eighteen hours. They”ve been in and out of sleep, waking up to make love. And though her vagina felt like it”s been beaten with a bat, she didn”t want to say no. She didn”t know if it was his size or how he used it, but he reached pleasure in her she didn”t know existed. It was like every nerve ending in her was on full blast. Every movement he made nearly triggered an orgasm. She”s had more avalanches of ecstasy than she ever had in her life.
Jolie”s fingers danced on his chest, tracing each tattoo, putting them to memory, questioning what made him get them. Some were nicer than others. She didn”t appreciate the naked women or the devil, but they were choices he made without her. There were random scars covered by dark ink, and she teased them, trying to guess where he got them from. There was so much about his life she didn”t know about, and yet he didn”t feel like a stranger. She felt like she had been waiting for him her whole life.
The gunshot wound on his shoulder had opened during their lovemaking. Band-Aids proved ineffective, but thankfully, they had a small first aid kit in the bathroom, and she wrapped gauze over it. He was immune to pain, not caring as it bled when he tried to have sex with her on the bathroom floor.
Food was brought to her by Esfir as Adrik hid under the covers. Lunch and dinner, but it was only enough for one. They shared, but now she was starving. She was unbelievably thirsty, but she didn”t want to move. She didn”t want the peace between them to be over.
Adrik moaned as he woke, his gaze on her through the haze of sleepiness. ”You okay?”
She nodded, trying to smother her smile but was terribly unsuccessful. ”Happy Birthday,” she whispered, kissing his chin.
Adrik smirked as a hand danced along her cheek. They spent so much time together, and it wasn”t enough. He didn”t want the day to start. He wanted to stay wrapped in her bedsheets forever. ”You thought that was it,” he joked, recalling when he came inside her for the first time. She got up and cleaned her pussy, then tried to put clothes on. He had picked her up and sat her on the dresser. The confusion on her face as he shoved his hard dick back into her had made him laugh. ”You should have seen your face.”
Jolie defended herself. ”How was I supposed to know you can do that?”
”You read enough books.”
”And it”s typically one and done.”
He chuckled. ”Then, the women writing them aren”t as lucky as you.”
Jolie giggled. ”You”re so full of yourself.” She curved her body around him, a naked leg over his. His fingers drifted up and down on her arm. She was floating in a cloud. Conversations between them had all been playful and sweet, with naughty talk sneaking in. She learned all his favorite things and saw every kind of smile. The bubble of happiness she was floating on couldn”t be popped.
But she knew they still needed to discuss some things. Now that the day was just beginning, she wanted to start off on the right foot. Sex wasn”t a balm; it wasn”t going to make all their problems better.
”I”m sorry,” Jolie began.
Adrik turned to her with knitted brows. ”Sorry? For what?”
Jolie avoided his gaze. ”I opened the door on the ship. You told me not to, but I got scared when they were drilling in from the other side. Your mom told me to stay, but I grabbed Helina and left. And they were waiting on the other side. I”m sorry. It”s my fault you almost lost her.”
Adrik rolled on his side, a hand propping his head up. ”Baby, I wasn”t mad at you.”
The tears in her eyes hurt him, and he touched her bruised skin to assure her it was alright. ”Then, why didn”t you talk to me?”
He didn”t know how to say his worries out loud. He wasn”t typically a sharer. But Jolie wasn”t like Katia, who saw emotion as a weakness. Jolie needed his words to soothe her. ”I thought you would tell me it was over. I”m honestly surprised it isn”t.” He leaned into her ear, and whispered, ”I”m starting to think you like a little danger.”
Jolie giggled, pushing him away as he chuckled. But her smile fell after that. ”You asked me to stay,” she whispered. ”And I want to.”
”But?” he added, hearing it in her tone. He dropped on his back and stared at the ceiling. There was always a ”but.”
Jolie sat up, holding a blanket to her chest. She stared down at him, and his blue eyes avoided her. He didn”t want to hear it, but she wasn”t going to keep quiet. ”I was terrified on the ship. I needed you, and instead, I got your brother. You use your brother to fix things. You can”t do that. I don”t want your brother. I want you.”
Once more, she proved different. Adrik was beginning to realize his preconceived ideas of all the women he knew didn”t apply to her. Adrik shrugged. ”Alexei knows what to say.”
”I don”t care. His words aren”t your words. His presence isn”t your presence. In a relationship, we need to learn how to support each other. You can”t rely on him to make me feel better. It puts him in a vulnerable position. It”s misleading.”
Adrik sat up. ”Did he come on to you?”
”No,” Jolie quickly corrected. ”But”—she took a deep breath—”I think he likes me.”
”I know he does.” Adrik threw the covers off and put his feet on the floor, stretching. ”But he knows his place.”
”Adrik, that”s not the point.”
Adrik knew she was right, but Alexei was always the communicator. He knew how to deal with certain situations, usually with women, because Adrik didn”t have the patience to deal with hysteria. He was not polite when met with crazy. But Jolie wasn”t being crazy. She was communicating her needs, and he needed to listen.
He snatched his phone off the nightstand and turned it on. The agonizing seconds it took, with Jolie staring at him, was a new torture. Thankfully, dozens of beeps took away his attention the moment it activated. Being absent from his business for so long without letting anyone know was a good way to cause panic.
Jolie laid back on the bed, her heavy sigh distracting for half a second. He didn”t want to deal with his supposed imperfections this early in the morning. It was his birthday, after all; didn”t he deserve a break?
”You”re right,” he forced out after several minutes. He dropped the phone on the bed and lay down to face her. Jolie was scrutinizing him, her eyes slightly watery. He didn”t like such a look. ”Katia and I were married for ten years and hated each other for over half. I”m not used to dealing with shit like this.”
A smile slipped on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. ”And here I thought you were good at everything.”
Adrik shrugged. ”I am no god. But I am close.”
She curled into him with a giggle. ”All I want is for you to try.”
Adrik touched her cheek and kissed her lips. ”All I want is for you to suck my dick.” He pulled at her head suddenly, and she squealed, yanking back, and rolled away. He snatched her at the waist, pulling her against his chest, tickling her sides, and she giggled and wiggled, trying to escape him.
Adrik got between her legs. ”You think you can go again?”
”One way to find out.”
He smirked as he held himself above her. ”That”s what I want to hear.” With a hand on his cock, he pushed himself inside her. She hissed and knitted her brows, watching him as he sunk into her. Adrik nuzzled her neck. ”I”ll give you a break. Just this once.” He pulled out, laying down beside her with a sigh. ”I”ve destroyed your pussy.”
”Shut up. Don”t act so proud.”
He rolled off her and stood. ”I need to go.”
Jolie sat up, suddenly desperate to keep him. ”Stay.”
”I can”t. I”ve done something that will have repercussions, and I have to get ahead of it. With the birthday party tonight, I need to move fast.” Adrik leaned down and kissed her. ”You would be safer with your parents.”
Adrik disappeared into the bathroom, using the toilet and brushing his teeth. Jolie curled on the bed as Ming and Tae-Tae roamed around her, meowing for food. She didn”t want to leave him, but she might not have a choice.
Adrik came out, tying a towel around his waist. He winced slightly and folded his arm against his chest, checking on the bandage on his gunshot wound. The effects of the drug had worn off, and without the adrenaline of fucking Jolie, he could feel the pain radiate. As he looked up, he noticed Jolie drinking in every move he made.
Adrik smirked as he walked up to her. He took her chin in his hands. ”If you look at me like that, I”ll have no choice but to bend you over and fuck you from behind.”
Her face ignited in red, and she slapped his hand away. How could she still be shy after all the words he unleashed last night? He enjoyed it, but he also couldn”t wait for her to talk back.
Adrik motioned to the boxes around the room. ”What is this?”
Jolie sighed, and admitted, ”Your father is ready for me to leave.”
”I”ll deal with him.”
Jolie bit her lip. The memory of yesterday, leaving Yakov”s office, returned to her. She didn”t know how to politely say his father tried to kill him. Would he want proof? Would he believe her?
”Adrik,” she whispered, getting his attention. ”I think your father staged the attack on the ship.”
Gravity slammed him back to earth, and Adrik stood frozen. There were times on the ship when that terrible thought pierced him, and he gave it no time to build because it was so insane. But the pieces gathered together like a puzzle. The enemy was gentle with Helina. They knew where the safe room was on the ship. They never threatened his mother or daughter. The only person they pointed a gun at was Jolie.
”I think I will stay on a little while longer. As much as you think you are ready, there are still things in this world, boy, that you can”t handle. That”s why I”m here. I”ve seen everything, and I know what”s best.”
”Why?” he breathlessly forced out of his lips. ”Why do you say that?”
”When I was in his office, another man came in. He looked like the two attackers and even called one of them by a name I heard. Mic. He was looking for his sons.”
There were no coincidences in the Mafia. Everything was connected, and it was all about finding those hidden lines. And here it was, exposed.
Adrik nodded. It was the only thing he could do as his future began to solidify.
The lock on the front door was unlatched, followed by a sharp hard knock. Adrik tightened the towel at his waist and glanced at Jolie as she hugged a blanket around herself. He put a hand, keeping her in place. ”Cover up.” He pointed to her exposed thigh.
Adrik faced the door like he was facing his father. It was time to go head-to-head with Yakov. His father had lost all his love, years and years’ worth of betrayal. Adrik kept forgiving, but now, nothing left in him could wash away the vileness of Yakov”s actions. He threatened not only his daughter but his girlfriend and his mother. It was clear he had no care for family, despite how much he claimed it was so important to him.
Adrik opened the door.
”Mr. Morozov?” Yakov”s soldier greeted awkwardly.
”Tell my father Miss Bell is not going anywhere.”
The man stuttered, going to leave before he stiffened his feet. ”I”m here to bring Miss Bell to the car.”
Adrik purposefully replied in English, ”She won”t be leaving. In fact, send someone up to help her unpack. And tell my father—” He paused, a fist clenching at his side. So his threat wasn”t lost in translation, Adrik said in Russian, ”He”s officially worn out his welcome.” Adrik looked over his shoulder at Jolie. ”Stay in your room.” Adrik shoved past the soldier, and the door shut, leaving her.
Jolie stared after him, sinking into the bedsheets covered in their sex. A smile twitched on her lips. There were so many unknowns, things to fear, and the future was still unpredictable, but it was clouded by excitement. She could only see the positive in this new adventure. Adrik could protect her and keep her from his world. He”d let her feel the rush of the dark side without becoming part of it. It was like being caught in a tornado with no fear of death. Adrik opened up an entirely new world, and she couldn”t wait to embrace it.
Jolie”s smile faded as she stared out at the rising sun. There was still another secret she had yet to tell him. One that could destroy the world they were creating. Did she continue to pretend she wasn”t betraying him? Or did she face him and pray he showed mercy?
The image of Adrik”s blood-covered body flashed in front of her eyes like an omen.