15. Maggie
MAGGIE
The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is the darkness surrounding the room and the bright blue glow of the clock on the nightstand. Three seventeen in the morning.
I stare up at the ceiling of Alexei's bedroom, listening to the faint whir of the air conditioner and the palmetto branches brushing against each other outside the windows.
The mansion is quiet. Most everybody in the house is asleep, but sleep and I haven't exactly been getting along lately.
Every time exhaustion finally drags me under, I wake up a couple of hours later with my mind running in circles all over again.
Tonight, my mind returns straight to the shelter. I can still see the flames if I close my eyes. Orange and gold consuming walls I painted myself, smoke pouring into the sky while volunteers and firefighters rushed around trying to save whatever they could.
Somebody did that. Somebody deliberately set that fire.
The truth hits me all over again. The shelter was never just a building. It was years of scraped-together donations, late nights, impossible choices, and animals nobody else wanted. It was my purpose. Knowing somebody looked at that place and decided to destroy it still makes me feel sick.
I release a slow breath and roll onto my side.
Alexei lies beside me, asleep on his back, one powerful arm stretched across the mattress toward me.
Even resting, he reaches for me. Moonlight brushes across his face, softening the harsher angles that usually make him appear untouchable.
Without the expensive clothes, the endless phone calls, and the burden he carries every waking minute, he looks different lying there beside me.
He looks younger, less guarded, achingly human.
Most people see Alexei Agapov and notice the billionaire first. They see the expensive watches, the ice-blue eyes, and the intimidating man who always seems completely in command.
I see the father who sat beside Ivy's bed all night because she was afraid to sleep alone.
I see the man who brought in construction crews without saying a word because he knew how much the shelter meant to me.
I see the man who hasn't really slept since somebody tried to take his little girl.
My throat tightens. I don't know when he last slept through an entire night.
He carries so much. Ivy. Black Tide. His family.
The endless responsibility that seems to follow him everywhere he goes.
And now he's carrying me too, whether I want him to or not.
Part of me hates that because I've spent my whole life taking care of myself. Another part finds comfort in it because I know one thing with absolute certainty. Alexei won’t stop until he finds whoever is threatening us.
That knowledge eases a little of the worry twisting through me. Before I can reconsider, I reach out and brush my fingertips along the dark stubble covering his jaw. The reaction is instant. His eyes open at once, pale blue and completely alert despite the hour.
“Maggie?” he asks, his voice rough with sleep as he pushes himself onto one elbow. His hand comes to rest against my hip beneath the sheets. “What's wrong?”
I offer him a small smile and trail my fingers across his chest. “Nothin’. Go back to sleep.”
He takes one look at me and seems to understand. “You couldn't sleep.”
I give a tired little laugh. “Guess my brain missed the memo.”
“The fire,” he says.
It isn't a question, so I don't pretend otherwise. I nod once, focusing on the intricate tattoos disappearing beneath the sheet across his chest.
Alexei slides his hand upward, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “We'll find who did it.”
I cover his hand with mine and squeeze gently. “Honestly, that's part of what keeps me awake.”
One dark eyebrow lifts. “Explain.”
I scoot closer, resting my chin against his chest while I look up at him. “Because I know you. You're gonna tear apart the entire East Coast if that's what it takes, and while part of me appreciates that, another part worries about you.”
Some of the tension leaves his face. “You’re worried about me?”
“Well, somebody has to be.” I give him a small smile. “You're certainly not gonna do it.”
He huffs out what passes for a rough laugh. “Kotyónok, they threatened you. They threatened Ivy. This ends when I say it ends.”
The certainty in his voice sends warmth through me, even though the fear hasn't completely let go yet. I lean forward, cup his face between my hands, and kiss him slowly.
He slides his hand into my hair, kissing me back just as slowly.
His thumb brushes across my cheek while he deepens the kiss.
His tongue sweeps into my mouth, claiming me, and I melt into him, a soft sigh escaping my throat.
For a little while, the fire, the threats, and everything waiting for us outside this room fade away.
I pull back just enough to breathe, resting my forehead against his. My heart pounds so hard I'm certain he can feel it.
“Alexei,” I whisper, my fingers sliding into his hair, “I need you.”
He makes a low sound against my mouth, and before I know it, he's rolling us, guiding me gently onto my back. The movement is effortless, all strength and confidence, and my pulse stutters.
His hand slides beneath the hem of my oversized T-shirt, warm fingers brushing my skin.
He pulls the shirt over my head before pulling me beneath him again, surrounding me with heat and his scent that already feels like home.
The cool air brushes against my skin, making my nipples harden before he's kissing me again, until all I can think about is him.
He doesn't rush, trailing his lips down my jaw.
He nips at the delicate curve of my neck, sending shivers down my spine, then moves lower.
His mouth is hot and wet against my collarbone, then the swell of my breasts.
My breasts already ache for his touch, and when his tongue sweeps over one, I gasp, my back arching off the mattress.
He continues his descent, kissing a path down the center of my ribs, his tongue tracing circles around my navel, teasing me. When he finally lowers himself between my thighs, his breath ghosts over my pussy, and I whimper. He spreads my legs wider, his grip firm on my inner thighs.
“Look at you, kiska,” he murmurs, his voice rough with desire. “So fucking wet for me.”
He’s right. I can feel the slickness coating my thighs, the evidence of my need pooling at my entrance. I reach down, unable to resist the urge to touch myself while he watches.
My fingers slide through my folds, gathering the wetness, and I shudder at the contact. I slip one finger inside myself, then a second, the sensation of fullness only a fraction of what I really crave. I pump them in and out, my hips moving in a slow rocking motion, my eyes locked on his.
Alexei sits back on his heels, his eyes dark and fixed on my hand.
He reaches down, stripping off his boxers, and his cock springs free, thick and hard, curving up toward his stomach.
He wraps his hand around the shaft, stroking himself slowly as he watches me fuck myself.
The sight of him, this powerful, dangerous man touching himself while looking at me like that, is nearly enough to push me over the edge right then.
“That's it, krasivaya,” he rasps, his hand moving faster on his cock. “Let me see you.”
I bite my lip, my fingers angling inside my pussy, searching for that spot that steals my breath. The pressure builds low in my belly, a tight coil ready to come undone. I’m so close. My eyes flutter shut, my head falling back against the pillows.
Suddenly, my hand is pulled away. My eyes fly open, and I see Alexei moving over me, pressing a possessive kiss against my mouth before thrusting a thick finger deep into my hole. My eyes squeeze shut.
“Eyes on me,” he growls, licking his lips.
My eyes snap open, watching as his finger pumps into me, rough and demanding.
“Spread your legs,” he says.
I obey, heat rushing through me as I open them wider, my fingers tightening against my thighs. My legs tremble, but he doesn’t slow. He slips in a second finger, then a third, and the sudden fullness draws a gasp from me.
“Yesss…” I moan, my back arching with need.
“You’re mine,” he growls fucking me harder.
My eyes drift closed as I teeter on the edge. “Alexei… I’m going to…”
Just as I'm about to come apart, he pulls his fingers free.
I barely have time to react to the loss when his hands close around my waist. The world tilts as Alexei rolls onto his back, lifting me with him in the process.
Before I can catch my breath, he's turned me around and pulled me over him in one smooth move.
My knees bracket his head, thighs spread wide over his face, and his thick, hard cock juts up in front of my eyes, pulsing with every beat of his heart.
“Alexei,” I gasp, laughing softly in surprise, but he doesn't give me time to think.
He pulls my hips down, sealing his mouth over my dripping pussy.
The sensation is electric, a white-hot shock that arches my back and forces a cry from my lungs.
His tongue is flat and broad, lapping at my slit with rough, hungry strokes, devouring me like I’m his last meal.
He groans against my flesh, the vibration traveling straight to my clit, making my toes curl into the sheets.
I stare at his cock, bobbing so close I can smell his musky scent.
My mouth waters at the sight of him. I lean forward, bracing my hands on his lower abs and stick out my tongue.
I drag it from the base of his shaft, over the heavy, tight sack, all the way to the sensitive ridge just below the head.
He bucks beneath me, a sharp jerk of his hips that drives his tongue deeper into my hole.
“Oh my God,” I gasp, the words dissolving into a moan.