Alexandr's Cherished Submissive (42 page)

“Yes. And the reason I went to my father to talk about you was because I asked for a piece of my mother’s jewelry that was kept in family vault. He objected, we had big argument, but he could not dispute fact that my mother had left those jewels to me to give to my wife. It was in her will. My father is…hard man…but he loved my mother enough not to block access. This diamond has been in my mother’s family for generations. Was said to have belonged to the favored concubine of a Russian czar. How it ended up in the hands of my mother’s family, I do not know. I can only remember my mother’s fantastical story about this gem.” He let out a soft sigh, his face gentling as she looked between him and the ring. “She did that for all her jewels, made up stories about them. She would let me play with her sparkling necklaces while she told me tales of princes and dragons, and other nonsense.”

Alex had never shared this much about his upbringing, and she had to make herself focus on him and not the ring, which was a beautiful blending of her family and his. “She sounds like she was a wonderful mother.”

“She was. And when she died, I wished that I had died with her. My father was not much better, his mind cracking beneath the weight of her loss. When he remarried a few years later, I was overjoyed. My stepmother was a wonderful woman, sweet and kind. Then came my little sister and, close to a year after that, Dimitri. After years of being alone, I had a family that I adored…Then they were taken from me as well, worse this time because my father’s mind broke even more than before, and he went on a bloody rampage, destroying entire families—every single one—in his unquenchable thirst for vengeance.”

She sucked in a quick breath, all too aware of the rage that still filled him over their deaths. “You lost so much.”

“I did, and I embraced the feeling of emptiness they left behind. For years, I felt nothing beyond friendship for anyone other than my brother and father. Then I met you. From moment I saw you, that hole inside of me began to fill. I felt alive, happy in a way I had never experienced. I tried to fight you, tried to ignore your pull. I was determined to give you the kind of life you deserved.” Sorrow darkened his gaze. “I have seen where you grew up, the good people you are blessed to have in your life. It was perfect. I will never be able to give you that.”

Almost against her will, she leaned forward and kissed the bristle along his jaw where he normally shaved to shape his goatee. It surprised her to see him with scruff. He was almost fanatical about his appearance, but it also made her aware that he’d been in a bad state before he came back to her. His need for her was staggering, and she could no more resist kissing him on the lips than she could stop breathing.

“You hurt me,” she whispered. “Bad.”

“I regret every moment of anguish I may have caused you.” He took the box from her hands. The diamonds sparkled in the light while the sapphires practically glowed. “Marry me,
prinsessa moya
. I vow you will never regret it.”

“Can we have a long engagement?”

“How long?”

“I don’t know...uh, two years?”

“Two months.”

“What?”

“Fine, three months.”

“Three years!”

His lips twitched, and she wanted to knock him on his cocky ass. “Five months.”

“Twenty years!”

“Seven months, final offer. If you test me, I will marry you tonight. Think about what you wish before you speak, because I am man of my word. You know this.”

Fucker. She did indeed ‘know that’, which made her, for once in her life, think before she spoke. He wasn’t going to budge. This was his final offer, and she knew he wouldn’t give in on this. Secretly, a messed up part of her psyche really liked that he was so eager to marry her, to the point where he’d force her to give in to his wishes.

“Fine. Seven months.”

His whole body relaxed, and he collapsed, pulling her with him so she lay curled into his side with her head on his shoulder. “Thank fuck.”

Unable to help it, she giggled. “Thank fuck? Really? I agree to marry you, and all you can say is ‘thank fuck’?”

Turning his head to her, their gazes met, and a full body tingle raced over her, lifting every minute hair on her skin, as his emotions were laid bare for her to see. Love, pure and shining with joy, filled his beautiful, storm-gray eyes with their ring of black, and her love surged in return. They began to kiss, long and deep, before Alex made love to her so many times that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk the next day. It was only when Alex had come for the fourth time that he finally collapsed next to her, the sheets wet with their sweat.

“Jessica Novikov,” he whispered, his hand spasming on her thigh. “My wife.”

“Not yet,” she whispered with a grin, turning her head so she could kiss his bicep.

Abruptly, he rolled into her and pulled her tight to his body. “I will never let anyone harm you, not even my father.”

She tensed. “Okay.”

He rolled out of bed and grabbed her ankle, hauling her after him. “Come, we sleep in different room tonight. Bed is wet.”

When he said that he leered at her, making her laugh. “Don’t look at me like that. It wasn’t all me, buddy.”

“Right. Shower then bed. I have next three days off to make love to you. Though I might let you out so you can show Catrin your ring.”

“Catrin…” She winced at the memory of how she’d been to her tonight. “I was mean to her.”

“Then tomorrow you will be nice. She adores you, Jessica, and will forgive you. Remember, at one time she had no idea what Nico did for a living. Learning the truth was hard for her, but her father was involved in a different
Bratva
so she was not totally ignorant of it.”

“Not like I was…am. Shit. Alexandr Novikov, you’re lucky you’re so damn good in bed, or I would not put up with the amount of bullshit you’ve brought into my life.”

Six and a half months later

Alex gritted his teeth as he strode through the front door of his stunning manor outside of Dublin. This peaceful place in the middle of the woods was home now. Not the pit of inhumanity he’d left back in Moscow. Things were going badly, really badly, for the Novikov
Bratva
, and he knew it was his father’s fault. Men were dying because Jorg Novikov was determined to expand his territory while Alex had to work desperately behind the scenes to try and broker a peace not only for the good of his mafia family, but also for his fiancée’s continued wellbeing. To say he was stressed was an understatement, but damn, the feeling of finally being home was like a balm to his battered body and soul.

Poor Dimitri, was having a tough time dealing with their father. While Alex loved the old man, he knew his father had major flaws. Dimitri, on the other hand, was young enough that he’d been sheltered from the worse of Jorg’s wrath over the years thanks to Alex and the men loyal to him doing their best to protect Dimitri. Now, because Alex was spending so much time with Jessica, Dimitri was having to face some hard truths, one being that their father could be a demon in human form.

Unlike his younger brother, Alex had a home to escape to and a woman who adored him.

Alex spoiled Jessica, but she never asked him outright for anything. In fact, she got irritated when he’d buy anything she’d shown the slightest interest in. After much debate, she made him understand she didn’t need things to feel loved, only him. He’d discovered that apples, more specifically a scent similar to apple pie, was the scent his Jessica wore. He ordered a case of her favorite products for her, her best friend from the United States helping him to assemble it for Jessica, and she’d rewarded him well for his inexpensive gift.

His Jessica made him the richest man in the world, but he knew others would try to take his happiness from him out of greed and avarice, so he’d taught Jessica to defend herself. As his father had continued to become more bloodthirsty by the day, Alex had instructed Krom and Maks to begin training her at least two hours a day, five days a week. Oleg, along with is adorable wife and girls, often attended, as well as Jessica’s Aunt Mary and any friends who might happen to be staying the night, but it was Jessica who received the bulk of the instruction, and she’d taken to it with an ease that surprised him.

In what had to be some sort of divine and karmic revenge, it was beginning to appear his sweet little woman could possibly become quite the proficient killer if she tried.

That point was reinforced when Alex felt a gun pressed to the side of his head as soon as he entered the house, followed by the scent of apple pie. At that moment, Jessica held a 9 mm pressed to his head with the ease of an accomplished assassin. A gun she’d grown quite proficient with. Oleg had taken over her hand to hand-to-hand combat training, while Maks was giving her shooting lessons. Luka, though, taught her things she called her ‘ninja’ skills—Basically the art of stealth— and she’d gotten pretty good at it. Good enough to be arrogant as she stood there with cold steel, with the safety still on, against his temple.

There had been two attempts on Jessica’s life since they’d returned, of which she knew nothing about. After the second one, they managed to keep one of the would-be assassins from using his cyanide capsule. They learned that one of Peter’s enemies was behind this, not Alex’s. Alex, along with his men, helped Peter annihilate the rival faction, sending a crystal clear message that anyone who threatened Jessica, Alex, or the families and friends they loved would face a horrible death. Alex had been honestly surprised it wasn’t one of his enemies and relieved that the protection he’d managed to surround her with had kept her safe from rival
Bratvas
, at least for now.

That is, if he could keep his father from attempting to start a war with everyone.

He tried to keep from smiling as Jessica quickly frisked him while keeping the gun to his head. It was easy to recognize Oleg’s training, and he approved of her following all the steps of disarming an opponent, even with him. She was skilled, her touch light and swift as she detected his various weapons, not bothering to remove them, just letting him know that she knew they were there. The fact that she found his carefully concealed knives swelled his chest with pride. She was good, really good.

But he was better.

His wrenched shoulder ached as he disarmed her, and he gritted his teeth when she hit him in his already bruised side, along ribs that flared with hurt.

As soon as he made a pained grunt, she backed off then set her gun on the foyer table within reach. Her hands shook as she clasped them together and stared at him. She wore a light gold kimono over a white cami and tiny pink shorts. Her hair was a wild mess pulled back in a ponytail, and her gaze was angry when he met it. Inwardly, he flinched, knowing he was about to get his ass verbally beat by her.

“Two weeks…two weeks, Alex, and you couldn’t call me once?”

He leaned against the wall and turned on the small lamp next to the light brown sofa that faced the riverstone fireplace. A vase filled with fresh, multi-colored tulips sat atop the coffee table, as did an empty coffee mug and a book. Some of the pillows were slouched on the back of the sofa, an obvious sign Jessica had spent a lot of time in here lately. Obviously, Jessica hadn’t expected him to be coming home, and he sighed inwardly. Things were about to go from bad to worse, and he suppressed a groan of frustration. It had not been an easy journey, and all he wanted to do was collapse on the sofa, have her ride him to orgasm, then pass out right there with her draped over his body.

And sleep for ten years.

“No,
prinsessa moya
, I could not contact you. Was not safe.”

“And you can’t tell me about that ‘not safe’ stuff, right?”

Regret filled him. “I cannot.”

She crossed her arms and frowned at him, adorable even in her anger. He’d grab her and kiss those pouty pink lips of hers until she was smiling at him again. From deeper inside the house, an old grandfather clock chimed, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Is clock new?”

So he was a bit of a bastard for trying to distract her, but he knew she’d purchased an expensive grandfather clock, and that she’d fretted the whole time about the price. Oleg had been amused by her…what did she call it…freaking out, but he had been patient with her. Alex had ordered her to pick out something for the home while he was gone, something that would make the place hers. He’d let Jessica know he had more money than she could spend, but she somehow didn’t believe him despite the lavish lifestyle he gave her.

Her whole body softened, and she sighed. “Yes.”

“I like it. The sound is very soothing.”

“Well...good.” She closed her eyes and whispered, “Are you going to tell me what happened that left you looking like you got gored by a bull?”

He wanted to, ached to, but the game he was playing right now was so dangerous he didn’t need or want her to know anything about it. She would worry herself to death if she found out how much danger he was in. Not only did he have to worry about rival organizations, he was greatly concerned about his father’s increasingly volatile reaction to Jessica. It was the oddest thing. He felt like Jorg actually cared for and liked Jessica, but he was adamant that Alex should leave her. It had gotten to the point where Alex didn’t mention Jessica in his brief dealings with his father, but the previous week he couldn’t put it off anymore. Not when his father had sent a whore to his rooms in an effort to tempt Alex to stray.

That effort to get him to betray the woman he loved had sent Alex into a rage. He’d gone to his father, and they argued until Alex had finally told him he was going to marry Jessica. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but scathing anger had not been it. Jorg had railed at him about the Novikov curse and warned Alex to let her go. It was too late for that, and even his father’s wrath hadn’t swayed him from his decision. In fact, plans were now being put into place that would seal her to him forever. He was not his father. His efforts to keep Jessica safe would pay off, and he could only pray the old man would die soon. Everything would work out, and he could have his family without abandoning his duty to the men and women who loyally served his
Bratva
.