Nikolai 2 (Her Russian Protector #6) (41 page)

"I didn't seek him out. He came to me and asked for a job. He's only there at night."

"Which is the most likely time shit will go bad," Ivan insisted. "You've got plenty of muscle on your payroll already. Kir is mine."

It wasn't worth bad blood and fighting between them so he nodded. "You're right. He's yours. When I get back, I'll let him go. But," Nikolai held his gaze, "you need to keep an eye on him. He needed money badly enough to come to me."

"It's his ex-wife." Ivan tapped his the crook of his elbow in a gesture that Nikolai understood only too well.
Heroin
. "She got herself into some trouble. I've taken care of it."

He could tell Ivan was frustrated that Kir hadn’t come to him first, but Nikolai understood why Kir had looked for help from others. These men who climbed into the ring were a prideful bunch. For Kir to go to his mentor and ask for money? Impossible.

Their business conducted, they parted with smiles and promises to find each other later. Nikolai finally joined Vivian and was introduced to Alastor and Henriette, the aristocratic couple fawning over her latest works. As he spoke to the husband and wife, he noticed they seemed strangely close to Niels. They hung on his every word and gazed at him with something very similar to adoration.

It wasn't hard for him to add up the clues and arrive at an answer that he found oddly amusing. Apparently Niels didn't confine himself to sexual escapades with only women. Nikolai tried not to imagine the glitzy middle-aged couple trussed up with rope and leather or kneeling at the Dane's feet. He concentrated instead on the discussion about a pair of paintings they wanted to buy. Vivian deftly handled the proposed transaction by mentioning the gallery agent, and Niels stepped away to speak to a man who had caught his eye. Then the conversation took a decidedly strange turn.

"So, are you two lovebirds enjoying the city?" Alastor asked in between sips of champagne.

There was something in the man's tone that set off Nikolai's radar. He slid an arm around Vivian's waist and pulled her a little closer. "I've only just arrived this morning. Business kept me in Houston longer than I had expected," he explained. "I'm sure we'll explore all London has to offer over the weekend."

"That sounds lovely," Henriette remarked with a smile. She eyed Vivian with obvious interest, but his wife seemed totally oblivious to the lusty glint in the other woman's eyes. "We're having a bit of a small get-together tomorrow night. We would love for the two of you to join us." She took a flirtatious step toward Vivian. "Friends of Niels are always welcome at these little parties of ours."

Vivian's smile faltered, and Nikolai couldn't decide if he was annoyed or entertained by the subtle invitation to a wild sexy party with a crowd that promised to include London's poshest set. Giving Vivian's waist a gentle squeeze, he said, "We're flattered, but we have plans."

"Maybe some other time," Henriette replied, not the least bit daunted.

"Maybe some other time for what?" Niels wondered as he returned to the conversation.

"Oh, just one of our get-togethers," Henriette said with a swirl of her champagne glass. "We thought you would enjoy having them join us."

The Dane's eyes widened fractionally. The corners of his mouth twitched. "I would very much enjoy
having
them."

Nikolai managed not to openly glower at Niels. They shared an intense look, but the tycoon wasn't the least bit affected. If anything, he seemed highly amused by his little joke. Vivian's small hand rubbed his lower back so he made nice. "Some other time."

The talk turned to networking as Alastor pointed out faces among the crowd that Vivian absolutely had to meet. Nikolai's attention wavered when he noticed Erin speaking with a man who seemed too familiar and close. The unknown man had the look of an attorney about him, slick and dressed to impress. Erin seemed comfortable with him, maybe too comfortable.

He scanned the room for Ivan and found his friend crossing the room with purposeful strides. At the same time, he noticed Sergei taking a step in Erin's direction. The fighter was so tall that he had a better vantage point of the room. Nikolai trusted that Ivan wouldn't make a scene, but the other man was being deliberately provocative in the way he touched Erin's arm.

Ivan finally reached Erin. He extended a hand to her friend, but the man ignored it. The stranger leaned forward and kissed Erin's cheek while passing her a card. Now Nikolai worried. Ivan wasn't the type of man to allow such outrageous disrespect. He glanced at Sergei who looked ready to pounce if it went south.

Erin handled Ivan beautifully. She tore up the card and stuffed it into her champagne flute. She caressed the back of his neck and lifted on tiptoes for a kiss. Ivan pressed his forehead to hers, and Nikolai looked away, leaving the pair to their tender moment.

Despite everything he had accomplished in life, Ivan's self-confidence where Erin was concerned was easily shaken. He loved that woman so much. He fucking lived for her. But Nikolai could see that Ivan remained uncertain about his ability to keep her. It was a foolish thing to worry about in his opinion. Erin adored Ivan and had eyes only for him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of blonde hair. His searching gaze flicked back to it, but he found only Lena. Their eyes met across the gallery, and she scowled at him.
What the hell?
She spun on her heel, her dark hair whipping dramatically, and disappeared from his view.

He watched Sergei and Bianca sneaking out of a rear exit. He didn't think Sergei would have any trouble with his proposal, but he silently wished his former enforcer the best of luck. He had his own suspicion about why the couple were hurrying to get married but kept it to himself.

"Who are you staring at?" Vivian asked, her small hand had slipped under his jacket and glided along his chest.

Nikolai realized they were alone. He brushed his lips against her temple. "Ivan and Erin. Sergei and Bianca."

"Did Sergei take her up to the roof?" Interest brightened her voice.

"I think so." His eyelids drifted together as her perfume teased his nose. God, he had missed her scent so much. The urge to swing Vivian up in his arms and runaway with her hit him hard. He wanted to hide her away in some secret, quiet place where he could slide between her thighs and stay there as long as he liked. He wanted to worship her growing curves with his hands and mouth He wanted to feel her shuddery breaths against his ear as he pushed her over the edge.

"Let's runaway together." He couldn't believe he had said it aloud. Judging by Vivian's stunned reaction, she hadn't expected it either.

A bemused smile played upon her face. "What?"

He grasped her hand and held it against his chest, right over his heart. "When everyone heads back to Houston, let's stay."

"Stay here? In London?"

"If you'd like," he said with a generous shrug. "Or we can go somewhere else. We'll go anywhere you would like."

"What about your travel problems?"

"Let me worry about that,
solnyshka
. I owe you a honeymoon. A proper one," he murmured, thinking of all the things she had given up for him. "Let me do this for you."

She bit her lower lip and seemed to be thinking of a million reasons why they couldn't go away. "Your business—"

"You come first."

Vivian grazed her fingers down his cheek. "Then take me away, Kolya."

So he did.

Chapter Twenty-Two

With a long, slow inhale, I filled my lungs with the scent of the Adriatic Sea. I leaned against the balcony overlooking the private strip of Croatian beach and watched the moon's reflection glittering on the dark water. The sun would be rising soon and a new and beautiful day would dawn.

Our whirlwind belated honeymoon had been like something out of a fantasy. We hadn't left London until the evening after our friends had departed for Houston. The night before everyone left, Bianca and Sergei had experienced a medical scare. We had been floored to learn they were pregnant—and expecting twins! Their hasty engagement suddenly made sense, but more than anything, I prayed the news would soften Galina's feelings toward her future daughter-in-law.

"Are you all right?" Nikolai slipped out of our suite and onto the terrace.

"I'm fine." I glanced back at him and felt a flutter of desire at the sight of his lean, tattooed body striding toward me. He wore only his usual black boxers and prowled like a jungle cat tracking its prey through the shadows of night. "I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep."

"I have a prescription for that." He embraced me from behind and dotted a line of meandering kisses from the crown of my head to the side of my throat.

I giggled softly and then moaned when he sucked hard on the curve of my neck. "Kolya."

"Vee." He nipped lightly at my skin.

"We're outside," I reminded him breathlessly.

"It's dark. This beach is private." He pushed aside the thin silk robe guarding my shoulders and planted ticklish kisses on my skin. His strong hands glided from my breasts to the swell of my stomach and then settled on my hips. His lips brushed my ear. "I want you."

"Again?"

"Yes." Nikolai surged against me, pressing his erection against my bottom, and I gasped.

He had been utterly insatiable lately. Luckily, my first trimester woes had faded into the background. My craving for sex rivaled his. I might have been imagining it, but I swore every orgasm felt better and stronger than the last. I had mistakenly admitted that to Nikolai a few mornings earlier as we lounged in bed. Now he seemed intent on seeing just how good they could get.

"Lean forward," he urged with a gentle hand on my upper back. He peeled off my robe and tossed it somewhere behind us. Grasping the bottom of my nightgown, he rucked it up around my hips before sliding to his knees. He shocked me by nibbling my plump backside and the tops of my thighs. I cried out, but he just laughed and kept tormenting me.

With a bit of a rough shove, he flipped me around and buried his face between my thighs. I braced my elbows on the balcony ledge and prayed my knees wouldn't give out as Nikolai swiped my slit. As if he needed to get deeper, he lifted my left leg and draped my knee over his shoulder. His tongue fluttered around my clitoris before stabbing into my opening.

"Kolya!" I gripped his hair and pressed my hips against his wonderful mouth. He groaned against my hot flesh and flicked faster against my swollen nub. My breaths were coming fast now, and I felt that clenching tightness in my core. "Oh, please.
Oh!
I'm close."

He slid two fingers into me, curling them just right, and pumped them quickly. My legs trembled, and I gasped for air. His tongue did wicked things while his fingers drove me right over the edge. I bit my lower lip to stifle a scream. We were hidden in the shadows, but a cry of pleasure would draw the wrong sort of attention.

He tore his mouth away from me and kissed his way back up my body. Standing up suddenly, he lifted me in his arms. He carried me into the bedroom and placed me on the bed. We met in a clash of tongues and teeth and ripped at each other's clothing.

Nikolai roughly kissed me before shoving my thighs apart and thrusting into me without warning. I cried out in surprise, but he misread it as a cry of pain. He went still above me and between my legs. "Baby." His voice was gruff but concerned. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." I hooked my ankles behind his back and lifted my hips. "Don't stop." I rocked against him. "Please don't stop."

With a needful groan, he obliged me. His thrusts started off slow and easy, but they grew faster and deeper. His mouth was all over me, marking my cheeks, my neck, my breasts. He took me with an unhurried and leisurely pace all while murmuring the things I loved to hear.

I clutched at his sides and then his shoulders, burying my face in the crook of his neck and enjoying every single thrust into my slick heat. His hand moved between my thighs, and he shifted the angle of his thrusts. As his fingers strummed my clitoris, I clawed at his shoulders and scratched at his scalp. "Kolya.
Please
."

He kissed me hard, his tongue stabbing against mine, and then started whispering dirty things to me in Russian. He knew what that did to me. He could feel it for himself.

"Fuck, Vee." His cheek brushed mine, and his shuddery breaths rippled across my skin. "Your pussy drives me crazy. Wet." He punctuated the word with a thrust. "Tight." Another thrust. "Hot."

I came so hard I couldn’t breathe. The pleasurable explosion knocked the air from my lungs. My mouth gaped, and he took advantage of it. He plundered my mouth and continued thrusting into me while I rode those intensely erotic waves.

I thought he would follow me with a shared release, but he pulled out of me and turned me onto my stomach. He grasped my thighs and hauled me up onto my knees before entering me from behind. Sweeping aside my hair, he kissed my neck and upper back and started to pump his hips.

I gripped a pillow in one hand and the sheet in the other. My endless cries echoed off the walls and ceiling. Too late, I remembered the doors leading out to the balcony were still wide open, but suddenly I didn’t care. We were doing what we loved doing the most, and it was passionate and perfect.