Ruthless Stranger by Maggie Cole

14

Maksim

Snow falls at a rapid pace.Sunlight streams through the window. Everything warm and good lies in my arms.

I stroke my krasotka's cheek, unsure how she's still here after all I told her. I was convinced she wouldn't want any part of me. All night, she proved me wrong.

I need to protect her.

It's not fair I'm subjecting her to my world.

Her eyes flutter open. She smiles. "Hi."

I dip down and kiss her lips. All the fire from the previous night ignites. She devours me with her kisses, as if I am her oxygen and she needs extra air to breathe.

I could kiss her forever.

She slides her warm flesh along mine and between kisses, asks, "What time is it?"

I slide my tongue in her mouth again, kneading her ass cheek and stroking her spine. "It's not six yet."

She groans. "I don't want to go to work."

"That's good then. It's a blizzard out there. I'm pretty sure your office will be closed." I grab the back of her knees and pull them to my hips so the tip of my cock hits her hot sex.

A soft whimper comes out of her, and she slides on my erection. "Maksim?" she whispers then greedily sticks her tongue back in my mouth.

"Hmmm?" I fist a handful of her hair at the back of her head and trail my lips down her neck.

"I don't have any clothes. I forgot to pack an overnight bag."

My lips twitch against her skin. "I'm going to keep you naked all day. You don't need any."

"Mmmm." She sighs and lazily circles her hips on me.

I slide my finger to her clit, circling it at the slow speed she's riding me, enjoying every noise of pleasure she makes and the way her eyes flutter and roll.

The time I spent with her in Vegas was a potent concoction of mystery and physical need. I loved every moment I was with her. But now I get to be the object of her affection. Every look she gives me sends more blood pounding through my veins. And knowing I told her my truth and she still wants me makes everything more powerful.

She rides me faster. "Oh, please...oh...Maksim..." Her eyes shut, and she grinds against my hand then pins me with her needy gaze.

I flick my fingers against her swollen clit and suck on her breast, tracing the edge of her nipple with my tongue

"Maksim...oh...ple...oh!" she cries out. Her eyes roll, and her mouth forms an O. The walls of her pussy spasm hard on my shaft.

I grasp her hip with my hand, moving her faster and meeting her thrusts with my desperate desire.

Her body is an earthquake, moving higher and higher on the Richter scale until she can't hold herself up anymore. She collapses against my chest but continues crying out and shimmying at the same speed on my cock.

Heat annihilates me, and my toes curl. "Krasotka," I growl, violently releasing inside her.

Our chests push against each other. Breathing hard, she tilts her head up. The brown in her eyes lightens. She sweetly says, "Good morning."

My cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. "Good morning."

She bites her lip.

I stroke her cheekbone. "Are you hungry?"

She shakes her head. "Still full from our midnight snack."

"You didn't have anything of substance." We never had our dinner. In the middle of the night, her stomach growled. We ate ice cream naked, feeding each other and licking it off the other's body at times.

She shrugs. "So, I don't have to go to work today?"

I grab my cell off the nightstand and pull information up on the internet. "All city buildings are closed."

"And you aren't sick of me yet?"

I kiss her. "I'll never get tired of you, my krasotka."

Nervousness enters her eyes. "How do you know?"

I tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm a decisive man. I know what I want. And it only involves you."

She blushes. It's faint, sexy, and humble.

I kiss her again then pull back. "You know what I want to do?"

"No."

"Take you on our first date tonight."

She cocks an eyebrow. "Last night wasn't a date?"

"No."

She sits up. "Okay. Where are you taking me?"

"To one of my restaurants."

"You own restaurants?"

"Yes. My brothers and I own several. Just as investors though. I don't get involved in the day-to-day operations of anything unless it's our real estate."

She nods, looks out the window, then brushes my hair off my forehead. "I haven't said thank you."

"For what?"

She holds her wrist in front of my face. "My bracelet."

"Do you like it?"

Surprise fills her expression. "I love it. Why wouldn't I?"

"I just want to make sure it's your style. I don't want you to feel like you have to wear anything you don't enjoy."

A line forms between her eyebrows. "How could any woman not love this?"

I peck her on the lips. "I'm glad you like it." I get out of bed. "I'm making you breakfast. You need something besides sugar."

She kneels on the bed. "Okay. You win. I'll eat. However, I have a vital question."

I put my arms around her. "What?"

She plays with my chest hair. "Can I borrow a shirt, or were you serious about keeping me naked all day?"

I chuckle. "I'm always serious about discussions surrounding you being naked."

She holds my chin and smirks. "You're cooking unclothed, then?"

I pat her ass. "Button-down or T-shirt?"

"Mmm..." She ponders it for a moment.

"You're cute when you think hard."

She gasps. "I think hard all the time!"

I kiss her. "Yep, I know. I told you how smart you are. What kind of shirt do you want?"

"Button-down. Then we can rip it later if needed."

"Rip away," I tease, kiss her again, cop another feel, then go into my closet. I select a white dress shirt and hand it to her.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen. I'm going to the bathroom first," she says.

I throw on a pair of boxer shorts and leave the bedroom. Happiness is making me giddy. I don't remember ever feeling like this.

I open the fridge, pull out eggs, bacon, and some fruit. My phone rings.

I answer it in Russian. "Boris. What's going on?" A feeling of dread fills me. It's too early for him to be calling me. My brothers and I usually work out together around this time, but the blizzard would have all of us back in bed.

"The four of us need to talk."

The pit in my stomach grows. "Why?"

"Not over the phone."

I sigh. "What time do you want to meet?"

"As soon as the weather clears enough for our drivers."

I step to the window and glance down at the roads. There is no sign of life anywhere, which is unheard of in Chicago, even at this time of the morning. A white blanket covers everything. Snow is still falling. It's not as heavy as before, but it still adds to the problem. "It's going to be a few hours. Let's plan on my place at noon and change it if needed."

My penthouse is in the middle of my brothers', so we usually meet here for convenience.

"I'll call the others," Boris confirms.

"Boris."

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" It's rare for Boris to call a meeting. Something has to be going on with Zamir or possibly something with the O'Malleys that somehow affects us. As the oldest, I've always hated myself for not protecting my brothers, and especially Boris, who still has to deal with Zamir once a year.

His answer is short, and although confident, I'm not convinced. Boris is a trained killer but also a boxer. He's a fighter on every level and not the type of person who would ever admit any form of weakness. "I will be. See you later."

The line goes silent. I cross my arms, surveying the city, and try to calm my racing heart. There's a big problem. Boris wouldn't be calling the meeting if there wasn't.

Is it an issue with Zamir or the O'Malleys?

Maybe I'm overreacting, and it has to do with one of our real estate deals.

Fat chance.

My gut flips, and Aspen comes up behind me and slides her arms around my waist. "Maksim, what's wrong?"

I rub her arms and spin. I force a smile. "Nothing. I need to meet with my brothers later today. They are coming here around noon unless the roads aren't clear."

She furrows her brows. Her soft hand reaches up, and she cups my cheek. "Is this how it will be?"

"What do you mean?"

"When something is wrong, you will try to hide it from me?"

I freeze, holding my breath, not sure how to answer her.

Minutes pass in silence, and the worry in her face grows. But I also see hurt. Her next statement isn't accusing or harsh. She says it so softly, I have to listen closely. "I thought we weren't going to lie to each other?"

I close my eyes. She still holds my cheek. It's a reminder that as quick as she can tear her hand away, she can go at any time, and I'd lose her.

I'm in a new territory. Aspen knows who I am and what I'm capable of, but I can't start telling her every time there is a threat or issue to deal with. It's not safe.

I finally admit, "Something is going on. But I don't know what it is. When I find out, I'm not sure if I will ever tell you. The things that pop up from time to time, I'm not going to go into detail and discuss with you. Not because I don't trust you but because it's too dangerous. And I don't want to lie to you, either."

She takes a deep breath and steps closer. Her free hand grasps the other side of my cheek. She caresses my face with her thumbs. "Then how are we going to handle these situations so you don't lie to me? I don't want to be back in a dishonest relationship."

"I don't want to do that to you, either," I blurt out.

She nods. "Good. Okay. Then let's figure this out so we don't end up broken before we begin."

The thought of hurting her or not being with her almost kills my soul. Us breaking cannot ever happen.

"What would make you happy? When these things come up, and I can't give you the details, what do you want me to say?"

She thinks for a moment. "Exactly what you just said. Something is going on, but I can't go into details."

Surprised, I ask, "That's it?"

"Yes. You aren't lying then. I don't need to know all your business. As long as you are faithful and truthful to me, I will respect your privacy on these issues."

"My krasotka, I would never be unfaithful to you." I pin her with my gaze, trying to make her see how serious I am about my fidelity toward her.

"Good. I don't want to be a fool again."

"He's the fool," I reiterate to her. It burns me that she feels any shame for her ex cheating on her.

She releases my cheeks and steps back. "Okay, I think you owe me some breakfast."

She turns to walk away, and I spin her back into me.

"Hey."

"Hmmm?" She arches an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to lie to you."

She smiles. "I know. You're forgiven. Now go cook for me."

"When did you become bossy?" I tease.

She smirks. "I've got the hots for this sexy Russian guy. He's good at giving orders, so I've been paying attention to him. I think he's rubbing off on me."