Ruthless Stranger by Maggie Cole

26

Aspen

Anna and Noraare both really nice. So are the rest of the women. Eloise seems to be on her best behavior, keeping her side comments to herself.

The wedding ceremony is beautiful. Anna and Dmitri's happiness radiates off them. Maksim and Dmitri's brothers stand next to him, looking just as happy as he does.

I can't help but think about them as young men and the trauma they survived. I see Sergey at twelve, and I glance at Eloise, who sits next to me. She's got her lips pursed and looks as if she's annoyed to be here.

He deserves better than her.

I shouldn't judge Eloise or pretend to understand their relationship. I barely met her and don't know anything about their situation. Yet, everything in my gut says Sergey deserves to be loved, and she isn't treating him as she should be.

I don't look at her too long, in fear she might catch me and bite my head off in the middle of the ceremony, causing a scene.

Okay, now I'm being dramatic.

I wouldn't put it past her though.

I focus back on Maksim and his brothers. You wouldn't choose to mess with them, but you would never think they would have gone through what they have, either.

And they're all so handsome in their tuxes. Each of them has features of the other, creating no doubt they are brothers. But their bond is recognizable even in a room full of people. If Maksim hadn't told me anything about them, I would see it.

I haven't been to a wedding in a few years. The look on Anna and Dmitri's faces makes me wonder if I looked as happy as they did when I said my vows to Peter.

Peter's goofy grin as he slurred his words flashes before me. The embarrassment I felt, and the smell of beer and whiskey, floods my senses.

Nope. I definitely wasn't as happy as Anna and Dmitri.

I should have known then.

I was only eighteen.

I concentrate on the ceremony. When it's over, Maksim stops to escort me down the aisle. All of Anna's bridesmaids are married, and each of them collects their husband as they follow the bride.

As soon as Maksim puts his hand on the curve of my waist, his lips brush against my forehead. I tilt my head up, and he winks.

My insides turn to Jell-O. I lean into him, wondering how it's possible I've felt so comfortable with him since the moment he first touched me. Even when I was blindfolded and didn't know what he looked like or his name, our bodies melted together.

All night, Maksim and I have fun talking with the other guests and dancing. No matter what conversation we get into, his focus is always on me, making me feel important to him. And I notice the same with his brothers. There's an intensity about all of them, but each gives all their attention to their woman.

Especially Boris. I don't know why I can't seem to turn away from him and Nora, but the way he looks at her gives me the impression he wants to fuck her right on the table.

I often catch him dragging his finger down her bare shoulders, or wrapping his arm around her and stroking the curve of her waist. Every touch he gives her seems to light her up. She quietly gasps and closes her eyes at times, as if his touch alone is about to give her an orgasm.

After Anna and Dmitri cut the cake, I tell Maksim I'm going to the restroom.

"I'll take you," he says.

I give him a kiss. "No, continue your conversation. I'll be right back."

"You sure?"

I laugh. "Yes. It's only over there." I point toward the hallway.

He smiles, and my insides throb. Maksim's straight out of a GQ magazine in his tuxedo. "Okay."

I go down the hall and am almost to the bathroom when I hear muffled noises. I pause, not sure if I really heard something or not. The music isn't as loud as in the reception area.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!"

That's Nora!

Should I get Maksim?

No. Someone is hurting her. There isn't time.

I open the door all the way and step in and freeze, just as Nora yells, "Don't make me wait. Oh…Jes…oh…"

She's up against a wall, her dress is bunched to her waist, and her legs are over Boris's shoulders. She's gripping his hair. One of his hands is over her neck, pushing her chin toward the ceiling. Two of his long fingers slide into her mouth and she sucks on them and moans. His other hand is over her breast, his thumb roughly circling her nipple through the fabric of her dress. His face is buried in her sex, and he's eating her out and grunting while she grinds into him like the Energizer Bunny.

Her cheeks match her red hair, and her whimpers get louder.

Boris growls something in Russian, and she cries out, "Please!"

Holy...oh my...holy shit! Why am I still here?

I tear my eyes away and back out into the hall, run into the bathroom, and lock myself in the stall.

That was hot.

Oh God. It's Boris and Nora.

They could make a porn movie.

Shit. I need to stop these thoughts.

Oh, jeez.

I finish my business, wash my hands, and pat my face with a cold towel.

Go directly back to the table, and do not open any more doors!

As soon as I step outside, Adrian and I bump into each other.

"Hi," I say, embarrassed from the previous night's events.

His face stays neutral. "Aspen." He starts to pass me.

I grab his arm. "Adrian."

He blows out a breath of air and spins. He raises his eyebrows.

My cheeks grow hot. "I'm sorry about last night."

He nods. His voice is low. "I'm sure you are."

"Adrian—"

"We're fine, Aspen. Let's not rehash it. I shouldn't have said that."

"Are we?"

"Yeah. But next time you go out with your friends, I'm bringing more of my guys with me."

My lips twitch. "Is that a joke?"

His expression stays serious. "No. It's a promise."

"We aren't always like that."

"Like what?" Maksim's voice booms.

I turn and smile. "I was telling Adrian my friends and I normally behave when we go out."

Maksim raises his eyebrows.

"Why are you giving me that look?"

"Your girlfriends are a wild bunch."

"Yes, they are," Adrian agrees.

"Are we?"

"Yes," Maksim and Adrian say in unison.

I wince at Adrian. "Sorry again."

He glances at Maksim then me. "Like I already said, we're fine. Excuse me." He passes Maksim and me.

"Are you and Adrian at odds still?"

Maksim sighs. "Don't worry about Adrian and me."

"But—"

"I don't want to talk about him." He kisses me, stepping back until I'm against the wall, deepening it until he's hard.

I breathlessly say, "This reminds me of our first kiss."

"But you can see me."

I cup his cheek and look into his beautiful blue eyes. "I prefer to see you. All of you."

He kisses me some more. "Let's get out of this hallway." He guides me a few steps when a disheveled Boris and Nora step out into the hall.

Her face still looks like a cherry tomato and Boris's mouth and beard are wet.

Boris cockily nods to Maksim. Nora avoids looking at us and rushes into the bathroom. Boris goes into the men's room.

Maksim's lips twitch, and he guides me out to the dance floor. I don't say anything and try to get the thought of Boris and Nora out of my head.

It's late when the wedding is over. We stay until the end and are part of the last group of guests to leave. Anna and Dmitri have just left. Maksim and his brothers' drivers are all waiting at the curb. We all get into the vehicles and part ways.

Maksim pulls me onto his lap.

"I had a great time. Thanks for taking me."

He traces my jaw. "I wouldn't have wanted to be there without you."

We make out the entire way home, lips locked, hands all over the other, hot and hungry. We're so wrapped up in each other, we don't notice the car stops until Maksim's driver opens the door.

Maksim escorts me inside. As soon as we get in the elevator, he pushes me against the wall. His hands slide my coat off. Our lips reunite, greedy and full of need. The elevator stops and dings. Maksim turns me, and I walk backward while he guides me inside the penthouse, our mouths never leaving the other.

He tosses my coat on the floor, and his hand reaches around me and unzips my dress. It shimmies down my body. His fingers dip inside my panties, gliding through my wet heat.

He groans, saying something in Russian, and continues kissing me while moving me through the apartment and circling his finger inside my sex.

We're in the living room when he freezes. His head turns, his finger slides out of me.

I glance across the room. An Asian woman with a sleek, chin-length bob is stretched out seductively on the couch in a black leather lingerie set. She has a garter belt, fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots with a six-inch heel, and her panties are crotchless.

It's the same couch Maksim fucked me on earlier in the day.

"Jade, what in God's name are you doing here?" Maksim barks then shimmies out of his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders.

I glance down and realize I'm in my bra, panties, and stilettos. I suddenly feel very exposed and self-conscious.

Of course. She's Jade. The Jade. The woman who had his attention for eleven years.

Why is she in the penthouse?

She does nothing to cover herself, trails her fingers on her thigh in a circle, and gives me a stare-down like I'm no one. "You said you missed me. When I saw you after your Vegas trip, I told you I'd give us a few weeks to think about things. It's been a few weeks. My answer is yes."

Yes? What is she telling him yes to?

A few weeks ago? After Vegas? He told me he hadn't seen her for months before meeting me.

Maksim's color drains from his face. His eyes turn into slits. "Put your clothes on, Jade."

Her cold eyes widen in surprise. "Did you hear what I said?"

Maksim steps forward and picks up her clothes, which are folded neatly on the coffee table. He tosses them at her. "You're too late. I made it clear we weren't doing this again."

"No, you said you weren't going to continue seeing me if things didn't change between us. I'm telling you, I'm ready. And I won't hold"—she cranes her neck and drills her eyes into mine while pointing in my direction—"whatever this is, against you."

The quivering of my insides gets worse. I close Maksim's jacket around me tighter.

Maksim growls, "Put your clothes on. Don't make me tell you again. Then get out of my house. We're over, Jade."

She confidently rises, slinks toward Maksim, and puts her hands on his chest. "You're acting rashly."

He grips her wrists and pushes them away from him. "Don't."

Her eyes turn soft. She looks up at him through her long lashes, and I want to rip them out. She softens her voice. "Eleven years, Maksim."

He takes a deep breath and stares at her.

I can't see his face. I don't know what he's thinking, but I'm suddenly scared he's reconsidering whether he should be with her over me.

His comment earlier about how it was easier to be with her flies into my mind, and I cringe. She's offering him everything he's ever wanted from her. And while I don't think ill of my looks or body, she's an edgy, sexy woman. There's nothing besides her cold eyes to find fault in.

"You're too late, Jade," Maksim's repeats, his deep voice firm, but I also notice this time there is sympathy in it.

A new pang of jealousy hits me. There's heart in his sympathy. I shouldn't want him to be cruel to her, but I don't like her getting any piece of his heart.

She breaks her gaze and stares at his chest. A moment passes. Maksim steps to the side and picks up her clothes.

Jade's eyes meet mine in a glare so cold, I shiver.

He puts his hand on her back and leads her out of the room and to the elevator.

I don't move. I don't follow him or turn to see them. Instead, I stare out into the lights of the surrounding buildings.

He lied to me.

Did they sleep together when he got back from Vegas?

Why didn't he tell me the truth?

A tornado of hurt and betrayal spins in my gut. Blood pounds hard against my ears. Maksim's voice cuts through it.

"Don't come here again, Jade. There is nothing left between us."

"Maksim, you don't believe that."

"I do."

"Because of her?" Her voice is sharp as a knife and slices through the air, giving me goose bumps.

"Yes. I love her."

She firmly says, "No. You love me. Only a few weeks ago, you loved me."

"No. I didn't. It's been months. And we both know it's when this ended between us."

I take a deep breath. Happy he claimed me as his and isn't wavering about choosing her over me. But I'm still not sure how I'll get past his lie. I hate he slept with her after we were together.

I don't know if he did.

How could he not have? She's sexy, and he was in love with her.

"Goodbye, Jade," Maksim states, and the elevator doors shut.

I still don't look behind me. I smell bergamot and cardamom first. His hands slide over my shoulders and to my stomach. His body moves flush against mine.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, my krasotka."

My heart thumps harder. "Did you sleep with her?"

"We were together for eleven years."

I shut my eyes, but a tear escapes. "Why did you lie to me?"

He spins me. "When have I ever not told you the truth?"

I stare at his chest, wanting to touch it, but I don't dare. "I asked you when you were last with her. You said months before you met me."

He tilts my chin up. "Yes. That is the last time I slept with her."

"I'm confused."

He sternly says, "I have touched no woman since I met you in Vegas. Nor have I wanted to. That is the truth."

"But you saw her?"

"Yes. She was waiting in the lobby when I got back from Vegas. I told her to go home."

"And you haven't seen her since?"

"I have. We had dinner a few days later. She asked, and I thought it might give us both closure."

"What did she mean when she said her answer was yes?"

His jaw clenches. "When we went to dinner, she told me I was creating issues when we didn't have any. She said things were good how they were between us, and there wasn't any reason to change them. I told her it wasn't a point I was willing to compromise on anymore."

"But you asked her to reconsider?"

"No. She asked if we could talk again in a few weeks. I didn't see the point, but I also didn't want to hurt her. I must have given her the impression I still wanted her, and I'm sorry about that."

I want to believe him. But did he really not want her anymore? Is there any part of him that is rethinking letting her walk out of here?

"Come sit down." He guides me to the couch.

"No. I don't want to sit where she was. Not tonight."

"Okay." He leads me into the bedroom, sits against the headboard, and pulls me on top of him. He flips the switch next to the bed, and the gas fireplace, that's the length of the room, lights up.

His strong arms are warm. I sink into his body, which feels like heaven next to mine.

Nothing has changed.

Or has it?

"Why was she here? How did she get in?" I ask.

He closes his eyes then opens them. "It's my fault. I meant to remove her access from the security list, but I forgot."

I stare at the fire dancing along the wall.

Or did he not do it because he didn't really want it to be over and was secretly hoping it wasn't?

Maksim pulls his phone out of his pocket and tightens his arm around me.

I don't look at him. I shouldn't be mad. But everything about Jade makes me self-conscious. And she's so opposite of me. I don't understand how he could be so infatuated with her then be with me.

Am I second best? Did he settle for me? Is he going to wake up tomorrow and change his mind about her?

"Marcel. It's Maksim. I need you to remove Jade's access to everything," he demands while his thumb strokes my waist.

I close my eyes, wishing I didn't feel jealous, hating the vision I now have of her in thigh-high boots wrapped around Maksim's waist.

"Thank you." Maksim tosses his phone on the nightstand. "She no longer has any access."

I stay silent, my worries and unwanted visuals spinning in my head. I finally speak, my voice cracking, "We're so different."

Maksim flips me over onto my back. He pins me with his body and gaze. His heart beats into my breast. His hand cups my cheek. "Yes. You are. And I'm nothing like your ex-husband. I think we've both decided what we had in the past isn't what we want for the future. Or am I wrong?"

He's right.

Instead of agreeing with him, I admit my insecurities. "There isn't any part of you that wants to take her up on her offer? Now that she's willing to give you what you asked for all those years?"

"No. I have you. And even if I didn't have you, I'm over her." There's no room in his voice to question anything.

I release a shaky breath. "That's good."

His lips twitch. "Only good?"

I smile.

He kisses my neck under my ear then murmurs, "Should I show you how crazy I am about you?"

I reach for his face and hold it in front of mine, taking in every part of his gorgeous features—the iciness of his eyes, his chiseled cheekbones and jaw, and his lips, slightly swollen from all our kisses earlier.

His expression turns to worry. "My krasotka—"

"I don't want to wake up tomorrow and you regret choosing me over her," I blurt out, my face growing hot.

"Listen to me. There will be no regrets. I love you. And you love me, hmm?"

"Yes. So much."

"Then I think it's time we both trusted in us together, don't you?" He arches an eyebrow and strokes my cheek.

I nod. "Yes. You're right."

His lips twitch next to mine. "Then kiss me and use your sexy little body to show me how much you love me."