Deceitful Lies by Brook Wilder
Chapter 20
Paige
The rain taps gently against the ballroom windows, creating a soundtrack to our conversation. Andrei and I have been here for hours, me lounging on one of the new trendy sectionals while he wanders aimlessly, looking out onto the lawn. I’m pleased to have him to myself again, but I wish he’d calm down.
“You know,” I say, half-teasingly, “Crimes mustn’t be committed in bad weather.”
Andrei smiles faintly. “My crime, as you call it, cannot be halted by the weather.”
I grimace a little. “Tell me what’s on your mind.” I know something happened the other day when Sonya sent me a cheerful text apologizing for Andrei’s bad mood before I even knew he was in one.
Andrei tugs a hand through his hair and sits on the couch beside me. I draw my feet up close to my body, as if a badly housebroken panther sits beside me. He looks me in the eye solemnly, and I hold my breath.
“I’ve relinquished some important duties to Dmitri. I’m hoping to be astonished that I don’t have to keep everything and everyone under my thumb. Sonya says I should do that so I can spend more time with you.”
I smile, praising Sonya silently for interfering. “You trust the men and women in your Bratva. You trust Dmitri and Natasha to make the right decisions, right?”
A contemplative expression settles on his face. “There’s a right way and a wrong way. And there’s my way. I like my way the best.”
I wonder if this is the norm for other Bratva wives, telling their husbands not to micromanage their criminal activities. But I refrain from joking about it, certain that Andrei won’t confide in me the next time if I do. I rub his broad back comfortingly, easing the tight muscles beneath his shirt. It’s all I can think to do. Our life experiences have shaped us differently, but maybe I can try to understand his struggles without judging him. I’ll have to if I want to remain his confidante.
“Sonya might be right,” I reply. “You don’t have to clutch everyone and everything in an iron fist. Dmitri is a sensible choice.”
“Dmitri,” he mutters, but says nothing more.
I’m his true wife, despite what his Bratva might believe. Not an impostor. No longer struggling or learning from my mistakes along the way. I’ve earned my place beside Andrei. No one could find fault with me, especially Talia. I feel a sense of victory for all my hard work, like I’ve been awarded a prize simply for holding on.
“You look pleased with yourself,” he says, smiling, “as if you know all the answers to every question.”
I lean into him, resting my chin on his strong shoulder. “Maybe I do.”
Andrei looks toward the window, and something has caught his attention. He chuckles as he watches Eva hurrying in the rain toward the maze, her head ducked low under her umbrella, no doubt anxious to reach the shelter of the tall hedge.
I feel a little guilty knowing what I know. I can’t tell Andrei about Eva’s secret, or it will hurt her and maybe Emma. It’s probably harmless for Eva to have a secret lover. I don’t know how to handle everything, but pretending I do is easier.
“I’m uncertain how to handle this,” he says.
“Handle what?” I reply stiffly.
“The situation we’ve created,” he replies. “That I’ve created.”
“I don’t blame you for anything,” I reply softly. “Not now.”
Andrei takes my hand. “Paige, we will find a way together.”
“Trusting me means you have to tell me everything.” I say, hoping he will say what I want him to say.
Instead, he goes quiet, and the wall between us slowly rises again.
I find solace in the momentary silence, at the gentle patter of the rain on the windows, the stillness in the house, his hand holding mine, and the feeling that we are becoming what we should have been that day we stood on the altar and the gold crowns descended on our heads.
But we’re also becoming something else. Something worse: a husband and wife who keep secrets from each other.
“We haven’t discussed my pregnancy,” I say a little too loudly, changing the subject. “I never asked how you felt.”
His hand squeezes mine. “I want to be a father and for you to be my baby’s mother.”
My heart pounds in my chest with relief, knowing Andrei doesn’t think of his baby as another one of his responsibilities. Or worse, a burden. Our child will have two parents that love it. If they are in love with each other, I can only answer for myself.
He pulls me onto his lap and kisses my neck gently but eagerly. I hold his face, kissing him hard, as if everything that happens is my choice, not his.
“I can take control too,” I challenge.
He grins. “Then show me.”
Andrei’s strong hands move along my body, sending shivers all over me as I lie on top of him. His deft touch causes me to gasp as his hands move further up my body. I’m trying to remain in control, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult as the sensations course through me. My breath is heavy and shallow, and all I can do is clutch the couch tightly as he lifts my dress.
He pulls me forward, and my heart races as his lips close on one of my nipples through the silky fabric. Humming, I tilt my head back in pure pleasure.
I tense as I feel his hand on my soaked pussy; then he bites into my overly sensitive nipple while sliding two fingers into my wetness. I try to bite down on the pillow to control my screams as a wave of intense delight shatters through me.
“Do you like that?” His voice is deeper, rougher. His lips lock onto my breast, and the vibrations from his words send waves of electricity through my body.
“Yes,” I whisper into the pillow, trying to restrain myself from rubbing nastily against his hard stomach as the heat radiating off him burns my clit up. I lift my head and gasp, “More.”
Yet, even as I crave his touch, a part of me knows I should resist. I don’t dare admit what I feel for him. Not until I know things have really changed.
Andrei’s fingers move deeper inside me as he teases my nipple with his teeth. I want to cry out but stifle my moans, burying my face in the throw pillow again. His fingers press against my folds, exploring and teasing my aching depths. I swallow hard, trying to stifle the moan climbing in my throat. I want him to make me come, but at the same time, I’m scared of what might happen if I give in completely to love. Andrei continues to drive me wild with his firm touch until I’m so close to orgasm that it would be a crime to deny myself the pleasure any longer. With one final thrust of his fingers, Andrei releases me into blissful oblivion.
“I’m still waiting for you to take control,” Andrei smirks sexily as I catch my breath.
“You won’t be smirking when I’m through.” I inch down the length of his hard body until I’m straddling his legs. I look at him hungrily, awed by the size of his erection through the thickness of his jeans.
I yelp in surprise when he grips me to his chest with one hand and pushes down his jeans with the other. I look toward the door, wondering if we will be caught like two teenagers left home alone. And not really caring.
“Ready?” he asks, placing me back on his hips.
I nod and lift my knees above him. Slowly, I lower myself over him, and with Andrei’s steady hand on my ass, I slide my body slowly down his stiff length.
His hands grasp my hips, firm and unyielding, as I straddle him, pushing my body fiercely against his with every thrust. My damp dress clings to my breast where he sucked. I can feel the heat of his body as his hands move eagerly up and down my ass. I bunch my dress up around my waist, and his hands roam over my skin, sending shocks along my flesh until he finally touches my clit. With a stroke of his fingers, I throw my head back and pant in anticipation.
“I want you to come again,” he murmurs. His fingers move faster and faster, and I can feel the pressure inside of me rising until it explodes into a flood of desire so strong, I struggle to catch my breath.
I moan as Andrei’s hard cock fills me completely. I keep up the rhythm, feeling my pleasure climb almost unbearably. His fingers move with precision, stimulating me until I scream.
I arch my back, and my eyes roll back in my head as desire courses through my trembling body. My muscles clench as another orgasm rips into me, but I keep moving, pushing Andrei closer to his climax.
He gasps as I move my ass, his hips rotating upward in frantic thrusts until his eyes squeeze tight and he bellows in pleasure, his hands holding me still as he fills me. I cling to Andrei, and we finally collapse into each other from exhaustion as the rain falls and thunder rolls in the distance.
