Nikolai“I’ve got you.”“We’re going to do this together.”Everything echoed in a torturing slow motion: the heartbeat on the monitor, the footsteps and voices of the medical team swarming around us, their efficient movements a blur, her agonizing screams when the contractions hit, the sound of her tears, her nails digging into my skin as she held on tight, fighting for our baby.Fighting for us.The seconds seemed excruciatingly longer and more painful. Until....Until we heard him cry.Then, my heart stopped.I’d heard babies cry. Heck, I helped Freya change Alina and Alexei’s diapers one time. But this was different, more personal. The wails hit my chest, snatching my breath away at the first sound, and when the nurse picked him up, his stretched-out tiny arms and legs pinched me in the gut.Rosalyn was already fast asleep on the bed. The doctor said the pain knocked her out. So, I held the little fighter—our son.Mine.The last time I experienced a feeling as pumped as this was the
RosalynThree Months LaterMidnight.The city outside our penthouse apartment slept, but I was wide awake, patting Cian on my chest while watching rain pelts mercilessly hit the glass and purple lightning streaks flash through the dark skies. The soft glow from the nightlight cast shadows on the walls, making the room feel larger than it was, and the cold only made me miss him more.For three months, Niko’s absence weighed heavily on me. It was past midnight now, and he still wasn’t home. He had been working late for weeks now, always caught in something. There was always an excuse. His world was full of barricades, things he didn’t want me to touch or be a part of, and it was frustrating.I sighed, gently rocking the baby as he slowly quieted in my arms. “Who’s Mommy’s champion?” I kissed his nose, and his tiny face scrunched up for a moment before his breathing steadied. I looked down at him, my heart swelling with love. He was so beautiful and perfect, but I couldn’t shake the exha
“What’s wrong? You’re seriously asking me that?” I sat up, pulling the covers tighter around myself and struggling to keep my voice low for the sake of our baby. “You come home at thishour without so much as a text, and you want to know what’s wrong?” Niko didn’t answer. His face was calm, unbothered, which only made my frustration worse. “Do you even realize what it feels like? To be sitting here, waiting for you, wondering if you’ll bother to show up at all?” I could feel the heat rising in my chest, my hands gripping the blanket as if that would stop the trembling. “It’s like you don’t even care anymore. It’s been three months, Niko. Three months since I felt you: your touch, your kisses, your presence in this goddamn house. “What’s wrong?I should be askingyouthat! What’s wrong, Niko? Don’t you want me anymore? Don’t you love me anymore? I mean, it should be simple, right? If there’s someone else out there—” “Don’t.” His icy time cut me off like a sharp knife. “Don’t finish tha
Epilogue NikolaiOne Year Later“No, I am not fucking singing.”“You made a deal.”“Over a year ago.”Timur picked up a piece of cake and shoved it into his mouth, and Anatoly glared at him. I stood by the grill, watching them bicker. They’d been at it all day, something about a bet they made a year ago that I hadn’t paid much attention to at the time. Timur caught my eye, grinning like a kid with a secret, and I knew I was about to hear something absurd.“Hey, Niko,” he called out, taking a sip of his beer. “Remember that bet Anatoly and I made at your son’s christening?”I raised an eyebrow, flipping the burgers. “Vaguely. What about it?”.“Well,” Timur continued, his grin growing wider, “I lost. And now I have to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to your son in true Russian style.”Anatoly barked out a laugh, shaking his head. “He said he’d nail it with the accent and all if he lost. So, now he has to do it.”Timur shot him a playful glare, then shrugged, clearly not too upset about having to
Book 3 introduces different characters and storyline while still maintaining the forced marriage To the merciless Mafia series. **************** A debt to pay, a brother to save, a monster to marry. Timur Yezhov, the cold-hearted Bratva boss, is a storm of cruelty and control. When my father’s hidden debt comes due, I make a desperate choice to save my younger brother. I offer myself to the mafia monster in his place. Now, I’m trapped into a marriage with a man who is both my captor and my tormentor – and I am pregnant with his child. Every moment with Timur is a battle. I despise the way he demands and commands, but his brutal touches leave me craving more. His grumpy, unyielding nature is as frustrating as it is magnetic. I hate what he makes me feel, but I can’t deny the way my body responds to his dominance. How do you fight a man who makes you burn with every touch? Can I protect my heart and my child from the ruthless man who’s claimed us both? Or am I do
“Done,” they echoed.“Alright, now that you’ve had a chance to look over the folder, let’s do a quick activity that will help us relax before we launch into some more serious stuff, okay?”A few of them in the back dropped their heads on the desk, groaning about “never-ending boring school work and activities,” which made me laugh.“I promise, it’ll be fun.” The lot of them looked on eagerly, waiting for the next word to leave my mouth. Even I was more elated than the expectant students. “Take out your notebooks because now.... Now, you’ll be writing a letter—”“I knew it,” a dark-haired boy named Nico with siren eyes laughed, bringing out his notebook and taking the tip of his pen between his teeth. “Ms. Garcia made us write letters on our first day in fifth grade, addressing the school and seeking permission to use the basketball court during a few periods forrecreational learning, she called it.”“Meanwhile, she just wanted to spend time with her boyfriend,” entered Lucien, Nico’s
The tall man was lean, had fair skin, silver eyes, and short brown hair that was faded at the sides. He regarded me with a charming gaze and had thin lips that curved to the side in a bedazzling grin. I recognized him from school events.“Jake’s dad, right?” With another smile—because I deserved an award for the number of times I had smiled today—I offered my hand. “It’s fine. I’m an easy scare.”He laughed, taking my hand, and I noticed the one-sided dimple on his left cheek. On a regular day, I always tried not to let my eyes stray from a parent’s eyes. And a regular day was allthe time. For as long as I had worked as a school teacher. For three years.Today, however, I allowed my eyes to stray, and I noticed that…he was not at all bad looking.I shouldn’t have noticed.I really shouldn’t have.Because now, I couldn’t help but admire the snug fit of his pale blue dress shirt against his chest, or the straight fit of his black pants, or how firm his hands were wrapped around mine. Sw
Timur“How much?”I tapped the butt of the pen against the paper spread out on the desk in front of me, perusing over and over again.It was raining outside. Grey skies, gloomy weather,memories.I fucking hated it. Rainy days had somehow proven to be harbingers of bad days over the years. And today was one of them. Something was amiss with the calculation. The figures didn’t match. My eyebrows formed a line between my forehead, and I restarted the analysis, tracing the tip of the pen over the leading points of recently concluded deals, sliding the ink through logistics settled at the hidden routes, expenses at storehouse locations, profits from the establishment, and….I slammed the pen against the paper, feeling the black casing crack underneath my palm. “It doesn’t fucking match.”“How much?” the bald man across the desk nonchalantly repeated, voicing his disinterest in my concerns but rather engrossed in the reason he was seated in my office. I raised my eyes to him.Sitting comfort
I never considered myself a saint, but growing up, a part of me hated it when Jayden called the Lord’s name in vain. I was uncomfortable with anyone doing it, and because it felt wrong, it made the hairs on my neck rise, so I’d caution him. But now, I felt nothing but satisfaction as I watched Timur—not hate or caution…justsatisfaction.His gaze faltered, and he leaned against the wall, tugged down the zipper of his pants, and—in a blinding flash—he pulled out his—“Put a finger in your pussy for me,Pchelka.”I couldn’t concentrate, not when he offered me a full big-screen-worthy view of watching him wrap his hand around his veiny hard-on.“Serena.” His commanding voice and the huskiness, combined with the sound of my name, brought me back to focus.On its own accord, my finger moved towhere I badly ached for him, and, like the first time, I slipped inside through my slickness. An involuntary moan left my lips, and my eyes fluttered, but he didn’t even give me a chance.“Eyes on me.”
Through my reflection in the mirror, I watched my cheeks flush a deeper shade of scarlet, and my body tingled in excitement. I didn’t even know when I laughed out loud.What are you thinking, Serena?And yet, despite the million and one reasons I had to desist from taking any step closer to the bed, one reason posed to be the most convincing, forcing me to abandon thoughts about right and wrong until I lay my back on the soft mattress, spread-eagle style:I missed him.“Oh, Serena.” I heard the nerves in my voice and pinned my eyes to the smooth ceiling above me.Clutching the sheets with one hand in a vise grip, I spread my legs wider. The cold air hit my skin, causing goosebumps to rise, and I turned toward the window, only realizing now that a rainstorm had picked up outside. I should have shaken off the stupid idea that brought me to the bed in the first place, got on my feet, and moved to close the shutters. Instead, I pulled the bed covers over my legs and lowered my back into t
SerenaFingering the hem of my dress, I stared at the soft fabric and looked back at the mirror. Blue eyes met mine, golden hair poured below fair shoulders, and I blurred out the image of soft curves and bare hips.Countless times, especially in high school, I’d been called a prude.It wasn’t true. Or maybe it was. I didn’t squeal or gush over pictures of slippery hard abs or full naked men as they did or swooned over R-18 magazines they snuck into class. I couldn’t remember ever being a big fan of nudity, not even where I was concerned. I just didn’t know how to…reactto provocative images or thoughts.Sad, but needless to say, it contributed a lot to my not having many friends.I shook my head in an attempt to get rid of the distracting thoughts. Then, I stared again at the mirror.Throughout everything I’d been through in recent times, I was still me. I was the same person who watched her parents break apart, the same girl who had to step into the shoes of both parents to cater to
TimurThe dreams should have been the first sign. After I noticed that they’d been gone for more than a week, I should have known. Thinking about it now, I almost couldn’t remember the artistic red splash on the wall or the face that owned those lifeless eyes. A new kind of nightmare haunted me. This one was a living nightmare, with perfect lips, perky tits, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Saying I was screwed wasn’t even going to cut it.Fuckedbetter suited the context, and it wasn’t helping that I suddenly remembered Nikolai’s question.Why didn’t I sell her off, leave her in the sea of sharks to feast on? Then, I wouldn’t have to deal with fighting off the provocative images and sounds from my mind that I’d practically guided her to plant there. Her well-being wouldn’t be my fucking business; none of her would concern me. But simply, the thought sent a violent fire that spread up my back, forcing me to straighten up on the chair.My gaze on the desk hardened, and I directed my anger tow
The mirth in his eyes disappeared, replaced by an inferno of undiluted desire. Without looking at me, he recited the third piece of our own secret mantra.“Have me.”The tip of his veiny erection—which was very hard and big—rubbed against my sex before easing into me. My eyes fell shut, shock waves rolling down my body as I tensed, my walls clamping around him.“Fuck…” he cursed, a smooth roll of Russian pouring from between his lips. Almost resisting him, I clenched down on him so tightly, struggling to adjust to his full size, and his jaw flexed. He caressed my bare ass, muttering incoherently in his foreign accent while he squeezed gently.Finally, with gritted teeth and holding back a drop of tears, I relaxed.He watched me, his eyes boring deep into my soul as we moved together. I felt my world shift. I was aware of every gasp, every sigh, every flicker of pleasure that danced between us. I surrendered to the fire that burned brightly within, trusting him to guide me through the
He was all man and no emotions, with a very inviting chest, a chiseled torso, and a mouth that held back nothing. Whenever Jayden cursed, it sounded dirty, but the same words pouring out from this man sent tingles to my toes.Nodding, I gulped. “I understand.”“Want me.” His fingers brushed my cheeks so lightly as his eyes stared into the depth of my soul. “Have me. Need me.Those are the only things I want you to think about. I’ll handle the rest.”Want me.Have me.Need me.I was already breathing fast, and my clothes were still on.This moment between us reminded me of the first time I had welcomed the sixth graders to class. Only now, he felt like the teacher and I, the new student. And this was like class.He was going to handle the rest, he said. All I had to do was immerse myself in the waves of tumultuous passion for thisman, whose gaze licked the length of my body as though it were a delicious lollipop.“Are you okay now?”Startled, I looked back at him, rattled on my rocker t
Then, the moment came.As his lips brushed softly against mine, the kiss was gentle, almost reverent. In that fleeting moment, I felt the wallsof my heart begin to crack, and I wasn’t sure at the time, but something in me wanted more.****We went into the house at separate times for a quick shower and a change into something smoother. Klavdia practically had to force me out of the room when all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep the rest of my life away.He had some of his people set up and organize one of the large halls in the house to be decorated. Before now, I didn’t even know such a chamber existed in the same building, and slowly, it started to sink in, what Klavdia said about being the lady “…of all of this.”I could hardly believe it as I stepped into the grand ballroom. It was jaw-dropping magnificent. The air was thick with the intoxicating blend of expensive cologne and the sweet aroma of floral arrangements. Russian laughter—if there ever was such a thing—and mu
SerenaI didn’t like it.Not the dress, the tears. They just kept rolling freely, and Klavdia had already warned me to wipe them off and not ruin my makeup. Somehow, she reminded me of my grandmother. She died of a stroke when I was six. I didn’t remember much abouther except that she was low-key stuck-up, had long white hair, and never smiled. And she gave great advice, like telling a six-year-old, “Whatever you do, don’t get knocked up before you get married.”Needless to say, years later, I didn’t have to do much to follow that advice.Klavdia seemed like the type, too, but I doubted that we’d ever get to the stage where we’d share bits and pieces of our lives over cups of tea and biscuits, and I’d get to know if she had grandchildren.She also said I wasn’t supposed to let mysoon-to-be husbandsee it. He’d already made it very clear that he found tears sickening.Carefully dabbing the tears off under my eyes, I fixed my mascara and eyeliner, aiming to reappear brand new, like a gif
TimurThe air buzzed with the familiar energy of drunkenness, wasted lives, and ecstasy.The club lights pulsed low, a hum settling over the crowd as we made our way through the reserved spot with “VIPs ONLY” dangling beside the plush red ropes. The place was high-end and sleek in design, with black marble, plush leather seats, and a bar that stretched half the length of the room. Neon blue lights traced along the walls, flashing a glow that glinted off the glassware and tinted everything a cool, metallic hue.One of Rafayel’s contacts owned the club.I nodded, assessing the bubbling life. Not bad.My brother’s laugh cut through the bass-heavy music, and I turned in time to see him share a handshake with Arlo, both of them already in high spirits. I didn’t need either of them to tell me; they’d probably made some stupid bet on something I wasn’t going to bother myself about.Nikolai followed close, his gaze scanning the room—a man with more restraint these days, but still, he’d undoub