NikolaiI extend a hand towards her, waiting for her to hand over the gun like I requested. She doesn't but I notice the way her grip falters around the handle.A long second passes between us and I wait for her to lower the gun. She does not.My stubborn wife remains rooted in the same position, her gaze frantic, confused as she searches my expression."Why do you have a gun?" She asks, and I arch a brow in her direction, considering her question for a moment. "Is that what you Americans call a trick question?"She frowns at me, clearly not finding my humour as faltering as I hoped she would. "I'm serious Nikolai." she says, her voice stern, "Tell me why you have a gun in your room?""You are aware of my profession, or do you want to add that to the list of things you don't know about me?"Her frown deepens. Clearly, she doesn't appreciate my response."When you are the head of one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the whole of America and Russia, you learn to never leave a s
Nikolai "I'm a virgin Nikolai" Her words linger in the air for a solid minute, neither one of us moving. She's a virgin? A fucking virgin. Sure, I suspected that she was inexperienced, but a virgin? My gaze roams over my wife's figure, taking in every delicate curve, from the swell of her breasts to the flare of her hips then over the curve of her ass. How is that even possible? "Say something" she urges, biting down on her bottom lip. Don't tell me, I study her expression, watching her press her lips into a thin line, is she nervous? The corner of my mouth curves slightly as I take in the worried expression etched into her features. Was she worried that I'd be turned off by this? Did she think that her lack of experience made her inferior? I want to tell her not to worry, but the words are lodged in my throat, and instead, I frame her face gently in my hands, stroking my thumb over the curve of her jaw as I press my forehead against hers. "No other man has touched you befor
Ava Anger does not even begin to cover the synonyms of emotions that coursed through my veins when I woke up the next morning. Alone. Nikolai was nowhere to be found, and after a few disgruntled attempts at reaching for him on his side of the bed, I realised the horrible truth. I'd been abandoned. His sheets were cold, and I realised he'd probably been gone for hours, maybe even long, before I woke up, and in his place lingered only the faintest trace of cinnamon on the sheets. A pang of disappointment surged through me, sharp and aching. How could he leave? I wasn't familiar with the terms of one-night stands, but I'm pretty sure leaving your wife in bed after giving her not one, not two, but three mind-blowing orgasms was filed under the cabinet of dickery. He could've at least waited until I woke up before pulling the rug from under my feet. I'd pushed myself out of bed thirty minutes later, determined to find my husband and give him a piece of my mind but he was nowhere
NikolaiMy wife is ignoring me.My fingers clench at my sides as I watch my wife walk into our house, her shoulder subtly grazing mine as she steps into the living room, just enough for me to catch the sweet scent of cherries and vanilla she leaves in her wake.That fucking scent had been engraved in my mind all morning, and after last night, I determined I never wanted to get away from it. I wanted it everywhere I was, and I was willing to have it engraved in my fucking veins if I had to.I could think of every word in the dictionary but none would do justice to how absolutely devastating last night had been for me. I'd been wrecked in more ways than one and my wife was the only one with the ability to put me back together. Her soft whimpers of pleasure had filled my head and haunted my mind, making it impossible for me to focus on anything else.I watch her ascend the staircase, admiring the denim of her jeans clinging to her curves, the sway of hips equal parts mesmerizing and temp
AvaI didn't know what I expected Nikolai's room to look like and yet this right here manages to live up to the image I'd built up in my head. Compared to my room, Nikolai’s is massive, a plain that seems to stretch the further It goes.This amount of space seems absurd for one man and yet Nikolai seems to manage it just fine.A king-sized bed laid in dark satin sheets dominates the centre. The colour matches the charcoal grey drapes that hang from the ceiling to floor window that leads to a balcony. Identical armchairs facing each other serve as the only piece of furniture in the large room.There's nothing remotely homely about the place, and yet, for some odd reason, it feels warm.After I adamantly told Nikolai that there was no universe where I agreed to move into his room, he'd simply taken my hand in his and led me towards his bedroom door at the end of the hallway without so much as a word.The words he'd whispered to me in the hallway, our forehead pressed against each other
Ava"What are you doing, Malysh?" Nikolai asks, his voice low yet curious as he watches me stack pillow after pillow in the space between us.The corner of my mouth pulls downward, barely sparing him a glance. “Isn't it obvious? I'm building a barrier” I reply simply, reaching for another pillow.Nikolai leans back against the headboard, the mattress crinkling softly under his movements. His gaze never leaves mine as he watches me effectively build the only thing I could come up with last minute to serve as a barrier.“And why exactly do you need a barrier, Solnyshko? Especially one made from such flimsy building material" He says, eyeing said flimsy building material.His comment shouldn't bother me half as much as it does and yet it does.I release a puff of air, tucking the stray strands from my bun to the back of my ear before shooting him a sharp look.“If you must know I intend for there to be some sort of distance between us tonight. As long as this barrier is in place, there
AvaThe bed is warm when I stir awake. I instinctively reach out my hand, only to be met with the softness of the pillow barrier I'd created last night and - Surprise Surprise - an empty bed.I frown, sitting up, my eyes surveying the expanse of the mattress noting the rumpled sheets and the faint scent of cinnamon clinging to the linen, the only evidence that he had been here.I force out a sigh, running my fingers through my now tousled hair as the weight of crushing disappointment settles heavily in my chest. I swallow hard against the lump forming in my throat.He's left me before; why did I think this time would be any different…The sound of a door creaking open and slamming shut behind me stops my thoughts trail, and I whip my head towards the source of the noise.Broad shoulders fill the doorway of the walk-in closet as Nikolai steps into view, every gloriously scarred and tattooed inch of his torso upwards on full display. The pyjama bottoms he'd worn last night to bed are n
AvaNikolai scatter kisses down the side of my breasts then lower, lathering my stomach with the same attention. He hooks his fingers around the waistband of my shorts and my body tightens with anticipation.Nikolai's mouth had felt divine between my legs, and as much as I wanted to deny it, I loved every second he spent tasting me until my throat turned raw from the intensity.I want to feel that again. He'd been so perfect, so gentle with me. I study the way his eyes shut and his nostrils flare with each steadying breath he draws.“Go on a date with me tomorrow night"I think I'm dreaming until his voice breaks through the fog clouding my thoughts. I pry my eyes apart, looking down at him and meeting his gaze.“A date?”He nods then nips light at my hip bone, sending a violent shiver rippling through my entire body. “Yes, a date”, he murmurs, trailing lower.“Why?”He glances up at me briefly, his dark green eyes piercing into me in a way that makes my chest feel all tight and achy
AvaParks, they say, are the one place on earth where even the most caged souls can taste a little bit of freedom.Granted, I have no idea who they are, but surely they must be right because the look I see on Kira's face as she runs through the park—one of the less crowded, more private ones, of course—is one filled with pure excitement.Black curls bounce with the wind as she waves at me, her lips stretched thin and smile wide as she spins around right there in the middle of it all.I wave back at her, my heart full.Getting Nikolai's approval was surprisingly easy.Too easy.I'd expected resistance or, at the very least, his disapproval. But he'd been, surprisingly, willing.I watch Kira chase a butterfly, her giggles mixing with the sound of the other kids in the park and I can't help the warmth that spreads through me at the sight.She looks so happy. Free. The complete opposite of the girl who'd wandered into my studio yesterday.Settling onto the bench, I pull my coat tighter ar
Ava"You need to move around a little," the doctor says, adjusting his glasses as he scribbles something on his notepad. "Your body is healing well, but staying in bed too long will only make you weaker."I nod, relieved to hear that I no longer have to spend my days confined in this space. The last few days have been nothing but a blur of rest, food I barely tasted and a hovering husband who's spent every waking moment stitched to my side.Not that I was complaining. It was nice having someone fret over me, but I sometimes wished that said someone wasn't a six-foot-four, green-eyed, Russian mafia boss."So, does this mean I can finally go outside?" I ask, failing miserably at hiding my eagerness for my soon-to-be freedom. Who am I kidding? I sounded so damn eager even the doctor noticed. "Yes, Mrs. Volkov, that means you can finally go outside." The doctor says, glancing up from his notepad, lips twitching in amusement.I don’t even try to hide my relief. “Thank God,” I say, pushin
AvaI need to pee.Nikolai's sound asleep by my side, his heavy arm draped over my waist pinning me to the mattress. If I weren't so fully cautious of the warmth of his body against mine, I'd think I was trapped in a cage or better yet, that I still had a fever.But my fever broke a while ago, leaving my husband as the only cause of the inexplicable burning sensation shimmering just beneath the surface of my skin.I try sitting up, but my bones feel like they've been crushed by a bag of cement, and my muscles are fatigued. Nikolai's weight wasn't making it any easier for me to wiggle into a sitting position.Ugh, why is he so heavy?He's solid, unmoving, like a big boulder in the middle of the wilderness, completely unaware of my predicament.The room was still dark but the curtains had been drawn sometime earlier, so I guess it didn't count. I wonder what time it is.I try to move out of his grasp again, but every time I think I might've made some level of progress, Nikolai manages
AvaWhen I was a little girl, Aaron and I were playing in my mother's garden and he accidentally knocked over one of her paintings. It wasn't just any painting, it was her favourite piece. She'd spent weeks creating it and propped it up against an easel near the rose bushes, where she left it to dry.I still remember the exact moment it happened. We had spent the entire afternoon chasing each other, laughing our little hearts out at a game our mother had warned us to be careful while playing. Aaron had tripped, and while he tried to stop himself from crashing into the grass, he swung his arms out for balance, which unfortunately caused him to knock over our mother's paintings.Time seemed to stop as we both lifted the painting out of the rose bush and even as we straightened it, we both knew that the damage had already been done.“She’s going to kill me,” Aaron muttered when we took in the smeared painting. I'd never seen him look as scared as he did at that moment.He begged me to ke
Nikolai. "Fuck" I curse when the pan slips from my fingers, landing on the tiles with a loud clang. My daughter's head snaps towards me instantly, fixing me with a look I know all too well. "You said a bad word" I sigh, running my fingers through my hair as I bend over to retrieve the now dented frying pan. When I straighten, her tiny arms are crossed over her chest, her bottom lip jutted out and she's pinning me with a stern look. "That's three swear words today", she announces, looking every bit excited at my slip-ups. I always try my best to avoid using 'bad words' as my daughter likes to call them around her, but making breakfast at the ass crack of dawn isn't exactly something I'm built for, and it shows. "Are you keeping count now printsessa?" She nods, grinning ear to ear, "Mhm. And you owe the swear jar three dollars." Ah yes, how could I possibly have forgotten about the swear jar? No wonder she looked so excited. Kat introduced the swear jar shortly after I beca
AvaBy the time we reach the mansion, I'm shaking through my skin and can barely keep the trembling in my bones at bay.He's back.My father, the man who'd sold me not once but twice and ran away, was back. And he’d been at the hospital, watching me.A violent shudder rocked through me, nausea churning in the pit of my stomach.Did he know I was going to be there? How long has he been back? How long has he been following me? And why hadn’t I noticed until now? How long..."Your hands are shaking" The words drag me from my spiralling thoughts, and I blink, realizing the car is no longer moving."Huh?""Your hands," She nods towards the fist still clenched around my sweater in a death vice, "They're shaking"Her brows pinch together, "Are you cold?"Cold? No. Shocked? Definitely. But with everything that's going on with Kat, I can't tell her what's really happening. At least not until I'm sure myself. So I lie."Yes," I nod, then tug the sleeve of my sweater down to add to my dramatics,
AvaThere were three things Ava was slowly beginning to learn about her new 'friend' Bear.The first being that he was not just grumpy like she originally thought but actually extremely grumpy and it wasn't because he hadn't warmed up to her but because that's just who he is. She was pretty sure that she had never heard him smile like ever. Not even once.The second thing was that as much as he tried to deny it he enjoyed it whenever he heard her knock on the wall. In fact, she was again pretty sure those were the only times she ever heard him almost smile.The third and most recent thing was that he enjoyed silence. He had been quiet all day, and no matter how much she knocked, he hadn't made a single sound, and yet still, she knocked again.Silence."Bear?"More silence.Her curiosity was now slowly starting to turn into something else. Something she didn't like.Worry? Fear?She shook her head.Bear was Bear. He was strong and Ava was fairly certain that nothing could hurt him. Wel
AvaDownstairs, Kat is already dressed and waiting for me in the car.I slip into the backseat beside her, letting out a small sigh as I settle in.The ride to the hospital is mostly filled with silence as we roll into the streets of Chicago. I peek at Kat, worrying when I see her picking at the edge of her thumb with her fingernails.She seems tense for some reason and as much as I want to, I decide that it's best not to pry.Whatever is bothering her I'm sure she'll tell me when she's ready. We arrive at the hospital twenty minutes later and Kat is out of the car before the driver even comes to a full stop in the parking lot. I follow after her, struggling to keep up with her pace.Inside the hospital smells of antiseptic, the stench hitting me the moment I step in along with the smell of iodine and latex, making my stomach churn. We make our way to the receptionist's desk, where a blonde woman in light blue scrubs, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, greets us with a
AvaThree days.That's how long it's been since my brother contacted me. Three days is also how long it's been since I lied to Nikolai by telling him that I got lost in the art store when I got home and found him looking like he had lost his mind without me. Two days is how long it takes for me to try my brother's phone again. It goes straight to voicemail.I still haven't fully been able to wrap my head around everything Aaron told me. Learning that we no longer shared the same father, and we apparently never did, to begin with, felt like a missile launched in the middle of the desert, unexpected and unpredictable. And as if that wasn't enough, his biological father was none other than Raicán O'Sullivan, the former head of the Irish mafia who wanted Aaron to take his place, and what's worse is that my brother was actually considering joining the Irish mafia as their new leader.It all felt so... jarring. Growing up with Aaron I'd never once considered that he was unhappy with his l