In which we find that Alexi is not smooth with the ladies.
Alexi…
“This is incredible…”
Lucya is fluttering from one corner of the rooftop to the other. “I would never expect this from you,” she says, casting a teasing grin over her shoulder. “Magical fairy lights?”
I squint and look up at the strings of Edison bulbs crisscrossing the roof. “They’re for illumination. There are three settings and the last one will blind anyone trying to get up here.”
She laughs, leaning over to run her fingers through the koi pond. “And this?”
“Attack fish,” I say with a straight face.
“Of course,” she nods solemnly, fighting her smile. “I’m sure you have some stern, sinister reason for this perfect little greenhouse?” She hesitates by the door.
“Go in,” I nod. The interior is at least thirty degrees higher than the outside, and she sighs in relief.
We’d started the tour when I showed her the storage area with her pitifully small group of belongings; Lucya had a single suitcase, though the men packing up Inessa’s shit told me she had a full set of Louis Vuitton luggage.
When she caught sight of my rooftop, she went into full hummingbird mode, darting from the gardens to the fire pit.
The greenhouse air is warm and humid, the scents of a dozen different species of orchids and roses collide, mixing with the sharp bite of rosemary and lavender in the little kitchen garden.
“And this?” Lucya touches the rose petals delicately with the tips of her fingers. “Do you grow super secret herbal poisons here for your assassin work?”
“No.” Somehow, it’s easy to be honest with her. “I built it as a replica of my mother’s greenhouse at the country estate and planted her favorite flowers.”
Some of her animation fades but she nods. “Of course. What a perfect way to keep her close to you.” She gives me the sweetest smile. It seems she’s already forgiven me for scaring the living hell out of her with the abduction, she’s back to her cheerful, hopeful disposition already. How can she be capable of forgiving me this quickly?
It could be an act, but Lucya has no guile. I would have to wait and see.
“Oh… I love this swing!”
The greenhouse designer had installed a cushioned bench swing at the end, big enough for two people to sit together. I’ve never used it. She sits down, pushing herself back and forth with her foot.
“Can I move in here?” she asks, laying her head back on one of the green and yellow pillows.
“Not exactly a practical layout for a long-term residence,” I say.
“We could have meals brought up to us,” she suggested.
“What happens when you need to pee?”
“Don’t ruin my dream with practicalities!” she protests with a cheeky grin.
I let her swing back and forth for a moment, enjoying her bliss.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes, though I may not answer,” I say.
She sits up, crossing her legs. I get a brief flash of her sweet pink panties and groan internally. I haven’t gotten hard this much since I was a fucking teenager.
“How do you feel about this agreement?” Lucya’s not smiling anymore. “You’ve always had a very solitary life, right? It’s not like you have a choice here, either.”
Sitting down next to her, I start rocking us again. “I will always do as my Pakhan requests.”
“I don’t think you could sound more Russian right now,” she says. “I know. Duty, honor, and family first. But… are you going to leave me here, locked up in your Underworld while you travel the world killing people?”
I raise one eyebrow.
“I mean, if you don’t want this, I’m afraid that’s what you’re going to do,” she finishes awkwardly.
She’s too close, the warmth of her is smoothing over my skin like a caress, and if I bent my head, I could put my lips on hers. I remember her taste, the stuttering of her breath as she came…
Goddamnit, I’m hard again. My zipper’s about to rub all the skin off my cock.
“I didn’t intend to be a husband or a father,” I say slowly. “I’m a Vor. It is not compatible with my duties.” Her hopeful expression fades. “But,” I emphasize, “I will make it work. I’ll have to travel, but I will never leave you alone and unprotected.” Her smile doesn’t come back. “I’ll take care of you.”
“Will you let me take care of you?”
The question sets me back. When has anyone said those words to me? My mother, maybe, when I was very young. “I don’t need caring for,” I say coldly. These aren’t the right words and certainly not the right tone, but I don’t like how her question makes me feel. As if I need something like that. “My job will be to care for you, and any children we might produce.”
“Produce?” she says, frowning.
“Children are part of the package, Kolibri.”
She stands up, fussing with her skirt. “I’m cold,” she says, head lowered, “can we go downstairs?”
Grabbing her waist, I lift her onto my lap, straddling me. “Don’t you want to be a mother?”
“I don’t want to be an obligation,” she says, meeting my eyes with a fire that I’m finding very attractive. “I always kept out of everyone’s way, so I didn’t take up too much space. I may only be a waitress here, but I took care of myself. I took care of Inessa, too,” she admits. “I’m not helpless.”
“You wouldn’t be an obligation.” I’m sure I should be telling her how pretty she is, how pleased I am to have her as a wife. I’ve never been good with flowery language, unless I’m fucking. “Would you rather marry Dmitri?”
“Oh, my god no!” she says, horrified. “Uh… I mean, I’m sure he’s a good leader and, uh…”
“No, he’s a complete bastard and routinely fucks up,” I say, watching her obvious relief.
“He kind of is,” she agrees, “I’m sorry he’s a sociopath.”
If only she knew…
“Fortunately, he’ll be mainly in Russia and we’ll be here,” I say, “you won’t have to see him much.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Those men,” her expression twists into grief. “Were they really from my family’s Bratva?”
My fingers tighten on her waist, but she doesn’t flinch. “They were lucky I didn’t have time to draw it out. Your uncle’s men were supposed to be protecting you and Inessa. Yet you were left unsupervised at work and I nearly killed you. I took you home with me and they never knew. The Dubrovin Bratva allows drug use in its ranks. Those stupid fucks were getting high in the parking garage when I killed them. They weren’t the only ones on your uncle’s payroll.”
“Who else?”
“The front desk girl.”
“Maddie?” she asks, horrified, “But she was always so nice, I mean, we went out for drinks a couple of times.”
“She was keeping an eye on you,” I explain. “Two of the security guards as well.”
“My poor mother,” she says sadly, “spending her inheritance to send us here and the whole time, that bastard Rurik was keeping us as a little something to use later when we were useful.”
“Believe me,” I say, “based on all the possibilities that greedy fuck had in mind, I am your best option.”
She puts one cautious hand on my shoulder. “You are the only option I could want. I just…” she’s searching for the words, “I don’t want you to end up resenting me.”
My hands slide back to her little ass, squeezing it as I pull her forward, rubbing her against my painfully hard cock. “Does this feel like I resent you?” Her little intake of breath is fucking killing me. I’m seconds away from ripping off her underwear and cramming my cock into her. One hand settles around her throat, my thumb stroking her fluttering pulse. We’re close enough that our lips almost touch, close enough to feel her warm breath on my face, like sunshine.
She’s a virgin…
The reminder hits me like a bucket of ice water. Her first time can’t be in this greenhouse with her panties ripped off and bouncing up and down on me. Still, I squeeze her throat lightly, watching her pupils flare. It would take so little effort to get her wet and ready for me…
Lifting her to her feet, I stand and take her hand, pulling her out of the greenhouse. Once we’re at her bedroom door, I kiss her hand. “Go inside. Shut the door and don’t come out until morning.”
“Why?” she says breathlessly, clearly disappointed. “Do you turn into a werewolf or something?”
“You’re not ready.” I shut the door and walk away while I still have enough shreds of my self-control to do it.
