A Very Russian Christmas (2 page)

“Until Natalya has a brother,” he said, placing a protective hand on her baby bump. “And then a sister and another brother and—”

“Are you nuts?” she asked amid laughter. “Let’s just start with one and see how that goes.”

“All right,
lyubimaya
. We’ll start with one.”

“And her name is Sofia,” she reminded him.

“That’s not a battle you’re going to win as easily as the paint color for the kitchen,” he lightly warned. “I like Natalya. It’s a beautiful name.”

“So is Sofia.”

Ending their argument with a gentle kiss, he said, “There’s plenty of time for us to fight about that. Come upstairs with me. I want to show you something.”

Hand in hand, he led her to the room they had chosen as their nursery and tugged her along behind him. When he stepped aside, she spotted the furniture. “Dimitri!”

“I know we have to take out the carpet and paint the walls but I wanted you to see our baby’s furniture here. I wanted you to see how wonderful it’s going to be.”

Benny smiled at him and made her way to the crib. She touched the pretty finish. “How did you know this was the set I wanted?”

“I found the catalog you had hidden under the stack of magazines next to the bed.”

“It was really expensive, Dima.”

“So we’ll make cuts elsewhere in the budget,” he said. “We’ll make it work.”

“We always do.”

“Yes.” He thought of all the things they survived and accomplished together. “Perhaps that should be our family motto.”

Benny crossed the distance between them and wound her arms around his waist. When she peered up at him, the depth of her love for him was reflected in her eyes. “I know we’re only just getting started, Dimitri, but I think we’re going to have a wonderful life together.”

“We are,” he hurriedly agreed. “It’s going to be so good for us, Benny. I’m sure there will be lean times between our two businesses, but we’re smart and careful. We’ll get through them.” He cupped her nape and nuzzled their mouths together. “I keep thinking that I couldn’t possibly be any happier with you and then something new and wonderful happens like the baby and now the house.”

“You’re the one who made all that possible.” She rose on tiptoes to claim his mouth. “You’re the one who gave me this baby and this house and saved my business.”

“I’ll give you so much more, Benny.” He swore the words like a vow. “You can count on me. I’ll work harder than any man to make sure you and the children have everything you need and want.”

“We only need you, Dimitri. Just you.” She brought his hand down to her belly and slipped it under her shirt. Though she had been able to feel movement for weeks, he hadn’t been so lucky.

Until now.

A surprisingly powerful kick tapped his palm. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the alien sensation. Wondering if he had truly felt his daughter, he was quickly assured that he had when she kicked at his hand again. Prickly heat irritated his eyes, and he blinked rapidly. “I feel her!”

“She’s pretty amazing, huh?”

“So amazing.” He followed the baby’s movements, pressing gently to coax more kicks from her and laughing when little Natalya responded. Fascinated by the tender moment, he asked, “What does it feel like for you?”

“It’s strange,” Benny admitted. “But it’s so incredible to have her with me all the time. When she moves, I know she’s happy and healthy. It’s reassuring.”

“I’m actually jealous,” he confessed with a short laugh. Sliding to his knees, Dimitri pushed Benny’s shirt out of the way and dotted loving kisses across her belly. The sweetness of their family moment faded, and Dimitri’s kisses grew sensual.

She ran her fingers through his thick hair. “Dimitri?”

“We have a bed right next door.”

“Yes. And?”

“And I think it’s time we break in the new house.” Standing up, he swept his wife up into his arms, grinning at her squeal of laughter, and carried her into their master bedroom. The air mattress was far from the comfort of their king-sized bed, but it would be fun for one night.

“It’s like making love in a bouncy castle,” Benny joked as Dimitri climbed onto the mattress with her.

“A what?”

“A bouncy castle,” she repeated. “One of those big, inflatable castles that parents rent for a kid’s party.”

He stopped stripping her just long enough to catch her gaze. “We have to rent a castle for Natalya’s birthday?”

“Definitely,” she said, lifting her hips so he could tug her jeans free. “Knowing the way you’re going to spoil her,
Sofia
,” she emphasized the name, “will probably convince you to hire a petting zoo and a magician and—”

“God, I really need to get some more wealthy clients at the security firm,” Dimitri grumbled while peeling away Benny’s shirt and expertly unhooking her bra. “
Natalya’s
first birthday party is going to cost more than a year at university.”

“Not if you learn to tell her no,” Benny suggested.

Sliding down onto his stomach, Dimitri grasped her panties and jerked them down her hips. “I can’t even tell her mother no.”

Giggling, Benny wiggled her hips until her cotton underpants were out of the way. He tossed them over his shoulder and insinuated himself between her thighs. Draping her legs over his shoulders, Dimitri rubbed his lips side to side across the seam of his wife’s pussy before using his fingers to part her delicate folds. With her clitoris revealed to him, he wasted no time giving Benny exactly what she wanted.

“Oh, Dima,” she breathed his nickname on a rapturous sigh. His tongue swirled around the little pearl hidden there, coaxing it free from its hood and rewarding the tiny nub with soft flicks. Because she was so sensitive, Benny didn’t need much stimulation to reach a climax these days, but eating her pussy was one of his favorite things so he took his time lavishing her with oral attention.

Hips rocking and toes curling against his tattooed back, Benny whispered his name over and over. He dipped his tongue into the slick entrance of her before gliding it back to that swollen kernel and concentrating all his efforts there. With focused swipes, he pushed Benny higher and higher until finally, he suckled her clitoris and fluttered his tongue over it.

“
Ah
!” Head thrown back and hips snapping wildly, Benny pushed her pussy firmly against his mouth and rode the blissful waves of her climax. Loving the sound of her going crazy with pleasure, he drew it out as long as possible, only pulling back when she dropped down to the mattress and whimpered.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Dimitri slid down next to her, rolled onto his back and dragged her on top of him. Heavy with his baby, Benny presented the most erotic vision as she straddled his legs. Grasping her bottom in one hand and his thick cock in the other, he pressed the head of it between her plump, wet labia until he was right where he wanted to be.

He gently thrust up into his wife, always mindful of her comfort, and watched her face for signs that she needed him to adjust his tactics. Her smoky eyes closed briefly, and she bit her lip. “You feel so good, Dimitri.”

Palming her breast, he circled her sensitive nipple with his thumb and urged her to ride him. “Make me come, Benny.”

Hands on his chest, she worked her hips back and forth and swiveled until she found a pace that made them both groan. He caressed her breasts, taking care not to pinch her nipples too hard, and then settled his hands on that luscious ass. He guided her movements, telling her with a squeeze and a playful swat just how fast and hard he wanted it.

A pulsing, throbbing heat started low in his belly. A slight buzz traveled through his legs. Balls tight, he clamped down on his building orgasm, hoping to hold off just long enough for Benny to find her release. He licked his thumb and placed the wide digit just to the side of her stiff clit.

With a little strumming motion, Benny shattered atop him, her entire body quaking as she climaxed long and hard. The fluttering squeeze of her pussy was all it took to make him lose control. Unleashing the tether on his own release, Dimitri let the spasms of her cunt milk him dry.

She fell forward, and he gathered her in his arms. Ever so carefully, he placed her on her side and dragged the quilt up over their naked bodies. Side by side, they smiled, kissed and petted until Benny finally succumbed to the exhaustion of another long day. Not quite ready to all asleep, he was content to stroke her hair and hold her close.

For a long time, he simply stared down at the dark-haired vixen he had loved from afar for so long. Sometimes he couldn’t believe that only a few short months ago, he had feared she would never see him as anything other than her friend. Now she carried his last name and his child. It didn’t seem possible that any man should be so lucky, but he was.

He was the luckiest man in the world.

You can read Benny and Dimitri’s romance in DIMITRI (Her Russian Protector #2) available now in ebook and in print. An audiobook version will be available in early 2014.

A Luxury Sleigh Ride

ALEXEI

Stretching his aching neck, Alexei Sarnov crossed his office while waiting for Nikolai to answer his call. He made his way to the glass wall that allowed him to look down into the bullpen of car salesman at his flagship luxury dealership. This late on Christmas Eve, there were just a handful of his employees puttering around the place, most of them wrapping up delivery details for Christmas morning surprises.

“Alexei!” Festive music blared in the background but grew softer as Nikolai seemed to dart into a quiet area at his restaurant.

He smiled at Nikolai’s warm greeting. “How are you?”

“Very well, and you?”

“I can’t complain.” With the year shaping up to be the very best since he had opened, Alexei honestly couldn’t. “I’m sure you’re busy with the Samovar Christmas party but I wanted to make sure the car delivered earlier met your standards?”

Last week, his former boss had come to the dealership looking for a car for the waitress and artist he regarded as his ward. Alexei suspected there was more than simple platonic affection between them but he would never voice those thoughts aloud. Nikolai might not be his boss anymore but he was still an incredibly powerful and dangerous man, the sort Alexei absolutely did not want as an enemy.

“It’s perfect, Alexei. I’m sure she’s going to be thrilled. You did extremely well.”

“I’m glad you’re happy.”
I’m relieved, actually
, he thought to himself. Nikolai wasn’t an easy man to please but he had been more than fair in their dealings, not once trying to get any type of
family
discount. He had paid sticker price for the luxury coupe and simply asked that it be delivered with a bright red bow. “Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.”

“The same goes for you, Alexei.”

As the call ended, he spotted their nightly janitorial crew making their way from the back rooms to the main floor of the dealership. He tucked his phone into his pocket and watched the two sisters push their carts. The older sister was always on her phone while she worked and tonight was no exception. God only knew what she had to talk about this late at night. Apparently she was very popular.

The other sister, the younger one, went about her routine in the way he had come to expect. Industrious and quiet, Shay Sandoval started at the far left side of the building and began her methodical approach toward the center. He had watched her clean enough nights to know that Shay would eventually end up picking up the slack on her sister’s side too. Something told him she had been picking up her sister’s slack for years.

Turning away from the wall, he headed back to his desk and tackled the day’s paperwork. He was drumming his fingers and wondering how best to incentivize his sales staff in the New Year when a timid knock against his door interrupted him. “
Da
? Yes?”

Shay cautiously poked her head into his office. “Um…Mr. Sarnov? Would you like me to tidy up in here? Your door has been locked the last few nights and I haven’t had a chance to clean.”

He waved her inside. “Please.”

With a nod of her head, she carted in a shallow tote stocked with cleaning products and tools. Making little noise, she started tidying up his office. He thought about striking up a conversation with her but realized he didn’t know much about Shay other than her name and the length of time she had worked at the janitorial company.

“I’m sure you can’t wait to get home to celebrate the holidays.” He figured that was a safe enough bet.

“Sure,” she said, her voice soft and nervous. “And you?”

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t have much to celebrate.”

She shot him a strange look. “Really? You seem to have quite an amazing life.”

“Do I?” He wondered what she knew of his life.

Holding a duster, she swallowed. “Well…I mean…from what I can see. Your businesses are extremely successful. You’re well-respected in the community.”

“Yes.” He didn’t deny those things. After coming to Houston as part of Nikolai Kalasnikov’s hand-picked crew, he had earned his nest egg fighting in cages for the boss. His loyalty to Nikolai had been rewarded with this dealership. Six years later, Alexei owned a string of luxury and mid-range dealerships in the Houston area and a trucking company. “I’ve been incredibly lucky.”