Dimitri's Forbidden Submissive (Submissive's Wish) (35 page)

Before his icy rage could fill him, a hot tear dropped onto his shoulder, thawing his anger and replacing it with deep thanks. He pressed the side of his face to her belly and wrapped his arms around her hips, taking in deep breaths of her clean skin. With a soft murmur Rya began to run her fingers through his hair, her gentle touch soothing him. His love for her overwhelmed him and he wished he could tell her how much she meant to him, but he didn’t have the words. Part of him wanted to ask her about the attack, but if he did, he knew his anger would overwhelm him. No, was better focus on the here and now, because he had Rya back in his arms, despite all odds, and he wasn’t going to lose her again.

She loved him, without a doubt. He wanted to tell her that he loved her as well, that he was both her Master and slave, but she had enough to deal with right now. Once they were in Russia and he helped her ease into her new life, he would let her know that he couldn’t let her go even if he wanted to. This crazy possessiveness was so unusual to him he had a hard time dealing with it. He wanted to put Rya in a gilded cage, to keep her safe, but she had a wild heart and confinement would kill her. So instead, he tried to bind her to him with pleasure, with his love, so that she would willingly come to him, and understand that he was strong enough to run with her, to live life at her side, to protect her always as they enjoyed everything the world had to offer.

“Tell me,
dorogaya
, what can I do to make you happy? I need to take this sadness from you, need to take care of you so you do not regret being my woman.”

“Dimitri,” she murmured in a soft voice that she seemed to reserve exclusively for him, “I will never regret my decision to come with you. The thought of waking up with you every morning…you have no idea how lost I was without you. It was like I’d been shown this amazing, wonderful world when I was with you, and once you left, I was thrown back into a mundane and dreary life. I thought about you all the time, wondering where you were, what you were doing. To say I was obsessed with you is a bit of an understatement.”

While her words eased his tension, he worried that she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into, that she had some romantic vision about what being his woman would be like. “You say this now, but what about when you are angry with me over the level of security that you will have to live with? What about when we have an argument that I am too overprotective, or you disapprove of my having to work long hours?”

“Then we deal with those things as they come up just like any couple deals with their problems.”

He wanted to argue with her, but when she yawned he shook his head and stood, sweeping her up into his arms. “We will take nap.”

“What about dinner?”

“I will call Ivan and ask him if it can be served a little later.”

“I don’t want to throw off their schedule,” Rya murmured as he scooted her beneath the covers.

Already her eyelids were closing and he marveled at how soft her beauty was right now, how stunning. Bare of any makeup with her damp hair spread around her, his little Rya radiated a peacefulness that he wanted to wrap around himself like a blanket. Bending to give her a kiss, she made some kind of sleepy sound and he couldn’t help but smile.

That smile dropped from his face as he moved across the room to retrieve his phone before slipping on a pair of pants and going out on the balcony. Watching the surf roll in, he began to place a series of calls to different people within his Bratva, making sure all would be ready for Rya’s arrival. Before Dimitri left he’d made a couple very public comments about the fact that Rya was his woman. He also made it clear that she was also under the protection of those Bratvas allied with the Novikovs. Anyone who tried to harm Rya would be starting a war they could never win.

Dimitri could only hope the plans he’d put in place would be enough to keep her safe. He’d buried his mother and his sister, and Jessica and her unborn child. If he had to bury Rya as well he would soon follow her to the other side and hope that his version of hell wasn’t spending eternity without her.

Rya leaned closer to Gia against the dinner table and they both burst into giggles at whatever they were talking about. Looking across the table to where Ivan was watching the women Dimitri met his eye and they shared an amused look. They’d finished a wonderful dinner made by Ivan’s staff and the conversation had been easy. Gia and Rya seemed to have an instant rapport with each other and it eased his heart to see the women getting along so well. It would do Rya a world of good to have a friend in Moscow. Since they would be living on the same floor as Gia and Ivan, it made Gia the perfect choice for Rya’s friend.

He just hadn’t anticipated the attraction between his girl and Gia.

The women had split a bottle of white wine, and as they nibbled at their chocolate mousse, he caught an almost playful sexual tension between them. Ivan seemed to have picked up on it as well because he raised an eyebrow in Dimitri’s direction and said in Russian, “Does Rya like women?”

“She does, but she tends to be sexually dominant with them.”

Ivan chuckled. “Ahhh, that makes sense then.”

“What do you mean?”

“Gia trained with a Domme who is similar to Rya in looks and personality. Your girl is exactly my woman’s type. No wonder Gia has been flirting as much as she has.”

The women looked over at them and giggled again. When Dimitri caught Rya’s eye, she blushed and returned to whispering with Gia. He noticed the way Rya looked at the other woman from beneath her lashes, little heated glances that made his cock twitch. For her part, Gia seemed to be touching Rya often, seemingly innocent caresses that nonetheless had Rya’s nipples stiffening and pressing against her top.

He turned his attention back to Ivan. “Are you open to letting them play together?”

“Yes, but you do not touch my Gia.”

Dimitri gave Ivan an equally warning look. “And you do not touch my Rya.”

Ivan held his gaze for a long moment, then his lips twitched. “As you wish.”

Not liking the full smirk that curved Ivan’s mouth Dimitri grunted. “What?”

“Nothing.” Ivan sobered then stood. “Come. We need to discuss your situation.”

Dimitri stood and leaned over, giving Rya a kiss then said in English, “Ivan and I go talk business. Will you be all right?”

She beamed up at him and he was sure he grinned back like an idiot. “Okay. We’ll be fine. Go do your manly man thing.”

Gia giggled when Ivan leaned down and whispered to her. The only consolation Dimitri had for being so openly besotted with Rya was that Ivan was just as wrapped up in his fiancée. They left the blushing women and Dimitri followed Ivan through the house and up to the top floor where Ivan had his study. It amused Dimitri to see the similarities to Petrov’s study in Ivan’s house, but it made sense. Petrov was Ivan’s uncle and a father figure to him. There were rumors that Petrov was grooming Ivan to head the Dubini family after he retired, but Dimitri wasn’t sure Ivan would accept the position. His friend was a very successful businessman with an empire of his own to run. More importantly, Ivan had distanced himself from the Dubini Bratva, and Dimitri couldn’t picture Gia living the life of a Bratva wife.

After pouring them both glasses of Iordanov Vodka, Dimitri took a seat in one of the oversized burgundy leather chairs near the bank of windows looking out over the moonlit ocean. The room had a barely lived in feel to it, but there were pictures of Ivan, Gia, and his family against the far wall along with an Impressionist painting of Moscow in the moonlight. A sudden bout of homesickness filled Dimitri as he studied the painting, and he wondered if Rya would find Russia as beautiful as he did. It was a very different world from America, and he hoped his free spirited woman could understand the more subdued ways of his people and appreciate them.

Ivan took a seat opposite him and crossed his leg before sipping his drink. “Petrov tells me you will be moving into his old penthouse in the building where Gia and I live.”

Returning his attention to Ivan, Dimitri kept his face carefully blank. He counted Ivan among his closest friends, but this was business, and while it might be cordial, Dimitri never made the mistake of letting friendship interfere. Especially where Rya was concerned.

“We are. Will this be a problem?”

After a few tense moments, Ivan shook his head. “No. You are doing everything you can to ensure Rya’s safety; Petrov has informed me that she is under his protection. While I do not think Rya will ever be truly safe, she will be as safe as any of our women are. It is the price we pay for the life we lead. Besides, it will be nice for Gia to be able to walk down the hall if she wants company.”

“Does Gia know about your association with the Dubini family? Or about my Bratva?”

With a sigh Ivan nodded. “I told her about you and she figured it out about Petrov on her own.”

“How?”

“Gia has her own business in Moscow restoring homes. When she had some issues with some workers not wanting to deal with an American, Petrov stepped in, or should I say some of his enforcers did. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but that night when I came home, Gia had already done some research. I answered her questions as much as I could, but she did not understand why I couldn’t talk about it and it caused problems between us. Finally, Vera and Petrov spoke with her. I don’t know what they said, but it calmed Gia down enough that she was no longer sleeping in the guest room.”

Dimitri laughed. “You let her get away with that?”

Snorting, Ivan raised his glass at Dimitri. “Just wait. You will find out how stubborn these American women can be. And independent. Have you considered what Rya will do while she is in Russia?”

“Yes. She will stay at home and I will take care of her.”

Ivan laughed. “Have you told her this?”

“What? Why would she not want to enjoy herself?”

Ivan tossed back a slug of his vodka, then laughed again. “Let me know when you tell her this. I want to be there to watch the fireworks.”

“Are you saying she will not want to?”

“I’m saying that you should ask her instead of tell her. Learn from my mistakes.”

Every woman Dimitri had been with would have been thrilled at the idea of staying home and being taken care of. He couldn’t imagine why Rya wouldn’t enjoy it but he had to admit that he’d never been with a woman like Rya before. Maybe Ivan was right. “I will consider it.”

“Are you going to keep Maks on as her security?”

“Yes.”

Ivan whistled. “And how does your brother feel about losing his favorite assassin?”

“He was the one who suggested it.”

“Interesting.” Running his finger around the rim of his glass, Ivan looked down into his drink with pursed lips. “Do you trust him with Rya?”

It took him a second to realize Ivan was talking about Maks, not Alex. “Of course. He would die to keep her safe.”

“That is not what I mean. Maks has quite a…reputation with women.”

Dimitri laughed. “Maks is also fond of his dick staying attached to his body instead of cut off and fed to my dogs. Besides, Rya is loyal. She would not betray me.”

“Do you plan on bringing Rya to our club?”

“Yes.”

“Do you plan on sharing her?”

“Maybe, but that is between Rya and myself. Why do you ask?”

“I am curious if she would play well with Gia. While Gia and I have had other women join us and Gia has enjoyed it, none of them have clicked.”

“What do you mean clicked? And I do not want you touching Rya.”

Ivan shook his head. “I would not touch your woman. First, because I only want my Gia, and second, because my lovely fiancée would superglue my cock to my leg in my sleep if I did.”

Both men laughed and Dimitri finished his drink. “What do you suggest?”

“Is your girl too injured to play tonight? I saw the bruising on her neck and she moved a little stiff.”

The thought of Rya’s injuries killed Dimitri’s good mood. “She has some bruised ribs and throat, as well as a mild concussion, but other than that she is fine.”

“Did she really kill that assassin?”

“Yes.”

Ivan raised his glass in a small salute before taking a sip. “She is either very skilled or very lucky.”

“I think a little of both. I’m sure Petrov told you about her background.”

The corners of Ivan’s lips curved upward. “He might have. But just because a woman is raised by killers does not make her a killer.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He looked out the window and frowned. “Rya has a different view on death than most people. I would say she is more practical about it. Her father was killed by a drunk driver who got off on a technicality, but a month later, the man who killed her father was found dead on the side of the road. I believe her people extracted their own justice.”

“It is good to know.” Ivan sighed. “I fear that my Gia is not so practical. She does not understand or like violence or death. Her mother was murdered, yet she is happier with her mother’s killer in jail than dead.”

“That’s not a bad thing. Gia has an innocence that we do not.”

“Good way of putting it.” Ivan gave him a small smile. “But my fiancée is not that innocent. She asked for my permission earlier to show Rya our dungeon.”

Dimitri’s cock twitched. “Really?”

“Yes. She asked me while I was fucking her. My Gia was in quite the mood after meeting your girl. Would you like to bet they are already there?”

Standing, Dimitri adjusted himself. “If they are not there already, they will be soon.”

With a laugh Ivan stood as well and clapped Dimitri on the back. “It is good to see you happy, my old friend.”

“I am always happy about two beautiful women playing together.”

“Yes, but that is not what I meant. You deserve to be happy. I am glad you finally found a woman worth fighting for.”

Rya sat back in the comfortable, oversized padded deck chair then took a sip of her wine before smiling at Gia. “Nice place you have here.”