Only One Man Will Do (22 page)
Read Only One Man Will Do Online
Authors: Fiona McGier
Tags: #9781629290812, #contemporary, #romance, #sequel, #love, #man, #Fiona McGier, #Eternal Press, #erotica, #interracial, #Harley, #Minneapolis, #Alpha, #biker, #drug dealer, #Russian
“When you get out of the hospital, Dmitri, I insist on you two being my guests at a party I’ll throw for you at the club. I want to introduce you to all of my business contacts, to let them know the good news.”
“Aren’t you upset I’m going to be getting married, like any other woman?” Alexandra persisted. “You never treated me like I was a woman before.”
Her father stared at her. “How did I treat you?”
“Like some kind of neuter. Not quite a man, but not a woman, because you’ve never had much respect for them.”
He continued to look into her eyes for a long time before he sighed heavily.
“I know you were disappointed in me when I divorced your mother to marry Abby. I didn’t realize how much it affected you until years later. And then it was too late to even bring it up with you. Yes, I treated you like the son I never had, because I wanted to leave my business to someone in the family. You took to marketing and sales like you had been born to do it. You also have a ruthless streak that makes you the best possible choice for leading my firm. But I never wanted that to stop you from having a life of your own. That’s why I never asked about your Harley hobby. I bought you your first one, if you remember.”
She nodded. “Yes, you did.”
“So, let me be happy for you. You’ve found yourself a good man who will take care of you when you need it.” He noticed her beginning to bristle again and quickly added, “And you’ll take care of him when he needs it, like you’re doing now. It’s a two-way street, Alex. I’ve learned there are times when a man needs to lean on someone too. It’s been a hard lesson for a stubborn old coot like me, but I’m trying to keep an open mind.”
“An open mind, huh?” Alexandra asked. “Then will you invite Mom to the engagement celebration party at the club?”
He looked into her eyes. “Will that make you happy?”
She nodded.
“Then yes. I’ll invite your sister and her brood as well. Hopefully she’ll be smart enough to hire a baby-sitter for the kids, but with her…who knows?”
They chatted comfortably for a while after that. When the nurse came in to announce that visiting hours were ending, Thomas Blackstone rose to leave.
“I’ll drop by your office tomorrow morning and let them know you’re not going to be in. You can decide when you want to return. Take your time. After all, other than a day or two to extend weekends here and there, you haven’t really taken any vacation time for years. And don’t argue with me. I have my sources. I still keep tabs on what’s going on. It’s just I haven’t had any complaints, so I never needed to let you know that. But the company won’t fail if you take a few days off to be with your man. You’ve hired good people to help you run it. Let them take over until you feel up to going back.”
“Thanks, Dad. I’m sure I’ll be back soon.”
Thomas Blackstone turned at the door to smile at them both, “And Dmitri? Welcome to the family…son.”
Once the door closed, Alexandra scooted her chair over to be closer to Dmitri.
“That went well,” Dmitri remarked.
“Yeah, much better than I expected. He didn’t ask many questions about what went on, though.”
Dmitri grinned. “I’ll bet he decided a long time ago he didn’t want to know the answers to any questions about your personal life. So he just didn’t ask. He did appear pleased that you and I are going to be married.”
“Yeah, but he expects that things will go on as usual, and I’ll keep running the company.”
“You will. There’s no reason for you not to.”
“Are you going to move into my condo with me?”
“I suppose I will. I
do
like the amenities.” He waited a heartbeat before continuing with his teasing, “And the Jacuzzi and workout room are great too.”
“Oh? So now my pussy is part of the
amenities
? I should make you eat those words.”
“I’d rather eat your pussy.”
She raised both eyebrows. “You’re not feeling
that
much better yet, are you? Because as soon as you are, you just let me know, big guy.”
“Not yet, sweetheart. But as soon as I am, I’ll show you. But there was something else I’ve been thinking about…”
She leaned closer to stare into his eyes. “What?”
“Remember I told you I grew up on a farm?”
“Yes.”
“Your grandparents used to farm the land around your place, didn’t they?”
“Yes. I remember eating fresh corn that I helped pick, and eating jams and pies made from the fruit from their orchard, when I was a kid.”
“Well I was thinking that if I moved out there and lived there during the growing season, you could come out on weekends to be with me. Or I could drive in to be with you in your condo. But I’d like a chance to do some farming myself. And the growing season isn’t that long this far north, so most of the year I’d be in the condo with you.”
She stared into his face. “You really have thought about this, haven’t you?”
“Yes. For a while we’ll keep it really small…maybe just a garden at first. But eventually I’d like to try some real farming. I used to be really good at it, from what my Dad used to tell me.”
He smiled at the look on her face. He reached up with the arm not attached to hospital equipment and pulled her down for a long, sensual kiss.
“And when we’re ready for a child, if I’m farming the land, I could be a stay-at-home father. You could work at home a few days a week, once we get internet access out on the farm, then drive in to stay at your condo a few days. Then come back to home-cooked meals and a real family-life on your farm. What do you think of that idea,
Sashka
?”
She backed up to stare at him intently.
“You mean to say you want to marry me, but I can keep on working? And if I get pregnant…”
“
When
you get pregnant,” he corrected gently.
“You’ll be the one to stay at home and I can keep on running my company?”
He nodded. “Yes. Does that sound alright to you?”
There were tears in her eyes as she nodded.
“Oh, my God, Dmitri! All of this time I thought I would never get married because no man could satisfy all of my demands. Then you came along and proved that you were man enough for me. I was so afraid that no man would allow me to keep working, that if the guy was alpha enough to go toe-to-toe with me and hold his own, that he’d insist I stay at home with the baby. But that’s not what you’re saying, is it? And somehow, thinking of you holding a baby is making me hotter than anything else I’ve ever imagined!”
He smiled as he stroked the back of her hand. “That’s just because it’s been a few days and we’re both really horny.”
He almost laughed at the hopeful look that appeared on her face.
“No, I told you, I’m not ready yet. But soon,
Sashka
…soon. And when I plunge myself into you again, it will be the first time as your only man. I intend to savor that moment. Because you are mine, Alexandra Blackstone. From now on, only one man has access to your body.”
She smiled as she nodded. “That’s right, Dmitri. From now on, only one man will do for me. Because you’re the only man I could ever have said yes to. You’re not trying to change me. You’re not trying to make me into something I’m not.”
“No. I want you to continue being the fiery, independent, stubborn wildcat I came here to tame. You’re not ever going to heel for me, and that’s okay. The challenge of mating with you is part of the attraction. As long as we both understand that you belong to me, and I belong to you, then I’m happy.”
Alexandra leaned over for a very long, almost full body snuggle with Dmitri, during which he fondled her ass with his one good hand and managed to get a squeeze in on both of her breasts. She moved her hand down to hold his semi-turgid cock, stroking it until it threatened to get serious. He used the hand with the IV attached to hit her hand away.
“Mercy, woman! Let me heal. We have the rest of our lives for enjoying each other. And besides, you don’t want to have the hospital reporting they had to throw you out for molesting a convalescing patient, do you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Then go home and get some rest. If I can, I’ll badger them into letting me go home with you tomorrow night. You may need to consider taking the next day off of work as well. So we can have some time to…ahem…get reacquainted.”
Alexandra smiled as she straightened up and stuffed her breasts back into position in her bra. She turned to pick up her backpack and headed out the door.
“Dream of me?” she asked as she turned the handle to go out.
“Of course. Think of me when you’re
doing yourself
with that huge dildo of yours?”
She turned and gaped at him, and he grinned.
“I’m a trained agent. I always check out any place I’m spending time in. And I might add, it’s
almost
as big as I am. So go have your fun. Keep it hot and juicy for me.”
Alexandra stuck her tongue out at him, then curled it back repeatedly like she was licking him, until he moaned.
“Have mercy!”
“Never!” Her laughter could be heard from down the hall as she swung her hips and headed out.
Raul Roderick, the most famous resident of Grand Marais, Minnesota pushed open the door to call into the resort, “Ivan? It’s me, Raul.”
Looking into the small liquor store on the one side, he saw no one there and the door locked, so he headed up the stairs. He was almost knocked over by two excitable dogs that galloped around the corners at the top of the stairs and tried to attack him with joy at his arrival while he was still walking up.
“Down, boys! Yes, I’m happy to see you too! Both of you! Now if I pet you both on the head and scratch behind your ears, will you let Ivan know I’m here?”
He stooped down once he was on the second floor and made sure to give equal pets to both of Ivan’s spoiled babies. When he thought he had given them sufficient attention, he straightened and looked around while clapping his hands together to dislodge the hair the dogs had gifted him with.
The dining room was empty, but then since it was mid-afternoon, he’d been expecting that. The lunch crowd was long gone and most were out fishing, hiking, swimming, or enjoying any of the other outdoor amenities to be had up in the gorgeous natural splendor of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota. He took a moment to admire the view from the dining room of the lake behind the resort.
Hearing the crack of pool balls from a table in the bar off to the side of the dining room, he headed through the doorway to see who was there. When he saw the red hair he stopped as if he’d been struck by lightning. His pulse and breathing sped up, and suddenly he felt like he was in a nightmare where he was terrified, but unable to move.
The woman looked up from lining up a shot and smirked.
“Jesus, they let anyone in around here, don’t they? Will you look what the cat dragged in? If it isn’t Raul Roderick, the rich and famous, incredibly hot, Oscar-winning, action-movie star.”
Raul felt rooted to the spot though his heart was racing and his brain was trying to tell his feet to run away quickly. They ignored the order. His mouth gaped open and it didn’t respond to his orders for it to close, let alone make words come out.
The woman finished lining up another shot and sunk the ball using two banks, before she looked up.
“Nice to meet you again. You’re much better looking when you’re not totally wasted. Long time no see, huh? How the hell are you?”
“Uh…fine. Um…what’re you doing here?”
She aimed and shot another perfect bank shot, then stopped to chalk her cue while she grinned.
“I’m
not
here looking for you, so you can stop hyper-ventilating. Maybe you should sit down with your head between your legs? You look like you’re gonna pass out, big guy. You want a paper bag to breathe into?”
“You’re not?”
“No. You had Ivan send his cousin to be sure I wouldn’t come looking for you, remember? I mean it
was
a while ago, but now you’ve cleaned up your act, I’d think you’d remember that night we met.”
She laughed, a low, throaty chuckle that made his hair stand on end.
“Then, why’re you here?”
She took another shot that sunk two balls in order, then looked up at him.
“When you had Ivan send his cousin after me, you actually did me a favor. If there’s ever anything I can do to repay that, you just let me know.”
She winked and Raul was horrified to feel a blush burning his face.
“He found you?”
She nodded and sunk the last ball on a three-bank shot.
“Yeah, he found me alright.”
She straightened up and rubbed her belly to draw his attention away from her massive cleavage to the swelling under her loosely-draped shirt. He gaped.
“The proof is in the Russian
kolatchy
in my oven. And this,” she waved her left hand to show him the wedding ring.
“
Kolatchy
is a
Polish
cookie, Alexandra.”
Raul jumped as a man’s voice came from behind him. The man in question walked over to pick up his glass from the bar and take a long drink of water.
“So, what
would
you call this?” she demanded.
The man shrugged casually. “A
babka
?”
“Fine. Whatever you call it, it’s getting huge and pushy in there,” she said testily. “Good thing you’re back. I was just gonna call you anyway.”
The man’s lips curved upwards. “Why? Did you finally miss a shot so I can have a turn?”
She shook her head. “No. I cleaned up the table again. But I’m gonna rack ‘em up and let you have the first shot again.”
She proceeded to do just that, moving all around the table to roll the balls to the one end.
“If she didn’t let me have the first shot, I’d never get to play at all,” the man said conversationally to Raul before he stuck out his hand for a shake. “I’m Dmitri Illyanovich. One of Ivan’s cousins.”
Raul was finally able to move so he shook the man’s hand.
“Raul Roderick,” he said, glad his body was responding to commands again.
“He knows who you are, you idiot,” the redhead remarked with snark. “After all, you’re the reason he came looking for me.”
“No, my love. It was fate that drew me to your location, so I could orbit your magnificence like a hopeless planet caught by the gravity of a super-nova.”
She snorted rudely. “What horseshit!” She finished racking up the balls and looked expectantly over at Dmitri.
“You never did learn her name, did you?” he asked Raul as she watched them.
“Come over here and rest for a minute,
Sashka
. You need to stay hydrated since it’s so damned hot today. Honestly, the real reason Ivan moved up here, besides the remoteness, is that the climate is usually more like Mother Russia: cold, snowy, icy winds. The best of everything. But the summers can be unbearable.”
The redhead walked over to sit on the bar stool next to him and as she got closer, Raul saw just how very pregnant she looked.
“Raul, this is my wife, the former Alexandra Blackstone. Now Alexandra Illyanovich. Make nice with the actor, honey. He’s still afraid of you. Show him you’re not dangerous anymore.”
She turned to Raul and bared her teeth to growl. Raul grinned, still not totally at ease yet.
“Honestly? Since I can’t drink alcohol to kill my pain, I’m really suffering! This baby-making thing sounds like a good idea until you’re actually doing it. The early part wasn’t so bad, but this is getting more uncomfortable by the day.”
She punched Dmitri’s upper arm.
“How about
you
have the next one…deal?”
Raul smiled. “My wife says if everyone was as uncomfortable during the whole time as they are during the last month or so, we’d all be only children. Speaking as an only child, I’m really grateful that nature gives you amnesia about the end once you hold the baby for the first time.”
Alexandra studied his face as he was talking.
“Is that the same woman you blew me off for?” She rolled her eyes. “Lucky gal. So how many rug rats has she popped out for you?”
“We have twin sons and she’s pregnant for the second time.”
“Congratulations.” Dmitri clapped him on the shoulder in the kind of gesture he’d grown to expect from Ivan. “Sons to carry on the name!”
“Ahem. Not to interrupt the testosterone-fest or anything, but daughters can do that too. And run your company when you retire.”
“Of course they can,” Dmitri said in a conciliatory tone. “Would you like more iced water?”
“No, what I’d really like is a beer. But yeah, pour me another glass. I’ve gotta go pee. I’ll be right back.”
They watched her leave, then Dmitri turned to Raul with a grin.
“She’s not always this bad-tempered. Not being able to drink has lost its novelty appeal to her and she’s getting very uncomfortable…especially with the heat and humidity these days. That’s why I asked Ivan if we could come up here to relax for a few days. She runs her father’s marketing company and doesn’t plan on stopping until she delivers. I keep telling her she’s pushing herself too hard, but she’s a very stubborn woman.”
Raul nodded. “I can still see signs she’s the biker queen of my nightmares. But she does seem to have mellowed a little bit.”
“I don’t want her to change too much. I love her the way she is. She’s tough as nails with an independent streak a mile wide. But no matter how many scars I have from tangling with her, I’m happy she’s
my
wildcat.”
“Even if she always beats you at pool?”
Dmitri shrugged. “You should have seen how bad I was when I first met her. I’m learning more each time I play with her. One of these days I’m gonna win a game. The celebrating will be legendary.”
Raul grinned at the look of anticipation on Dmitri’s face.
“Ah, there you are, Raul! I have been looking for you! Muddy and Buddy came bounding over to let me know you had arrived.”
Ivan pulled Raul off the bar stool for a huge bear hug. The actor had obviously become accustomed to this greeting, because he braced himself so he never lost his balance despite Ivan’s effusive enthusiasm.
“I see you two have met? Good…good.” He turned to Dmitri. “And where is that firecracker of a wife of yours?”
“Right here. I’m so fucking hot and uncomfortable I think I
will
take you up on the offer to go swimming, Dmitri. Maybe if I can cool off a little bit, I’ll be able to stand waiting until dinner for my one beer of the day.”
The other two men watched Dmitri as he stood up.
“Gentlemen? You’ll have to pardon me while I go admire my wife’s ass in a bathing suit.”
“Admire? I look like a whale!”
“Ah, but remember how you got to look like that, my love?”
Suddenly her face changed to a mixture of love and lust. Even Raul had to admit that when not snarling or angry, she was a beautiful woman.
“Yeah,” she said. “Dmitri, I think I’ll need your help getting into my maternity suit.” She winked broadly at him.
He strode over to give her a quick kiss. “Your wish is my command.”
As they walked out holding hands, Ivan moved behind the bar to pour two drafts. He slid them both onto the bar and walked back to sit next to Raul. They clinked their glasses together before both took a long drink of the cold lagers.
“You see, my friend,” Ivan said as he nodded in the direction of the exit. “I told you everything would work out for you.”
Raul smiled. “That was the best wedding present you could have given me, Ivan.”
They clinked their glasses together again.
“It seems to have worked out well for them also,” Raul observed. “Now we have to find a woman for you.”
Ivan’s laughter was loud and infectious.
“I’m in no hurry, my friend. This country has given me so much already. I can wait.”
“You think she’s just going to walk in through your door someday?”
Ivan smiled. “Da. Someday she will. And I’ll be here waiting for her.”
With that issue settled, they resumed discussing the publicity Raul was going to do for Ivan’s resort, and the work that two of Ivan’s other cousins were doing on Raul’s mansion on the hill.
Fiona has always had stories in her head. Characters intrude into her thoughts and insist on showing her scenes from their lives. She discovered that when she ignores them, they start to yell louder; if she writes their stories and they can live in readers’ heads as well, they usually leave her alone...only to be replaced by a new group of story-tellers. Her head is usually a very crowded place, but she likes it that way.
If you want to read more, she has a series of six contemporary romance books about the members of a large Hispanic family. She wrote two books about female spies who work for a top-secret international agency, as well as two stand-alone contemporary romances. She has also written two paranormal erotic romance books about Mayan vampires.
Visit her at:
http://www.fionamcgier.com
, where the first page is her blog.
She also blogs at:
http://www.sweetnsexydivas.blogspot.com
Other Titles by Fiona McGier:
Prophecy of the Undead
Mayan Prophecy Fulfilled
For the Love of His Life
For the Love of His Life
by Fiona McGier
Print ISBN: 9781615729227
Contemporary Romance
Novel of 81,229 words
Can a sexy Hispanic action movie star find himself in the BWCA of upper Minnesota? Will the local woman he grows to love believe someone who “lies for a living”?
When a famous action star needs to clean-up for a major role that even he doubts he can deliver, the director sends him up to a resort owned by his grandmother in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of upper Minnesota, to learn to commune with nature. His guide is Veronica, the director’s cousin, a tall, athletic woman who has the relaxed, sensible nature of someone who knows herself well. Raul’s initial clumsy attempt to seduce her makes her laugh...so he calls her fat. There may be hope that their relationship will progress beyond its rocky start. Raul must overcome his partying nature to discover what is really important in life.
