Owned by the Badman (Russian Bratva #1) (26 page)

“I was, but my wife is very tempting,” he grumbles, his voice rough with sleep as he presses his hips against my leg, where I feel his hardening length. It makes my belly clench and my body yearn for his touch.

“We need to talk, Maxim,” I rasp as he nips my breast again.

“We talk after we come,” he murmurs with a smile as he looks up at me.

He looks almost boyish and I can’t help but smile, reaching up to run my fingers through his thick hair again. He turns his head and kisses the inside of my wrist.

“My beautiful, sweet wife, will you let me make you come?” he asks.

I shiver at his words and open my legs as my answer. He’s right; we can talk after we come. Maxim’s chest rumbles as he slides his fingers through my already wet core. He pushes two fingers inside of me slowly, his mouth still on my breast, licking and nipping everywhere but the place I want him most. I push my hips up as they search for relief, for pleasure, for
him
.

Maxim grabs my waist and rolls over so that he is on his back and I am now straddling his hips. Slowly, his hands slide up my sides to cup my breasts, his hard length lying on his belly with my wet center resting against it. I want to rub myself like a cat, to find my release.

“Ride me, Haleigh. I want to watch your body above me. I want you to be in control for a bit.” His fingers pinch my nipples hard, and I gasp with pleasure, my center flooding against his hard cock.

I lift my hips as he guides himself inside me. I slowly slide down, taking all of him inside of me. I groan at the full feeling. I want to be still, I want to take him in and just hold him there, but my instincts and lusty body want something entirely different as I lift up and glide back down, slow and steadily.

One of Maxim’s hands clamps down on my hip as he tries to speed my movements up while the other fists in my hair pulling it tightly. The pain radiates through my scalp, urging me to go faster as the bite of his torment turns me on even more. My back arches and my breasts thrust out while my downcast eyes focus solely on his.

“Such a good girl. Fuck,
angel moy
,” he rasps as his hand slides from my hip to between my cheeks.

He slowly and gently massages my rear entrance as I moan at the slight pressure. Then I feel one of his fingers slide inside, filling me from behind while his hips thrust up as I grind down.

“Maxim,” I cry out.

The hand in my hair pulls tighter, sending pleasure through my body. It is too much.
It feels too good
. He is all around me, inside of me every way possible, and before I know it, I am crying out and shaking violently with my orgasm.

Maxim doesn’t stop thrusting inside of me, with his cock or his finger, even after I come. The only way my body is staying upright is by the hand fisted in my hair, holding me in place. He growls, and I look down at him as sweat drips from his forehead and chest, his jaw clenched and the muscles of his body strained. It looks as though his tattoos are going to come to life, he is so taut.

“Who am I, Haleigh?” he grinds as he takes me roughly.

“Maxim,” I sigh.

His finger slams inside of me from behind, causing me to cry out and my back to bow even more.

“Who else? Who am I to you?” his voice growls. I gasp.

“My husband, my lover,” I cry out.

Maxim hums his approval, but his finger is rougher, pumping in and out of me while his cock punishes my pussy. I can feel myself building toward another release. My body begins to tremble again.

“You better fucking come again, Haleigh. You better do it telling me who in the
motherfuck
I am,” he demands. The sweat is pouring off him and my center begins to pulse and quiver as I come again.

“Oh,
baby
, I love you,” I scream as I climax.

Then Maxim stills, his finger deep inside of my ass, his dick deep inside of my pussy, and he comes—hard. His cock pulses as my center does the same,
together
, so perfect.

“Fuck, yes. I am
your
baby. I am
your
husband. I am
your
owner—and you will never be without me,” he murmurs as he slowly slides his finger from me.

The hold on my hair loosens and my body, unable to stay upright, falls onto his chest, my face nuzzling in his sweat-dampened neck.

“I love you,” I moan against his neck. Then I move my head to kiss the handle of his dagger tattoo, one of my favorites, and I don’t even know why.

“Now, we talk,” he announces. I try to slide off him, but his hands clamp on my hips.

“Maxim, you’re still inside of me,” I laugh slightly. He pushes his hips up.

“I stay inside. I stay home when we talk, yes?”

When he says it like that, his accent thick and his English broken, how can I deny him anything?
I can’t.

“When will you move home then?” I ask, my hand stroking the blade of his dagger on his opposite shoulder.

“It is not so easy. I work here now. I cannot just pick up and leave. I have a position of power and Dimitri took over my position with Pasha and my business.” He says this like it makes perfect logical sense.

“I’m sure Pasha can bring you back and Dimitri can just go somewhere else in the company,” I offer. He shakes his head and wraps his hand around the nape of my neck, massaging me and adding light pressure to force my head up—my eyes on his.

“It is not so simple,
golubushka.
I am not just a businessman. I never wanted to tell you, I never wanted you to know, but you must, now,” he says.

My whole body goes tight. I am so confused and it is not just his accent, it is everything he is saying.
What is so hard about coming back home and what is he into?

“I am
Bratva,
Haleigh,” he says. It sounds like a type of confession, but I don’t understand it.

“Mafia,
golubushka
, I am
Brigadier
—authority, a captain. I am also a businessman, a collector of debts, a gun tradesman, and in charge of new recruits,” he admits.

I gape at him and then I sit up and look at all of his tattoos. Strategically placed on his body, they are all the same blue color. Then it dawns on me—each one has a meaning, and they tell a story. Dimitri has tried to hint these things to me, as has Sonia, that these men are
different
. That I will never know exactly what Maxim has gone through in his life.
I just never thought it would be something so dangerous, so bad, and so wrong.

It hits me like a freight train—he is a collector of debts. Is that what I was, a debt to collect?

“I see you are understanding some things now,
angel moy
. I never wanted you to know what I did. You understand now why I cannot just go back to Pasha? My new
Pakhan
, my boss, will not just allow me to leave. I have proven loyal in the past year. They do not care my family resides elsewhere. They will just expect you to come here if you wish to reside with me,” he says.

I can see some anger starting to flare in Maxim’s eyes, but I won’t let him be angry.
I
am not angry. He was a poor young boy, and he did what he had to for survival. I am confused and hurt that I am just finding this out, but I am not angry.

“The men who took me?” I ask cupping his cheeks as my eyes search his. He closes his eyes in shame, and it is then that I know he needed to survive. My husband is a survivalist.

“I make promises I never imagined would come to life. I never meant to hurt you,
golubushka
. I will not ever again. I thought if I leave you, if I go away, then you can be happy. I have done nothing but bring pain and shame to you. I made the deal for my own safety, but it should have never been made. Our soldiers are not few. The group that made the deal with me when I was young is just affiliate of my own. I have not uncovered exactly who leads them, but I will. When I do, I will disassemble them,” he vows.

I chew my lip and nod, but I do not agree.
Not really
. He may have brought a whole mess with him when he came to me, but I have had many good memories and I would not trade them for the world.

“You don’t bring me pain, baby. You breathe life into me. Without you, I was nothing but an overworked ballerina. I was lonely and desperate to begin a life—any life. Did you ever wonder why I just agreed to marry you without ever meeting you?

“It was partly because my parents demanded it, but also because I was craving something more. I got all I ever wanted and more, so much more, with you,” I whisper.

Maxim rolls us over so I am underneath his body, and he gently thrusts into me. He is hardening again, and I whimper at the tender flesh of my center, but I love the slight pain he offers. What I adore even more is the love shining in his eyes like never before; it fuels my desire.

“You come to Russia. Will not be forever,
angel moy
. We make more babies and be happy here, I swear it.” His voice dips lower, huskier, and I wrap my legs around his back.

“I will follow you anywhere, Maxim.” I sigh, with a hitch of my breath. He growls before he pauses above me.

“I am not good man, Haleigh. My jobs are not honorable. They are not legal. I could go to prison, again. I have been before,” he admits, his blue eyes ice and focused.

I cup his cheeks and slide my nose along the side of his. As if I hadn’t already figured out that the things he does are not legal, talks of guns and debts ensure that his job is not legitimate, but I appreciate the confession just the same.

“You are a good man, Maxim, and sometimes good men have to do bad things to survive. I will never hold anything you do outside of our home against you. As long as you are good to our children and me, I will forever be at your side, no questions asked,” I say softly. Maxim withdraws and slides deep inside me again; his motions soft and slow.

“I never mistreat you again, Haleigh. I never lay my hand on you in anger again. I never touch another woman again. Only you,
golubushka
. I swear this to you. You will see,
moya
koroleva
,” he mutters, nuzzling my neck before he whispers the translation of his last words—
my queen
.

I come almost immediately, and Maxim buries his length inside of me with his face against my neck, crying out as he climaxes, his hands wrapped in my hair. We fall asleep with plans to go back to America and bring our Maksimilyan back to a new home in Moscow.

“M
AXIM, WE CANNOT GO
back to that apartment,” I mutter as the plane takes off toward home, toward our baby.

“Why not?” he asks. There is a grin playing on his lips. I want to slap him, but he’s too cute and obviously happy, so I don’t—I refrain.

“I will not bring my son into a home with a stripper pole in the living room,” I practically screech.

Maxim throws back his head with laughter. I just stare at him. I have not seen him laugh often and each time it mesmerizes me.

“Calm down,
angel moy
. I talk to Radimir, my boss, he already has a big penthouse apartment in the business district for us. Perfect for small family,” he offers, sliding his hand over mine and pulling it to rest on his thick thigh.

“He owns the building,
golubushka.
It is actually supposed to be my penthouse, but I turned it down to live in the other one. I was drunk all of the time and it was a home for a family, not a single man. It was depressing, but now, I take my family there and all is well.”

“The other women, Maxim … I just have to know. You said there wouldn’t be any others, but you said that to me once,” I confess to the fears that consume my thoughts. Maxim’s hand cups my cheek and his thumb traces my bottom lip.

“I never had sex with another woman. You are the only woman I have been inside of since the Catia mess. I know you do not trust me yet, Haleigh, but I swear to you, there will be no other women ever again. There is only you. There will only ever be you from now until death. I was stupid and self-destructive,” he admits, nodding. I lick the tip of his thumb.

“All right, baby,” I whisper. He grins; it’s the second time in less than an hour that he has smiled, and it is then that I feel truly blessed.