Protected by a Mobster 2: A Russian Mafia Romance (Volsky Mafia) (3 page)

Ruslan promised to make the arrangements by the end of the day, but made sure that I understood that I shouldn’t leave the house for the time being. Where would I go if I did leave? I had no friends to speak of, other than Lola, and no family beyond Ruslan and his soldiers, given my circumstances. Knowing I had nowhere to go, I just nodded in agreement and left it at that. There was no reason to argue. The danger was real and Ruslan was worried about my safety, explaining that snakes like Lyosha and Dane could never be trusted, that their threats were very real and should never be underestimated. While I hated the idea of having someone follow me around all of the time, I knew it was for my own well-being and would happen regardless. It would be safer that way.

We finished our breakfast in silence. As usual, I continued to steal glances at Ruslan, taking in every detail of his glorious body, as I did every chance I got.

Minutes later, Ruslan excused himself from the table to make a few calls in his office. Placing a soft kiss to my cheek, his thumb and forefinger holding my chin as he looked into my eyes, he offered a smile, and then, like a shadow, he was gone. I loved the promise of safety I saw in his eyes, telling me I could trust him in all things.

More and more each day, I felt that the trust I was willing to give him was growing. Sure, I’d screwed up by not telling him about the phone call, but that was in the past now. We would move forward and take the necessary precautions.

With each chaste kiss and gentle touch, he managed to somehow weave himself deeper and deeper into my heart. My love for him was growing. Was I falling in love with him? Yeah, the fall was inevitable. I didn’t fear him, no matter how dangerous I knew he could be. Maybe it was that flicker of light I saw in his eyes when his gaze lingered a bit too long and my eyes met his. I felt safe and protected.

But I still wanted more. So much more. And
that
was what scared me more than anything.

Could I give myself to this powerful and dangerous man who lived in the same world as my father? Maybe. Okay, I definitely think I could. Would he break my heart as Dane and my father had? I wanted to believe that he wouldn’t. Every time we touched, every time he kissed me, my body erupted in a heat that drove me to distraction. Was this thing I felt between us just a physical lust or was it more?

For weeks, I’ve walked around my home with a scorching case of blue balls, all due to one Liliya Markow. Day after day and night after night, the woman fills my mind, consuming my every thought. Once I tasted her sweet lips, I found myself wanting more.

Hell, who am I kidding? I want every solitary inch of her delectable little body. I want to do terribly dirty things to her until she screams my name and begs me for mercy. In my mind’s eye, I see her tethered to my bed, writhing around, whimpering as her body glistens with need for my cock, her breath quickening as she watches me approach her, her sweet folds glistening with her arousal, making me hunger for a taste of her.

As much as I want to pounce on her like a predator devouring its next meal, I wait, and it’s a delicious torture for us both. It will make it all the better for us if I take us to the edge and back before giving in to the one thing we both want and need.

I shake away the thoughts of making her mine in ways she probably won’t understand, although I hope she does in time. My breath is fast and harsh. My heart racing at the mere thought of having this delectable woman beneath me and at my mercy. But this is scarcely the time for such things. Soon… but not now.

I slip into my office, readjust my painfully hard erection, and take a seat at my desk, running my fingers over my near-bald head, feeling the slight prickle of the ultra-short hairs against my palm as our breakfast conversation plays on repeat in my head. Her father was one insane bastard. A cocky stupid asshole that had me aching to kill him with my bare fucking hands. There was no doubt in my mind that Lyosha Markow would make good on his threats to her life. He has always been the type to act before thinking about the consequences. Stupid fuck.

But I wouldn’t allow it.

She was mine.

She IS mine.

And in a matter of days, everyone one will know it.

I’d keep my word to protect her and eventually marry her. The when and where were of no consequence to me. The details would be left to Liliya. She’d have whatever she wants if I had a damn thing to say about it. I want her in my bed. Bound. At my mercy. I want to hear my name fall from her kiss-swollen lips as she writhes beneath me. But even more than that, I want to protect her from the hurt in her life.

Seeing the hurt and pain in her eyes stabbed me in the heart, gutting me in ways I could not explain in words. How could a father be so cruel to his own daughter? Men like Lyosha disgust me.

All greed and dishonor. The dirty fucking lot of them.

Even considering all of the things I’d done in my life, from the underground fights to the blood on my hands from countless lives taken without so much as a second thought, I was leaps and bounds better than that bastard and Dane. If he thought for a second that I’d willingly hand over Liliya, he had another thing coming. I’d rather see him dead than see her hurt or worse.

Without wasting more time, I snatch up my cellphone and pull up my contacts, thumbing through each name, looking for the one person I know without a doubt I can count on to protect my Liliya.

My Liliya?

Oh yes. She was mine. She might not be formally mine yet, but soon she would be in all ways. Finding the number, I place the call and wait.

“Da!” a rough gravelly voice answers in a heavy Russian accent. The slurred drunken voice was not a surprise. He’d always loved his liquor, and plenty of it. Glancing at the clock, taking notice of the early hour, I shook my head and smirked knowingly.

“Gabriel, it’s Ruslan. Do you have a minute? I have a job for you.”

“Sure, brother. Hold on a minute. I’m not alone… if you know what I mean.”

I could hear my brother grumbling in a muffled tone asking – well not so much asking as ordering – someone to leave. Then a frustrated female voice responding before the slam of a door echoed on the line.

Gabriel had always been the love them and leave them type. He’d never gave two shits if he burned bridges with a woman because they were always lined up to fill his bed if only for a night. He’d always made his intentions clear, but some women were sure they could change his man-whore ways and get the party boy to settle down. Evidently this woman was one of those hopeful types.

Never letting a woman tie us down was one thing we had always had in common. But Liliya was making me rethink my wild ways. At least some of them. I still had urges in the bedroom. I hoped they wouldn’t scare her away when I made her mine.

“What’s this about a job?” Gabriel’s asked as he came back on the line.

“It’s complicated… and not like your typical jobs, I’m afraid. I need this one to be kept alive and safe. This is a rather dicey situation.”

Silence filled the line as I waited for a response, not knowing how Gabriel would react to such a request. Then a low grumble, followed by a chuckle, met my ears.

“I don’t do alive and safe, Ruslan. You know that. Dead and gone is my specialty, brother. The dead don’t talk. I prefer it that way.” Gabriel laughs heartily. “And you, brother, have never made such a request. What’s so special about this particular job? Why the sudden change of heart? Are you losing your lethal edge?” Gabriel’s deep dark laugh echoed on the line again. He always knew how to push my buttons and get me fired the hell up. Grasping the edge of my desk, I forced myself to remain calm and unrattled by his prodding.

“No, you jackass. I’m NOT losing my fucking edge. I need this woman protected. She’s… damn it, Gabriel, she’s important. I can’t give you all the details on the phone. It’s too fucking risky. Much is at stake here. You get me?”

“Oh! And just who is this
special
woman that’s got my brother’s cock whipped into submission? She must have one magic pussy if she’s...” Gabriel chuckled, his voice trailing off, obviously enjoying tormenting me.

I groaned, knowing he would never let this go. But my nerves were stretched thin and I wasn’t in the mood for his shit. “Fuck you, Gabriel. It’s Liliya Markow.”

Gabriel let out a whistle that damn near pierced my eardrums. Jerking the phone from my ear, I sighed. He’d never let me live this one down.

“Of the New York Markow’s? Damn, Ruslan! Have you lost your fucking mind, man? And just why in the hell are you so worried about this princess? She has her own people you know. Let them handle her spoiled ass. I know who the fuck she is… and I know who her father is. Lyosha. Crazy bastard. Pure fucking evil man. You don’t want to cross a cocksucker like that. What have you gotten mixed up in now?”

A string of Russian curses filled the space. I could tell that my younger brother was worried. He should be. This entire situation was nasty. Anything could go wrong and leave us all bloody in the end.

“She came to me for help, Gabriel. Her father and Dane Duskin killed her brother several months back and plan on merging their families. It’s something the five families can’t allow. A merging of families like that would cause a shift in power that could be bad for the rest of us… and that includes you, Gabriel. If they get their way, we’re all seriously fucked. And besides, I… well… she’s under my protection and her father has made threats on her life. I need you here to help keep her safe until the fight. If it sweetens the deal for you, you can kill any Markow or Duskin motherfucker that so much as coughs in her direction… or even in my territory.”

“Fight? What the hell are you talking about?” Gabriel’s voice became tight with concern. “You haven’t fought in years.”

“Death match, brother. It’s set to happen in a week or so, maybe sooner. The last I heard, it will happen at the Commission meeting… if the weak little pussy even bothers to show up. Liliya is the prize. I’ll explain more when you arrive.”

“I didn’t accept the job, brother,” Gabriel grumbled.

Fuck.

I had to make this appealing to him. Worth his time and effort. Selfish little prick that he is. “But you will, Gabriel. I rarely ask much of you. I have let you live your life free of the family business for years. Not once have I pushed you to take a position at my side. You have your life, and I have mine. It’s the way of things. Da? I need your help. Please just get your ass here as soon as possible and I’ll double your fee. Triple it even, if that’s what it takes. I need someone I can trust to keep her safe and watch my back. Deal?”

“Fuck! Fine! I’ll be there soon. Later, brother.”

“Good. Later, Gabriel.”

I tossed my phone on the desk in frustration. At least that was one less thing to worry about. With Gabriel’s help, I’d have a little breathing room to keep control of this fucking mess.

Gabriel had always been a wild card, loving to party his ass off, having little to no respect for authority, but he was the go-to guy when you needed someone to disappear. It was then that his control overshadowed his party-boy ways. Gabriel was the only man that could be trusted with important jobs like this.

When the time came for one of them to step up and lead the Volsky family, Gabriel flat-out refused immediately, walking away from his birthright, his loner personality being better suited as a hitman. Other than his bond with me, Gabriel preferred to work in the shadows, watching his surroundings. Those skills had saved our asses a number of times as teens, and many more as adults.

Gabriel was never one to sit still, and had zero sense of business, so all in all, it was a good move for everyone, including myself. Gabriel excelled at the life of a hired killer, too, leaving me to take on the family business and all it entailed. It was a win-win for both of us.

From time to time, I found myself calling on Gabriel’s expertise when shit got down and dirty, with someone needing to disappear without a trace quickly and quietly.

But keeping someone alive was a whole different ballgame. Still, I had faith that he was the only person capable of keeping Liliya safe and secure and out of harm’s way until Dane was taken out and her father was handled.

With a quick glance at the clock on the desk, noting the time, I pushed out of the chair and strode for the door. I headed upstairs to let Liliya know that her personal bodyguard would be arriving soon. A small part of me was worried that my man-whore brother would make a move on my woman. I’d have to make sure to draw a line in the sand he’d fucking understand and take seriously before he had a moment alone with her. I’m not a jealous man. Okay, fine maybe I am when it comes to Liliya. Hell, the woman is changing me, softening me up somehow. I both hate and love it equally. I can’t explain it but we mesh pretty fucking well.

The sudden need to see her and be near her filled me in ways I couldn’t explain. As I neared her bedroom door, I could already smell the soft sweet scent of her perfume lingering in the air, and my cock stirred to life. For weeks, I’ve been waltzing around with a hard-on for her. It was likely I had a permanent impression of my damn zipper all along my cock by now. I needed to fuck her like I needed air to breathe. It was just that damn simple.

Usually, after one night with a woman, I was done and perfectly fine with that, but I knew, without so much as a taste of her pussy, that one night was never going to be enough. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t shying away from the death match, knowing what the outcome would be. I felt like an inexperienced teenaged boy waiting to get his cock wet for the first time. It was pathetic. Raising my fist, I knocked on her door and waited a few minutes before knocking again. No answer. Slowly, I twisted the knob and eased the door open.

“Liliya,” I called. Still there was no response.

I stepped into the room, expecting to find her curled up asleep, but the bed was empty. Making my way further inside the room, I caught sight of movement in the bathroom. I froze in place as my eyes surveyed the bare round globes of Liliya’s ass in nothing but a tiny black lace thong, her breasts barely covered by a small near-see-through top, as she danced around the bathroom.