Russian Killer's Baby (8 page)

Vadir gave Feliks a speculative once over. “So this is the man who sired that bastard you’re carrying.”

“Can you shut your mouth and let me think?” Annika suggested irritably.

“What is there left to think about?” Feliks turned away and walked toward the bank of windows overlooking the Neponset River.

IT HURT ON a level Feliks had never experienced to think that Vasily had been murdered for something so petty and pointless. Behind him, Annika was still pumping her father for information. He didn’t care. It was hardly necessary. Feliks now understood what was truly going on. There only remained to discover how many council members had been privy to this information.

“You’re exhausted,” Vadir snapped. “Look at you. Do you care so much about this assassin that you would put your health and that of your child in jeopardy?”

Vadir’s words called Feliks on his behavior. Annika
did
look exhausted. In the soft light of Vadir’s kitchen, Feliks could see the dark circles beneath her eyes. When was the last time she’d eaten or rested? This was the mother of his child. He wanted to be better to her than her father obviously had been.

“Enough,” Feliks said, turning around. “Can we trust you to watch our backs while we rest awhile?” Feliks nodded to Annika. “She needs to eat as well.”

Vadir nodded. “If my daughter believes you’re not worth the price of a bullet, I believe I can control my urge to see you dead on the floor.”

“Your generosity knows no bounds,” Feliks drawled.

Annika covered her mouth with her hand, obviously smothering a laugh. “Is my room still there?”

“Yes. Exactly as you left it,” Vadir said in a flat tone. “I’ll leave you some of the stroganoff I made earlier. You can eat that.”

“Thank you.”

Feliks saw the awkward way that Annika and Vadir interacted. It made him curious to know exactly what had happened to turn daughter against father. Then Annika walked to his side. She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss over his cheek.

“Don’t trust him any farther than you can throw him,” she whispered in his ear. Then in a louder voice, “I’m going to go take a shower. The two of you play nice while I’m gone.”

Feliks had to give Vadir credit where it was due. The man waited until his daughter was completely out of sight and earshot before he came after Feliks. It was no surprise really. Vadir simply reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a gun. He leveled it at Feliks and put his finger on the trigger. One tiny squeeze and Feliks would most likely be dead.

Adrenaline surged through Feliks’s veins. He forced himself to stand perfectly still, hands open and loose at his sides. His own weapon was tucked into his waistband in the small of his back. But he wasn’t going to shoot Annika’s father. No matter how angry she might be at the man, there would be no coming back from that action. Not with a woman like Annika.

“I should kill you now,” Vadir said tightly. “For what you’ve done to my daughter.”

“You should.”

His response seemed to throw the older man off guard. “You’re agreeing with me? What sort of strategy is that for staying alive?”

“A realistic one. You’re not going to kill me because despite your selfish choices, you do love your daughter and you know that for whatever reason, she wants me alive.”

“This child,” Vadir spat. “Is it really yours?”

“I don’t know.” It was an honest answer, but it chafed a little. “Annika says that it is, and I believe her.”

“Why?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Vadir lowered his weapon. “Yes. Although sometimes I wonder how I managed to raise such an honest child.”

“I suspect living with a twisted piece of work like you is what made her honest.” Feliks expected the gun to come back up, but Vadir laughed instead. The man was insane. That was the only thing Feliks could be certain of.

“You have kept her safe,” Vadir said grudgingly. “I owe you your life for that. Nothing more. I’ve already told you more than I should.”

“Orlov is a bastard. Yuri is worse.” Feliks considered what his next course of action would be.

“You must kill him.” Vadir made it sound as though it were the most obvious solution.

“One does not murder another member of the syndicate without reason, or evidence.” Feliks wondered how he could obtain that sort of proof.

“The proof is with Yuri himself.” Vadir scratched his sparse beard. “The little bastard cannot help but brag about the things that he does. Even if the council were standing right in front of him he would boast about killing one of their members. He is that arrogant.”

“You’re right. Which means I need a trap to catch a rat.”

“You have bait.” Vadir pursed his lips. “Though I
will
kill you if something happens to my little girl.”

Feliks shook his head. It was becoming more and more apparent that fatherhood made men lose their good sense. He could only resolve to be the exception to that particular rule.

Chapter Ten

The shower had only just shut off in the en suite bath when Feliks entered Annika’s bedroom. He set the bowl of stroganoff he’d brought on the empty dresser top and took a look around the room.

It was difficult to say with any accuracy how well this place represented her. It was obvious that nobody had stayed in this room for a long while. There was a fine coat of dust on the furniture, and the queen sized bed was pristine. Still, he could easily imagine a teenaged Annika living in this place.

It was neat in a practical sort of way. There were a few landscapes hanging on the wall, as well as a black and white photograph of the Moscow skyline. A single picture sat on the nightstand. Feliks picked it up, struck by the beauty of the woman portrayed in the tiny silver frame.

“That’s my mother,” Annika told him quietly.

He looked up, realizing that she’d entered the room wearing only a towel. Her hair was still wet. The dampness only served to intensify the color. She was blotting and squeezing the length of it with another towel while she stared at him. The shape of her body fascinated him. Her full breasts were the only thing holding her towel in place. The generous swell of her cleavage above the fabric was enticing. There was strength in the firm muscle of her arms and long legs. He couldn’t see her flat belly, but he could easily remember the way it gradually dropped down to the triangle of short hair covering her mound.

He tried to get back to the moment. “Your mother was a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.” She seemed to spend several seconds thinking about exactly what she wanted to say. “She was a fool for my father. I don’t think she ever really knew what he was.”

“You think he used her?” Feliks had already surmised that much.

“Yes.” Annika tossed the towel aside and picked up a comb. Perching on the edge of the bed, she began to untangle her hair. “And after my mother died, my father continued that legacy by using me in her place.”

“He loves you.” He wondered if he had angered her with that statement.

“In his way, I believe he does love me.” She cocked her head to one side. “Just as I believe in your way, you love me too.”

Feliks was so shocked by her words that he actually took a physical step back. Love? Was she insane? He had been contemplating her murder less than twenty-four hours ago.

She stared at him as if waiting to see what would happen. Then she stood and walked closer. Feliks could hardly breathe. He caught a whiff of her light, feminine scent and blood rushed to his groin.

She reached up and undid her towel, letting it fall to the ground. “I’m not asking for a declaration here, Feliks,” she whispered.

Still he had no response. What would possess her to say such a thing?

“You could have killed me and ended this entire thing.” She stood on tiptoe, letting her soft lips brush his jaw. “But you didn’t. You let me live. You
chose
to let me live. Don’t you wonder why?”

Of course he did. But at this moment the only thing he could possibly manage to think about was the naked woman standing so close that he could feel the heat of her skin shimmering over his body. There was no turning back. Not now.

He wrapped his arms around her and covered her mouth with his. He devoured her lips, pushing his tongue into her mouth and staking a claim that would not be denied. Cupping her rounded backside in his hands, he pulled her flush against his body. The ridge of his erection fit perfectly against the V of her pelvis. She made a little noise and slipped her arms around his neck. When she scored his scalp with her nails, Feliks could wait no longer.

He let go of Annika and scrabbled to find the hem of his T-shirt. Seconds later she was helping him, pushing it up and over his head so he could drop it to the floor. His pants were next. He unfastened them and shoved them down over his hips along with his boxers.

She grabbed his shaft in her hands before he’d managed to kick off his boots. Feliks groaned and fell back onto her bed. Her soft palms felt so good against the raging hot skin stretched tight over his cock. When she began to pump him from base to tip, he was lost completely.

“You’re so hard,” she whispered. Bending over, she placed her lips right on the tip of him and gave him a tender kiss. “I want to ride you, Feliks. I want to come while I’m fucking you. Can I do that?”

He was going to die. He couldn’t even find the words to tell her yes. A knowing smile curved her lips, and she climbed astride him on the bed. She had never been a shrinking violet, but the Valkyrie teasing him into a frenzy was more than he’d ever dreamed of finding in any woman.

She dragged her naked breasts over his torso. The soft flesh teased him, but when he went to touch her with his hands, she grabbed his wrists and pinned them down.

“No,” she told him. “You’re going to let me play this time, or I’m going to stop and find some clothes.”

Feliks didn’t argue. He enjoyed her boldness far too much for that. And in the soft light of her bedside lamp, he could savor the sight of her as well. It was any man’s dream come true.

ANNIKA WAS DRUNK with what she might have called her feminine power. As she rubbed her body against Feliks’s, she soaked up every nuance of his reaction to her. The way his breath would catch and the sight of his muscles tensing reflexively was flattering. She was making him squirm. She was in control.

Her core was soaking wet. Everything south of her navel was swollen and heavy with arousal. She spread her legs and felt her sex tremble as she let herself just barely glide up against the length of his cock.

The slick meeting of their flesh felt incredible. She let herself dip lower and ground against him. He made a guttural noise that only served to increase her need. She wanted him so badly. She wanted this. It was as if her hormones were on fire for this man.

She gazed down at him and felt a strong sense of possessiveness. Taking his hands, she lifted them to her breasts. He cupped the heaviness, and she gasped in delight. They were much more sensitive than they had been in the past, and the more he teased her nipples the more she felt a corresponding quiver between her legs.

Feliks rolled the taut nubs between his fingers, pinching lightly until she could stand it no more. The empty ache inside her pussy could only be satisfied by one thing. Arching her back, she shifted her hips until she felt the tip of his cock catch against her slick opening.

He hissed when she allowed his cock to sink deep inside her body. Annika cried out, the sound echoing around the room like an animal in the throes of lust. She didn’t care. She was past caring. The only thing that mattered was fulfillment.

She put her hands on his chest. His slid down to her hips. He urged her to move, to rock against him even as she used her knees to ride him. The friction inside her body only made her want more. She could feel her orgasm building. Her legs began to tingle as the heat of desire gathered at the base of her spine.

Beneath her, Feliks was using his hips to meet every motion of her body with the thrust of his cock. The sensation was exquisite. She let him set the pace, uncaring of who was in control. There was no her and no him. It was just the two of them in a race to find the top and see who could free fall the fastest.

She shouted, uncertain of what she was saying and only knowing that she couldn’t stop. She was so close she could nearly touch the stars. Frustration began to build as she felt her peak slipping away. Then Feliks found the nub of her clit between her swollen pussy lips and gently circled it with the tip of his index finger.

Pleasure exploded through Annika’s body. She flung her head back and let herself go. Rocking and moaning, she fucked Feliks as hard as she could. And when she felt his entire body tense, she knew he was about to come.

“Annika!”

“Fuck me, Feliks. Make me yours!”

He groaned and shuddered. Heat filled her pussy. The sensation gave her one last jolt, and she felt a tiny aftershock of pleasure rip through her in a wave of muscle contractions that left her gasping for breath.

She collapsed onto Feliks’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her. It was so odd to feel so safe and secure with a man who had been told to kill her. None of that mattered. Not anymore. She belonged to him, and he belonged to her. No matter what happened, Annika knew she would stand by his side.

“Let’s find a more comfortable position, shall we?” he murmured.

She giggled, pulling the covers back and rolling beneath them. Feliks did the same. She snuggled up to his side and felt her eyelids growing heavy.

“Can you turn the lamp off?” she asked with a yawn.

He gently stroked her hair. “I brought you some food.”

The idea of food appealed, but Annika was just too tired to think about it at the moment. “Maybe in a little while.”

“Are you all right?”

“Are you asking me if you damaged our child?” she teased.

He went silent, and she realized he was giving this some serious thought. It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. Men. They were all ridiculous.

“I suppose that’s a valid question,” he began slowly. “I’d never thought about it before.”