Stingray Billionaire: The Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (78 page)

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Max

I
came to with my
face pressed to the concrete floor listening to Papa and Dementyev arguing.
They were circling each other as they yelled at the top of their lungs about
old grudges, but I couldn't tell who had the upper hand. I didn't want to alert
them that I was conscious, so I lay there trying to get a sense of where we
were before I played my hand. I could see the outer walls of the warehouse, and
from where I lay, I could see a long hallway that stretched out toward the back
of the building. I wondered if that was where they were keeping Lexi.

I started forming a plan as first Papa, then Dementyev, moved close to
me. I wasn't sure if they were planning to fight or if this was just part of
their Russian drama playing out, but as I watched them circle close to me and then
away from me, I knew exactly what I was going to do. When Papa circled around
near me again, I quickly tapped his shoe to let him know I was conscious. He
didn't bat an eye as he limped back around the circle, but this time when
Dementyev circled close to me, I quickly reached out and yanked both of his
feet out from underneath him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"
Nu vse, tebe pizda!"
Dementyev swore as he tried to regain his footing. I reached out and pulled his
feet back, sending him sprawling to the ground again, before I jumped on top of
him and began punching him mercilessly. He frantically tried to push me off as
he threw wild punches that missed their mark. He was yelling at his men,
"Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" I landed a punch to his gut, and
he gasped for air like a fish out of water.

"Stay down!" I ordered as I wrapped my hands around his neck
and squeezed.

None of the men moved a muscle as Papa limped over to where Dementyev lay
on the ground, looked at him, and then spit on his face as he swore, "
Zhopa!"
Papa moved across the room
before he nodded to the men and they moved in to lift me off of Dementyev and
pulled him off the floor. He had a wild look in his eyes as if he didn't quite
understand what was happening.

"What the fuck is going on? Sacha! Boris! What the fuck are you
doing?" he demanded as the men pulled his arms behind him and secured them
with cuffs. "You can't do this to me, Malinchenko! I will not stand for
this!"

"Stop your screaming, Dementyev," Papa ordered. His voice had a
cold, metallic sound to it, and I shivered as I listened to him speak.
"You are a blight on the earth. You are a terrible man, who has done many
terrible things. I don't believe you deserve to live, but this choice is not up
to me. I'm going to leave this choice up to the people you have hurt. The
people you have terrorized. They will decide what is to be done with you. And,
once they do, I will abide by their decision; but first, you will receive the
tattoo of the
krysa
. Then, you will
leave this city and never return. Do you understand me?"

"You
sookin syn!"
Dementyev screamed. "You can't do this to me! You can't tattoo me and send
me into exile for your own crimes! I won't stand for it, you lying, cheating
bastard! Your wife was a whore, and your son was a bastard!"

Papa calmly walked over to where the two men Dementyev had been his loyal
followers were holding him. He calmly looked at the other man and he flicked
open a large switchblade that I hadn't seen him carrying. The sound of the knife
blade reaching its full length sliced through Dementyev's insults and my father
pushed the tip against the man's abdomen as he spoke in a voice that only I
knew how much anger it contained, "You will never again speak of my wife
or my sons. If you do, I will slice you open like a useless sewer rat and will
gut and skin you without a thought. Do you understand me,
zhopa
?"

When Dementyev didn't respond, Papa pressed the tip of the knife into his
abdomen with more force and repeated, "Do you understand me?"
Dementyev looked at my father defiantly before he spit in his face. Papa made
quick work of the man's shirt, then looked the two holding him and said,
"Take him to the car. Feliks will take care of the tattoo." Then men
nodded and dragged Dementyev out screaming.

I looked at Papa with wide eyes, unsure of how to respond to what I knew
what a show of strength that would put him squarely back in charge of the
bratán
. He smiled at me as he patted my
arm and said, "Go find Miss Wallace and get her out of this
hellhole."

I turned and ran down the hallway to the only door that was closed. I
pulled it open and found a terrified Lexi cowering in a corner. She screamed,
"Get away from me!" as I charged in.

"Lexi, Lexi, it's me, Max," I said, abruptly stopping and
standing stock still until she could process that it was in fact me.

"Max?" she whispered. "Did you come to rescue me?"

"Damn right, I did," I said as I reached down and gathered her
in my arms, lifting her up off of the cold floor. "There wasn't any way I
was going to lose my best sales associate to a Russian mobster. It's really
damn hard to find good help."

Lexi wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder
as I walked out of the horrible cell and took her to the car. Halfway there she
raised her head and called, "
STOYA!
Anna! Anna! Don't leave Anna behind! She saved me, Max. She found me," she
dissolved into tears as she buried her face in my neck, crying, "I thought
they'd killed her!"

"She led me to you, Lexi," I said. "Anna found me and
showed me where you were. She'd never left you."

"Find her, Max. Don't let her stay out here alone," she cried.

I took Lexi to the car and then ran back around to the back of the
building where I found the kitten pacing and chirping. I reached down, picked
her up, and tucked her under my chin as she butted me with her filthy, little
head. I smiled as I told her, "Lexi is going to be so happy to see you,
little girl." I squeezed her a little tighter and whispered, "Thank
you for showing me the way." Her reply was a purr followed by a long
stream of drool as I laughed.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

Lexi

Max's
driver quickly spirited us back to the penthouse, where I shed my clothes and
sunk into a hot bubble bath. We hadn't said much on the drive home. Instead,
both of us had lavished attention on Anna who had walked between us, head
butting and purring the whole ride home. Max had volunteered to bathe her as
soon as we walked in the door and I'd simply nodded and headed to my room.

Once submerged in the soapy water, I let everything I'd been holding back
flow. I sobbed until I felt empty and then I told myself that I had to put it
all behind me and move on. I was halfway through my lecture about what I needed
to do to reclaim my life and how I needed to stand on my own two feet and not
expect anyone to come and rescue me ever again when Max tapped on the door.

"Lexi? I've got a glass of wine and some food for you," he
said. "May I bring it in?"

"Sure, come on in," I said after checking to make sure that I
was fully covered by bubbles, then immediately felt foolish. Max had seen
everything already; why was I hiding?

He entered carrying a small side table in one hand and a tray in the
other. He set the table down next to the tub and then slid the tray on top of
it before turning and heading back out the door. His hair was wet from a
shower, and he was wearing only a loose pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top.
He looked more handsome than I'd ever seen him, and my heart thumped in my
chest before I remembered what I'd wanted to ask him the whole time I'd been
held captive.

"Max?" I called softly. He turned with a questioning look on
his face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "Embarrassed? Ashamed? Afraid that
you'd judge me and assume that I was one of them?"

"How could you think that?" I asked. Again, he shrugged. I
waited for a few moments and then quietly asked, "How did you know where
to find me?"

"Dementyev made a second video after he taped you," he said as
he leaned against the doorframe looking at me. "He demanded an exchange.
Vladimir for you."

"So, you brought him to the warehouse to make the exchange?"

"I didn't want to do it that way," he said. "I wanted to
go in guns blazing and kill him, but my father said that's not the way things
are done. He made me adhere to the
vory v
zakone
rules and to have honor, even where there was none."

"How did your father know that Dementyev wasn't going to just kill
us all?" I asked afraid of the answer.

"My father is a smart man – brutal, but smart," he replied.
"He told me the plan and I trusted that he knew what he was doing. He'd
been anticipating something like this for a very long time, so he'd put pieces
in play that I had no idea about. Some of the men who were working for Dementyev
were my father's men, they were the ones who made sure you had food and that
Dementyev didn't do anything, um, really awful."

"He threatened to cut me open and watch my blood run into the
drain," I whispered as I looked up at him and sank deeper into the water.
Max nodded. I could see the anguish in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Lexi," he said in a voice full of pain. "I
didn't know… I didn't think…"

"Max, I don't hold you responsible for mad man's actions," I
told him. "He's a sick, twisted man who had a vendetta against your
father. He was going to hurt anyone who got in the way, right?"

"He did," he said. "He killed my brother."

"Oh, Max!" I cried as I quickly stood up and grabbed a towel.
He looked away as I wrapped the cloth around me and moved in front of him,
where I laid a hand on his cheek and said, "It's not your fault. It's not
your fault, Max."

"I could have prevented it," he said, choking back a sob.
"I could have saved him if I'd just been there."

"Max, if you'd been there, then you'd both be dead." I held his
face with both hands and forced him to look up at me.

"But I didn't protect you," he whispered. "I tried, but I
failed."

"Max, listen to me," I said as I looked up into his beautiful,
blue eyes. "You did everything in your power to protect me. I fired the
security guard because I was angry at you for not telling me about your
background. I don't think you could have done more than what you did."

"It wasn't good enough," he winced. "How will you ever be
able to trust me again?"

"Max?" I stepped closer and rose up on my tiptoes so that I was
only inches from his face. I smiled as I said, "I'll trust you
because…because…because I love you, and that's all there is to it."

His ice blue eyes went from hard to soft in an instant, and he looked at
me utterly surprised as he blurted out, "What did you just say?"

"I said, I love you, Max Malin – Malinchenko," I said in a
clear voice as I quickly kissed his lips. "And, there isn't anything in
the world you can do to stop me."

"Lexi." He shook his head, but I stopped him as I wrapped my
arms around his neck and kissed him again. In instant, his arms were around me
as he lifted me up off of the floor and held me tightly against his chest. His
smile told me everything I needed to know, but when he spoke, my heart soared.
"Lexi, I love you, too. I've loved you from the moment I met you. I was so
afraid that Dementyev had hurt you."

"I know, but he didn't." I looked directly into his eyes.

"You can thank your kitten for the showing me where you were,"
he said as a still damp Anna squeezed between us and head butted our legs,
demanding attention. "She was one determined little girl."

"I know, she hopped up on the windowsill after you'd disappeared and
gave me hope," I told him as I looked down at the tiny kitten that was now
delicately licking her fur. Max bowed his head and pressed his cheek against my
shoulder.

"I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to
you," he whispered. "I don't think I could have handled it."

"Max, I'm here now," I said as I cradled his head in my hands
and kissed his hair. "I'm okay."

He lifted his face and looked at me before slowly lowering me to the
floor. My arms were still around his neck as he gently cupped my face and bent
to kiss me. The touch of his lips sent sparks shooting through my body and
reminded me of all the ways in which I wanted him. His lips were soft, but
insistent as he slowly began running his hands down my sides. He scooped me up
and carried me to the bed, his lips never leaving mine.

Max gently set me on the bed before he peeled away the towel. I blushed
as his eyes traveled across my body, taking in every inch before he looked into
my eyes and smiled.

"You're so beautiful," he told me as he traced a path from my
lips down to my breasts, where he slowly circled one of my nipples as he leaned
down and kissed me again. He sat up and then pulled off the tank top he was
wearing before sinking down on the bed next to me. He propped himself up on his
elbow as he used his free hand to slowly explore my naked body.

"Max…" I said as I stroked his cheek. His response was to lean
down and capture one of my nipples between his teeth and lightly nip at it. I
moaned as other hand slipped between my thighs and cupped the warmth that
radiated from between them. He took his time as he teased one nipple and then
the other before returning to my lips and kissing me deeply. I slid my hands
down the length of his long, lean body, stroking his skin as I kissed him back.

I could feel his hardness pressing against my thigh as I arched my back,
pressing my bare skin against him. He murmured something I couldn't quite
understand and then kissed me harder as I tugged on the waistband of his pants.
He quickly withdrew his hand from its warm place between my thighs and shed his
bottom layer before lowering himself down on top of me. He pushed up with one
hand and gently nudged my thighs apart with his knee before lowering himself
again.

I could feel his shaft resting between my slick, swollen lips as he slid
up and down, coating himself in my wetness. I moaned more insistently as I
spread my legs wider and reached down to guide him to the edge of my needy
opening. He smiled as he hovered over me, teasing me as he slipped the tip in
and then withdrew it over and over.

"Max, Max! Oh, please! Please!" I begged as I looked up at him
with wild eyes. He bent down and slowly kissed me as he finally slid his entire
length deep inside of me. The sensation was overwhelming and I gasped as I felt
him filling me so completely. A long, low moan escaped from my lips as he
buried himself in me and held completely still as he slid one hand between our
bodies and began lightly stroking my clit. The delicious agony drove me to the
edge of desire before I knew it.

"Max, please, please. I need it!" I cried as I felt him slowly
moving his fingers over my swollen bud. He smiled, but continued playing as
though he hadn't heard me. My pulse raced, and I felt the blood flowing through
my veins, making my skin more sensitive and aware of his touch. Max played my
body like his own personal instrument, slowly and deliberately with great care
and attention to every detail. I'd never surrendered myself to anyone like this
and when I finally gave in and submitted, he began moving his hips ever so slowly.

The rhythm was excruciatingly slow and I could feel him stroking my inner
walls as he pulled back until just the tip of his shaft remained inside me.
And, with one quick thrust of his hips, he quickly buried himself deep inside
me again. I cried out as he did it again and again, feeling his length and
thickness dragging across the sensitive nerve endings deep inside my body. I
could feel myself becoming more and more aroused as he maintained his slow pull
back and quick thrust in. I was wet and wanting, and I begged him to go faster
and deeper.

"I love watching you when you're aroused," he whispered into my
lips. "There's nothing sexier than your desire."

"Max, please," I said in a ragged voice.

"Please what?" He grinned as he continued his movements. I
moaned when he held still for a moment. "Tell me, Lexi, please what?"

"Max," I looked into his eyes, allowing him to see the bare
need in my own as I replied, "Take me, now…"

He paused for a moment, nodded, and then pushed himself up so that he
was, again, positioned just at the edge. He kissed me deeply as he thrust into
me fast and hard. I groaned into his lips as I felt him quickly push in and
then withdraw. I braced my feet against the mattress and lifted my hips to meet
his thrusts and drive him deeper and deeper.

Soon, we were both moaning as our hips moved together in a rhythm that
pounded out our insatiable desire. I could feel the sweat dripping off his skin
and splashing onto mine as we raced toward our climax.

"Do it, Lexi, do it," he said as he felt me begin to tighten
around him. "Take it, I want to feel you let go and fly. Come for me,
baby!"

His words set off the chain reaction and I let go. I could feel the wave
moving through me as it spread out from my core and reached every nerve ending
in my body. I screamed as the orgasm cascaded from inside to outside and I
gripped Max's arms and slammed my hips up against his to try and force him all
the way inside of me. I could feel my inner muscles contracting around him hard
and strong as he continued his driving rhythm until he, too, pushed the limit
and released. Max's groan came from somewhere deep inside of him as he thrust
into to me one last time and then lay there throbbing while I pulsed around
him, milking his shaft and drawing out everything he had to offer.

When we'd both reached the other side, he slowly withdrew and collapsed
beside me, wrapping his arms around my now cold body. He drew up the covers and
pulled me tightly to his chest as he kissed my head and whispered, "I love
you, Lexi Wallace. God, how I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered as I tipped my head up to kiss
him. "More than you know."

Then, with limbs entwined, we fell into a deep, deep sleep.