17. Alexei

17

ALEXEI

My solnyshka is avoiding me.

She’s barely spoken two words to me since the other night when my brothers decided to show up unannounced.

I thought we had established some sort of truce by including her in the conversation about Gilanto, but it seems to have done the opposite.

Every time I enter a room, she leaves, no matter if she’s sitting at the table, eating a meal, or painting in her studio. It’s as if she suddenly can’t stand to be in my presence.

I should be glad. Growing close to Bianca was never the plan because it would be too much of a risk to both of us. I’ve let myself lose focus and forget about the promise I made to Emilio, the promise I made to myself.

Protect Bianca at all costs.

I find her sitting at her easel, her back to me as she works on a new piece.

She’s still sketching it out, so I can’t work out what it is yet.

I gently rap my knuckles on the door, and her back stiffens. I try to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach as she doesn’t even bother to look around.

“I have to go into the city tonight. Micah is downstairs.” To keep an eye on you . I don’t say the second part out loud—it’ll only make her sulk more.

I hover for a moment to see if she might try to fight me, to demand to come along and remind me that she’s now a part of this family.

But she doesn’t.

She simply picks up her paintbrush, dips it in the red paint, and smears it across the blank canvas like blood.

I head down to where Micah is waiting.

He’s a big guy, almost six foot seven, with a shaved head, and full sleeve tattoos on both arms.

“She’s in her studio.”

He nods, crossing his arms over his chest.

“She’ll likely stay there until I get back.”

Another nod as Micah leans against the banister as I double check my weapons tucked inside my jacket. “Any word on Ricci?”

My teeth grind together at the mention of Ricci.

Even if it turns out that the man I thought was originally responsible for my parents death was not the one, he is far from innocent. The fucker is a vengeful and sadistic monster, and he deserves to die either way.

But what I want most of all is justice. For my parents. For my brothers who had to grow up with only me to guide them.

And for myself, who had to go through all of this and grow up from one minute to the next.

“I’m counting on my brothers to have some new information for me this evening.”

Other than my brothers and our cousin Anton, Micah and Feliks are the only two people I trust to keep my family secrets. Having a constant target on your back means it's hard to find people you can trust, who won’t betray you in exchange for money or protection.

“I’m meeting Asim tonight.”

“Alone?” Micah’s dark brows pull together.

“I can handle him.” I chuckle, tucking my handgun back into my right breast holster.

“He’s a snake.”

“Even snakes have their uses,” I remind Micah. “We’re meeting at the Russian Tea Rooms.”

“Aleksandr is working?”

“Yes, I made sure of it.”

Micah nods.

“I expect updates.” I glance up the stairs.

He nods. “ Da, Pahkan . I hope you make Asim sweat.”

I arrive at the Russian Tea Rooms to find Asim already waiting for me.

It’s one of the few places in the city where I feel comfortable enough to have meetings. Many of the staff are on my books, and I can trust they’ll be discreet.

“Have you been waiting long?” I slide into the red leather booth opposite Asim and unbutton my jacket.

The lighting is low, with a single candle on the table between us, casting Asim’s face in an orange glow.

He takes a sip of his neat vodka as he regards me.

I know exactly how long he’s been waiting. Aleksandr sent me a message the moment Asim arrived.

“Not long.” He’s almost double my age, with graying hair and faded tattoos creeping up his neck beneath the collar of his white shirt. His dark eyes have a certain haunted quality to them, one I know only too well.

I’ve been working with Asim since my parents died ten years ago. He was one of their most trusted allies, and when I took over as head of the family, he decided to stay.

Many didn’t, but I don't blame them. I was barely into my twenties and tasked with raising three younger siblings as well as running all of my father’s businesses.

Many wanted to see me fail. Which only fueled my desire to succeed.

“How is your new…situation?” Asim has a smirk tugging on his lips as he takes another sip of his drink. “The Bellucci girl settling in okay at casa del Koslov?”

I lean forward in my seat, resting my forearms on the table as I glance around.

The place is packed so there’s no chance of us being overheard, but that doesn’t ease my discomfort.

“I’d rather we keep the topic of conversation to the matter at hand.”

“Of course.” Asim nods.

A waitress appears and sets a rocks glass in front of me. “Double vodka for you, Mr. Koslov.”

Her lips are painted blood red, and her platinum blonde hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her eyes stay on me as I lift the glass to my lips.

Before Bianca, I’d have gladly given her my attention. I’d have taken her back to my penthouse and shown her a good time. But not anymore.

Though it might scare me, my disgust at the thought of sleeping with someone else doesn’t surprise me. The moment I had a taste of Bianca Bellucci, I knew there was no going back.

“ Spasiba .” I dismiss the waitress .

Asim smirks as he watches her walk away.

“Now, I suggest you start talking before my brother arrives.”

Asim lifts his drink to his lips and downs the rest, flinching as the vodka burns his throat.

I brace myself for whatever it is he’s about to share with me.

“Thirty years ago, your father surrendered two of his properties back in Russia over to Ivanov.” He sets his glass back down on the table.

“Surrendered?”

“We couldn’t find any trace of any money being exchanged.”

“He just handed them over?” This doesn’t make any sense.

“It looks like it.”

“Those properties would have been worth a fortune. Why the fuck would he just hand them over? Was he being blackmailed?”

My father was the most powerful Pakhan in New York. It would have taken a very powerful man to blackmail him.

“I’m still looking into that. I knew your father well, and this doesn’t add up.”

“I need to know everything you can find out about this Igor Ivanov.”

Asim nods before getting to his feet.

“Good to see you again, Alexei.” He reaches out a hand for me to shake before slipping out of the booth.

I down the rest of my drink and order a full round ready for my brothers’ arrival.

Dimitri takes Asim’s vacant space ten minutes later. “Uh oh, you looked pissed. ”

Danil slides in beside me, and Mikhail takes the spot beside Dimitri.

We’re all wearing identical black suits, our hair styled into neat parts. Though Mikhail and Danil are clean shaven, Dimitri and myself are sporting more stubble than usual.

There’s no denying the Koslov genes are strong.

“Asim just left.”

Mikhail nods. “Did he have anything useful to say?”

I quickly fill them in on the information Asim shared with me.

Dimitri looks pissed as hell, leaning back in the booth and bracing his hands against the table, his large biceps flexing beneath his shirt.

Danil glances between me and Dimitri. “What does this mean?”

“Igor clearly had something on Papochka , something big.”

Dimitri frowns. “It makes no sense, he never mentioned this guy.”

I shrug as I swirl my vodka around my glass to keep my hands busy.

“He kept a lot from us,” I remind him. “We were kids.”

“A heads up would’ve been nice.”

“Yeah, well, murder can be a bitch. People can’t plan for it.”

Dimitri takes that as his cue to drop the subject.

“Any word on Ricci?”

My brother shakes his head.

“ Fuck .”

“I do have another lead I’m following, though, so I’ll have some new information for you soon, brat .”

I wave him off, suddenly too tired to talk business .

It seems I’m just being handed more and more threads that are seemingly leading nowhere. Yet, I can’t afford to ignore any of them, not when the lives of those I care about most might be attached to the other end.

I stay for one more drink with my brothers before heading back home.

I could have stayed at the penthouse in the city, but I feel uneasy at the thought of leaving Bianca. I trust Micah completely, but I want to be close to her. Even when she’s not speaking to me, I feel calmer just knowing she’s around.

So, I race back to Queens in my Maserati, to my solnyshka . My little sun. The only light in my life right now, other than my brothers.

I relieve Micah the moment I walk in, tossing him the keys to my car as a thank you for taking good care of Bianca.

He catches them and nods. “She’s asleep.”

I clap him on the shoulder as I pass him to make my way up to the top floor.

Her bedroom door is closed, so I tread carefully along the wooden floor.

My fingers itch to open the door, to catch a glimpse of her as she sleeps.

“Just one look…”

I slowly turn the handle and push open the door.

The low light from the hall illuminates the bed, and I bite back a groan at what I find.

She’s naked, the silk sheets wrapped around her torso and between her thighs, giving me the perfect view of her soft curves.

Her heavy breasts rise and fall with each breath, her soft, pink nipples so inviting my mouth starts to water, and my cock starts to harden .

The only thing that’s hidden from view is her pussy, and I’m desperate for a fix.

I stay in the doorway for a moment, watching her sleep.

As if she senses me there, her back arches slightly, and her thighs rub together, the silk sheet stuck between them.

“ Solnyshka …” I moan under my breath as I squeeze my throbbing cock.

A soft whimper escapes her lips, and I have to rub my erection through my pants, running my palm up and down my length to try and ease the ache.

I know if I were to toss aside the sheet and expose her bare pussy, I would find it glistening with her arousal, so ready for me to sink inside her…

I’m crossing the room before I have a chance to stop myself.

Kneeling at the edge of the bed, I peel back the sheet that’s draped over her torso and gently untangle it from between her legs, careful not to wake her.

The moment I remove the sheet from between her thighs, she stretches out, spreading her soft thighs wide and exposing her glistening pink sex.

“Oh, ptichka ,” I groan under my breath.

She’s so ready for me, but I don’t want to wake her. So, I’ll give her what she needs and take care of myself later.

I slowly move to rest my forearms on either side of her thighs and gently lower my mouth to her pussy, running my tongue softly along her core.

She moans, her hips instantly bucking against me, so I do it again, biting back a moan as she squirms beneath my touch.

I lick her in long, slow strokes so as not to wake her fully .

She’s already soaking, as if her own dreams were plagued with thoughts of us.

I bite back a moan as I sink my tongue deep inside her pussy, tasting her sweet juices as she softly grinds against me, sighing.

She’s so fucking perfect.

My cock is straining against my zipper, desperate for me to pull it free, but I can’t.

My pleasure will come later. Right now, I want to make sure my solnyshka has the sweetest of dreams.

I slowly pump my tongue in and out of her core before dragging it up her center.

She moans so loudly as I wrap my lips around her clit and gently suck.

When her fingers drag through my hair, I shudder as she starts to slowly move her hips against my mouth.

I fucking love that Bianca gets off both when it’s hard and fast, but also when I take my time and build her release so slowly it gets her absolutely dripping wet. I glance up and find her breasts heaving, her breath coming in fast pants, and I know she’s close.

Come for me, solnyshka.

A rush of wetness pools between her thighs as she climaxes, her legs shaking on either side of my face as she rides out her orgasm.

“Mmm…” She continues to grind her hips against me.

I continue to lick her pussy so slowly, lapping up her arousal as she slowly relaxes back against the bed as she falls back into a peaceful sleep.

With one last kiss to her clit, I get to my feet and drape the sheet back over her body. There’s such a beautiful pink flush to her skin, and she has a faint hint of a smile on her face as sleep pulls her under once more .

“Goodnight, solnyshka ,” I whisper as I creep out of the room.

I’m desperate to take care of my own release, so I head across the hall to my room and immediately go into the ensuite. After turning the shower on, I strip out of my clothes, my erection springing free and growing even harder with the extra room.

I glance down, and the tip is already glistening with precum.

Fuck I want nothing more than to go back across the hall and bury myself between Bianca’s soft thighs.

But I need her to come to me.

Whatever it is that’s plaguing her mind has made her want to keep her distance from me.

If I wasn’t such a selfish bastard, I would let her go. But now I’ve had a taste, I don’t think I can ever give her up.

I groan as I take my throbbing length in my fist and pump it hard as I climb into the shower.

Pressing my left hand against the cold tiles to steady myself, I start working my cock hard and fast with my right hand as the water cascades over my tense muscles.

With the taste of her pussy still on my tongue, it doesn’t take long for my balls to tighten and the base of my spine to start to tingle.

My hips buck as I fuck my hand, my grip painful as I roll my thumb over my slit.

“Bianca.” My eyes flutter closed as I imagine her in the shower with me, bent over as I fuck her from behind.

She would take me so well, crying out with pleasure as my cock hit her inner walls over and over.

The feeling of her pussy clenching around me as she comes…

“Fuck.” I increase my pace, picturing her across the hall, still slick between her thighs. Did she wake up after I left? Is she still aching for more and having to dip her fingers between her legs to take care of herself?

Such a thought has my eyes rolling in my head as my release hits me.

Her name falls from my lips as I spill, my body shuddering as I pump my cock over and over to get out every last drop.

I can’t even convince myself this relationship was only ever about business. I think from the moment I set eyes on Bianca Bellucci in that elevator at the Waldorf, my hand had already been dealt.

Now I just need to work out how I’m going to play it.