Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

N ikolay

The woman was fucking brilliant, her strategic idea one of the best I'd ever heard let alone used. While I was spending all this time wallowing in self-pity and rage, I'd forgotten everything my father had taught me.

I suspected Vadim and Aleksander had as well.

How had the woman provided clarity so damn easily? I was floored.

I admired her.

A laugh escaped my throat. The sound was almost bitter, but I certainly didn't feel any resentment toward her, just adoration for her deep thoughts and helping me get my head out of my ass.

Finally, I allowed water to trickle over my head, hoping that it would partially cleanse my soul.

As if that was possible.

There was so much to do, still concerned I wasn't certain who I could trust. Yes, I had a few without families, like Danny and Maxim. The enemy wouldn't be able to get to them, but what about the rank and file?

The one thing about that theory was that few rank-and-file soldiers knew much about me, the regime, or the business. I had a feeling whoever had done this knew too much about how organizations of this type were handled.

What could that mean if I was correct?

Yes, this would require intense planning and there was still a lot that was unknown out there, including who the fuck we were dealing with, but I did believe what she'd said about Tanner preferring to cut off his right arm. Maybe that's why I'd fallen into such a state of utter shock.

Becoming weak.

Christ.

I was thoroughly disgusted with myself.

The clothes, I tossed. The shower was quick but I scrubbed the blood covering a portion of my arms and neck. Hard. As I watched the red swirling down the drain, I planted my hands on shower wall.

Could I be both a ruthless businessman in the old ways while maintaining some sense of decency?

I honestly had no idea, but I did know what I'd told Chantel I believed.

I wasn't a good man. How could I be? I certainly wasn't going to heaven when I died. I'd hurt or killed far too many people at this point.

Sure, I could say less than some in the world I was in, but what the fuck did that mean? There was no free ticket to get through the pearly gates. There was nothing I could do to become a better man.

And I shouldn't have either Chantel or Damien with me, but if anyone believed they were going to find a way to take them from me, I wouldn't hesitate to kill.

With my bare hands.

I finally had enough of being morbid, throwing back my head and raking my hands through my wet hair. Strategy was best. Working for vengeance only would do nothing but create additional bloodshed.

Damn, the woman was good.

The second I turned off the water, I sensed a presence in the room.

Her presence.

There was no mistaking her sweet scent, even altered with pool water. I grinned, taking my time and grabbing my towel from where I'd placed it over the back edge of the shower door. I also took my time rubbing water from my body.

Yes, I was tense.

Yes, I was angry.

However, my cock was fully aroused. That's what the woman did to me.

All. The. Time.

When I finally opened the shower door, allowing additional steam to float into the room, I was, as usual, breath-taken by the sight of her beauty.

Chantel was leaning against the edge of the bathroom counter, her legs crossed at the ankles, holding a towel with one hand against her naked body. She had no idea how provocative she was, how alluring in her rather discreet mannerisms.

I sucked in my breath and she smiled coyly, dropping the towel away. I would never get used to the sight of her voluptuous body, including her long legs that were meant to be wrapped around me and me alone. When she was bold enough to open her legs, exposing her pretty pink pussy and swollen lips glistening for only her man to see, I became insatiable. Like some predator in the wild.

With one step, I was in front of her, shaking my head. "You should never tempt a wild beast."

She yawned, which was fake. "I can handle any beast with ease. Try me." Her voice was dripping with sexuality as well as intense need.

I dropped to my knees, spreading her pussy wide open with both hands. Just drinking in her honey-laced aroma was a gift from the gods. I was far too famished to wait. After lifting her off her toes, I heard her clamoring to slap her hands on something, her soft moans prickling my ears.

She struggled purposely in my hold, thrashing back and forth on the counter. But she should know by now that she could never escape me.

At least not for long.

I swirled my tongue around her clit a few times before sucking on the tender bud as if it was the only sweet juice that could quench my thirst. A growl escaped my throat, one so guttural that she laughed as it echoed in the room.

It was funny how I hadn't bothered to ask about Damien because I already knew her look well. He was safe, likely tucked into his little bed for a long nap.

That gave me a little leeway, even if time was of the essence.

She was as needy as I was, her writhing only adding fuel to the fire. I dragged my tongue up and down her sweet pussy, tasting cherries and apricots. Goddamn, I could feast on her for days. When I returned and everything had been concluded, I made a point of promising myself I would.

I wasn't certain how I was grinning as I ate her with passion, but I could feel it in my cheeks. I thrust my tongue and both thumbs inside her tight channel, trying to keep my cool. How was that possible around a woman so luscious and perfect?

"Oh, God. You are…" She was laughing, one hand slapping the mirror as she opened her legs wider, even leaning back.

With her wide open, she only enticed the beast more. It was fabulous. I licked and sucked, driving her to the point of an orgasm and pulling back. After I'd done so several times, she finally gripped my hair, entwining her fingers and alternating between ragged moans and soft whimpers.

My cock was aching, throbbing to the point I could barely keep control.

But I refused to allow this to end.

Something stuck in the back of my mind that almost derailed the moment.

That we were both desperate because we knew this could or might be the last intimate moment together. Shaking it from my mind this go-around was tougher, more so than I could have ever imagined.

But I'd told myself long before, nothing and no one was going to interfere with the people I cared about. Period.

"I need to come," she huffed, her voice no longer her own.

"Not yet. If you do, you'll be punished." I took a few seconds, brushing my lips across her tummy.

She laughed, tossing her head back and forth. When she blinked, I could tell her eyes were dilated. And there was likely no way she could hold out for long.

I returned to my duties, even more vigorous with my actions than before.

When her body started to buck, I knew I'd lost her. The climax raced up from the depths of her being, her moans escalating to the point she bit her lower lip. But the sounds were delicious, pushing me beyond the point of a man hungering for a woman.

How did she have that ability?

Every grunting sound I made, every savage lick of my tongue brought another orgasm. Yet when she started to come down from nirvana, I made good on my promise. I cracked three fingers against her pussy, not hard enough to hurt her sweet, tender tissue but a sharp reminder she was to obey me at all costs.

"Ouch. You are terrible. Terrible!" She twisted the fistful of my hair she had, beating on the mirror with the other.

"You crave pain."

"Shut up and give me another. Please."

How could any man not smile to that request? I obliged without hesitation, using my fingers and tongue to drive her closer and closer to ecstasy, still pulling back then pushing several times. I thought for certain she was going to fall off the counter with her violent reaction and I was forced to hold her down while sucking up her sweet juices.

I had no idea how long she was in the throes of nirvana before her hand slowly slipped down the mirror and she slumped, her breathing heavy. That only fueled me even more.

Even after standing, her juice was covering my mouth. I didn't bother wiping it off, crushing her mouth with mine. There was something possessive on her part as she threw her arms around my neck, pulling me in as close as possible. It was an awkward angle, but I didn't give a shit. I'd fuck the woman anywhere at any time.

Chantel moaned into the kiss and wrapped her long legs around my hips just like I loved. The room already smelled of sex and that was the most powerful aphrodisiac in the world.

Everything about the moment was even more special, the clinging to each other necessary. How had a man like me gotten so lucky?

I thrust my tongue inside, my kiss more dominating than before. I was so forceful I almost accidentally pulled her off. Yet she remained clinging to me, writhing underneath as only she could do.

She sucked on my tongue, holding me in place and did her best to grind her wet pussy against my cock. After a couple of minutes, it was all I could take. I yanked her butt halfway off the edge of the counter, rolling onto the balls of my feet so I could easily impale her with my cock.

Somehow, she managed to break free of the kiss, throwing her head back and issuing the kind of moan that indicated utter passion.

The moment was incredible, so much so I was thrown into a sweet bliss of my own. It was as if I was always meant to be with her. Damn the naysayers or those who might condemn us both for the forbidden aspect. Why should I give a fuck what anyone thought?

"I want you. I need you. I will have you." It was some strange declaration to her, as if either one of us needed it.

Slowly, Chantel lifted her head, giving me another one of her teasing looks. "That's good because you can't get rid of me. Now fuck me as if your life depended on it." She pushed up on the counter, arching her back until my attention was pushed to her sweet nipples.

"It just might, my sweet princess." I had so many things I wanted to whisper in Russian, terms of endearment that I wanted her to hear, but this was more important.

Plus, I needed her to understand how important this was between us.

And it was.

She did her best to meet every brutal thrust, her smile devious. As she dropped her arm from around my head, raking her sharp nails down my back, I was pulled into another sweet vacuum of needing her.

Hungering for her.

I had no idea how long we fucked like two animals, but long enough sweat was running down both sides of my face, the tightness in my chest from urgency and need.

We were half laughing together, half growling like savages. The mirror was steamed up, the entire room like a sweatbox.

But it was utterly perfect.

With a few more brutal strokes of my shaft, I could easily tell I wasn't going to last long. But we tried. God knows we tried, but the sweetness of being inside of her, the way her pussy was pulling me in even deeper was too much.

With her panting, tossing her head back and forth, I knew she was also ready to climax again as well.

In the next few precious seconds, we erupted at the same time.

There was truly nothing like filling her with my seed.

One day it would be in the hopes of making a child of our own.

Jesus. Where had that thought come from?

As the throbbing of my cock started to slow, her pussy continued to clench and release and I thought for certain she would push me into another orgasm of my own.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes. There was something entirely different about the way she was looking at me. Then again, I had a feeling my hard gaze was the same. She planted her palm on my chest, kneading the muscles.

There was no doubt something heavy was on her mind.

Even her lower lip was trembling.

I gripped her chin, forcing her to keep her head where I could see her eyes. "Baby. It's all going to be fine."

"What if it isn't?"

"This was your idea, a damn good one. Best I ever heard."

"I just… I just have a bad feeling."

"Look," I whispered as I brushed hair from her face. "It's understandable. With everything that's happened, you're likely in a sense of shock. It's not always this way." And I wasn't lying. Although I had to wonder if this was more like what the future would be.

If I were a praying man, I'd do that because I wasn't certain what to think. Other than something dark and ominous was being held over our heads.

"I can't lose you. I just…" She was close to tears.

I kissed one eye gently then the other. "Shush. You're not going to lose me. I'm too mean and tough to die. However, I need to get dressed and figure this out. Just like you wanted. Your brilliant idea."

Of course so much of her regretted her incredible thinking, but I was eternally grateful.

"Damn it," she muttered, but her eyes lit up a bit more than they had before. The fact she pounded her fist on my chest was unexpected, but it made me grin. How was that possible? "If you get hurt in the tiniest way, I would be so fucking angry. I will…"

"Oh, yeah, tough girl. What are you going to do?" She even went so far as to try to smack me. I grabbed her arm, within seconds flipping her around on the counter, her arm wrenched behind her back. "That was truly being bad. What am I doing to do with you?"

She rubbed steam from the mirror as much as possible, glaring at me with playful but serious eyes.

"Oh, yes. I know." It was such a pleasure popping my hand against her bottom. I even moved my body out of the way so I could access both sides, enjoying every second of making her skin warm up to a sweet deep blush.

"Meanie. Meanie!"

"With all that fabulous vocabulary you have and you call me a meanie?" She opened her mouth and I spanked her again, moving from side to side. She squirmed and moaned and I wished I could stay longer to give her a proper spanking but there was no additional time to take.

I felt that in my gut.

I was forced to back away, and we stared at each other in the mirror for another few seconds before I grabbed my towel from the floor, moving to the door. "I have a question."

"Of course." Her whispered answer made my heart break.

"If something does happen, will you take care of Damien?"

Chantel slowly turned her head, searching my eyes with a strong emotion that I wasn't certain of. "Of course I will. I love him like I love his father."

Love.

I wasn't certain how she could use that word, but it was another gut punch because I knew she meant what she'd said.

And I wasn't entirely certain it was smart to reciprocate.

After nodding, I walked out, briefly closing my eyes. Why was I bothering to lie to myself?

I felt exactly the same way about her.

Somehow, I worried it was going to damn both of us.