Ivan reaches over to take my hand and gently rubs his thumb across my knuckles. I feel a shot of electricity shoot straight up my arm and a warm feeling start pooling in my belly.
“I want you to be comfortable here,” Ivan says.
I take a deep breath. “I’m scared. I was terrified when I was taken and thinking that nobody would come for me. I’m all alone in Boston now that Gran is gone. Would anyone have missed me?”
“I would miss you,” Ivan says, standing up to hug me against his chest. He’s got me wedged between his body and the counter. “I would search to the ends of the Earth if you disappeared.”
I wrap my arms around him, getting lost in his body heat and his scent. Leather and woods are now two of my favorite things, and he wears those scents like they were made for him.
I look at up him to find him already looking down at me with something resembling heat mixed with softness. He uses his thumb and forefinger to tilt my chin up a little higher before leaning his head down and pressing a kiss to my lips. It’s a soft kiss, only lasting for about two seconds before Ivan pulls away to look at me again.
He looks at me like he wants to do it again. I give him a small nod as I smile, and Ivan takes that as a cue to use his hands and angle my head in just the right way to kiss me again. When he teases my lips with his tongue, I open for him so easily. The feel of his tongue tangling with mine has me letting out a tiny moan from the back of my throat.
Fireworks ignite inside me, and I know I’ll be having some personal time later to the memory of his lips on mine. Ivan doesn’t know I’ve never been with a man before, but from the unspoken emotion being poured into this kiss, it may not be long before I surrender my v-card. He pulls away, searching my face.
“Tvoi guby takiye sladkiye,” Ivan whispers, leaning his forehead against mine.
“Your lips are sweet too,” I reply, trying to catch my breath. Who would have thought that one kiss could leave me so breathless? “I think we should finish our conversation before we get too sidetracked.”
“Agreed,” Ivan says, letting out a breath and smiling.
We spend time going over how things will look moving forward. I still don’t like being restricted to the house even though my brain knows it’s for my own safety. Ivan also says that I’m not getting Yuri back, and he’ll have a new bodyguard assigned to me tomorrow.
I give Ivan a hug before taking myself to my room and crawling into bed. That personal time will have to wait until the morning, because as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m drifting off to sleep with thoughts of that kiss at the front of my mind.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IVAN
EMMA’S LIPS ARE the best thing I’ve ever tasted. When I leaned down to kiss her last night in the kitchen, a heat exploded in my chest and the tightness I’d been feeling released itself. When I angled her head and teased those lips with my tongue, Emma’s mouth opened for me so easily, and she submitted so willingly to my takeover.
I must have been dreaming about her, because when I woke up this morning my hand was around my cock, stroking it up and down with long and methodical movements. I start imagining what it would be like to be inside Emma, thrusting in and out while we both moan our own pleasure.
Instead, I get out of bed and move to the bathroom to turn on the shower. Under the water, I grab my cock and start stroking again, imagining that my hand is Emma’s cunt. She’s a small girl with curves for days, and I can only think of how tight she will be when I’m finally inside her. The thought sends a blissful sensation down my spine and into my balls.
I’m getting close to climaxing, so I increase my movements and fuck my hand harder. Four more thrusts, and I’m blowing my load all over the shower wall while moaning Emma’s name. I blink quickly several times to clear the stars from my eyes. This has definitely taken the edge off, and maybe I’ll be able to get some work done without distraction.
The universe has other plans for me today. My brothers have decided to pay me a visit. I walk into my home office, and all three of them are sitting in chairs in front of my desk.
“What the fuck are you all doing here?” I ask as I sit down in my chair. Mrs. Ivanova places coffee on the side table before quietly exiting the space and closing the door.
“We need to talk, Ivan,” Dmitri says. Leave it to him to speak first.
“About what?” I ask him, narrowing my eyes.
“First, we need to talk about the meeting with Declan Callaghan,” he answers.
“Callaghan says he has a claim to Emma as repayment for a debt owed by her father,” I tell him.
“You told us that after your meeting with him,” Dmitri adds.
“I’m not handing her over to that asshole for any reason. Emma is not responsible for her father’s debt to the Irish,” I say.
“We’ve increased security in the places you requested,” Dmitri confirms.
“Good. Maks, what about finding leverage on Callaghan?” I ask, directing my attention to my next younger brother.
“He and his people keep their tracks very well covered,” Maksim begins. “Everything looks above board at the moment, but I think we may be getting close to something. I’ve got Kolya looking into some questionable activities with city officials regarding permits for some properties.”
