Tarnished Tyrant - A Mafia Romance

Chapter 49 Episode 49

“I’m not blind, you know.”

“No, but you are distracted,” he says. “And that’s almost thesame thing. You need to relax.”

“I am relaxed!” I lie.

Nikolai turns to me and reaches out. With him coming towardsme and no idea what he has planned, I freeze. Then his handsland on my shoulders. Slowly, he pushes them down fromaround my ears.

At once, I feel my body unclench. A pressure inside of mereleases slightly.

“This,” he says, “is not relaxed. You’re tense.”

“I know,” I sigh. “I keep thinking about Elise. About whathappened this morning. She’s my responsibility, you know?

And I’m… I’m failing her.”

I glance up at Nikolai and then away, too nervous to see theway he might be looking at me.

“I know—it’s pathetic. You don’t fail at anything. I probablysound ridiculous to you. But—”

Nikolai’s voice is serious. When I look up, his expressionmatches. His brows are pulled together, his jaw clenched.

“I understand the importance of taking care of family. I knowthe pressure you’re under.”

His hands are still on my shoulders, and suddenly, I want tostep into the warmth of his body. I want his strong armsaround me. His deep voice in my ear.

Pure, unadulterated lust zips through me like a lightning bolt,and I jerk away from him like I was shocked.

“We should go,” I stammer. “Where should we—Do you havesomething in mind?”

Nikolai smirks. I’m sure he sees right through me. But for achange, he’s benevolent enough to let it go.

“Yeah, I have something in mind,” he says. “Follow me.”

He grabs my hand and tows me after him. We walk around theback of the stables, and, for the first time, I notice a stone path.It curves away from the stable and disappears behind a hill. Iclench my hands tightly at my sides and follow him.

Suddenly, the path opens into a patio of sorts with a circularpool in the center. The water is pale blue and steam rolls offthe surface.

Nikolai turns to me with a smile and grabs the bottom of hisshirt. In one move, he pulls it over his head, and I have to fightto keep my tongue in my mouth.

Holy s**t, he’s gorgeous. Broad shoulders, a cut waist, and absI want to bite into.

“It’s a natural hot spring,” he says, already unbuttoning hispants. “You’re not the only person who gets sore after riding.A soak comes with the territory.”

“But you’re not sore,” I say dumbly.

“No. But I have some stiffness.”

Then he pulls his pants down, and I see exactly how stiff he is.

To my surprise, though, Nikolai doesn’t flaunt his erection. Heleaves his boxers on and slips down into the hot spring. Oncehe’s settled, he extends his arms out along the lip and leansback.

“It feels amazing. You should get in.”

It looks amazing. And I really am sore. But if I get in thatwater, I can’t be held responsible for what comes next.

“It’s kind of cold out for a swim.”

“That’s why it’s a hot spring,” Nikolai chuckles. He pausesand surveys me. “Am I making you nervous, Belle?”

Rather than admit that yes, I am incredibly nervous, I respondby yanking my shirt off. I throw it into the pile with Nikolai’sclothes and then wiggle out of my jeans.

I feel his eyes on me, watching as I dip a toe into the water andthen slide in. But as the warm water envelops me, I forgeteverything else and sigh.

“Incredible,” I agree. “I want to live in here.”

It’s secluded and quiet and warm. Part of me wants to sink intothe moment, allow myself to imagine my problems are amillion miles away.

But they aren’t. My problem is close. Somewhere nearby,probably scowling and cursing as she toils on a busted fence orwhatever.

And just like that, I feel my shoulders creeping back uptowards my ears.

I look at Nikolai and blink. “Huh?”

He arches an amused eyebrow. “Turn off your brain.”

“As if it’s that easy,” I say.

“Sure it is,” he replies. “Take a deep breath, in and out. We’rein a hot spring in Iceland. Release your muscles. Release yourworries.”

I do what he says, but when I finish, I’m wound even moretightly. I groan. “Now, I’m stressed because I’m not good atdestressing.”

I narrow my eyes. “Stop saying that like my thoughts are aswitch. They don’t work that way.”

“Yeah, but only because we—” I stop myself, biting the wordsback.

Nikolai is watching me with a feral kind of intensity. “Wewhat?”

We had wild s*x in an airplane bathroom, I think. But I can’tbring myself to say it.

Instead, I shake my head. “You’re dangerous.”

If he’s surprised by my topic change, he doesn’t show it. “AmI?”

“Very,” I insist. “I can’t get tangled up in anything risky. Notwhen I have Elise to think about. I should be looking for astable job, planning what my next move will be when we gethome.”

“Should, shouldn’t. Can’t, won’t.” Nikolai shrugs. “It soundslike a lot of overanalyzing when what you should be thinkingis, What would make me happy?”

I stay silent, blinking as he wades closer to me. His chin dipsbelow the water like a predator circling prey.

“What do you want, Belle?” he says softly.

I feel his fingers brush across my ankle under the water, butinstead of pulling away, I shift closer.

Just like with everything else, Nikolai notices.

“You know what you want,” he says. “And I know what youneed.”

“And what is that?” I ask quietly.

His fingers hook under my thighs and pull my legs apart. Asecond later, he’s between them, his chest pressed to mine.

When our lips meet, it feels like I’ve been underwater and he’smy first breath of fresh air in far too long. My lungs burn andmy chest heaves as I wrap my legs around his waist.

Nikolai grips the back of my neck, holding me close. He partsmy lips with his tongue and slips inside.

It feels easy, natural. Kissing him, tasting him. It feels like I’vebeen doing it forever and also like it’s somehow brand new.Every second is exciting. The way our bodies brush under thewater, the way his hands stroke down my spine and grip mywaist.

When Nikolai pulls me against him, rocking my aching centeragainst his c**k, I can’t wait another second.

“I want you inside of me,” I gasp, shoving my hands inside hisboxers.

He kicks the material off and then shoves my panties to theside. In one swift thrust, he’s in me to the hilt. I lean my headback against the stone sides of the hot spring, my mindblissfully blank at last.

How can anything else matter when this feels so good?

“Finally,” Nikolai breathes, sliding slowly in and out of me.“Now, you’re starting to relax.”

“Apparently, this is what it takes.”

He kisses my neck as he thrusts shallow and fast. “A sacrificeI’m willing to make.”

I grab his stubbly face and pull his lips back to mine. I kisshim with everything I have, letting the last of my stress meltaway in the water.

“But relaxation is a low bar, don’t you think?” Nikolai iswatching me with dark, seductive eyes. He starts stroking myclit with his thumb. “We can do better than that.”

“What did you have in mind?”

His answer is a single breath: “Ecstasy.”

I tangle my fingers in the hair at the base of his neck. I can’tget close enough, so I settle for driving myself onto himharder, riding him faster. I roll my hips again and againbeneath the water until we’re both panting.

Nikolai presses the flat of his tongue to my n****e, and I archinto his mouth as I fall onto his hardness again and again. It’s asymphony of chaos and pleasure, and I don’t want this to end.

“I’m going to come,” I gasp, gripping his head and holdinghim to my chest. “I’m going to—”

“Come,” he commands, flicking his finger over my c**t.

I do. Hard. I moan and jolt as wave after wave rolls throughme, milking Nikolai until I feel pulsing in rhythm with me. Heholds me against him as he spills into me.

And for as long as that lasts, I’m not thinking. I’m notstressing.

This woman does things to me.

Even now, as we walk down the worn dirt trail towards thefarmhouse, still steaming from the hot tub, I’m tempted to layher down on the ground and fill her again. There are places Istill haven’t tasted. Positions yet to try.

But her mind is elsewhere. On her wayward sister, I’m sure.

“She’ll be fine,” I tell her.

I shrug. “When I was fourteen, I was already living on myown.”

She turns to me, eyes wide. “You lived on your own atfourteen?”

I don’t add that it was only that way because the other choicewas to live with my useless father. It was easier to take care ofmyself than it was to take care of myself and his drugged-upass at the same time.