Alekzander’s thumb stroked the bottom of her spine. “The one I told you about that’s causing trouble from the inside; he, or rather they, are getting ballsier. We can’t say for sure, but we’re assuming the warehouse explosion was their doing. But it’s nothing for you to worry about. Just don’t fuss about me keeping you in the house for the time being until we deal with our issue.” He pressed his lips to the top of Lekzi’s head as they entered a nursery.
Sacha gaped. If this was a make-shift move in the middle of the night, she’d been interested to see what Vasily’s men would do if they had some time.
Alekzander handed the baby over, kissed her and Lekzi on the temple, and left with the words, “I’ll let you put her down. Meet me next door when you’re ready.”
TWENTY-ONE
With a fan quietly hissing through the baby monitor gripped in her hand, Sacha entered Alekzander’s bedroom. What would now be their bedroom. At least for the time being.
The sound of the shower running in the en-suite bathroom stopped her dead. An image of a naked Alekzander, tawny skin gleaming over his rippling muscles slammed into her brain.
Warmth filled her, much of it centering between her legs.
Doing her best not to overthink—or think at all—she crossed the room, shedding her clothes along the way. When she reached the bathroom door she was in her maternity bra—yuck; she removed the pads so she wouldn’t be completely unsexy—and panties.
Nerves swept in to pause her hand before she could turn the knob. What if he didn’t find her extra pounds acceptable? What if they turned him off? What if she forgot the things he liked her to do to him? What if she disappointed him? Left him unsatisfied?
How could she not overthink this?
You’re going to use me hard tonight.
A trembled moved through her as she remembered his earlier demand. There had been no indication he found her new body distasteful when he’d had her on the table in her apartment. Not in any way. He’d acted as if he couldn’t get enough of her. His behavior hadn’t been controlled or calculated. He hadn’t looked as if he was suffering through her touch. He’d been lost, and hadn’t seemed anymore capable of denying this thing between them than she was.
God, that was exciting. And encouraging.
She twisted the knob and entered the steamy room.
Utter perfection met her eye through the glass door. And, oh God, but she’d missed that. All of that. Every hard inch. And every inch was already hard. His eyes were closed as he washed his hair and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about.
She placed the monitor on the counter and devoured the familiar sight of the skull tattooed on his front. It had human hands covering the eyes, mouth, and where the ears would have been. Free of color, it was elegant, and she’d always found it eerily beautiful. He had a new one on his side; a fancy old-fashioned timepiece attached to a length of chain that had a distorted, grotesque heart hanging precariously off the end. Unlike his uncle and Maksim, Alekzander’s artwork didn’t catalog his history. It merely hinted at it.
She made a small sound when he turned. The muscles in his back rippled as he rinsed the shampoo out. His ass… Mmm, his firm cheeks were begging for her nails to sink into them as she pulled him deeper into her body. Off came her bra and underwear. She went to him.
She placed her hands on his upper back and pleased herself immensely by pressing her front against his wet skin. A surprised grunt came from him, his body stiffening when she brushed her navel across his buttocks.
“Oh, fuck me,” he murmured. “A naked angel.”
Something rooted deep in her lower belly clenched with need when he put a hand around and drew her in front of him. Rather than kiss her as she’d been expecting, he spun her to face the wall and sent his hands roaming everywhere at once. She felt warmth at her entrance as she grew wetter and wetter from something other than the falling water. He was gentle and reverent, but after that first pass from her shoulders to her hips, it all changed.
“Fucking incredible. And still all mine.” A firmer touch sent her forward so that her breasts pressed into the cool tile. She gasped and moaned when he traced across her shoulder blades with his fingers. He hissed when he went down and grabbed two handfuls of her ass, squeezing hard before bringing a stinging swat down on one cheek that made her cry out and her inner muscles pulse with need. “Don’t you ever lie to me again about allowing another man at what belongs to me. I’m a greedy, selfish fucker, but never more so than when it comes to you.”
“I could never,” she assured him with a shaky voice.