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  “You’re a flight risk.” He lifted onto one elbow and glanced up and down her gorgeous naked frame, the only light in the room peeking through the gaps in the blinds. It was enough to illuminate her.

  Her nipples stood at attention. She also pressed her legs together before getting her bearings and grabbing her pillow to cover herself as though mortified by her exposure. “You can’t keep me here, Dmitry. Stop trying. I’m not a prisoner. If you want to get along with me, you’re going to have to give me some space. The life is being squeezed out of me. If you tell me not to leave, I will escape anyway. So, if you want me to be on the up and up with you, you’re going to have to give a little.

  “I know you’re worried about the Russians, so I won’t put myself out in the open and draw attention, but in return you need to let me work. How bad can it be if you’re with me?”

  Dmitry sighed and pulled himself out of bed. He reached for his jeans, not taking his gaze off Lauren. As he sat on the edge of the bed, also completely naked but totally unapologetic about it, he snatched the pillow from her tentative grasp and tossed it behind him. Before she knew what he was doing, he wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her between his legs. “Deal.” His lips landed on her nipple and sucked hard.

  Lauren grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved—for about two heartbeats—until she moaned and arched her chest closer in supplication.

  He grinned against her. God he loved her nipples. She tasted so fucking sweet. With a reluctant pop, he released her and lifted his gaze to hers. “You’re delicious.”

  “You’re a jerk,” she repeated. She frowned in an attempt to be disagreeable, but her body spoke for itself, pressing into him farther. Her legs parted slightly as she leaned against him.

  “You mentioned that.” He lowered his gaze to the phone in his other hand and flicked his finger across the screen.

  There was a missed call from Leo Gulin. His friend and fighting partner in Vegas hadn’t called in several weeks. They’d been in contact ever since Dmitry left Vegas with Lauren, but things had been quiet lately. Dmitry winced. Maybe Leo had new information.

  He shuddered as he pressed the button to return the call and waited while it rang, holding her firmly against his body. He even kissed her forehead.

  “Dmitry,” he responded on the first ring.

  “Leo.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “Good. If you don’t mind going to extreme measures to coerce a woman to listen.” Dmitry winked at Lauren and circled her wrist with his fingers.

  “Lauren? Is she okay?”

  “Manageable.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Dmitry leaned back a few inches and met Lauren’s gaze as he continued, “Lauren’s feisty. She’s also a bit unreasonable. She won’t stay in the apartment.”

  Leo chuckled. “Really? Imagine that? A woman who won’t hang around inside all day doing nothing?”

  “Ha ha.”

  Leo sobered. “Her timing isn’t the best. Can you reason with her?”

  “Have you ever reasoned with a woman?”

  She swatted his shoulder. “Hey.”

  Leo chuckled again. “Good point. Well, don’t let her out of your sight. I don’t like this. Watch your back. I have no doubt Yenin knows you and Mikhail are in Chicago, but you sure don’t want him to know Lauren is. You’re complete toast if Yenin finds out you rescued her from his men. Hell, we all are if he makes a connection. Especially Mikhail.”

  “Do you know if Anton has men in Chicago right now?”

  “I haven’t heard anything specific. But I wouldn’t take any chances. If Lauren means anything to you, get a handle on her and keep her safe.” Leo was sharp. He always had been. Dmitry knew what he was saying. If Lauren was spotted because she was with Dmitry, they were doomed. Both of them were.

  “She means everything to me.” He watched her face as she froze at his words and held his stare.

  “Figured. Listen, I’m heading your way today. I’ll be there later this afternoon. Where can I find you?”

  “There’s a bar not far from where we live. Inked. We’ll be there tonight.”

  “A bar. Why the fuck would you take that kind of risk?”

  Now Dmitry chuckled. “Seems my lovely woman can’t live without a job.”

  “A job? Are you fucking kidding me? She’s working at a bar in Chicago?”

  “Yep.”

  “How the hell do you manage that? Do you sit on a stool and watch her all evening?”

  “Nope. I took a job as a bouncer. Start tonight. Keeps Lauren from killing me, and I keep us both from being killed.”

  “That’s insane. I wouldn’t glance away even for an instant, man.”

  “Never.”

  “’K. I’ll see you there tonight.”

  “Bye.” Dmitry ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed behind him.

  A long silence filled the air with Lauren nibbling on her bottom lip, her brow furrowed in concentration. “You weren’t kidding.”

  “No.”

  “And I’m important to you.”

  “Yes. Very.”

  She released her lip and sighed, leaning into him farther and setting her forehead against his. She wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed his lips briefly. “Sorry I’ve been such a bitch.”

  “No apology necessary. I’m sorry you’re in this situation to begin with.”

  “My fault. Not yours.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to see you get killed.”

  “How long have you felt this way about me?”

  “Since the moment I first saw you at Yenin’s estate seven months ago.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Yeah. That’s the first word that came to mind when I saw you, and then I realized you were with that sleaze ball. For about two seconds, I thought you were an idiot, until it dawned on me you were there against your will.”

  She slowly closed her eyes. “I was an idiot.”

  “No, you weren’t. You were an innocent woman who got lured in by Yenin’s charmingly fake seduction and then had no way out.”

  She dipped her head lower, setting her forehead against his chest. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

  “I’m not.” He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. “I would do it all over in a heartbeat.”

  “You’ve been working your ass off to support me—and Alena—for months. And I’ve been an ungrateful bitch.”

  He smiled and then leaned closer to kiss her shoulder. “Mikhail pulls his weight too. And Alena’s his sister. He’d do anything for her.”

  She lifted her face to meet his gaze. “You’d do anything for me.”

  “Yes.”

  “What if I had never returned your affection?”

  He grabbed her arms and shook her gently. “It was never about that. I don’t want you to feel for one instant that you owe me in any way. You’re not required to return my feelings for you. You’re a human being who was in need. I could have turned you over to the police and wiped my hands clean of you. I made this choice.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t see any other options. And I didn’t trust the Feds with your life. And I knew I couldn’t trust you with your life, either. I know the government in this country goes to great lengths to hide people when they need to, but I am afraid they probably do not need you enough to protect you. I do.”

  She flinched.

  “I know it’s a harsh reality to face, but you’ll always be looking over your shoulder. Wondering. Watching. Praying. And I’m asking you to trust me for a bit while I figure out a way to make you safe. Permanently.” With or without me. God how much he wanted his words to be true. If only there were a way he could run with her—leave town and never look back. All he wanted was for her to be safe.

  She opened her mouth and hesitated before she spoke. “I don’t know, Dmitry. That’s huge.”

  “I know. I’m not asking
for blind obedience on this, but just consider the possibilities. And for now, I need you to trust me. And stay with me.” The idea grew on him. Maybe he could go with her somewhere. Where could they go? How would they survive? He wouldn’t be able to fight in any city in the US without being found. He’d never truly considered the option. But after two nights sleeping with this woman, he couldn’t fathom a life without her either.

  Shit. He’d be on the run from both Yenin and Abram if he skipped town. Yenin had a hard-on for him a mile wide, and he owed Abram a lot of money.

  No. She needed to be on her own. He needed to find her a place to live and the money to do so. He couldn’t ask her to deal with his garbage on top of hers.

  She nodded.

  He closed the gap between them and took her lips in a long deep kiss that ended with her moaning into his mouth and reaching between their bodies to grasp his cock in her small hand. His dick had been hard since the second they woke up, but it was concrete now.

  Lauren broke the kiss. She also dropped to her knees in front of him so fast he couldn’t stop her if he wanted to. Before he could take a breath, she had her lips wrapped around his cock and sucked it deep into her mouth.

  He threaded his fingers into her long messy locks of hair and gripped the sides of her head, neither pushing her away nor pulling her closer.

  God, she was good with her mouth. She gripped him with the perfect pressure, sucking at the exact moment he willed it, flicking her tongue over the tip of his dick with each pass.

  “Baby, I can’t take that. I’m going to come.” He wasn’t sure how she felt about swallowing, but there was her warning.

  When she didn’t show any signs of slowing down, he released her head and set his hands on the edge of the mattress. He was afraid he might collapse if he didn’t hold on.

  The woman was a goddess. She grasped his thighs with both hands and increased her pace until there was no holding back. It was too fast. He hated how quickly he lost control. His cock stiffened further, and two seconds later, he lost it, coming in long waves down her throat.

  She never flinched. She swallowed every drop. When he was spent, she slowly eased back on the pressure until she released him and licked a line down and back up the shaft.

  She continued to nuzzle him until he stiffened again, and he grabbed her shoulders and hauled her back to her feet.

  “Jesus.” It was the only word he could come up with.

  Lauren didn’t meet his gaze.

  “Lauren, look at me.”

  She blinked as she turned slowly to face him.

  He could only think of how humbled he was. There were no words to describe the overwhelming rush of emotion. This woman was completely under his skin. With no ability to verbalize his feelings, he stood instead, turned in a half circle with her until her butt was against the bed, and then lifted her onto the mattress. He eased her onto her back, leaving her ass close to the edge, and then tucked his hands under her knees and lifted them up and out so she was spread before him.

  Lauren squirmed, trying to push backward.

  Dmitry didn’t give her an opportunity to protest. He lowered his face to her pussy and sucked her clit into his mouth before she could process his intentions. His eyes closed as he savored her scent, her flavor, everything that was Lauren.

  “God.” She grabbed his hands at her knees and pushed. “Too much.”

  Never. No amount of focus on her would ever be enough. He flicked her clit with his tongue and then speared it into her pussy, repeating the action several times until she finally gave up the struggle and relaxed beneath his lips.

  He breathed in the scent of her over and over, hoping to capture the moment and never forget these early days together. She surrounded him as if she were everywhere in the room at once.

  An urgency to make her understand how deeply he felt consumed him. Perhaps because he feared for her life. For this small stretch of time he wanted to forget their problems and luxuriate in her presence. Soon enough they would have to face reality and leave this room. And neither of them would be safe together anywhere.

  He sucked harder, needing to drive home how much she meant to him. A shit storm was coming. He could feel it in his bones. He wished he could keep her safe and innocent forever.

  When she bucked upward, lifting her hips off the bed, he flattened his tongue against her clit and held firm. She inhaled a sharp breath and then came, her clit pulsing in quick thrusts against his tongue.

  Heaven.

  Heaven on Earth.

  »»•««

  Anton straddled the chair backward and leaned his elbows on its stiff orange fiberglass back. The visitors’ room was always loud. He hated it. And it smelled like ten kinds of nasty cheap aftershave. Every man in the joint put on too much cologne when their woman came to visit. Sunday morning visiting hours at the penitentiary were always a treat. He never knew who might show up, but it was usually someone other than his own father. He growled at the man across from him—Evan, his father’s right-hand man. “As usual, my father’s too busy to come see me himself, huh?”

  Evan didn’t bat an eye. In fact, he smirked. Anton liked him. If there was one thing he couldn’t tolerate, it was mousy idiots who didn’t have the balls to face him—guys like Erik and Boris. Neither of them had the balls to visit, and that wasn’t surprising since they had managed to lose that bitch Lauren in the woods. He hadn’t decided yet what to do about those two imbeciles, but when he got out, there would be hell to pay. One thing was for sure, that whore had better be dead from exposure as Boris had suggested. If he ever found out she was still alive…

  Anton contained his anger and continued, “How much longer am I in here?”

  “Lawyer says he’s getting close. Days.”

  “Good. Is someone tailing Dmitry Volikov and Mikhail Dudko?”

  Evan nodded. “Several people.”

  “I want them found. Got it?”

  “Grigory is clear on this subject. He’s on top of it.”

  “I’ll bet he is.” Anton narrowed his gaze. He was perfectly aware Grigory Yenin didn’t give a fuck about Anton’s fighters. In his view, they were superfluous. Anton had tried to reason with him, but to no avail. Grigory thought it best to cut them loose and stop wasting time and resources on them.

  “Finding them isn’t a problem. They’re fighting the Chicago circuit. Boris and Erik are on it.”

  Anton narrowed his gaze. “Boris and Erik. The same two men who couldn’t keep track of one small woman? Those two?” Hell, he couldn’t blame his father for sending them. Grigory had kept the two assholes out of his sight for the majority of the last six months. Any chance he had to send them away would be welcomed. As a matter of fact, their very existence and their general level of annoyance was probably ninety percent of the reason Grigory agreed to send anyone to Chicago at all.

  Anton just hoped the two of them didn’t fuck up the simple task of staying off the grid while finding two Russian fighters who were easy moving targets in the underground circuit.

  Evan smirked. “If it makes you feel any better, there was no way she could have survived her escape. That cabin’s too far away from civilization for her to have made it far on foot. She didn’t even have shoes.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about that bitch. The point is that Boris and Erik are imbeciles. I’m surprised my father has allowed them to live.”

  “I can’t speak for Grigory on that issue, but he would like you to know that the two of them have a lead on Dmitry and Mikhail. They’ve been spotted in the last few days.”

  “Together?”

  “Yes.”

  Anton knew his father was thumbing his nose at his own son for ordering Dmitry and Mikhail be found.

  Anton wouldn’t address these concerns with Evan. “Make sure someone with a brain keeps an eye on them. Track their every move. I want to know where they live, where they work, where they fight. Do Boris and Erik have access to the finances to make this happen?” Becaus
e he sure didn’t trust the two of them to do it on their own.

  “Of course.” Evan looked insulted.

  “Good. I want someone following Volikov and Dudko. I don’t want them to be aware they’re being tailed. I just want to know how to find them quickly when I spring this joint. That means Boris and Erik need to hire other people so they aren’t seen. Got it?” At least now that Anton was closer to walking free, his dad had taken the time to hunt down his fighters. He didn’t figure the man would expend many resources on them, but at least he had someone on it—even if the men sent to track his fighters were idiots.

  Evan glared at Anton now, as if insulted. “I think you’ve made yourself clear.”

  “Are the other four still in Vegas? Sergei, Ivan, Leo, and Nikolav?”

  Evan rolled his eyes. “Yes. Of course. They’re fighting occasionally, and they’re working the various construction jobs you lined up.”

  “Good. How’s the lab?” Anton lowered his voice and glanced around. The guards had far more interesting visitors and inmates to pay attention to than him. No one glanced his way.

  “Looking good also. I’ve visited it myself. Your men are getting closer. They think they should have a test sample available in the next few months.”

  Anton nodded as he gripped the back of the chair with his fingers. He’d been working on the drug for almost a decade. Two months made him salivate. “Please tell me my father has kept this project completely under wraps.”

  “He’s clear on that issue too.”

  What Anton most hated about doing time was losing the daily control over his side venture. Even though his father knew the entire workings of the lab and had been involved in the undertaking from its conception, the lab had been erected in Vegas, and Anton was awarded that territory—thereby making him the chief over the entire undertaking. And if there was anything Anton loved, it was control.

  “Good. Let me know when I should expect to be released. I’ve had about enough of the inside life.” Anton stood and walked away, summarily dismissing Evan without a word.

  Chapter Ten