Stay Close Read online

  “Process of elimination.” She looks back at me over her shoulder as she slips off her shoes and climbs on the bed. “There are two floors and only one bedroom on this one. You’d be down here to either be close to the kitchen or close to me.”

  “To you,” I admit, not shy about my feelings for her. “I can’t think of anything else besides you. I’m loyal to your family, and though this may make me an enemy to your parents, I knew the second I saw you that I’d lay down my life for yours.”

  “I guess people might call this love at first sight,” she says, scooting back to the middle of the bed.

  I walk over to the side table and press play on the surround sound. Soft music fills the room from the hidden speakers, and I walk back to the bed.

  “I don’t care what anyone else calls this.” I kick off my shoes and unbutton my shirt, opening the front so that my pale skin and tattoos are exposed. “I know that I’ve never experienced love before and that the feelings I have now for you are unlike anything I’ve felt before. My soul was bound to yours the first time we touched. If that is love, then I love you, Penelope. But it feels like more than that. More than one word.”

  She lies back on the bed as I come over her, her hands pressing to my bare chest. Her fingers burrow under the material of my shirt and smooth down my back then come up again. Her nails score a path as they move.

  “Will you make love to me?” Her eyes are pleading as her hands move to my shoulders and neck.

  “Da. But I will give you pleasure first,” I answer, leaning down and kissing her softly.

  She reaches up, untying the ribbon on one side of her dress and pulling it down. I help her move it down her body until it’s off and she’s bared to me in her bra and panties. There are no straps on her bra, so I reach around her to unclasp what’s covering her breasts.

  When they are exposed, I place a kiss between them. I run my nose along the soft swell of her breasts and then kiss them gently before taking a nipple into my mouth. I suckle her delicately, not wanting to hurt her. My only desire is to give to her the same pleasure she has already given me. The gifts of her love and her body are more than a man like me deserves. I will spend my life trying to correct the balance, for she outweighs all that I am a thousand times over.

  She pulls at my shirt, asking for more. I strip off my clothes, leaving only my underwear, unable to deny any demand she makes.

  “Sweet flower, have you had a man between your thighs before?” I ask as I kiss her feet and move my hands to her panties.

  “No. All I’ve ever done is kiss.”

  Her blush shows her true innocence, and my cock grows harder. How can I take such beauty for myself and allow her no other for the rest of her life? I tell myself that no man will love her as I do. No man will make her dreams come true as I can. She will want no one else after she has felt the pleasure I will give her body.

  “And if we make love, will you hold my baby inside your womb?” I kiss just below her belly button, where the edge of her panties are. I look into her green eyes as I slide them over her hips, revealing her untouched pussy.

  “Oh God,” she whimpers as my mouth moves lower, almost to the slit of her sweetness. “Um, I’m not on anything. Can you pull out?”

  “Da, my sweet krasotu. And where will you let me spill my seed?” I gently spread her legs apart, opening her lips and seeing her nectar.

  “Anywhere,” she moans as I kiss her most intimate place.

  I make love to her pussy with my mouth, tasting the sweetest fruit I’ve ever eaten. Her ripe juices drip on my lips, and I drink them down. I press two fingers inside her tight channel and feel the pressure of her innocence squeezing against them. My other hand goes inside my underwear to my cock, rubbing it with promises of what’s to come. It’s the only way I can find relief for the pain that grows unbearable.

  When her body tightens and her legs become restless, I know she’s approaching her peak. “Stop resisting, my beauty. Do not fight what I give your body.”

  I press my fingers against the tender place inside her, the spot of pleasure that will be the greatest for her. Then I suck her clit and wait for her to give in. I only have to wait a moment before she can no longer challenge what is happening to her. But because of the struggle, the climax is all the sweeter.

  Her honey drips onto my tongue, and I moan as she does. Her cries are loud and her grip on me is tight. My name on her lips is enough for me. I could stop now and hold her all night with that as my only pleasure. My krasotu saying my name as her orgasm wraps around her body is my vision of heaven. She has given it to me without inhibition, and I will forever be changed because of it.

  I rest the side of my cheek on her thigh and close my eyes. I want the memory of this branded into my mind so that when I am one hundred years old, this is still just as perfect.

  “Holy shit,” Penelope exclaims, and I open my eyes to see her smiling.

  “Did you enjoy it?” I ask as I lick my fingers and move up her body.

  “Wow.” She closes her eyes and lets out a small laugh. “Can you do that again?”

  “As many times as you wish, my krasotu.” I wrap my arms around her and kiss her softly.

  But she deepens it. Her tongue meets mine, and the flavor of her pussy is warm and sweet between us. There is urgency from her, but I don’t want to rush this moment.

  “We have forever,” I whisper against her lips and rub my nose against hers. “Do not rush me.”

  Reaching down I slip off my boxer briefs and then run the length of my cock against her slickness. I don’t push inside, just lazily coat myself in her honey.

  “You feel big,” she says, her eyes wide with uncertainty and excitement.

  “We will fit, my love. Your body is small, but I will be gentle.”

  “I love you, Ivan.” She touches my cheek and smiles so sweetly at me.

  “My heart is in your hands, krasotu.”

  I press the head of my cock to her opening and push in slowly. Her warmth hugs me, enveloping the large tip. When I feel her tense, I run my hand across her chest and hard nipples. I kiss her deeply again, letting her relax as I sink even deeper.

  She doesn’t tense again, but having my cock inside her is new and foreign for her. Her pussy is adjusting, and I try to make it pleasurable as she learns what I feel like when we make love.

  I let her soft cunt memorize every ridge of me so that the next time she will welcome me home. Like the beloved loyal man at her feet, I will await her beckoning.

  When the kiss is so great that she needs to catch her breath, I move my lips to her neck and begin to move. I bury my face there as I give her long, slow thrusts of my cock.

  “Ivan,” she whispers, and it’s almost my undoing.

  I thrust harder, letting her feel my strength. In this moment, I am possessing not only her body but her spirit. There is a power that moves between us, and her soul now belongs to me.

  “Sweet krasotu, you are my love.” I kiss her fiercely, setting this moment in stone. My ownership of her isn’t to be taken lightly. It is my solemn vow to be her soldier. The knight in shining armor her little heart dreamed of.

  I move a hand to her pussy to tease her tiny bud. I bring my thumb back to my mouth and lick it, then replace it where she needs it most. I want the taste of her innocence on my mouth as she climaxes for me.

  I watch a blush blossom on her chest and move up her neck. Her eyes close tight and her head tilts back as once again she stops the fight. She gives in to my gift and falls over the edge of paradise. A sheen of sweat dampens her skin, and we are slick together. Her orgasm is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, so unrestrained and pure. There is nothing held back when she allows herself this moment.

  It takes all the strength I have not to spill my seed within her warmth. It would have b
een so easy, but I will always do what my krasotu asks.

  Pulling out my cream-covered cock, I sit up and stroke it while looking down at her nakedness. Her perfect skin, rosy with pleasure, her round breasts with hard nipples begging for more attention.

  Her eyes widen as she watches me, and then she brings her own hand to mine. Her soft fingers interlace with mine, and together we stroke my cock. She licks her lips, and I want to come on them, covering the swollen petals with my seed.

  But the look of her on her back, legs spread and open for me is too much. Instead, I choose to mark her body, letting her watch me climax onto her.

  She pumps me to release, and thick spurts of my love for her land on her pale skin. I watch as each throb brings more, and I reach down, rubbing it in. The yards of unmarked perfection now proudly display my ownership. There has never been a moment where I have felt such complete devotion.

  I nearly collapse on top of her and feel the warmth spread between us. I feel as if my entire world is in my arms.

  “I don’t think I can breathe,” she says, and holds me tighter.

  “The love is heavy between us. But do not worry, my sweet beauty. I will carry it for the both of us.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Penelope

  I lie on my back in the center of Ivan’s bed, still naked after our lovemaking. My whole body feels like it’s still tingling. His face rests on my belly as his arms wrap around me so tightly I’m a little surprised I can breathe. His hold on me is tight, but I love it.

  I run my fingers through his short hair, looking over his back and the tattoos there. I wonder what some of them mean. I only know a few Russian words based on the small amount of reading I’ve done.

  “Ivan, do you have a family back home?”

  “There is only you, krasotu,” he says before his lips brush my stomach. The short stubble on his face rubs against my skin. “You are so soft,” he says before kissing me again. He can’t stop touching me. Every caress lingers like he doesn’t want to let me go, as if I’m the most precious thing he has ever held.

  I’ve always felt loved by my family. Their love for me has never been in doubt. But I have always been the one to take care of everyone. Even if it was never asked of me, it’s just how I am. I can’t help it, and I know they appreciate it. With Ivan, I feel like taking care of him would be so different.

  His words are sweet and they make me want to smile and cry for him. He doesn’t have anyone. It makes me cherish my family even more. I couldn’t imagine my life without them. To try and picture growing up all alone just isn’t possible. Maybe that’s why he pushed me away yesterday. He’s not used to having someone. He doesn’t know how to deal with it. But I think that has passed for him, if the hold he has on me now says anything at all.

  “Ivan.” I move a little under him. His dark eyes come up to meet mine. He raises his head from my stomach when he sees the tears in my eyes.

  “Why do you cry?” Concern coats his expression as he leans up over me. His eyes search my face, and tension fills his muscles at my distress. “Did I hurt you?”

  “I cry for you,” I tell him, reaching up to touch his face as I think about this man being all alone and how he’ll never be alone again.

  “Don’t be sad for me.” A smile lights up his face. “Today is the happiest day of my life.” He leans down, taking my mouth in a slow, deep, hungry kiss. I try to wrap my legs around him, but the man is too big. I shift under him, still feeling our passion from before. His hardness rubs against me, making me moan into his mouth. I didn’t know something like this could be real. The feelings I’m having are so overwhelming. I think I’m going to love being in love.

  He pulls back. “You should rest,” he tells me. I don’t want to rest. All too soon the sun will rise and I’ll have to go back to my own room. “Are you sore?”

  “I’m okay,” I admit. There’s only a twinge of pain left, but I would push through it to make love to him again. “I don’t want this night to end. I don’t want to go back to my room.”

  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” His words are so easy, like we won’t have to deal with my parents. He brushes a few of my curls out of my face.

  “My parents, they’re—”

  “You’re an adult. You want to stay at my side, I will make it so.” He leans down, burying his face in my hair and neck, rolling a little to the side and wrapping around me tightly as our arms and legs tangle together. He’s proving his point that I’m not going anywhere. “You want to stay with me, da?” I feel him tense at his own question.

  “Forever,” I tell him.

  He mutters something in Russian, but I don’t understand it. “I will be good to you always. I promise this. You give me your heart and I swear it will be my life’s goal to make you happy.”

  “What about you? Shouldn’t it be my life goal to make you happy as well?”

  “Krasotu.” He brings his lips to my neck and kisses me. “If I have you, I will always be happy. But I think you also fail to see all you ever try to do is make everyone happy. You are Mother Angel.”

  “You’re so sweet.” I turn on my side, wanting to look at him. I bring my hand up to his face. Maybe I’m just as needy with touches as he is. “Ivan, will you tell me about you? We don’t really know a lot about each other,” I admit.

  “I know all about you.”

  “I’m sure.” I don’t even ask. My parents probably told him about me when he was assigned to guard me. He slides one of his hands to my hip and lazily strokes me back and forth.

  “Tell me,” I push.

  “I will tell you anything you ask, my krasotu, but my life isn’t pretty and nice. It’s dirty, and I do not wish to soil your mind with such things.”

  “Is this why you pushed me away yesterday? That—” My words trail off. God, that hurt so much. I didn’t know something could hurt like that.

  “You are too good for me. I worry that...” He breaks eye contact for a second, as if trying to get his words right. “I will tell you if you wish to stay with me. I will make it happen. I feared letting you close would drag me into you more and that maybe if you ever didn’t want to be by my side, I wouldn’t allow you to go.”

  “Maybe I don’t want you to ever let me go,” I confess. Something about his dark words warm me. I like it. I know I shouldn’t. They should scare me, but that’s the last thing I’m feeling. His eyes seem to darken at my words.

  “Don’t move,” he tells me, sliding from the bed. I sit up and watch him go over to a dresser. He opens the top drawer and pulls something out then comes back to the bed. I sit up, not caring about my nakedness with him. If anything, he’s made me feel even more beautiful with the way he worships my body.

  He slides a necklace over my head and drops it down around my neck. The chain is simple, like one they use in the military for dog tags, but on the chain is a thick black ring.

  “You said I could track you, da?” he says.

  I pick up the ring and look at it. The band is a black metal, but smooth and thick. I shrug. “I don’t care,” I say.

  I watch relief wash over his face.

  “If it makes you feel—” He cuts me off as his mouth takes mine in a kiss. I’m flat on my back with him over me once again.

  He pulls back. “I made it myself, but I will make you a better one as soon as I have the time.”

  “This one is perfect,” I tell him. This is the one he put on me. It’s the one I want to wear.

  “Net, krasotu, you are perfect.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Ivan

  “I want to talk to you,” I say, lightly knocking on the office door.

  Paige looks up from her computer and nods. “I’ve wondered when we would have this conversation.”

 
Her knowing eyes scan the area behind me, but I shake my head and close the door. “I wanted to speak to you alone.”

  “I’m guessing Penny doesn’t know you’re talking to me.”

  “A mother misses nothing, does she?” I say, sitting down across from her.

  “Not me. And not when it comes to my babies.”

  “I love Penelope and I want to marry her. You and I have a long history, and I don’t want to see that broken. So I’m coming to you now.”

  She narrows her eyes at me and crosses her arms. “You come to me after the fact, Ivan. We all knew when you saw her what was happening.”

  Paige stands up and walks over to the window. It looks out at the garden that separates the guest house from this one. She’s quiet for so long I don’t know if she’s going to speak again. But I wait, and eventually she sighs.

  “You’re just like him.” She turns to look at me over her shoulder and then returns her attention to the window. “Captain always had a pretty face he could hide behind. His true darkness was hidden. But you, Ivan, yours is on display for the world to see.”

  She walks over to a picture of the family on the wall and looks at it, smiling. “He was born in Russia. Did you know that? I think if he hadn’t been adopted he could have easily gone down the same path as you.”

  I remain silent, wanting to let Paige speak, needing to hear her words before I try to convince her that I’m good enough for her daughter. When her eyes turn to me again, I see fierce protection there, a mother guarding her young.

  “If I didn’t trust you, you would have never been her guard to begin with. It’s because I know deep down you’re just as good as she is. But she is the light of our lives. Penelope is different than the rest of us. Pandora is like Captain and me. She’s strong, and I never worry about her. Penelope has always had a soft heart.”

  “Da. She is too good for me,” I agree.

  “Penelope is the kind of woman that will need someone with shoulders big enough to carry her. A man with strength enough to hold her and his family together.”