He mumbles something that must bethanks, turning back to his friends.
“I’m out.” Julij motions to the screen when I start a new game, adding my name to the list. “I’ve got a plane to catch, but I want to talk to you.”
That I didn’t expect. Nikolaj and Frank go back years. I thought Julij would want to maintain their working relationship once Nikolaj dies, but the look on his face says something entirely different.
“Layla told me things are changing in New York.”
He nods, glancing at her with a fond smile I want to wipe off with my fist. I don’t like the guy, but if working with him means stealing the last ally from Frank, then I’m game. Frank is too weak to handle things on his own. He has no authority left in the world. He won’t be able to hold on for long if he part ways with New York.
Entering a business partnership with Julij will prove impossible if I start off by battering his face. Besides, Julij might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but he won’t touch Layla, knowing she’s mine. He knows it’ll end in his fucking funeral.
“I’m glad she didn’t keep the news to herself. New York will soon be under my command. I’ll decide who I’m doing business with. I hope in Chicago it won’t be Frank.” Julij is acting differently from six months ago. He’s being respectful and humble, as if he realized I’m superior.
“I’ll be in New York soon with Layla. We can talk over the details then.”
“Layla shouldn’t be involved in any of this.”
“That’s one thing we agree on. Not bad for a start.” I smirk, handing him my business card. “She’s got things to do in New York. She won’t be in the way.”
He shakes my hand and then walks over to Layla to kiss her cheek. With one last fond look at her, he leaves.
“So?” Layla grabs a bowling ball. “Shall we?”
Instead of the lighter ball she holds, I hand her the heaviest. “Put your fingers here.”
“I don’t want to. Those holes are too big.”
I drape my hand around her waist, pulling her flush to my chest. “Do as I say, Star.” With a pout, she puts her fingers in the holes, letting me move her hand back and forth. “Let go.”
The ball rolls down the lane at a turtle’s pace before hitting the middle pin that tumbles over, knocking one more on the way down. Two is better than zero.
“It’s too heavy!”
“Exactly. You won’t throw it far. Focus on the floor, not the pins, Layla. Don’t twist your wrist.”
She holds the ball in both hands, but after another pout, she slides her fingers in the holes. Eight pins fall, and Layla jumps around me, beaming. There is nothing more peaceful than seeing her happy.
“Can we go home now?” she asks, pressing herself into my chest as she rises on her toes to speak in my ear. “I want you to take me to bed.”
I gather the white fabric of her dress in a tight fist on her lower back. “Are you still sore?”
She smiles against my skin, tracing open-mouthed kisses below my earlobe. “No, but I am very,verywet.”
I exhale a shaky breath, my mind swimming with the images of last night, the way she looked when she came. “Good girl. Always tell me when you want me.” I grab her hand, taking her back to my car, eager to hear her moans.
I want to see her hooded eyes, enlarged pupils, and rosy cheeks. Her lips on my skin, nails digging into my back. I want to inhale the scent of her perfume, have her sweet breath on my cheek, and feel her fingers in my hair... the warmth of her hot, petite body, hissing, shivering and moaning. I want her to tell me she loves me.
Twenty minutes later, we’re home. The second we step through the threshold, I lift her into my arms, my mouth on hers as I climb the stairs. My shirt lands on the bedroom floor, and seconds later, it turns into a pile of clothes.
She’s so fucking beautiful naked on the bed, her face framed by a veil of dark hair. I take her hard, candy-pink nipple between my lips, my hands on her sides. I’m high on the scent of her skin and the sound of her breathless moans. Everything I feel for her rushes to the surface, boiling beneath my skin, overwhelming my mind. I’m never letting her go.
“It’ll only feel good now, Star,” I say, feeling her tense when I glide my hand lower between her legs to circle her clit with two fingers. “I’ll show you just how good sex can be. You’ll learn how to enjoy your body.”
She bites her lower lip, ghosting her fingertips over my jaw when I push two fingers deep inside, making her gasp. She was too anxious last night to enjoy sex. Time to fix that.
I curl my fingers, stroking her G-spot, watching her pleasure build higher. She gets to the edge so fucking fast... I may already be addicted to feeling her walls spasm.
“I love you,” she moans, throwing her head back as the orgasm rumbles through her in a series of intense vibrations.