The Games We Play

ALEKSANDR

The sky was painted a fiery orange as the sun began to peek through the clouds.

I took one last puff before flicking the cigarette butt into the ocean below. I stood on my balcony, watching the waves crash against the jagged rocks, sending saltwater spraying into the air like a fountain.

The morning air was cool and crisp, but I barely noticed, standing there in just my underwear.

My thoughts were consumed by the young woman still asleep in my bed, unaware of the storm brewing inside me just a few feet away.

I ran my fingers through my hair, frustration seeping through me. I wasn’t second-guessing myself. A man like me couldn’t afford to.

I wanted Kaia. I claimed her. She was mine. But ownership came with its own set of complications.

If you could overlook my possessive nature, there was the small matter of men wanting me dead at every turn. I was unmarried, without an heir.

If someone did manage to kill me, my throne would be up for grabs, likely sparking the biggest war this side of the hemisphere.

I wasn’t in the market for a wife. Or a girlfriend. Or anything remotely permanent.

So why did the thought of letting Kaia go feel like a hot poker to my gut?

I glanced back into the room, watching as she moaned in her sleep, rolling onto her back and throwing an arm over her head.

The blanket slipped, revealing a hardened nipple that was practically begging for my attention.

The urge to return to the room and slide between her legs was almost unbearable. It was getting harder and harder to resist her.

The one thing I hadn’t allowed myself—or her—was a kiss. Even that was proving to be a challenge.

A buzzing sound from inside the room caught my attention. I moved swiftly, grabbing my phone from the nightstand and stepping back onto the balcony to avoid waking Kaia.

A grin spread across my face as I answered.

“Stassy, isn’t it a bit early for you, sestrichka?” I teased.

A soft chuckle followed my question.

“Jet lag,” she replied casually. “You had Niko take me to the penthouse. What’s up, Aleks?”

Only my little sister ever used that shortened version of my name. She was the only one I ever allowed it from.

Somehow she’d gotten Anya Costa and the other Don’s wives to follow suit. I didn’t mind it as long as my name on their lips irritated the hell out of their men.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” I assured her. “How was shopping? Did you find everything you needed?”

I could almost see her rolling her eyes at me. The same shade of blue as mine.

“Do you really want to hear about my shopping?” she asked sarcastically. “Or are you trying to dodge my question? Who’s this girl you’re keeping at the house?”

I let out a heavy sigh.

“Niko told you.”

She hummed in agreement.

“He didn’t need to. Anya told me she and Lia met her at the charity event, and I knew you’d taken a girl captive after the raid on Cristo’s place. I put two and two together myself.”

I leaned back against the railing, watching Kaia sleep.

“I just want you safe until I figure out what she really wants with me,” I explained carefully. I didn’t lie to Stasya, but I didn’t want her knowing everything either.

“You don’t trust her?”

I didn’t hesitate.

“I don’t. I know she’s hiding something from me.”

“But you’re sleeping with her.” It wasn’t a question.

“Stassy…”

“Where is she now? Let me guess, in your bed?”

I turned back to face the sea, the crashing waves now reflecting my turbulent mood.

“You don’t bring women to the house, Aleks. And none of them sleep in your bed. Maybe you’re the one who needs to be careful,” she warned. “She could try to kill you in your sleep. Well, ~if ~you slept, that is.”

A hint of cheerfulness seeped into my mood at her playful jab. It took a few years, but Stasya and I had finally reached a point where we could tease each other.

When we first met, she thought I was the devil incarnate, and she wasn’t entirely wrong. That was around the time I lost Nadya.

“Don’t worry, sestrichka, I’ve got everything under control.”

She responded with a sound that was suspiciously like a scoff.

My phone beeped, pulling my attention away from the conversation. Andrey’s name flashed on the screen. He only called when it was urgent. Given the task I had assigned him, I braced myself for potentially bad news.

“I need to take this, Stassy. Let’s catch up over lunch.”

“Bring her along!” Stasya’s voice echoed in my ear just as I switched over to Andrey’s call.

“Pakhan.” Andrey’s voice was heavy with seriousness. “I sent you an email, but I think you need to hear this.”

I froze.

“Kaia?”

A sigh echoed through the phone.

“I found a match in our database,” Andrey continued, “just as you suspected, she ~is~ Russian.”

My grip on the phone tightened as my gaze fell on Kaia, her face so innocent in sleep.

“Go on.”

Andrey’s voice was curt.

“She was born in Lipeshin and lived there until a few years ago.”

A roaring filled my ears and my body jolted as if I’d been sucker-punched.

~Lipeshin. A few years ago.~

“She’s Akim Rostov’s daughter,” Andrey confirmed my worst fears. “Her mother is Yana Smirnova, a maid in the Rostov estate. She has a sister, Irina. Kaia and Irina disappeared after the Lipeshin attack and were presumed dead along with the rest of the estate.”

I clenched my jaw, my gaze still fixed on Kaia, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath. I couldn’t help but imagine my hands around her throat. Squeezing.

“Keep this to yourself. I’ll be in touch,” I said.

I ended the call without waiting for a response and just stood there, staring at Kaia, a storm of anger brewing within me.

I strode into the room, picked up my belt from the floor, and fastened Kaia’s wrists to the headboard.

I then peeled the blanket off her body and tossed it aside. I nudged her legs apart and settled between her soft thighs, my chin resting heavily on her pubic bone.

She woke with a start, her arms jerking before her gaze finally met mine. Recognition sparked in her eyes, and her body shivered slightly when she saw where I was positioned.

“Aleksandr, what are you—”

She gasped and threw her head back against the pillow as I ran my tongue roughly over her folds.

“Tell me who you are, Kaia,” I demanded, pushing two fingers inside her without warning.

Kaia whimpered as I spread my fingers inside her, dragging them along her walls.

“Tell me why you’re here, and I’ll let you climax.”

I moved my fingers in and out while my lips sucked on her clit, my tongue gliding up and down and then in slow circles, pushing her to the edge only to stop just before she could reach the peak.

Kaia gasped.

“I’m here to find my sister!” she cried out. “~Please, Aleksandr~…”

I ran my thumb over her clit, my eyes glaring up at her, my lips glistening with her taste.

“What else, kotik? Tell me the truth or you’ll stay chained to my bed,” I warned.

She bit her lower lip, her eyes closing as she pushed her hips toward my mouth, seeking more.

“~I can’t…~,” she moaned. “~I’m so close…~”

“I’ll give you what you want, kotik. Just give me what I want.”

Her body convulsed, and she shook her head.

I felt a surge of anger. I pulled out my fingers, pushed down my underwear, and thrust into her forcefully.

Kaia screamed.

I grabbed the back of her thighs, lifting her legs high so I could press her knees to her chest, opening her even wider as I pounded into her again and again.

But this time, I alternated with shallow thrusts that teased her but wouldn’t let her climax.

Kaia let out a soft whimper, her sobs echoing in the room as she pleaded for me to join her.

I held onto the base of my arousal, applying a rough pressure that made my jaw tighten.

My release came in spurts, landing on her sensitive nub and trickling down her intimate folds, drenching her in the process.

I slid my still firm length across her, gathering our combined essence.

I watched as her mouth opened in a sharp intake of breath, just before I pushed my release deeper into her with a forceful thrust.

I remained motionless, savoring the sensation of her inner walls contracting around me.

My gaze locked onto hers, searching. Demanding answers.

But Kaia averted her gaze, a single tear trickling down her cheek in response.

I swore under my breath.

I lifted myself off her, pulled the belt loose, and made my way to the bathroom.

I closed the door behind me with a soft click.