From Russia With Claws Read online

  He put his large hand over hers, a small, sad smile on his face. “How is it a good thing, Galya? I can’t see him publicly. He works for the head of a competing family. If I were going to pick someone to be with, he’d be at the bottom of my list.”

  Galina pulled her hand out from under his. She knew why he couldn’t go public with Konstantin, and she wasn’t suggesting that he do so. It was kind of like the way things had to be with her and Andrey. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun. “Do you not like him?”

  “I don’t know him. But it’s not about whether I do or don’t like him. I’m the son of Ilya Sudenko. It’s just not something I can do.” He leaned down and gave Galina a light kiss on the cheek, and then disappeared out the front door.

  When Galina returned to the kitchen, she threw up her hands and rolled her eyes. “Our brother is a stubborn horse’s ass…wolf’s ass…mule.”

  Franny emptied the last of the shrimp carton into her mouth. “Okay, now you’re just naming random animals.”

  10

  Sex Bomb at the Black Swan

  GALINA PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT of the Black Swan Inn and stepped out of the car. The meeting at Papa’s house hadn’t been productive and Galina couldn’t help wondering if it had been because she’d been seated at the table. She imagined it had made some people uncomfortable.

  Too bad. They may as well get used to the idea of her. She was there to stay.

  Predictably, Alexei shunned her as if she was a plague carrier. Her reception by the other leaders was lukewarm. At best. The Volkov representative seemed confused by her presence, but she didn’t expect much from a family that was neither bright nor particularly bold. They preferred the status quo to anything that required effort. The head of the Oniayev family eyed her cautiously. They would wait for everyone else to decide if they accepted her or not before throwing in with the winning side. The Demensky family representative welcomed her, if not warmly, then at least without immediate derision.

  Support had come from Andrey. While not overly warm, he was polite and civil, allowing her to express her opinions and giving her thoughts consideration as if she were an equal. He didn’t have to do that and she hoped it wasn’t just because she’d given him a stellar blowjob.

  At least Maksim hadn’t been invited. He was still considered an outsider. Galina wondered what would happen if she did have to marry him. Would she be cut out of the business entirely, even the art smuggling line that she had started? Or would Maksim be given a spot in the Organization? She couldn’t decide which would be worse.

  Now that the funeral for Sergei was over, Galina had some headspace to think about the circumstances of his death. She hadn’t yet had a chance to examine the scene of the shooting. Everything had been so crazy after Sergei was taken away, and she’d wanted to get to Irina at the hospital. Now that the crime scene tape was gone, she wanted to poke around to see if she could find any clues to who might have been behind it. She didn’t expect to find any scents, certainly not at this late date.

  But things weren’t adding up. No one had heard about a hit, there was no one moving in on Sudenko territory, and none of the usual bravos were bragging. The only one who had a problem with Sergei, at least as far as Galina knew, was the man she was hooking up with behind her family’s backs. He certainly could have ordered a hit, but the timing was off. Why assassinate a man you’ve just beaten to a pulp?

  The police had questioned everyone at the scene. She’d given them a statement when they’d come by to question Irina again. No one had seen anything other than the color of the car. The police had no leads, and even if they’d been able to come up with anything, Galina was certain that her father and the other leaders would block anything from coming to light. A random murder involving silver bullets? That was a good way to start tongues wagging and garner attention none of them wanted.

  She studied the tire marks, tracking the car’s progress by the tracks. Lining up with where the shooter must have first fired.

  “Galina.” Andrey’s voice sounded behind her.

  She turned from her study of the scene of the shooting, arms crossed over her chest. “What are you doing here?”

  “I followed you from your father’s house.” He stopped several feet from her. “What are you doing here?”

  “That doesn’t sound stalkery at all.” She narrowed green eyes at him.

  “Galya.” The sternness in his voice sent a thrill through the core of her.

  “Andrey.” They stared at each other for several minutes. When the silence became too great, she said, “And now that we’ve proven that we know each other’s names, are we going to stop with the staring contest?”

  “Are you going to answer my question?” He took a step toward her, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

  Not deigning to answer, she presented him with her back. Rude, perhaps, but she didn’t have time for this. She’d managed to ditch her security detail, but she didn’t know for how long. When she left her father’s house after the meeting, Andrey, as well as the other heads of the families were still talking to Papa. She’d wanted some time alone at the Black Swan.

  She felt Andrey approach, looming over her shoulder. His voice was soft, but there was a threatening edge to it. Instead of scaring Galina, it sent a shiver of desire down her spine. She clenched her thighs, feeling heat pool in her belly. It was obscene how easily he turned her on.

  “I’ll tell you what I think.” His breath was a blast of heat against her neck. “I think you’re sticking your nose in something dangerous. I think you’re out here, trying to track down Sergei’s killer.” His hand snaked around her waist and he inhaled into her hair. “And I think you could get yourself into serious trouble if you’re not careful.”

  Galina spun, breaking away from him, a sliver of fear sliding through her. Had he just threatened her? “Duly noted.” She began to climb the stairs to the entrance of the Inn. “But I have work to do.”

  She walked past the front desk and into the bar. There were only a few customers scattered around the room, nursing their drinks. As she approached the bar, she saw the lone cocktail waitress adjusting the short black skirt she wore that barely covered her ass.

  Galina stopped. It was the same waitress who had left with Sergei at the party. Same heart-shaped face, same black hair, same doe eyes. She was, at most, twenty years old. Taking a seat, Galina waved the young woman over. The waitress sauntered to the table, a worried frown on her pretty face. Taking a fifty out of her wallet, Galina gestured for the other woman to sit.

  “You were working a party here—a Sweet Sixteen birthday party maybe five days ago. Do you remember?” Galina caught and held the waitress’s eyes with her own. The woman nodded reluctantly. “Do you remember the man who went outside with you?”

  The woman’s eyes widened. She moved to get up, but Galina caught her wrist, squeezing it tightly. The waitress blanched and sat back down. “Yeah.”

  Galina released her wrist and subsided back into her seat. “You’re not in trouble. I just want you to tell me the truth.” She paused and waited for the woman across from her to nod. “So you remember the guy, right? Did he say anything to you?”

  The waitress shook her head. “Not really. I was told to find the guy and get him to go outside with me. That’s all.”

  Galina sat up straighter. “You were told? Who told you?”

  “Just some guy. Tall. Dark hair. Hot. He gave me a hundred bucks to get the guy alone.” Her hands twisted around each other on top of the scarred wooden table.

  “Anything else you can tell me about him?” Galina leaned forward slightly.

  The waitress’s eyes widened. “If you turn around, he just walked in.”

  Galina did so, her heart sinking. Andrey stood at the threshold of the bar, glaring at her. “Him?”

  “Yeah.” The waitress stood. “He gave me the money and told me to get the guy alone. So I did and then I came back inside.” She l
ooked nervously at where Andrey still stood. “Can I go now?”

  Galina nodded, feeling a churning in her gut. The timeline still didn’t add up, but Andrey had threatened Sergei. And Sergei had stolen something from him. Would he have been angry enough to call in a hit? How would he get it done so fast? And what was he doing, hanging around with her if he had?

  She got up, intending to walk out the other side of the bar. She stepped into the hallway, moving quickly, but Andrey caught up to her in two steps. “Galina, wait.” He tried to put his hand on her arm, but she brushed him off.

  “No.” Galina didn’t want to be there anymore. She wanted some space to think.

  “Damn it,” Andrey cursed. He grabbed her upper arm and half-walked, half-pushed her toward the elevators. He pushed the up button, hustling her into it when the doors opened.

  “I’m going to talk. And you’re going to listen,” he warned, scowling at her. His eyes snapped blue sparks as his brows lowered in a fierce frown.

  “Oh yes,” Galina snapped, yanking her arm away from him and putting her back to the wall. “Because shoving me into an elevator and ignoring what I want is a great way to get me to do that.”

  “I swear to God, Galina,” he began, then stopped when the doors slid open. He took her by the arm again, leading her to a room. He stuck the key card into the reader, then pushed open the door.

  She stalked inside, torn between anger and curiosity. She did want to hear what Andrey had to say, but she did not approve of his methods. “If you ever touch me like that again, I’ll make sure you never have to worry about laying hands on a woman because you won’t have them.” Her words were even and calm, but the undercurrent of rage was plain to hear.

  Andrey closed the door and tucked the key card into his jacket pocket. “I didn’t kill Sergei.”

  “I never said you did.” Galina walked farther in the room, keeping well clear of the king size bed that dominated much of the space.

  “You’re thinking it.” Andrey ran a hand through his hair once again. Galina recognized this was his tell when he was frustrated. She was inordinately pleased that she had gotten to him.

  “No, I’m not thinking you killed him.” She swept a piece of her long blond hair behind her ear. “I’m wondering if you hired someone to have him killed. Completely different things.” Galina smiled at him. She wasn’t worried that he’d hurt her, not if he wanted to stay on the good side of the Sudenko family.

  Andrey made a noise that was part sigh and part growl. He crossed the room in three quick strides to stop so close to her that she could feel the heat coming off him. “You are the most infuriating woman I have ever met!”

  “And I’m pretty cute too.”

  She was pretty sure that Andrey was this close to a face palm. She couldn’t help herself. He smelled absolutely delectable when he was angry.

  “If I swear to you that I was in no way responsible for Sergei’s death, will you believe me?” His blue eyes locked with hers.

  Galina tuned her senses to him. His heart beat was steady, no spike to indicate he was lying. His scent was the same spicy-pine scent that she liked. It had no sour tang that came when someone lied. And he met her eyes, not blinking, holding hers. “I believe you.”

  “Good,” he said. Before she could think, he’d taken her upper arms and pulled her to him, his mouth covering hers in a bruising kiss.

  Galina felt her insides ignite when her lips met his. Blazing heat curled around her pelvis, skimming across her nerves. Her mouth opened beneath his, lips parting to allow his tongue to meet with hers. He tasted like the bourbon he’d had in the meeting at her father’s house. She sucked at his tongue, lightly scraping it with her teeth.

  His mouth left hers only to trail down her throat, nuzzling as he went. Galina let her head fall back, closing her eyes so she could revel in the sensations of wet heat. He nudged away the collar of her blouse to continue to trace his lips and tongue along her collarbone. She made a thin noise in the back of her throat when his teeth closed over the flesh and bone there, worrying it lightly. The smell of her arousal hit her nose, a heady scent when combined with his.

  Andrey slipped off his jacket and threw it on a nearby chair, then kissed her again. This kiss was harsh, powerful, all heat and need. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, his own stroking it. Galina felt her pussy clench and release, throbbing with want.

  Her hands traced the line of his shoulders. She worked at loosening his tie, their mouths still connected as they both fumbled with each other’s clothes like they were inexperienced teenagers. All Galina wanted was to feel his naked flesh pressed against hers, his cock inside of her making her feel full.

  Andrey broke off their kiss to yank his tie over his head. Galina unbuttoned his shirt, yanking it down off his shoulders as soon as she had it free. A leather necklace with a series of charms rested against his skin. His chest was taut muscle and smooth flesh with a dusting of dark hair. She lowered her mouth to his nipple, swirling her tongue around the peak.

  His hands clenched in her hair. “Galya,” he whispered in a hoarse voice.

  She loved that sound. She wanted to hear his voice break in pleasure. It sent a pulsing deep inside of her. She sucked hard on his nipple feeling it stiffen even further in her mouth, before scraping her teeth across it. He hissed, pulling her head up and away from his flesh.

  Claiming her mouth, Andrey’s fingers went to work on the buttons of her blouse. He cursed when the cloth coverings made unbuttoning them difficult.

  “Rip it,” Galina said against his mouth.

  Andrey’s head drew back. “You sure?” His blue eyes were hooded and sleepy looking with lust.

  “Rip the fucking shirt,” she growled, wanting his hands on her and not caring about fabric at a time like this. She could buy another shirt. What she did not have was him inside of her.

  His big hands grabbed the lapels of her blouse and yanked, tearing the fabric as if it were newspaper. Galina shrugged out of the sleeves, dropping the scraps of cloth that used to be a shirt to the floor. Her panties were soaked as the heat inside of her threatened to combust.

  She wriggled out of the camisole top and stood before him in bra and pants. Andrey’s gaze slid across her, so intense she could almost feel it, like a caress. They stared at each other for a moment, then Andrey reached out, pulling her bra strap down and pressing a kiss to the top of her shoulder.

  “You are gorgeous.” He lapped at the hollow of her shoulder.

  She reached for his belt, but he stopped her hands. Instead, he undid the button and zipper on her pants, pushing them down to pool around her feet. She slid her feet out of her heels and then Andrey was lifting her out of her clothes, his hands wrapping around her waist. He placed her down next to the bed, pulling her against his body.

  “Andrey,” she whispered, looking up at him, wondering what he was thinking.

  He brushed his lips against hers. Galina tried to drag his head down to deepen the kiss, but he pulled her arms away. Then he dropped to his knees. He pressed his face to her mound, pulling her panties aside with one finger. He inhaled deeply. “God damn, I love the way you smell.”

  Galina throbbed with want. She didn’t know what she wanted more, his mouth on her or his cock inside her. All she knew was that she thought she might die if he didn’t hurry it up and fuck her properly. Every touch of his lips, his hands, his tongue was making the tension at the base of her spine ratchet up another notch. She was fairly certain her head might pop off if he didn’t make her come soon.

  His fingertips skimmed up to her hip, tugging at the string of her panties. His mouth followed the same path on the opposite leg, stopping when he reached the string on that side. Slowly he began to drag the lacey cloth down her body, using his teeth and fingers. Galina inhaled sharply, wondering if it were possible to spontaneously combust from lust.

  When he reached her feet, Andrey looked up at her, grinning around the waistband of the black lace panties caught in
his teeth. Galina’s breath caught in her throat. The look he was giving her was so…wicked. She felt her pussy throb in response and moaned low in the back of her throat.

  “Andrey.” Her words strangled in her throat.

  He surged up, pressing his mouth to her mound, his clever tongue spearing her. She cried out, clutching at his shoulders, back arching as he licked and teased her overheated flesh. “Oh God,” she whispered, digging her fingers into his back, not caring if she drew blood.

  Stopping what he was doing, Andrey stood until he was nose to nose with her. “God has nothing to with it,” he murmured, his voice like dark thunder. Then he picked her up and threw her on the bed.

  Galina licked her lips as she watched him undress. He was beautiful, all sleek flesh and lean muscle, dark hair and smoky blue eyes that pierced her to the core. Andrey stood before her, his naked body glowing in the filtered golden light from the window. Galina’s eyes devoured him, wanting to commit every part of him to memory. Her eyes lingered on his cock, wanting to feel it inside of her. He pulled a condom from his pants, unwrapped the foil pack and rolled it over his erection. Galina watched in fascination, tongue swiping over her bottom lip.

  He climbed on the bed, crawling up her body slowly, kissing as he went. He lapped at her stomach, tongue swirling around her belly button. She dug her hands in his hair, trying to yank his head up to hers, but he would have none of it. He continued to take his time, his hand spanning her ribs as he worked his way up to her bra.

  He nosed first one breast and then the other, nuzzling her through the lace cups. Galina felt the heat and wetness between her thighs and didn’t know whether to weep or scream in triumph when one of his fingers finally entered her. She writhed on his hand, urging him to get on with it. Andrey chuckled, biting at her nipple through the fabric and she cried out with longing. She clenched around his finger, arching into his mouth.

  “Does this feel good?” he whispered, laughter in his voice.

  “You know damn well it does,” she answered, alive with sensation and want.