Step Page 7

Without another second of warning, he stood up, collected me in his arms and tossed me over his shoulder like a freaking caveman. "Step!"

  "You're the one who wanted a shower," he reminded me, amusement filling his voice.

  Dangling upside down, I whacked his taut backside with both hands. "Put me down!"

  He laughed and kept on walking. The floor in my bouncing vision soon changed from hardwood to marble. He carefully lowered me to my feet and stepped away just long enough to turn on the walk-in shower. I only had a few seconds to marvel at his gorgeous bathroom before he was standing in front of me and tugging at my clothing. His wicked kisses made my head pound—and before I knew it, I was stark naked in front of him.

  Step breathed hard as he gazed at my body. He looked at me as if I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "That's it. From now on, I shop for myself on my birthday because you are the prettiest fucking gift I have ever unwrapped."

  I blushed hotly, but he tipped my head back with his fingers beneath my chin. "Don't be embarrassed, Jem. You are gorgeous."

  "I…"

  "You." He kissed my mouth. "Are." His lips danced across my breasts. "Beautiful." He suckled my nipple and released it with a noisy pop. "You are beautiful."

  He lifted his head and gazed into my eyes, and I felt all my inhibitions flee. I reached for his shirt and started to lift it up his chest. I was too short to pull it off of him so he took over and let me concentrate on his pants. Pushing aside my hands, he quickly peeled out of them and threw them across the bathroom. Naked and flushed, we stared at each other for a moment, both of us smiling nervously.

  "Come here, rybka." He reached for my hand and dragged me into the shower. I closed my eyes and let him run his big hands all over my body. Pulling me back against his chest, he pointed at the tile in front of me. "Put your hands there."

  I did as instructed, mainly because I didn't know if could stand up straight without the help. Behind me, he lathered up his palms and spread soap along my curves. I tried not to hyperventilate when he cupped my bare sex with his sudsy hand and bit down on the curve of my neck. His fingers traced the seam of my pussy. "I can't wait to get my tongue right here."

  I nearly passed out when he said that. It was the dirtiest, most exciting thing a man had ever said to me—but he wasn't done yet.

  "I'm going to bury my face in your cunt until you come and come and beg me to stop." His fingers swirled around my swollen clitoris, and I clawed at the wet tile, my fingers squealing against the marble. "Then I'll let you ride my cock. I want to watch you bouncing on my lap while I enjoy these." He cupped both of my breasts and then pinched my nipples.

  I cried out and tried to catch my breath. My body was on fire now. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. Was this moving too fast? Did I need to put the brakes on? Maybe we needed a time-out. "We have to stop."

  "You're right." Step dragged me under the water spray and rinsed away the soap clinging to my skin. "This floor is way too slippery."

  "That's not quite what I meant."

  Step silenced me with a kiss. Suddenly, I didn't care anymore. The reasons we shouldn't do this fled. All I could think about were reasons why I should.

  After hastily drying off, we practically ran to the spacious master suite. It was sparsely furnished with only a huge bed, a dresser and a chair. The place hardly looked lived in, and it made me sad.

  "What's that look, baby girl?" He plucked the pins from my hair and set my long dark locks free.

  "I was just thinking that you have this amazing life and all this success but—"

  "But I have no one to share it with," he finished for me. Combing his fingers through my hair, he bent down and kissed me tenderly. "I'm working on changing that."

  A tremble of something so powerful and hopeful rippled through my stomach. The idea that maybe I had finally found someone who wanted the same things I wanted was so incredibly seductive. But it was so early in our relationship, and I wasn't about to get swept away with what-ifs.

  Centered in the here and now, I embraced the moment and let him guide me down to the bed. Step explored my body at a leisurely pace. I gripped the sheets beneath me as his mouth and hands discovered all the sensitive spots that made me gasp and shudder. His mouth trailed down my belly, and I swallowed hard. I thought of all the things he had described in the shower.

  When he parted my thighs with his huge hands and gazed hungrily at my pussy, I turned bright red and tried to shut them. He applied enough pressure to stop me. "Let me look at you, Jem."

  I closed my eyes and tried not to die of embarrassment as he used those big fingers of his to hold open the dewy petals of my sex to get a better look. I suddenly felt uncertain and shy. Considering I hadn't had a boyfriend since high school or even attempted sex since then, I hadn’t exactly gone for a full Brazilian down south. I thought of the pretty, confident women he had been with last night. They probably knew all sorts of amazing bedroom tricks. Me? I hadn't picked up a copy of Cosmo in years.

  "Don't be shy with me, Jem." He dotted ticklish kisses on my inner thighs. "You can tell me what you like and what to do. I want to know how to make you feel good."

  Lifting my head, I opened my eyes and found him staring expectantly at me. Did he want me to tell him how I liked oral sex? "Step, I haven't ever…you know."

  He seemed surprised. "Never?"

  "I've had sex. Sort of," I amended and glanced away with embarrassment.

  "Sort of?"

  "I tried. Twice. It wasn't very good or very long."

  "It wasn't very long? You mean his cock?"

  My cheeks burned. "He was average, I guess. I meant the actual sex. The first time didn't last a minute. The second was a little longer." I shrugged. "I just sort of wanted it to be over so I didn't mind."

  "Jemima." The gruff way he spoke my name surprised me. "Look at me."

  I did. "What?"

  "Do you want to be here with me?"

  "Yes." I didn’t hesitate because it was true. I wanted to be here with him.

  "Do you want me to make love to you?"

  "Yes."

  Reassured that I wanted him and wanted this, he stroked his hands up and down my belly. "Relax, milaya moya. Relax and let me show you how good it can be."

  Loving the way he called me sweet names in his mother tongue, I nodded and fell back to the bed. He growled something in Russian, his voice deep and low, and then he swiped the length of my slit with his tongue. My hips shot off the bed, and he grasped my waist to hold me down. His tongue probed my lips, gliding between them slowly and flicking gently at my clit. He suckled that little nub with a few long tugs and then returned to circling it.

  I fisted the sheets and tried to catch my breath. Oh, God. Why didn't I know? Why hadn't anyone told me it could feel like this?

  "Step!" I reached down and touched his hair as his tongue did so many wicked, naughty things to me. He probed my entrance, using it to penetrate me, and then swirled it around my clit until I was panting and aching and hovering right on the edge of something amazing. One of his hands slid along my front and covered my breast. He found my nipple and pinched the stiff peak. The little twist of pain sent me into the stratosphere.

  With a burst of pure bliss, I shouted his name and started to buck my hips. He was so much stronger than me that he easily held me down and kept right on flicking and fluttering his tongue. He slid a finger into me, curving it just a little, and stroked inside my slick channel until I was shaking with need. "Oh, God. Oh, God. Please."

  He growled against my pussy, and I came hard, even harder than the first time. Even with my eyes clenched shut, I saw brilliant starbursts as the powerful shockwaves rattled through me. Awash with ecstasy, I shuddered atop the bed and moaned as Step's tongue lapped at my clit. He pulled the tiny nub between his lips and sucked on it a few times. My legs started to wobble, and I thought I might be having a heart attack.

  Showing some mercy on my poor, wrung out body, Step abando
ned my pussy and kissed his way up my body. He spent some time fondling and nipping at my breasts before capturing my mouth. It was strangely heady to share something so intimate after he had been using that skilled mouth of his to make me scream.

  Step trapped one of my thighs between his legs and pushed a second finger into me. I gasped at the sudden intrusion, and he eased off the force of his thrusting digits. Pulling back, he gazed down at me and searched for permission to continue. I nodded and reached down between our bodies to grasp his cock. The hard, hot shaft required both hands, but there was still more I couldn't cover.

  He shuddered as I stroked him with both hands. The slippery drops of pre-cum dripping from the head of his cock eased the way. I watched his face for guidance and squeezed him tighter as I stroked up and down his shaft. Step's fingers kept working me, thrusting in and out at the same pace that my hands glided up and down his steely length.

  When I slid a hand down to cup his balls, Step cursed loudly and crashed his mouth to mine. I took that as a good sign and kept right on stroking and fondling him. His fingers faltered, and I knew he was close. Thinking of the way he had used a little pain to heighten my pleasure, I bit his lower lip—and he jerked hard against me.

  Hot bursts of ropy cum landed on my belly. I stroked him through his orgasm, rubbing my hand up and down his cock until every last drop had been milked onto my skin. He dropped down beside me like a fallen tree and buried his face in the curve of my neck. Wrapping his arms around me, he slung a heavy leg across mine and held me close.

  We were cuddling contentedly when I heard my cell phone ring in another part of the apartment. Beside me, Step grunted. "Leave it."

  "I can't." I pushed at the muscled arm embracing me. "It's my brother. He never calls unless it's important."

  Step grumbled but loosened up his hold on me. "Come right back when you're finished."

  "I will."

  Even after everything we had done, I was too shy to run around his apartment naked. I yanked the top sheet off the bed and wrapped it around my body before fleeing the bedroom to find my phone. By the time I reached the kitchen and my purse, my cell phone alerted me to a voicemail. I swiped my finger across the screen and tapped in the unlock code.

  When I got to the voicemail screen, I tapped the new message from Benji and waited for it to play. How was he going to react when he found out I was dating Step? Would he be excited for me? Would he approve?

  "Jem!" Benji's voice came across panicked and frightened. "Jem, they're here! They're looking for Dad. Call me back. Now."

  I did. I hit the button and gripped the counter. My quick run-in with Spider came to the forefront of my mind.

  "Jem!"

  "Benji! Are you okay?" In the background, I could hear someone beating on a door or a wall. "Benji! Hide! Go hide!"

  "I can't. They're—"

  A loud crash rattled my ear.

  "Shit! Jem! They're in the house. Jem. JEM!"

  Benji screamed—and the line went dead.

  "Benji? BENJI!"

  Chapter Seven

  Step

  Wearing a dopey fucking grin, I stared up at the ceiling and enjoyed the post-sex haze of happiness. This was the first time since I had lost my voice that I felt complete and whole. Jem had given me my hope back. She made me feel as if I could slay a fucking dragon.

  I was thinking of all the ways I could woo her old-school style and convince her that I wanted to pursue something real and lasting with her when I heard her panicked scream. I shot out of bed like a damned rocket and ran across the apartment. I found her in the kitchen frantically dialing her phone and starting to sob hysterically.

  "Rybka!" I grasped her shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Look at me! What's wrong?"

  "They took him!"

  "What? Who?" I glanced at her phone. "They took your brother?"

  "Yes."

  I slid an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. She was shaking like a leaf. "Angel moy. Calm down. Okay? Who took him?"

  "The meth dealers Jackie crossed," she said with a loud sob. "The guy who owns our trailer park? His name is Spider, and he's the VP of the Calaveras MC."

  "Yeah?" I didn't like where this was going. I hadn't been part of the Houston underworld since high school, but I still knew the major players. Spider and his men were allied very closely with Romero Valero, the man who had staged a coup against his old cartel boss only weeks earlier.

  "Spider stopped me this morning when I was headed to work and told me that he had heard that Jackie was back in town and that he had robbed some meth dealers. He warned me that they might come looking for Jackie at our house. I warned Benji to be careful—but I should have been there! I should have been there to protect him!"

  The thought of Jem being grabbed by a bunch of loser meth heads and drug dealers chilled me right to the bone. Her brother would be safe so long as he cooperated, but her? Oh, God. She was just so damned sweet and tempting. Men like the monsters who had taken her brother couldn't be trusted around any woman, let alone one as innocent and gentle as her. They would have hurt her badly.

  Realizing she needed me to be strong, I kissed her tenderly and then cupped her face. "I will get your brother back."

  "How? Step, these people are dangerous."

  "So are my people." I kissed her again. "We need to get dressed."

  "Why? Where are we going?"

  "To see my cousin."

  Half an hour later, I glanced at Jem who sat stoically but teary-eyed in the passenger seat as I navigated the stately streets of Houston's oldest and wealthiest enclave in my matte black '60 Coupe de Ville. The estates here were owned by the most powerful people in the city, but I only cared about one of them—Nikolai Kalasnikov, the unacknowledged Russian mob boss and the most dangerous man in the city's underworld. If anyone could help us right now, it was Nikolai.

  Luckily for me, Ten was working for the boss as a bodyguard for Vivian Kalasnikov, Nikolai's beloved wife. When we pulled up in front of the house and parked, Jem glanced at me with such anxiety. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do? What about the police?"

  "The police are the last people you want to involve." I could see that she understood that, but she was so desperate to save her brother that she would try anything.

  Gripping the door handle, she asked, "What is he going to want for payment?"

  I leaned over and kissed her temple. "Let me worry about that."

  "Step," she said quickly. "You can't get yourself into debt for me."

  "I can, and I will."

  "Why?" She seemed bewildered by my decision to help her.

  Now I was the one feeling anxious. "You know why."

  The fear in her eyes faded, and she covered my hand with hers. "Yes, I do."

  I interlaced our fingers. "Let me do the talking. This will be a tricky situation to navigate."

  She nodded dutifully. "I understand."

  Hand in hand, we made our way up the cobblestone sidewalk that led to a beautiful front porch and ornately carved wooden doors. The historic home had been carefully restored and was the jewel of the neighborhood. I had heard that Nikolai had even more beautiful gardens out back, but I wasn't close enough to his inner circle to have ever gotten an invitation. Right now, I was breaking a big rule coming to his house, but I didn't have any other choice.

  Someone had decorated the porch for fall and Halloween with pumpkin displays and planters overflowing with burgundy and orange mums. A whimsical wreath featuring black ravens and what appeared to be pages from Poe's book adorned the grand door. I rang the doorbell and stepped back, making sure I was clearly visible through the glass. I doubted very many people were stupid or brave enough to walk up to this front door and knock.

  The door opened a short time later, and I found myself staring down into the strikingly beautiful face of an obviously pregnant woman. With her dark hair in a high ponytail, Vivian Kalsnikov wore a simple dress in a color that reminded me of grapefruit
. As expected of a perfect little mob wife, she looked primped and ready for a day of shopping or running errands. I couldn’t imagine the weight of all the responsibilities and expectations resting on her slim shoulders.

  I greeted her in Russian, and she returned it with a smile. I started to tell her my name, but she waved her hand and addressed me in English.

  "You're Stepan, Ten's cousin. The big rock star," she added with a grin. "And who is this?" Her smile faded when she noticed Jem's red eyes and the obvious signs of crying. "Oh my goodness! What's wrong?"

  "We need to speak with your husband."

  "Of course," Vivian said and gestured for us to come inside. She shut the door and rubbed Jem's back. "I don’t know what's happened, but if there is any way for my husband to help you, he will." She motioned for us to follow. "This way, please. Kolya and Ten are in the library."

  So lost in her fear and worry for her brother, Jem seemed oblivious to the bodyguards eyeing us from the shadows of the house. I spotted a man younger than Jem and a man closer to my age lurking in doorways and following our every move. I tried not to let it bother me. The sort of danger that lurked outside the Kalasnikov's front door wasn't anything I could ever understand.

  Vivian knocked on the door of the library and poked her head inside. She spoke softly to her husband in Russian, but it was Ten who yanked the door open and greeted us first. My cousin wrapped me up in his massive arms and lifted me off the ground in a bear hug that squeezed the air right out of my lungs.

  "Why didn’t you call me? You should have told me you were coming over. I would have been waiting for you." Ten gripped the back of my neck and grinned at me. His gaze slid to my left and settled on Jem's petite form. "And who is this?"

  "This is my girlfriend, Jem." I stepped forward and lowered my voice. "We need your help."

  Ten's pleased grin collapsed. He glanced from me to Jem and back to me. "I see."

  "Jem?" Vivian stepped in and took charge. "Why don't you come with me? We'll have a cup of tea while they sort this out, okay?"

  Jem shot me a questioning glance, and I nodded at her. She reluctantly let go of my hand and followed Vivian away from the library. Assured that she was safe here, I trailed Ten into the library. The door was shut behind me, and I found myself face-to-face with the man who held Benji's life in his hands.