Misha Read online

  She had a rare courage, a fierce will and a loyalty no one could shake. But she also had secrets. Misha couldn’t help but wonder what those secrets were. Looking down at the child in her arms, he saw a pair of blue/grey eyes looking back at him. While her mother’s eyes were gray Anya’s eyes looked a combination of blue and gray this morning.

  Anya had been oddly silent all morning. She didn’t chatter like most children did at her age. When her mother went on the defense with the lamp he’d heard the little girl cry and carry on but since then, she hadn’t said hardly a word or made a sound.

  Misha couldn’t help but wonder about that. Was this her normal? Was she afraid of someone hurting her if she misbehaved? He glanced up at the girl’s mother and found her looking back at him.

  It was then when he saw the resemblance in her eyes as well. Zeta’s gaze held his and he could see the same blue swirl in them that she shared with her daughter. Zeta’s eyes changed color depending on her mood. He noticed her arms tighten around her child’s body the longer he stared at them.

  “Perhaps this is not the kind of conversation a child should listen too?” he suggested in a low voice. “She may not understand what is being said but she can feel the tension in the room.”

  Zeta looked down at her daughter and saw her looking back. “Perhaps not.”

  “You can go back to the bedroom you woke up in and she’ll be safe there,” he offered.

  “Thank you.” Zeta got to her feet and turned to slip out of the room quietly. When she closed the door behind her, she looked down at her baby girl. Her sweet Anya was staring back and she had to smile. Her daughter meant the world to her despite the manner in which she was conceived. She had lied to her brother that night, mostly because of the shame she felt at being deceived by Lonnie, but also because of her fear of him.

  Lonnie had walked away from both of them after leaving her broken and bloody but they had only been together the one time. She’d let her brother believe they had a romance lasting a few weeks. But that wasn’t the reason she disappeared all the time.

  Anya didn’t say much, didn’t really say anything at all but Zeta knew she could speak. She had a voice, she just chose not to use it. There were times when Zeta almost wanted her daughter to speak and she could see the struggle she had trying to talk but she remained silent.

  The fact was her daughter was afraid to talk. Like her mother she supposed. Zeta found comfort in silence. She always had. Times were hard for her growing up. She saw the struggle her parents went through every day. They all worked hard and no one in her family talked a lot. After Ivan’s visit, no one talked at all.

  Anya raised her tiny hand and patted her mothers face almost as if to say thing would be ok.

  Zeta closed her eyes and kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Oh baby girl, I do love you so much,” she whispered gently.

  Anya reached her hands around her mother’s neck and hugged her. Pressing her baby kisses on her mom’s neck, Anya snuggled in.

  Zeta went over to the bed and laid her daughter down. Curling around her, she laid there staring at the ceiling, holding her child.

  Anya snuggled into her mother’s arms and closed her eyes.

  Within minutes, they were both asleep.

  Misha had gone over to the bar to pour himself a drink.

  The meeting with Maxim and his brothers was breaking up.

  Sergi had gone back to his own room to start making calls to the High Council.

  Nikoli was setting up rooms for Maxim and the other men.

  It might have been early in the day to start drinking but Misha reasoned it was five o’clock somewhere in the world. Maxim, Dima and another couple of brothers joined him and without a word, he began pouring them all drinks.

  “Do you believe us?” Maxim asked after their first drink.

  Misha poured them another and nodded. “We do. What happened to you and your men should never had happened at all. Life at home is hard enough but for this to happen?” He shook his head. “I know my father and the High Council will put an end to Ivan and his shenanigans. They will bust up and track down his operations and everyone involved will be held accountable. The Bratva will stop them.”

  “Where did Zeta and Anya go?” Dima asked quietly.

  “I didn’t think a child should listen to what was being said. Zeta agreed with me. She took her to the bedroom.”

  “Your bedroom?” Maxim glared at the other man.

  “Da, my bedroom,” Misha admitted. Holding up his hand to the other men, he stated, “But I am not there at the moment, am I?” He looked up at Maxim. “I would never disrespect you in that way. I do not know how I found her but I did. I have an obligation to protect her now and I will. I would never force her to do something she didn’t want to do but I have a feeling she knows more about this Lonnie person than you think. She might not have betrayed you and your men to him but there is more to her story than what you know.”

  Maxim frowned and looked at the men around him. “What does that mean? She would never betray us, not to anyone.”

  Misha nodded. “Oh, that is for certain but she still has secrets no one else knows, of that I am sure. And until she reveals all she knows, we cannot allow her to leave here.”

  “You would keep her here against her will?” Wolf asked with closed fists.

  “Of course not.” Misha shook his head. “No one will ever hurt that woman again, not as long as I live.”

  “Then what are you saying?” Maxim wanted to know.

  “I will offer her a safe place to stay while we hunt down this squad of assassins. You and your men are in mortal danger as well, you know. They were sent here to find you and kill you to keep another man’s secrets. They will not stop until they do what they came here to do. I just hope the rest of your men are hidden well enough they can’t be found.”

  “What makes you think she knows more than she has told us about?” Dima wanted to know.

  Misha shrugged. “I just do, that’s all.”

  “Are you calling my sister a liar?” Maxim demanded.

  “No, she is not a liar,” Misha defended adamantly. “But I think she is not telling us everything. Maybe she thinks to protect you or herself but she knows more than what we do. And I don’t want those secrets to come back and bite us in the ass.”

  Maxim nodded. “That is something she would do. What will happen to us when this is over?”

  “What do you mean?” Misha frowned.

  “Will we be able to go home again?” He paused, “As free men?”

  Misha didn’t answer him for a moment then finally said, “I would think so but after all this time, you may not want to return. I mean we will stop Ivan but I’m sure he has a lot of friends who backed him and we may not be able to find them all.”

  “We may not have a choice as we are in this country illegally.” Wolf scoffed. “We might be deported back to Russia and then we’ll have to live there, always looking over our shoulder for the knife in our backs.”

  Misha shrugged. “No one knows just yet what will come to be. We’ll help you as much as we can either way.”

  Nikoli returned with keys to the rooms the dozen men would occupy while they figured things out. Maxim checked on Zeta before leaving and when he found her asleep, he decided to let her sleep. When he came back, he stopped and stared at Misha. “Sledit' za nimi…Watch over them.” Misha nodded and watched the men leave his room. When everything was quiet, he poured himself another drink and went to the window to look over the city. Everything seemed quiet out there and yet, his steady world had been blasted apart in just a few short hours.

  He felt her coming up behind him and when she touched him, he felt a spark. It startled him for a moment but he knew she felt it too.

  She gasped and took a step back.

  He continued looking out the window as he asked, “Are you all right?”

  He waited for her to answer and when she finally did, he was surprised by her words. “
You know I’m not quite sure.”

  Misha turned to study her for a moment. “Why is that?”

  She shrugged and wrapped her arms around her belly. “I don’t know. When I opened my eyes this morning, I realized I was still alive. I never thought I would wake up after what Lonnie did to me. Last night I saw the rage in his eyes and I realized something.”

  “What was that?” Misha asked.

  “Lonnie never cared about me. He was using me to get to my brother and his friends. He told me he recognized the tattoos they had. I didn’t know he was working for Ivan until last night however. That’s when he told me about the bounty.” She shrugged. “I think I knew that all along that he didn’t care, I just never admitted to myself before. He was the first man that ever showed an interest in me as a woman and I wasn’t sure how to proceed. I don’t know if I trusted him or not yet at that point but I did know all that man ever brought me was pain.”

  “Why did you go with him last night then?” Misha wanted to know.

  “I told you, he threatened me. I couldn’t have him looking for Maxim and the others. They gave up so much.” She took a deep breath, “Maxim gave up ten years of his life for me.”

  “And now, Lonnie is dead.” Misha stared her.

  Zeta nodded. “But Ivan isn’t. He won’t stop coming after them.”

  “He will be. The Bratva will never allow him to go free.”

  Zeta seemed to crumble where she stood. She sank to her knees.

  Misha swore and reached for her. Pulling her up to her feet, he swung her into his arms and went over to the sofa. Sitting down, he cradled her on his lap and crushed her to him. Looking down at her face he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks and the sound of her sobs almost broke his heart.

  When her tears stopped, he tipped her face up to his and he took a moment to stare at her face then he leaned down and took her lips with his own. The spark he’d felt earlier returned in full force when their lips met. He groaned as he pushed his tongue into her mouth.

  When he tasted her, his body went into overdrive. All the blood rushed to his cock and he grew lightheaded. He’d never felt this way before with any other woman. Let alone one half his age. His hands came up to cup each side of her head as he angled her to get the most out of the kiss they shared.

  Zeta groaned and opened her mouth to take more of him in. When his lips slid down her throat she moaned and begged him, “Please don’t stop.”

  “I have no intention of stopping this,” Misha murmured. “I need this and I need you. Forget the rest of the world. Just feel us together and know there is nothing else in the world but us.”

  Zeta closed her eyes and listened to his words. His hands, his lips, his mouth, his teeth… she could feel it all. Then he lifted her shirt over her head and the cool air on her overheated skin made her shiver. His lips were there to chase the shiver away and Zeta felt herself opening to his possession. She felt his thick cock grinding into her denim covered core and she couldn’t wait to feel it against her bare skin.

  She slipped his buttons open and her hand disappeared inside his shirt. His skin was warm and she could smell his own particular scent. He smelled like all man, woodsy and clean and just a hint of sweet cherry smoke. Almost like cigar smoke.

  When his lips began licking her breast, she groaned. When he pulled down the cup of her bra, then she felt his mouth close over her nipple. She shivered as her core grew damp and wet. “Please, I need more,” she whispered.

  Misha groaned and broke the sucking, making a popping sound. “Dorogoy, I need to be inside you too.” He groaned. Then he cupped the side of her head. Looking deep into her eyes he asked her, “Are you sure you want this with me? I’m so much older than you are.” Zeta looked him in the eyes. “Da, I want this. I want you.” She smiled at the Russian endearment Dorogoy…darling. She had never heard it uttered before in Russian and that was something new. He was something new. Something powerful and safe. “I want to know what this feels like because I have a feeling this is going to be out of this world.” She leaned over him and brushed her mouth on his.

  Misha crushed her mouth with his own as he tore her clothes off her body. Then he flipped her on her back and dragged his pants down over his ass. His cock was hard and more than ready to take her as he surged into her core in one thrust.

  She was tight but wet enough so his thrust didn’t hurt. It was a just tight fit and Zeta gasped as he filled her. “Oh, my…” she groaned. “More, give me more, please…”

  Misha groaned as he thrust again and again. He tweaked her nipples as he thrust into her, kissing her neck and sucking on her tender skin there. Never before had making love to a woman felt this good. As he pushed inside her he could feel every shiver she made. She fit him so well. He could feel his cock swell inside her and he began losing control.

  His hips moved rapidly as he slammed inside her harder and deeper as she grounded down on him. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down on her chest. Misha began to feel his balls tighten and he growled, “I need you to come sweet girl.”

  “Yes,” she screamed quietly as she flew over the edge. Moments later, he followed her over the edge. He poured himself into her and for a moment, he couldn’t even move. Then he came back to realize how vulnerable she was. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

  Zeta stared at him in shock. “You’re sorry?” she whispered. “Why are you sorry?”

  “We shouldn’t have done this here. Your daughter could have caught us. I can’t imagine what she would have thought if she’d seen us.” He looked down at her and his eyes caught the look of hurt in her eyes. “Did you think I was sorry for what just happened?”

  Zeta nodded.

  “Oh, milaya devushka. I’m not sorry for that at all. In fact, I hope it happens again and again.” He kissed her nose. “But in another room, not out here where anyone can see us.” Zeta studied him for a moment then asked, “Are you sure?” He moved his hips and she felt him growing inside her again. “God yes, I’m sure. That was the best I’ve ever had.”

  Zeta blushed. She moved away from him and tried to grab her shirt.

  Misha groaned and drew her back into his embrace. His mouth crushed down on hers and the kiss he gave her left her breathless.

  Chapter Six

  When she got up to get redressed, Misha told Zeta to take a shower and get comfortable. It was later afternoon by this time. “I think its going to be an early night tonight.”

  After she left and Misha put his own clothes on, he poured another drink and stared out the window again. A few minutes later, he became aware of eyes on him. He turned and found Anya staring at him.

  Her hair was messy and she was holding a small blanket in her arms. The blanket he knew was one she had when they found her last night. She simply stared at him with a blank expression.

  Misha smiled as she reminded him of her mother, without the distrust. She hadn’t learned that particular trait yet. But then he realized her life had been closed off from most of the world. She didn’t know pain of any kind yet, her mother and her uncle and his men watched over her. As they should.

  Misha knelt down to her level. “Hello little one. Your mother is taking a shower right now but she’ll be finished soon.”

  Anya just stared at him.

  Misha smiled at her and held out his hand. “Come little one. We can wait for your mother and sit on the sofa. Maybe we find a cartoon or something on TV.”

  Anya shifted her gaze to his hand and after a moment reached out to take his fingers. Misha led her over to the sofa and when he sat down, she crawled on his lap. Plopping her thumb into her mouth she stared at the TV while he found something for them to watch. She pointed to a show on the Animal Planet channel about elephants.

  Misha sat there with her on his lap and for some reason… it just felt right.

  A few minutes later, he thought he felt eyes on him again and when he looked over his shoulder, he found Zeta watching the pair of them.

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nbsp; The look on her face was blank but he could feel the emotion churning inside her. Her body language told him she was upset but about what, he had no clue.

  She came over to the sofa and sat down beside them.

  Anya looked over at her mother and smiled, then settled down again in Misha’s lap.

  When the program was done, Anya crawled over to her mother and kissed her cheek. Then she looked at her and rubbed her belly.

  Zeta smiled and kissed her nose. “Are you hungry baby?”

  Anya nodded and Zeta looked at Misha. “Is there anything I can make her for supper here?”

  Misha shrugged. “Probably not but we can order from the restaurant downstairs. What does she like to eat?”

  “Anything you order for her.” Zeta shrugged. She fidgeted with the edging on Anya’s blanket.

  Misha cocked his head and watched her for a moment. “Look at me please,” he ordered softly.

  Zeta’s head snapped up.

  For a moment, he could read fear in her eyes. “Sweetheart, feel free to order whatever you want, for her and yourself. When you call down I’d like some roasted chicken and hash browns.” He smiled and winked at her.

  Zeta blushed and chuckled. “Ok, I get it.”

  “Not yet but you will later,” Misha teased her. “But right now, it’s time to eat. So why don’t you order the food and I’ll get her washed up for supper.”

  Zeta raised an eyebrow as Misha picked up Anya and carried her off to the bathroom.

  She heard the sounds of laughter and water splashing then she picked up the phone and placed her order. She heard his phone ping and moments later, Misha and Anya came back to the living room.

  He looked disturbed and she so wanted to ask him what was going on but she knew he couldn’t tell her, so she took her daughter and sat down to watch TV.