Alexandr's Reluctant Submissive (21 page)

She could use comfort and strength right now.

Walking quickly from the dining area to where she thought the front door was—this place was huge—she tried to ignore the growing trail of bodyguards who followed her, spearheaded by a no-nonsense Zoya.

“Maks has informed me of the nature of your relationship with Catrin. I have pulled the security out of the apartment. We will be nearby, but you will have complete privacy. Maks will be manning the cameras to ensure you will not be disturbed.” She gave a blushing Jessica a wry grin. “Your husband is a very, very protective man.”

“I—well, yes.”

Zoya looked up at the sound of two faint beeps. “I must go. Gwen has Tatiana down in her apartment with Krom. She will keep her until you are ready for Tatiana to return. I will be joining them as well.”

“Thank you,” Jessica said in a faint voice.

A pounding came from across the foyer and Maks looked over at her for permission to open the front door, his expression carefully blank, but she swore she saw the hard glint of jealousy in his eyes before he turned away. Fuck, his lingering looks were getting more lingering by the day, and she so did not have time to deal with his confused feelings. Giving him a nod, she rubbed her shaking hands on her hips.

“Maks, please let them in.”

“Jessica?” Catrin’s familiar voice shouted as she came barreling through the front doors, followed closely by Nico.

Time stood still for a moment as she drank in the sight of her much-loved friend, a silent exhale leaving her while admired the stunning, mature woman Catrin had grown into. Her hair was now shoulder length and carefully styled into tussled golden waves shot here and there with champagne-blonde highlights. She wore a white blouse edged with black that dipped low in the front, revealing a ruby pendant that glowed against her fair skin, and a short skirt that showed off her legs. The curves that Jessica had so loved were still there, still lush, and still made her tingle.

She bit her lower lip when Catrin’s familiar pale-blue eyes met hers and she took a hesitant step forward. “Hello, Catrin.”

With a scream, the woman sprinted across the foyer on her black high heels, launching herself at Jessica, who staggered back, sure they were going to fall to the hard marble floor, but in an instant Nico was there.

His long arms encircled both Jessica and Catrin, holding them tight while he whispered, “You are really alive.”

Grasping at both of them as best she could, she and Catrin burst into tears while Nico murmured soothing nonsense. By the time he managed to maneuver them onto one of the red leather sofas in the den, they’d managed to compose themselves enough that they were both struggling to calm their hitching breaths. With a shaking hand, Catrin reached up and wiped her thumb gently beneath Jessica’s eye.

“You look like a blind hooker put your makeup on, darling.”

She giggled, rubbing her fingertips over Catrin’s black mascara, now streaking down her cheeks. “You look like you should be in a clown porno.”

Catrin’s lower lip quivered, but she blinked rapidly. “I—Jessica, I have missed you so much.”

Reaching out, Nico grasped his wife’s hand. “We were out of communication at our vacation home. We came as soon as we heard.”

“What the hell happened?” Catrin asked while wiping at her makeup with some clean tissues that Nico had pulled out of her purse. “I’ve heard many rumors, but I need to know the truth.”

After Jessica finished her story, she found herself held between Catrin and Nico, her friends cuddling her close. She breathed in their scent, resting her cheek against the soft cotton of Nico’s mustard-yellow shirt. He’d removed his jacket and tie when Catrin had kicked off her heels to be more comfortable while listening to Jessica. Reveling in the feeling of immense comfort her friends offered her, Jessica unburdened herself, telling two people who understood her what she’d been through.

Catrin placed a gentle kiss against Jessica’s forehead. “I wish I was there to help.”

“But we understand why you did what you felt was necessary,” Nico added in a low voice, his long fingers gently stroking up and down Jessica’s arms.

She shifted between them, her bare legs draped over Catrin’s silk-clad ones. When the blonde shifted, Jessica could see the edges of the black garters that held her stockings in place. All three of them were holding hands, and Jessica felt totally safe in the cocoon they created for her.

“I was so miserable,” she whispered. “I missed all of you so much. If it wasn’t for Tatiana, I think I would have given up.”

Catrin stiffened, something Jessica noticed because of how intertwined their bodies were. “Your daughter.”

“Yes.” Puzzled by Catrin’s reaction, she glanced over to Nico, but he was watching his wife closely. “She’s almost five, a handful but so loving.”

“Much like her mother.” Nico nuzzled against Jessica’s cheek.

She laughed, then ran her hand over the short, rough curls covering Nico’s head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Catrin stared across the room, her voice unusually grave as she said, “Do you like it, being a mother?”

Now Nico tensed as well, and she wondered what the hell was going on. There were strong emotional undercurrents she couldn’t decipher. The only thing she knew for sure was that Catrin’s expression suddenly seemed so fragile.

 “It is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done, and even when my world was so dark I wanted to end my life, her light was strong enough to lead me back out of my depression. I can’t express in words how much I love her. It’s a different kind of love than what I feel for Alex, but just as strong, if not stronger in some ways. I’m Alex’s mate, his loving partner, but I’m her mother.”

Abruptly, Catrin stood and gave Jessica a bright smile while refusing to meet her eyes. “I must use the restroom, please excuse me.”

After she disappeared around the corner, Jessica turned on the couch to fully face Nico, their knees touching as they studied each other. “What’s going on?”

A pained look crossed his dark, handsome face. “Catrin does not want children.”

“Oh…I see.”

“Not because she does not like them, but because she is afraid of what will happen if someone hurts them. When she lost you, Catrin also went into very dark place. It was months before I could get her to leave the house.” He sighed and patted her knee. “I am not blaming you for any of this, but you need to understand why she may be a bit hesitant about Tatiana. She loved your daughter from the moment she knew about her and the combined loss hurt her, changed her.”

She felt like bursting into tears again, but bit her inner cheek and nodded. “I understand. I won’t mention Tatiana around Catrin.”

“No, please, do not do that. I am hopeful that if my wife sees the love you have for your daughter, she might help her heal enough to consider having children of her own.”

“Nico, if she doesn’t want kids, I don’t know if she’ll ever change her mind.”

“I know this, and I have made peace with it. If I did not know my wife so well I would be happy spending the rest of my life with just her, but she yearns for children. I see it every time we are around our friends with babies, how she holds them with such longing. And I will not lie; I would be overjoyed if she changed her mind.” He took a deep breath, then pressed a soft kiss to her lips that was all warmth and acceptance tinged with sadness. “Your return gives me hope for something I have wanted since the moment I met Catrin and pictured her as my wife and mother of my children.”

This time she couldn’t fight her tears as she rained slow, gentle kisses on his sharp-boned face. Seeing such a powerful man fighting to keep his composure made her heart ache and she clearly took in Nico for the first time since they’d reunited. Other than a series of fine lines around his mouth, and new ones around his eyes, he didn’t appear to have changed. At least he didn’t until his eyes opened and the man who looked back at her wasn’t the same one she remembered. There was a darkness inside of him now that hadn’t been there before and she mourned its presence, mourned the loss of innocence that had fed the monster now inside of her old friend.

She wanted to take that dark look from his eyes, to give him back any happiness her absence had stolen from him. “I will help you.”

“Help him what, sweet girl,” Catrin purred from behind her.

She watched Nico look at his wife and the love that consumed his face chased away any lingering sorrow. He stared at Catrin as if she was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. She followed his gaze to find the lovely blonde woman standing next to them, her face once again serene after her outburst. Jessica was tempted to poke at the fragile mask that guarded Catrin’s emotions, but she decided to let it be. Hell, she’d spent the last five years wearing a mask and still marveled at the immense sense of freedom she had at being able to just be herself.

“Not what you’re thinking.” She tugged at Catrin’s hand, pulling her down into the small space between Jessica and Nico.

Nico rubbed his lips against Catrin’s blonde waves. “You always want to spoil your surprises.”

A fake pout curved the other woman’s red-stained lips, and mischief glittered in her blue eyes. “You must be mistaking me for someone else.”

Jessica gave Catrin the same firm look she gave Tatiana when she wanted the little girl to behave. “I cannot believe you’re going to sit here and lie like that. You do remember that I was with you when you were trying to snoop through Nico’s things, looking for some hint of what he got you for Christmas.”

Relaxing, Catrin laughed and stroked Jessica’s cheek. “You know, I had trouble imagining you as a mother, but that voice you just used? Reminds me of being scolded by my mama.”

Conscious of how closely Nico was watching his wife, she smiled. “Would you like to meet Tatiana?”

Visibly stiffening, Catrin looked away then said in a soft voice, “I would, but I am not ready yet.”

“What do you have to be ready for?”

Reaching out blindly, Catrin grasped her hand and held it hard. “Jessica, you asked me to be her godmother. I…wanted to be that so badly, and I was so honored you had asked me. There were so many things I imagined doing with Tatiana, so many plans, and when both of you died I felt a little like I had lost my own child.”

The deep timbre of Nico’s voice filled the silence in a soothing wave. “But that is the past. Right now Jessica is very much alive and we need to appreciate the gift God has given us.”

Hating the sight of her friend so distraught, she leaned forward and rested her head on Catrin’s shoulder while hugging her tight. When Nico wrapped his long arms around them, both she and Catrin melted with matching sighs. That made the women giggle while he began to gently stroke them, his large hands roaming their bodies, calming them with his touch. She’d forgotten how easily she responded to Nico as a submissive. The handsome black man was such a strong Master that it felt natural for her to yield to his control, especially when her Mistress did as well. That odd dance of Dominance and submission began to move through them, the energy rising into a slow-building spiral of sensuality.

Catrin wiggled a bit so she could stroke the side of Jessica’s face, cuddling her closer.

“I missed this,” Jessica whispered against the soft, fragrant skin of her friend’s slender neck. “It’s like a drug to me, one taste of it and I’m instantly addicted to flying deep in subspace. The only thing better than flying alone was to have you there with me while our Masters sent us soaring.”

“
Milaya devushka
,” Catrin murmured before gently tugging at Jessica’s hair.

Raising her head off her friend’s smooth shoulder, she slowly closed the distance between them, the sugary bubblegum scent of Catrin’s perfume teasing her memories. She closed her eyes and rubbed her nose against the other woman’s in a slow slide. Their lips barely brushed and warm sparkles of electricity sent a tingle through her. Her nipples hardened and she shifted farther so she could press her small breasts against Catrin's ample ones.

Nico continued to pet them in a slow, sensual rhythm that helped keep her grounded in the moment. There was so much going on in her life right now that she needed the release of submitting to Nico and Catrin, to give control to people she absolutely trusted. Handing herself over to their care brought her relief on a soul-deep level.

The blonde woman nipped at Jessica's lower lip, and she moaned into Catrin’s mouth. She ran her hand up the curve of Catrin’s waist to just below her breast. Cupping the soft weight, she kept her thumb just on the very edge of Catrin’s erect nipple tenting the fabric over her breast. Looking up at the other woman, she let the intense need she had for them both rise to the surface, knowing how it would affect the lush blonde.

“Mistress, may I pleasure you?”

Catrin moaned low in her throat, the sound so sexy Jessica almost came from a brief press of her thighs.

Instead of the other woman answering Jessica’s question, it was Nico who said, “You may play with her, but do not let her come. She gets vicious when denied orgasm and I want her to take out that frustration on you. It has been too long since I have seen your tight ass turn red from my wife’s attentions.”

Alex glanced down at his phone again, stealing glimpses of his wife and friends via the security system set up in his home. To his surprise they were still all clothed, but the women were making out in an utterly decadent, unhurried manner while snuggled on Nico’s lap. He could see the love the women still had for one another in the way they smiled and gazed into each other’s eyes. Jessica looked radiant and he couldn’t help but zoom in the camera on her face. Right now she was gently biting, then sucking on Catrin’s neck. In response, the blonde woman’s lips curled up into a sensual snarl of need and he had to stop himself rearranging his raging hard-on.