Russian's Determined Love (Drobilka Family Series #3) (3 page)

As she drove home, she swore loudly as she slammed her hand against the steering wheel.
How was this even possible? Who in their right mind would represent a man who abused children and killed one in a fit of rage?
Sobbing, she managed to make it back to the apartment and drove into the parking garage.

When she entered the penthouse apartment, Vadim walked out of the kitchen, surprised to see her.

“Malyutka?”

With a sob, Bethany collapsed on the floor, her body shaking as she cried. Vadim rushed to her side, scooped her up, and brought her over to the couch. Sitting down, he held her tightly in his arms as she sobbed into his neck. As he stroked her back, he crooned softly to her in Russian, assuring her that she was safe, until her sobs eventually died down. Her body continued to spasm as she hiccupped violently. Rubbing her back harder, she burped loudly, before snorting at her noises.

He lifted her chin and pushed the damp hair off her face and wiped her tears.

“Tell me,” he said simply.

“My mother has been trying to reach me, but I’ve been ignoring her calls. My aunt finally called. My stepfather. He’s out.”

“When?”

“He was released last week.”

“What can I do?”

“Hold me, moya lyubov. You make the world fade away.”

Smiling down at her, he kissed her lightly on the lips before folding her back into his arms as he rocked her.

Chapter 5

Bethany had fallen asleep in Vadim’s arms before he carried her to the bedroom to put her to bed. Calling Boris, he did the one thing he had never done before – not go into work. Grabbing his tablet, he settled in bed next to her as she slept fitfully. When Bethany awoke several hours later, her throat felt swollen and she had difficulty swallowing. She stretched and bumped against Vadim, who reached his hand down to rub her head. Looking up, she was surprised to see him in bed with her.

“Have you been here all this time?”

“Dah. I did not think you should be left alone,” he responded as he handed her a bottle of water.

She sat up, popped the cap, and took several long swallows. The water felt so good against her raw throat. Setting the bottle aside, she slid up against him as he wrapped his arm around her.

“Do you wish to talk about it?”

Shaking her head no, she said, “I’m not sure what there is to say. I’m shocked.”

“Your mother continues to call you,” he told her as he pointed to her phone on the nightstand. “Do you think that it’s time to talk to her?”

She pulled tighter against him. “I haven’t spoken to her since I was in school and she decided to forgive him for killing her son and beating me. I don’t even know what to say to her.”

“You don’t need to talk. Maybe just hear her out.”

Before Bethany could respond, her phone beeped again. Reaching for it, she saw the caller ID said it was her mother. When she clicked accept, she heard her mother’s excited voice before she put the phone to her ear.

“Bethany? I’m so glad that you finally answered. I have good news. Your father has been released.”

Closing her eyes, Bethany clutched tightly at the phone as she took shallow breaths.

“Bethany?”
her mother called out.
“Say something.”

“I can’t tell you how often I wondered how you could ever forgive a man for doing what he did. Every time I look in the mirror and I see the cigarette burns, the scars from welts, the hot oil burns, I wonder how you could have turned such a blind eye to what was going on in your own house. That man is not my father. He has never been my father. What he is, is a monster that should have been put down, and now he is free.”

“He isn’t free,”
her mother rushed to answer before she could continue.
“He has cancer, and he doesn’t have long. The State decided it would be cheaper to let him out than have him die in prison. He isn’t the same man, honey. He wants to see you. I want to see you.”

Bethany stared at the phone in shock as Vadim squeezed her arm. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, and then looked back at the phone. Her mother was expecting the impossible. She had told her years ago when her mother elected to forgive her stepfather that she would have nothing to do with either of them and now she wanted this?

“The only way I will see my stepfather again is when he’s strapped down and is being injected.”

“Bethany!”

“No, Mother. I am not interested in some sort of happy family reunion. Any chance of that ended long before Davis was murdered. You chose your side and it wasn’t mine. Please, don’t call me again.”

Before her mother could respond, Bethany ended the call. As her body began to shake, Vadim reached out, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her face lightly as she cried. Holding tightly to him, she cried for a life that she might have had. For a brother she could have grown up with. For a father who didn’t die. For a mother who put her children before the man who beat them. She cried until there were no tears left and still Vadim held her.

She reached for the buttons on his shirt, tugging them loose before sliding her hand underneath to rub his chest. Lifting her head, she kissed him, nibbling lightly on his lower lip before licking it. When he opened his mouth to speak, she quickly silenced him when she thrust her tongue into his mouth to dance with his. He groaned and pushed her back so he could look at her.

“Are you sure?” he questioned.

She nodded and leaned forward to kiss his neck as her hand continued to rove across his chest. He ran his fingers through her tangled hair as she kissed her way to his chest. Scooting forward on the bed, he rolled her under him as he pinned her down. She looked up at him with big eyes, too worried that if she spoke, she might cry again. She was done with crying for her past. It was time to move forward.

Cupping the side of her face, he kissed her forehead before trailing kisses to her eyes and then down her face. Her skin still tasted salty from her tears as he licked her cheek.

As he rested his hand on her head, the other moved down her body as he found the hem of her shirt. Lifting it up, he stroked her soft skin. He gave her an odd look before pulling her into a sitting position and pulling her shirt over her head. Reaching for the clasp on her bra, he snapped it loose before pulling it off her shoulders. He sat back and reached for the waistband on her pants and tugged it over her hips. He looked at her as he got up from the bed and shed his own clothes.

Climbing back on the bed, he laid next to her. “You are beautiful, Malyutka,” he told her as his eyes roved freely over her body.

If it were anyone else, Bethany would have been squirming in embarrassment, but they had shared so much together that when she looked at him, she knew that he meant it. He didn’t see her for her scars. He saw her. She was beautiful.

When he leaned toward her, their noses touched before he kissed her. Gently. Lovingly. Bethany moaned at his soft touch. She knew that he could be gentle. He had showed her that time and time again, but this was almost reverent as he explored her mouth before kissing back down her neck.

Sliding his hands under her, he held her in his arms as he kissed his way across her shoulders. He lifted one of her hands and kissed the palm before trailing feather-light kisses up her arm as she sucked in her breath. Kissing her chest, he held each breast in his hand as if he were holding a delicate object. He smiled in satisfaction as her nipples both puckered to stiff peaks when he rubbed them with his thumb, eagerly awaiting his hot mouth.

Not one to disappoint, he sucked first one and then the other into his mouth as he laved them with his tongue. Bethany moaned and arched her back, as she offered herself to him. Her head dropped back to the pillows as he touched and licked and kissed every scar on the front of her torso.

Bethany felt as though she were on fire as he worshipped every part of her body. She gasped when he dipped his tongue into her navel, and her fingers found their way to his hair as she rubbed his head.

Working his way down, he settled between her legs as he sat back on his knees. He lifted one leg and held her gaze as he kissed her instep. Bethany gasped when he nibbled on it before working his way up her leg. He repeated his kisses on her other leg before sliding down on his stomach and kissing the inside of her thighs.

Moaning, she clutched at the sheets as she stared at him. She had never felt so alive except when she was with him. She jumped with a gasp when he ran his tongue up her slit, sliding it inside to bathe her with his mouth. He rubbed his hands up her thighs as his thumbs moved up and down along her slit before pushing it open for him to see. Her clit had popped out from her hood and was throbbing as he blew on it.

He swirled his tongue around her tight nub as she bounced on the bed in response. Wrapping his lips around it, he blew more hot air on it before he sucked on it. Each pull of his mouth was followed by a swirl of his tongue, which had Bethany panting.

“Vadim,” she moaned. Ignoring her, he easily slid two fingers inside her as he twisted his hand, curling his fingers to rub against her sensitive spots. She moaned his name again and reached her hand down to tug on his hair. “Please, Vadim.”

He chuckled as she bounced in response to him nibbling along her slit. He held her still as he continued to suck and lick until she was shaking and begging for him to take her.

Sliding back up, he hovered over her before grabbing her hips and pulling her toward him. He entered her so quickly that she shattered with its intensity and cried out his name. Lacing his fingers with hers over her head, he stared down at her as he thrust into her, again and again, completely lost in the feel of her as she stared up at him.

He knew that he was crushing her as he felt her breasts, pressed flat against his chest as she moved beneath him with each thrust while he leaned heavily against her. He kissed her deeply and lowered his hands to her hips, lifting her so that he could go deeper. Harder. Thrusting into her as their pelvises crashed together with each move. She met him stroke for stroke as her body shook with need while their pace increased.

Squeezing her hips in his strong hands, he felt her body convulse beneath him as she cried out his name again. Her muscles clamped down tightly on his cock as thrusting became difficult for him. With a hoarse cry, he came as she shuddered in his arms. He continued to rock into her as he emptied himself deep inside her, holding her tightly.

When he finally collapsed, they were both out of breath. She stroked his back. Worried that he might hurt her, he rolled to his side, taking her with him. Bethany lifted one leg and draped it across his hip as she lay within his protective arms.

“That was amazing,” she murmured against his chest as she licked at the sweat. Stroking her fevered skin, he kissed her forehead.

“I love you, Malyutka.”

She stretched languidly, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked at him. “And I love you.”

He groaned and held her to him as their pulse rates returned to normal.

“We are in deep shit,” he said with a sigh.

Chapter 5

Vadim had been gone for less than a day, and Bethany already missed him. After the intensity of the day before, she worried about how strong her feelings for him had become and his sudden trip to New York had put her on edge.

She never did find out what Peter had wanted when he startled her by her car. Reporting to the FBI building in downtown Dallas, she quickly went up to Turner’s office. While she didn’t have anything to report, she had hoped that they might have some information on why Vadim was in New York as he was evasive and wouldn’t tell her.

Walking into his office, she was surprised to see both Marci and Peter waiting for her. Marci quickly rose from her chair and hugged her.

“I am sorry to hear about your stepfather, is there anything I can do?”

Returning the hug, Bethany turned to look at Peter who shrugged his shoulders. “We needed to know,” he told her, offering no apology.

“I’ll be fine,” she answered as she stepped back from Marci and shook Director Turner’s hand. Settling in the remaining vacant chair, she continued, “But I wouldn’t mind knowing how this happened.”

“He has cancer,” Turner stated.

“So my mother told me, but since when is that cause for release on a life sentence?”

“I wish that I had an easy answer for you, but the truth is that he had a damn good lawyer. According to his file, he has less than two months.”

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Bethany asked, “What kind of cancer?”

“Brain tumor. The worst kind. From what the doctors said, he is in considerable pain, he has difficulty with his vision, seizures, memory loss, and notable personality changes.”

“My mother did say that he wasn’t the same man. Maybe that’s what she meant.”

“Are you going to see him?” Marci asked.

She shook her head no. “Just because he may not remember what happened doesn’t mean I don’t. I have no intention of seeing him. Ever,” she stated emphatically.

Clearing his throat, Turner changed the subject to the cartel and they discussed current activities and thoughts on any information they could feed to Boris. “You say that Vadim told you he was going to New York?”

Bethany nodded. “Yes, both he and Boris went, which has never happened since I’ve been at the Rubicon. He had promised that he wouldn’t hide anything from me, but he was evasive about the whole thing, so I didn’t press him.”

At this point, Peter spoke up. “They were sighted at the New Jersey Port Authority. A recent cargo ship came in from the Baltic, and they were seen going on board. Their old boss, Nardov, has been indicted on multiples counts of conspiracy and smuggling. We haven’t been able to find out if this was one of his shipments or if this is something new. As of yet, no one from the different conglomerates has stepped up to take Nardov’s place and ICE is very interested in finding out who the new players will be.”