The Hitman's Obsession Read online

  That she would never break under pressure like him, never give into his desires the way he gambled, even though he had nothing left to offer the Bratva but his daughter’s virginity. Maybe they were more alike than she thought.

  ****

  Dimitri fell into his bed, frustrated. He should be making calls, finding out what the fuck was happening in the outside world. The hunt was on for him and Sonia, but all he could think about was Sonia, standing by the doorway of her room, lip trembling.

  She looked reluctant, unsure if she wanted to lock him out or invite him to bed. The former was a big deal, knowing no man had ever plucked her cherry yet. Dimitri was going to be the first, and fuck, he was a possessive bastard. He’d be the first to touch her and the last. Any fucker who looked at her, at what was rightfully his, would end up getting a bullet to the skull.

  Dimitri grabbed his phone from the bedside table and texted his best friend Sergei, asking to meet him tomorrow. He needed to set things straight, or rather, deal with unfinished business. Sergei worked for the Ivanovs, too. Family might come first, but he’d known Sergei since they were teens.

  Dimitri hedged on all those years for friendship, those years they were both confused kids who got into trouble with the law all the time. His father had already started training him to acquire the necessary skill set to become a contract killer, but Dimitri sometimes blew those training sessions.

  “Don’t betray me, Sergei,” he whispered, shoving the phone aside to lie on his back on the pillows.

  Dimitri knew sleep would elude him tonight. Thoughts of what he’d done, how Vasily’s expression would look once he learned his best hitman had murdered his brother—would plague his mind all night.

  He envisioned Sonia instead, how they worked in silence, cleaning the dishes. After he told her about his grandmother, he was tempted to hold her down, yank her sweats and slide a hand down her pussy lips just to feel if she was as soaking wet as he imagined.

  Dimitri’s dick pulsed at the thought. He slid his hand down his jogging pants and imagined it was Sonia’s slender fingers wrapped around the base of his dick. In his mind’s eye, he saw her wide bi-colored eyes looking up at him, waiting for further instructions. He would wrap his fingers around her fine, silken white-blonde hair, loving how the pale contrasted with his scarred, tanned knuckles.

  Groaning, Dimitri began pumping himself up and down, using his pre-cum as lubricant.

  It wasn’t hard to imagine Sonia’s lush pink lips wrapped around his shaft, her cheeks hollowing out as she took every inch of him.

  “Fuck, Sonia,” he whispered. It didn’t take long.

  A couple of pumps and Dimitri shot his load into his hand. It would have been better if he emptied his seed down her throat, and watch her swallow. Better still, to spill it all over her luscious breasts and her clit. He would be marking his territory like an animal, so everyone knew she was his woman.

  With a frustrated growl, he shoved the blanket aside. Grabbing a couple of wet wipes from the bedside table, he cleaned himself off. Maybe a walk in the woods and some fresh air would do him some good.

  Dimitri froze at the sound of the creaking door. Sonia stood there, her figure illuminated by the dim light of the corridor. His tongue worked.

  “How long have you been standing there?” he asked, wincing inwardly when his voice came out sounding a little feral, like a wild animal about to bite.

  Chapter Seven

  The whiplash in Dimitri’s voice made her wince, but Sonia stood her ground. She clutched at the knob so hard, she was certain the metal would give way.

  “How long?” he demanded, striding up to her.

  She met his gaze, suppressing the urge to hunch into herself and pray she’d disappear from the face of the earth. She’d known Dimitri for a space of hours, but she learned well enough not to show fear in the face of a man like him.

  “Since you called out my name,” she answered.

  “Why aren’t you in bed?” He backed her from the doorway and against the corridor wall.

  She gulped when he crushed her against the wall. Fuck, but he was all hard muscle. Sonia replayed the image of him shutting his eyes as he called her name, hand around his impressive dick.

  Just thinking of Dimitri masturbating to her made her nipples taut again, and she knew he was aware of it. She culled the urge to rub her aching tits against his chest.

  Growing up, she’d been bullied about her weight all the time. She was that awkward and nerdy girl who always had a book in her hand, who wore second-hand clothes and never bothered with makeup she couldn’t afford.

  When she’d sprouted breasts, guys started taking interest, but she rebuffed them all, knowing all they wanted was a good time. Adulthood wasn’t any better. Other male teachers in school hit on her all the time, but she knew their type. In the end, they preferred skinny girls on their arm to show off.

  Sonia was no man’s ideal woman. For some incomprehensible reason, Dimitri looked at her like she was the most perfect specimen on earth. Unlike those leering men, she had a feeling one fuck wasn’t all Dimitri offered.

  Once she gave in to him, she was his forever. She knew that on some strange instinctive level. Why else would he risk his place in the Ivanov family for her?

  “Sonia,” he said again. “I’m this close to fucking you against the wall. Answer me.”

  Half of Sonia wished he’d to it, stop with pretension and send this invisible between them tumbling down.

  “I couldn’t sleep. When I close my eyes, I keep thinking of Dad’s final moments,” she murmured. “The only remedy is—”

  She faltered, blushing. He cupped her jaw, tilting her head upwards so all she could do was look at him in the eye.

  “What?”

  “You,” she whispered. The admission was hard, but it relieved her of the weight in her chest all the same. She slumped against the wall.

  “You have no fucking idea how much those words please me," Dimitri replied.

  Her breath caught in her throat when he ran his huge fingers up and down her cheek, stroking the skin. Sonia willed him to do more, to cross boundaries, because she lacked the courage to do it herself. Instead, Dimitri rested his forehead against hers. Standing this close to him, it wasn’t hard to miss the internal conflict he waged.

  Sonia reached out, touching the hard planes of muscles over his pectorals, noticing the way his breathing grew shallow, the way his eyes dilated.

  She trailed her hands lower, lifting the hem of his shirt to touch his lower abs. His skin burned against her touch. If she went any lower, she’d push past the hem of his sweats and cup his erection. Would his cock pulse in her hand like a live brand, too?

  “Are you ready to go there, Sonia?” he asked in a harsh voice. “I’m only a man. I’ll lose myself in you once you close those slender fingers and grip my dick.”

  Sonia pulled away, hating to see the disappointment in his face. If this was so wrong, why did it feel right? Dimitri peeled his body away from hers. It would break her heart if they retreated to their respective rooms, pretend nothing happened the next day.

  “We’ll get in bed together, no sex. I’ll chase your nightmares away,” Dimitri said.

  A laugh of relief slipped from her lips. “I accept that compromise.”

  He held out a hand. In the dim light, shadows cast his huge figure in a strange light. She twined her fingers over his, letting him lead her to his room.

  Sonia didn’t know what to expect, a dash of color, posters on the wall, some hint of Dimitri’s personality maybe. The room looked exactly like hers—minimalist, lacking life.

  He slid into the bed, and she did the same, awkwardly at first, glad to feel his huge arms around her body a second later, so her back pressed against his chest. Every muscle in her body relaxed. She liked how he grabbed her close. It was right that she fit next to his huge body so perfectly.

  Dimitri’s warm breath tickled against the nape of her neck, but he only sniffed
at the spot, like a hound marking its territory. Sonia refused to let her mind dwell too much on Dimitri’s dick, bulging against the curve of her ass. She wished she could stop thinking how she nearly gave up her virginity to this man or the immense regret that followed.

  When had she become so needy?

  She remembered having one conversation with another teacher, how the other woman complained the only person waiting for her back at home was her dog. Sonia didn’t even have a pet.

  After her mother died, she’d been terrified of forming bonds with others, in the event she’d lose them. When her father knocked on her door, she believed he’d come for her, that he would become an active participant in her life again.

  She froze, feeling the edge of Dimitri’s teeth against her left earlobe, the leaping pulse on her neck.

  “You’re overthinking things again. Sleep.”

  The command in his voice didn’t go unheard. Sonia thought she wouldn’t sleep, not with the death threats or her father’s recent death hanging over her head. Instead, she couldn’t feel any safer. Trapped in Dimitri’s warmth, she slept like the dead.

  Chapter Eight

  “You’re different than how I imagined you to be,” Sonia said so quietly during breakfast, Dimitri nearly missed the words.

  He looked up from his paper. Following routine helped him think past the anxiety and stress eating him inside out. Sonia’s soft, curvy body pressed up against him all night was a reprieve. The intoxicating scent of her calmed him down, helped him momentarily forget what kind of mess they were in.

  It was morning now. Dimitri had to get his head in the right space and deal with Sergei. He kept envisioning Sergei whipping out a gun against his head the moment they sat down to talk.

  This is simply good business, no hard feelings, he heard his father’s voice in his head when Dimitri killed his father kill his uncle Vadik.

  Dimitri noticed Sonia had stopped eating. Hell, she hadn’t eaten much, judging by her still full plate. She pushed at her eggs to the left side of her plate, then the right, stalling.

  She’d asked him a question, he recalled.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Any other man could have taken advantage of me last night. Why didn’t you?”

  Dimitri wondered what she would think of him, if he told her the truth. Thoughts of tying her down, dominating her, having his way with her, teasing her to the brink only to wrangle pleas from her replayed over and over in his head. His boner refused to subside, until he felt the telltale rise and fall of her chest, telling him she’d been lured to the realm of dreams.

  He never expected to sleep so well, given the circumstances. She wouldn’t refuse if he offered to do the same tonight, except keeping his hands to himself was both torture and pleasure.

  Last night had taught him he didn’t just want to sheath his dick inside her wet cunt and claim her body. Dimitri wanted to be the one to hold her after sex, too, to trap her in his arms and inhale her scent while she made purring noises. He yearned to end each night with his dick buried in her and start each day the same way.

  One night with this woman and he was already beginning to long for things he shouldn’t. A hitman knew his life would be one of isolation, despite always being constantly surrounded by other Family members and colleagues. Attachments were dangerous.

  Too late for that now.

  “Believe me, sweet. I would like nothing better than to claim that tempting body of yours, but I don’t take unwilling women.”

  Her spine straightened. She looked away from his gaze first. She wanted him. He knew it deep in his bones. Last night, he bet she was soaking wet for him when he cornered her in the corridor.

  Pure and sweet Sonia deserved better than a monster like him, but he was all she had now. The sick part of him reveled in that tiny victory. She was his virgin prize, and sooner or later, she’d leave that reluctance behind and offer herself to him.

  “What’s going to happen now?” she asked, setting her fork down.

  “I need you to stay here. I’m meeting someone to find out how the situation’s like.”

  “You’re leaving me here?” she asked.

  “This is the safest place for you to be.”

  “I feel safe when I’m with you,” she insisted.

  Fuck, but that admission pleased him, stroked his ego, but he couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of Sergei today. Arguing with Sonia wouldn’t help. He’d already seen the steel in her spine when she pointed his own gun at him yesterday. Dimitri tried for another tactic, to reason with her instead, but hell, if she still refused, he’d have to tie her to his bed.

  “Be a good girl. Stay here. If things go south…” Dimitri faltered. “I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to you.”

  Sonia slumped her shoulders. “You’re right.”

  “You’ll be fine. If by some rare chance an intruder arrives, the security system will alert me.” It was a risk, but he gave her another way out. While it was unlikely the Family would discover their location, he didn’t like thinking of Sonia trapped in an isolated location.

  “My grandfather’s old bike is in the garage. Keys are inside that cabinet, third shelf.” Dimitri nodded to the display cabinets near the living room couches.

  “How do you know I won’t make a run the moment you head out?” she asked, finally meeting his gaze.

  He smirked. “Because you have nowhere else to go. You’ll be a good girl for me, won’t you?”

  Sonia flushed. Did she like being called his good girl?

  “I’ll be here,” was all she said, abruptly rising from the table to begin clearing their plates.

  Dimitri checked his phone for messages. Usually, he had a ton of requests to pursue, but this morning, his mailbox had zero messages. His name and information probably flashed on the wanted list of other Family assassins.

  It still felt like a painful punch to the gut. He watched Sonia by the sink. She scrubbed at the plates furiously, busying herself.

  She was still mad at him for making her stay, but he had no other choice.

  He left her in peace to shower. Usually, Dimitri wore suits, but he forwent those this time and put on a comfy pair of jeans, shirt, and a worn leather jacket instead. Double checking his weapons, he headed back to the living room to find it silent.

  Sonia nestled herself on the living room couch, knees drawn up her to her chest like a vulnerable child. She still hadn’t changed out of his baggy shirt and sweats. Remote in hand, she flicked through the TV channels. He could tell her mind was elsewhere from the consistent clicks on the remote.

  She only stirred when he stood right beside her. He closed one hand over hers. Sonia jumped, eyes darting to him.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he told her.

  Life and familiar fire returned to her alluring bi-colored eyes. “Are you trying to convince me or you?”

  Stunned, Dimitri processed her words. “You’re scared for me?”

  “How could I not be?” she snapped, taking her hand away. “I lost my dad. He was a jerk, but his blood still runs in my veins. I can’t lose you, too.”

  Dimitri couldn’t remember the last time anyone had showed concern for his wellbeing. His father taught him the skills to survive, and his grandfather passed away when he needed the old man the most. He’d learned to take care of himself early.

  Sonia let out a bitter laugh. “Says a lot about me, doesn’t it? That I’m mourning for a bastard who sold me out to the Bratva and I’m falling for a man who kills for a living.”

  She bit her lip, as if realizing what she’d just revealed.

  “Is that true, you’re falling for me?” he asked, twirling a long strand of her white-blonde hair in his finger. She didn’t look away this time.

  “Yes.” She took a deep breath, watching him, blinking when he gripped a handful of her hair and gave it a tug.

  Those quivering lips were begging to be taken. Dimitri slanted his m
outh over hers again. She didn’t fight back. Sonia yielded to the force and heat of his kiss, practically melting against him. She clutched at the collar of his jacket, looking disappointed when he pulled away.

  “Don’t die,” she whispered fiercely.

  “I won’t. I’ve survived worse odds. You’ll be my good girl, won’t you?”

  Another nod. He loosened his grip on her hair, started stroking it instead. Fuck, but it felt like silk against his fingers. He didn’t want to leave. Dimitri could stay here all day in Sonia’s company, but if he did that, he might never be able to take care of business, take care of her needs.

  He walked out of the house, feeling shitty. By the time he maneuvered the Impala out of the woods and back on the highway, his mood had turned foul.

  Sergei asked to meet back in the city, in a dingy diner they used to go to when they were kids. Sonia preoccupied Dimitri’s waking moments, dulled his razor-sharp senses. She was his weakness, but he no longer gave a fuck.

  He parked his car by the curb. Sergei was already inside, nursing a cup of coffee, no doubt laced with some vodka, despite the fact it was still morning. Dimitri patted all his concealed weapons and got out of the car and checked his surroundings. He recognized Sergei’s Harley and looked out for more suits.

  Nothing in the street stood out, not even goons on the lowest rung of the ladder, trying to blend in. Somewhere nearby, kids called to each other. A dog ran on the sidewalk, tailing after its jogging owner.

  It was a perfect day to die, except Dimitri didn’t plan on doing that anytime soon.

  Time to face the music and see where Sergei’s loyalties lay.

  Chapter Nine

  After ordering a cup himself, Dimitri sat opposite his friend, watching for any nervous signs of betrayal. Sergei lifted his cup to his lips and studied him for a long time. Of course, he should have expected Sergei not to crack. They both did wet work for the Family.

  Would Sergei not blink an eye when he shot Dimitri, execution-style, in the head?