Penalty Kill (Love on Thin Ice Book 4) Read online

  If her kisses turned off her own husband, she was sure that Vasily would scamper off once he realized how unappetizing sex with her would be. That plan in place, she swiveled around, making herself minorly dizzy, and stood on her tiptoes to land her lips chastely on his.

  George had only tried more passionate kissing in the beginning of their relationship, and her failures had led them to rarely kissing. They’d never included the spark she felt when her and Vasily’s lips touched. And they most definitely didn’t end up with George reaching down to her bottom, pulling her close and devouring her face.

  Chapter 6

  This was not part of the plan. As Vasily coaxed Lacey’s mouth open, the idea that there wasn’t really a plan to begin with crossed his mind. He was supposed to make Lacey Wilson feel special for the night, with words, in exchange for never having to sit in a chair that made him walk with a limp after sitting in it.

  It seemed like an easy thing to do. In the long run, it was a stupid idea to start following the plans of a twelve-year-old. Vasily had no idea why he actually showed up at the bar the kid said his mom would be at. He should have just told the kid he did it. That had been his plan when he saw the honey-colored haired woman at the bar nursing one of his favorite drinks, or at least the drink that had become his signature.

  He hadn’t expected the woman to be the one he was looking for. The idea that Kevin’s mom would be in a black dress that clung to her like second skin hadn’t crossed his mind. It wasn’t see-through by any means, but the image of what her luscious breasts looked like under the thin fabric wasn’t hard to conjure up.

  Vasily had many appetites when it came to women, but tall, blonde and curvaceous checked all his favorite boxes. Feeling her body next to his as he counseled her mouth to open, which took a gentle bite to make her gasp, made his growing erection even more painful. In the back of his mind, he told himself doing all the things he wanted to do with Lacey wasn’t smart, but his body, and her reaction to it, told him he couldn’t let her get away.

  One night, he’d told her. He knew it wasn’t enough to explore every inch of skin he wanted to, but it was what they had. She wasn’t one of his playthings. She couldn’t be. But he’d be damned if he didn’t get a taste of her.

  He had no idea why he needed it. He just did, and her gasping and mewling around his tongue made it clear she did too.

  Pulling away, he steadied her as she swayed into his body. She’d compared him to George earlier, and it had pissed him off. Vasily already knew George was a moron, feeling his ex-wife in his hands only reiterated that fact. She was so sensual, and they’d barely touched.

  Most of the women Vasily took to bed were more sexbots than women who felt the same need burning inside him. The others had needs, but they were different. He had never seen the look he saw in Lacey’s eyes in someone else. It sounded corny thinking about it, but he couldn’t explain it. There was something in her eyes that called out to him.

  “Do you still want to walk away? I don’t make it a habit to chase after women, but I will make an exception for you.”

  Lacey’s eyes fluttered at the threat. He knew she’d had three or four drinks at least. He’d held back and watched her at the bar for a while before he approached. So, even though he wanted to think the disorientation came from his kiss, he knew she was a little drunk. He didn’t think it was to the point he’d be taking advantage.

  If that was the case, he wouldn’t have even approached. He liked sex, but he didn’t take anything that wasn’t willingly given. She recognized him; they had a coherent, even if it was short, conversation; and she mentioned him finding another willing woman, emphasis on another. That checked off everything he needed to not feel like an ass for taking advantage.

  “Promise me no one else will find out. I don’t want Nina thinking she can send guys at me and I’ll go home with them.”

  Good, Vasily thought to himself. Brady’s wife had nothing to do with this, so it wasn’t like he’d tell her anything, but he enjoyed thinking Lacey wasn’t like the others. She didn’t want to be with him because of his status, his money. She needed a good time, and he would give her that.

  “One night. Only you, me and as many surfaces as we can find when we get to my place.”

  Even in the smoky room, Vasily could see the blush on her cheeks. From the initial kiss she’d initiated, he knew she was more innocent than he expected. She had two kids and an ex-husband, so that innocence felt odd, but he enjoyed it.

  “If we do this, we go to my place. I can’t be sure of the last time you changed your sheets.”

  The statement surprised Vasily. Not the last part. His reputation was surely known to Lacey, and he could sense she wasn’t the kind of woman who enjoyed being the second in someone’s bed.

  What surprised him was the fact that she’d just invited him over to her house. While she didn’t know who put him in her path, the idea of them doing what played out in his mind in her house made things even tighter in his pants.

  “Are you sure? You have kids, right?”

  Vasily hated looking a gift horse in the mouth, but he didn’t want her to regret what he showed her. They could get a hotel room, if he managed to make it out of the bar. The longer they talked, the less likely that was, but he didn’t want her in a dingy bathroom stall. He wanted to see her long hair spread out as a fan as he drove into her.

  There was an odd glint in her eyes when he mentioned the kids. It was painful to see the passion recede for a second. The quick shake of her head was just as scary.

  “They’re gone for the night. If we do this, it’s at my place.”

  She wasn’t backing out. Vasily tried to hide his sigh of relief, but the gush of breath came out too fast. He didn’t like that it felt like his first time all over again. He wasn’t fourteen and Lacey sure the hell wasn’t his older sister’s best friend. That did nothing to explain why he felt like a boy on the verge of explosion for the first time. And they were still fully clothed in a crowd of people.

  “Can you assure me your sheets are clean?” Vasily teased.

  He had no reason to believe otherwise, but he felt he should at least pretend to be offended by the idea his weren’t. In truth, he didn’t take women to his place. The visions of seeing Lacey’s hair across his pillows had pushed the rule aside. He didn’t need to take the usual precautions with Lacey. She wasn’t going to sit outside his house and attack other women he brought home.

  “Believe me,” Lacey said, her voice dipping down to a husky level. “My bed is only a couple of months old, and I change the sheets every week.”

  There was a glitter of something in her eyes. If he had to guess, pain was the cause. How many years had she shared the old bed with George? He felt like an ass for joking about the sheets.

  Rubbing his hand through his hair, he cursed under his breath. It was worse than that first time with Natasha. There were times he felt he would lose himself before he had a chance to get their clothes off and he was making stupid conversation.

  What was it about her? She was beautiful, but not in the same way as the women who usually flaunted themselves around him. She wasn’t looking to brag about being with him. She didn’t care what he did for a living. If he thought about it, it probably didn’t help given her past.

  “Maybe we should meet on more neutral grounds.”

  Vasily didn’t know where the suggestion came from. He didn’t want some hotel room, but he didn’t know how comfortable she’d be in the home she and George shared. Thoughts of them together were not what he wanted Lacey thinking about tonight.

  The tips of her lips curved up slightly, showing no hesitance as she reached up and placed her lips on his again. It was just a soft touch. Even though there was no hesitancy to initiate the kiss, her lips didn’t seem to know what to do. They were soft and molded to his lips perfectly, but they didn’t know how to ask for more.

  He pulled her into his body again and deepened the kiss. This time, she opened he
r mouth immediately and tentatively stuck her tongue into his. He let her be in control as long as he could, but those sweet touches of her tongue to his only lasted for a few seconds.

  “We need to leave,” he growled as he pulled away. “If we don’t, this whole room is going to see how crazy you’re making me.”

  Her eyes were closed slightly as she swayed again in his arms. The action made him consider her inebriation level. Was she blitzed, and his want overpowered his rational thought? The fact that he wondered about it should mean he was still capable of rational thought. Was she?

  “I need to be absolutely sure you want this,” he said.

  Creases wrinkled her forehead as she looked up at him. Why did he have to get confirmation? She was going to shake out whatever wild idea got into her, and he was going to lose his mind.

  “I’ve never seen you in action, Vasily, but I always assumed guys like you do less talking and more fucking. Right now, the latter is what I need.”

  The words contradicted the uncertainty in her eyes. She didn’t understand that even one night together could throw a giant wrench in both of their lives. Why was that what he decided to focus on? He was losing his damn mind.

  Whether he was losing his mind or the fact that the innocent lips in front of him just uttered the word fucking didn’t matter. What did matter was he picked her up, causing her to squeal while she hurried to wrap her legs around his waist. He could feel the heat of her right where he wanted her. He bucked twice before he could get his libido under control enough to start walking.

  “One night. No one finds out.” He said the words aloud, but they were more a reminder for him than her.

  “One night,” she agreed.

  Lacey’s arms were around his shoulders and her head tucked into his neck. The words were soft as her lips made small touches against his neck. He’d always thought the phrase butterfly kisses made no sense. Not a single woman had ever done anything to him that made him think of butterflies landing softly on his skin.

  This woman was different. Her touches were so unsure and soft that he knew exactly what the phrase meant. Was it because she was a mother? Vasily assumed he’d been with mothers before. Talking about family life had never been a priority. He never knew if they were married just looking for a wild night. As far as he was concerned, all involved needed something and they got what they wanted.

  And yet, he continued to worry about what was about to happen. Even as he made his way through the crowd with his innocent minx, he kept thinking he should stop. This is the one time he shouldn’t think with his dick, and yet, he had no power over it.

  Once in the parking lot, he stopped to consider the next move. There wasn’t a valet, like at the clubs he usually spent his evenings. His car not appearing in front of him wasn’t why he stopped. He wasn’t about to leave it and he didn’t want to take separate cars. He’d only had the one drink, so he was fine behind the wheel, but he wasn’t sure about Lacey. And not just because of her driving. If she had time away from whatever connection they were sharing, she may come to her senses.

  “I got a ride here,” Lacey said, as if she could read his mind. “As odd as it may sound, I am a responsible person.”

  “I have no doubt about that, lyubimaya.”

  Vasily’s lips instantly froze when the word fell from his mouth. After years of only using his native language to speak to family and egg on opponents, the word came out of nowhere. Mastering English had been a struggle, so Vasily schooled himself to only speak it. It had been easy enough until evidently his brain couldn’t come up with the right English word to call Lacey.

  He’d never had to think of the words darling or beloved. He could think of them just fine now but using the English versions would have been just as crazy. Lacey was looking for a night of fun, not terms of endearment from the massive Russian who wanted to see how many ways and times she’d let him take her.

  Instead of letting the word register too long, not to mention letting his mind stop and think about word choices, Vasily claimed her mouth as he walked towards his car. One of these times he’d make sure she kept her eyes open, so she could see what her touch did to him. For now, her closed eyes kept her from seeing the confused look in his eyes. Why in the world had he said that word?

  The current kiss was a little less all-consuming compared to their others. Vasily’s rattled head and the act of walking kept him from totally losing himself in her minty mouth. He could taste the mixture of her drinks still clinging inside her mouth now that he wasn’t thinking only about convincing her to spend more time together.

  He easily shifted her in his arms to dig the keys out of his front pocket. Without looking down, he unlocked the door and settled her legs on the ground next to the passenger’s door. The car only had two seats, with a console in between, so prolonging their familiarizing would have to wait until they made it to her place.

  “We can still go to my place if you want,” he said as he slid in his seat.

  She’d already refused, but he was starting to worry about the kids reappearing at some point. He didn’t know how long it would take him to get his fill of Lacey Wilson. With only the one night, chances were they’d be busy into the morning hours.

  “I don’t have my car,” she said softly. Vasily wanted to think she was still dazed from their kiss, but it sounded like shyness more than awe. “From past experience, you’re not going to want me to hang around, so I might as well be in my house when you realize what a big mistake you’ve made.”

  “Lacey,” he began, starting the car as he spoke. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m planning on making it so neither one of us can move in about five hours. It’s not wishful thinking on my part. It’s a promise. I’m not used to having to worry about kids finding me in the morning.”

  He figured he might as well be mostly honest. He wasn’t about to tell her she’d be the first woman he’d ever taken to his place if she agreed, or how much he wanted her there.

  “Neither of them will be home until ten or so tomorrow morning. I assume by then you’ll be able to feel your legs again.”

  Vasily heard the skepticism in her voice. He pulled out of the parking lot and started heading towards her place before realizing he probably shouldn’t reveal he knew where she lived. Kevin had told him once they got out of the nursery room, as he called it, Vasily could pick him up at his house for any of their trips together. A wrench was being thrown in that plan if he went there with Lacey, but that was a bridge they’d need to cross later.

  Chapter 7

  She was insane. That was the only explanation for how Lacey found herself in Vasily Oxentenko’s car. She’d told him how to get to her place and now they were here, with his hand clutched firmly around hers. His thumb drew circles against her skin, and she couldn’t help envisioning that it was rubbing against a very different body part.

  Why in the world did her mind go there? She wasn’t a passionate person. George had tried to get her to enjoy sex. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel there was pleasure to be had. It just never hit her, and if it didn’t hit her with someone like George, she figured something was wrong with her. With all the rumors of how many women he’d had on the side, he had to be good at it.

  That idea that she couldn’t be passionate flew out the window when Vasily’s lips touched her. It wasn’t just his lips. His touch woke up something inside of her she didn’t know was hidden. Her body felt alive, and it scared her.

  She’d originally decided to ignore the feeling, hoping her kiss would prove it was all in her head. It wasn’t. After the kiss, she had to know if what it promised really existed for her.

  “How nosy are your neighbors?”

  The question brought Lacey out of her thoughts of promises. Her mind kept drifting, which wasn’t the safest thing to do with a man who’d said he planned to make sure she couldn’t move in a few hours.

  “Why?” she asked.

  He’d voiced his concern about t
he kids, which she understood and was grateful he considered them. The neighbors on the other hand didn’t seem like an important subject. She knew a few of them, but none of them were friends of the family or anything.

  “I want to know if you think they’d call the cops if I took you on that porch swing.”

  Vasily pointed to the wooden swing hanging in front of Lacey’s house. She scrunched her nose as she tried to figure out what in the world he was talking about. His size was on the large side, but it was sturdy enough it could take his weight. They were supposed to be having sex, not sitting around on the porch drinking tea or something.

  “I’ve sat on the swing before at night and they never seemed to have a problem. At least no one has said anything to me.”

  Lacey didn’t know how else to answer him. He clearly had second thoughts in his mind and wanted to slow things down or something. Daring a glance over at him, that idea didn’t make sense. Those hooded eyes of his were staring at her like he was about to eat her. The funny feeling in her stomach made another gurgle as she sucked in her breath.

  “I didn’t say anything about sitting on the swing, Lacey. I don’t know if I’m going to make it in the house with you and that swing is the only piece of furniture I see out here. I already decided against stripping you on the front lawn and taking you there, but I thought maybe the swing would be a nice second option.”

  His words were slow, each accented with his deep timbre. Lacey gulped, understanding that he was like a wolf cornering its prey. She wasn’t sure if she liked that. In an odd way it made her feel a little powerful, even though she was being hunted.

  “Most people in this neighborhood have security cameras. I prefer not getting caught on film.”