Page 62 of Bratva's Mercy
Leo walked up to me slowly and cupped my neck. I arched into his touch as he stroked over my Adam’s apple with the pad of his thumb. He leaned into my space so close our lips grazed, but when I tried to move forward, his hand tightened on my neck, holding me back.
“Consider it punishment for breaking into my house when I wasn’t here,” he said softly. “Now get dressed and get out, dollface.”
19
SERGEI
Ihad the worst fucking friends in history.
Nik had barely listened to my explanation that I was there to talk to Jess when he yanked me inside, pointed to the couch, and told me Jess was in the middle of something, but she would be right with me in the next ten minutes or so.
That middle of something? Turned out to be literally between him and Darius. I knew it was all three of them because I heard the distinct high pitch of Jess’s voice separately from Darius’s baritone.
For fuck’s sake, he could have just told me to come another time instead of leaving me out in the living room with nothing but a flimsy bedroom door through which I heard everything.
And how badly they needed a new bed.
I gave it one more month, tops, before the one they were fornicating on would collapse. No way was it holding up for long under the assault it was getting.
Technically, it was my fault for popping by unannounced, but Nik hadn’t needed to let me in. Now I sat with jealousy burning in my gut when I thought of how Leo wouldn’t even let me inside his house. He reluctantly answered the door but wouldn’t let me past the doorway. At least he hadn’t slammed the door in my face yesterday when I brought him dinner. Not exactly, anyway.
He’d insisted we eat in his truck, so that was what we did in his driveway while I glared at the house in front of us and contemplated what the chances were of him still talking to me if I burned it down. After eating, he’d allowed me exactly one kiss, which had left me disappointed, but then he’d asked me about my day. I’d been so happy I’d gushed about the nightclub to which he’d asked about my job working as Maxim’s bodyguard. He’d seemed more at ease that I was no longer working in that capacity.
I could sense his dislike of Maxim, so I’d quickly steered the conversation into a different direction. His work. He’d brought up the nurse and only learning about her death that morning. I’d had too many years of keeping a poker face to give anything away, but it had never been that hard before.
Ice cream could hardly make up for my part in covering up her death, but I took him to a dessert shop and regretted it after watching him lick his ice cream when all I could think about was that tongue licking my ass. In that moment, I needed it more than I needed air. And when he’d pointed out mine was melting from my neglect, then leaned over to lick the stickiness from my fingers, I’d almost lost it.
The little smirk on his face told me it was all deliberate, especially when he whispered in my ear, asking when I was going to bring him back to my place already. I’d almost given in and brought him there, but the loft I rented was bare bones.
I didn’t want to bring Leo to a dump to fuck.
So I was at Nik’s apartment to get Jess to help me choose a place. Maxim had given me the name of his realtor, and I’d set up several viewings for tomorrow. But I didn’t know the first thing about houses, and Jess was the most fashionable person I knew. I figured she could be of help.
After waiting fifteen minutes, the door finally opened, and Jess walked out, but not before I heard the moaning still inside.
Nik and Darius?
Fuck, they were still going at it without her.
From the fresh scent of cucumber and her slightly damp hair, Jess had just stepped out of the shower. She had on a purple robe belted at the waist that showed off her long legs and ample bosom. Her neck was covered in love bites.
“Hey, Sergei, sorry for making you wait.” She walked straight to the kitchen and got herself a bottle of water. “Want one?”
“Er, no, I’m good.”
Jess and I hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but I didn’t feel too awkward around her since she could fill the silence all by herself. She had the gift of gab. But there was a bit of unease because she’d clearly just finished fucking two of my friends, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with that information. So I filed it away.
“Nik said you wanted to see me specifically?” She walked over to the couch opposite me and sat, crossing her legs, which pulled up the robe, showing more love bites on the insides of her thighs. I jerked my gaze up to find her smiling at me. “My mode of dress isn’t making you uncomfortable, is it? I just thought I’d made you wait long enough.”
“No, it’s fine. This is your home, and it’s my fault for popping by unannounced.”
“Which is a surprise. We hardly see you, and when you dodrop by, it’s usually to talk to my men.” She executed a pout to perfection with her bottom lip poking out.
“Sorry again for intruding, but I wanted your help with something.”
Her eyes widened. “Youwantmyhelp? Why, yes, of course? What is it? To be a spy? You want me to be one of those honeytraps?”
“What? No.” Nik and Darius would have never agreed to that. Wren had needed time to adjust to dating in the mob, but Jess seemed to have taken to it like a fish to water. “I want to buy a house, but I need some help choosing.”
