Promised to the Killer: A Dark Mafia Romance Read online

  “Your usual, Mr. Novalov?”

  “Please,” he says, not looking at her. He stares at me like he can’t quite decide what to do. She hands him a card and he thanks her before taking me into the elevator.

  Something about his name tickles a vague memory in the back of my mind.

  I lean against the mirrored wall. I catch him looking at me in our reflection as we ride toward the top of the structure. I lean closer and he puts a hand on the small of my back. His touch sends a ripple of excitement into my core. I’ve never felt like this with a man before. It’s raw and intense. An animal desire. I like it.

  We reach the twentieth floor. He gets off and takes me to the end of the hall where he unlocks a door. The room is a comfortable suite with a small sitting room separated from a bedroom by an open sliding door. The bathroom is large, marble and tile, with a big open shower and a massive tub.

  Maxim slips his hand from mine and goes to the mini fridge. He takes out four tiny bottles: two vodka and two club soda. He makes two drinks before he sits and takes off his shoes.

  I sip my drink awkwardly and look around.

  This is a bad idea. Any sane person would get the hell out of here right now and never look back. I know what those tattoos on his knuckles mean and his name is lighting up every warning bell in my brain. Even if he is charming and stupidly handsome, it’s still insane. I’ve never done this before, never done anything remotely like it. He could cut my throat and leave me for dead—and I know for a fact I wouldn’t be the first person he’s killed.

  And that wouldn’t matter, because I’m dead already.

  I have to keep reminding myself: tomorrow, I’m going to die.

  Tomorrow, I’m finished.

  There’s only tonight. There’s only this handsome, monstrous man watching me with a slight smile.

  “You’ve never done this before.” It’s not a question. It’s a statement.

  I bristle. “How do you know?”

  “I’m observant. You’re even more nervous now than you were in the bar. Did you go out tonight hoping to get picked up?”

  I consider lying and decide against it. I have a feeling he’d see through any attempts at subterfuge, and I’m too on edge to get away with it anyway.

  “I went out tonight hoping something like this might happen.”

  “Here you are. Is this living up to your expectations?”

  “Yes, I think so.” Although truthfully, I’m not sure what I expected. Certainly not this man and his deathly beautiful stare and his otherworldly calm.

  “And yet you’re trembling.” He nods to a chair. “Sit down and take off your shoes.”

  “You don’t have to be so bossy.”

  His eyes darken. “If this is going to work, you’ll play my game. You’re here to play, aren’t you?”

  I chew my lip and nod. I very much want to play with this man.

  I walk to the chair. I sit and I take off my heels.

  “Better?” he asks.

  I nod. “Better.” I rub my foot and let out a long sigh. I’m not used to wearing heels and my feet hurt already.

  “Good.” He sips his drink and places it down. I sip mine but realize I should stop. If I have too much, I might get too drunk. I want to enjoy this—or at least experience it. I don’t want my first time to happen behind a cloud of liquor.

  He stands and takes off his jacket. He folds it and lays it across the back of the couch. He unbuttons his cuffs and rolls the sleeves to his elbows. I watch in awe of his muscular forearms, cut like diamonds, and I suck in a sharp breath when I see the tattoo just above his hand.

  A black lotus flower.

  My heart skips a beat before resetting itself. His name, his demeanor, the ink on his knuckles. It all comes together in a sudden and overwhelming explosion in my brain and pure, raw fear rifles itself along my spine. I cover my sudden shock by bringing my drink to my lips. Maxim narrows his gaze at me, but finishes what he’s doing.

  A black lotus flower.

  I know what that tattoo means.

  Everyone in my world knows it, especially in Dallas.

  I think back to the name the woman used downstairs. I hadn’t put it together, even hearing the name out loud. I was much too nervous to realize she meant that Novalov family.

  Tattoos. Blue eyes. Dangerous and outgoing.

  Novalov.

  This is Maxim Novalov. It has to be.

  I know who this man is. And suddenly, I’m terrified.

  “You seem shaken, princess.” He walks over.

  I bite my tongue. I need to calm down. I can’t panic, not right now. So what if this is the heir to the most dangerous Russian bratva in all of Texas? So what if Maxim Novalov has a horrible, violent reputation? I’ve heard my papa mention him a dozen times, and never in a good way. These fucking Russians are psychopaths, especially that Maxim boy. Someone needs to leash that rabid dog. If my papa is afraid of him, that’s saying something.

  But none of that matters. Maxim could be a serial killer with a hunger for human flesh and it wouldn’t change a thing.

  I’m a dead girl already.

  And he’s handsome. He’s so stupidly gorgeous. And we’re in his hotel room, all alone. I’m so close to getting what I want, and so what if it’s with this nightmare, this walking storm cloud? Nothing else matters.

  I have to push it all away and focus.

  But it’s difficult. Memories swirl. He doesn’t know me—my family isn’t important enough for that—but the stories about him are truly heinous. Trails of blood and tears. His family owns this city and more besides. They control vast territory from here to Fort Worth and all around the suburbs. Any drugs that come into this area move through his family’s hands, and they won that territory with the blood of their enemies.

  And Maxim sits nearly at the top of their hierarchy. Which means he’s one of the deadliest men in an organization filled with killers.

  This is bad. This is extremely bad.

  Calm down. Deep breaths.

  This would be bad. It would be extremely, mega-ultra-super horrible, but it’s not. None of this is relevant, because I won’t survive to see another sunset.

  So it doesn’t matter who Maxim is or which family he’s from.

  All that’s important is right here and right now. I snuck out for the third time in my life and risked everything for this moment, and I’m not going to throw it all away because I’m afraid.

  I’ve lived my whole life being afraid. I don’t need to live in fear anymore. It’s all coming to an end, and tonight I can have a little courage. I made my decision, and my choices are directly leading to the end of my life. The least I can do is die on my feet with a modicum of dignity still intact.

  This man, his terrifying tattoos, his full lips, pale eyes, and toned body, can give me the experience I desperately crave.

  All I have to do is keep moving forward.

  He stoops over me, his hands on the armrests of my chair. His lips move close to mine and I stare into his eyes. He’s the sort of man that’s used to getting what he wants, like the world is always waiting and eager to bend to his will and his wants. He’s a shark drifting in the lazy black ocean feasting on the flesh of any stupid fish that ventures too close. I’m that fish, and he looks starving.

  “Regretting your choice, princess?” he whispers. “It’s much too late for that now.”

  “I don’t regret anything. So long as when this is over, you give me what I want. We’ll escape somewhere beautiful and build that castle.”

  “I’ll build it for you, Siena. I’ll kill for you, too.”

  “I believe you will.”

  His lips brush against mine. Gentle at first. Teasing and soft. A riot of tingles runs down my spine and I fight to keep a whimper from my lips.

  Then he kisses me deep and I suck in a gasping breath as I tumble into him.

  I’ve never experienced anything like this before. The raw, pulsing desire. The intense need that rolls down my spine. He’s a monster and a killer but all I can think about are his lips and his tongue pressing into my mouth and the taste that overwhelms my mind. His hands have ended lives, and his mouth has given orders that brought pain and suffering on countless people, and yet he’s so tender and passionate and gorgeous, and I don’t know what to do.

  His fingers slip into my hair and gently weave themselves tight. He grips hard and pulls my head back, and I groan a surprised breath as he kisses my neck.

  “When you agreed to follow me back up here, is this what you imagined?”

  “I figured we’d play Go Fish. But it looks like I didn’t fish my wish.”

  A soft chuckle. “No, princess. You’re not here to play cards.”

  “We both know why I followed you. I’m an insane person. I’ve lost my mind completely.”

  “No, you haven’t. Not yet at least.” He stares into my eyes. “But I’ll work on that.” He pulls harder and I gasp, releasing a gentle moan. He tightens his grip before releasing me and steps back, his eyes ablaze with need. I can feel my pulse between my legs and I know I’m dripping wet. My nipples are hard, and my lips are parted, my tongue rolling across my lower lip, wetting it. He stares and releases a soft growl. I’ve never felt so out of control in my life, and I’ve never felt so good, either.

  “I’m not the kind of man who brings strange women to his hotel room,” he says, eyes blazing.

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Believe it. I have too many enemies to allow myself that luxury.”

  “Are you dangerous then, Maxim?” I’m teasing him. I know he’s the most dangerous creature in this city, and yet that kiss made me feel bold enough to push back against him.

  His lips quirk. A shiver runs down my spine. He’
s a wolf and I’m a lamb, and I keep on bleating at him. Just for fun.

  “Yes, Siena. I am a dangerous man. But you don’t have to worry about that tonight. Only, I need to make sure you’re safe.”

  “Safe?” My eyebrows raise. “Are you afraid of a little thing like me?”

  “Stand up.” A command. Not a question.

  I rise to my feet. I’m too used to taking orders from men like him to resist it, and I bristle at my automatic response. “Take off your dress.”

  Now that I don’t react to immediately.

  My heart thuds wildly in my chest. I stare at him, my mouth hanging open. He begins to unbutton his shirt, still staring.

  “Go ahead,” he says. “Take it off. I need to make sure you don’t have any weapons hidden on your person.”

  “Is that your excuse? Then why are you undressing too?”

  “I thought you’d be more comfortable.” He removes his shirt and lets it fall away.

  I stare at the tattoos on his skin. A wolf’s face on his chest. More stars, more sunbursts. Crosses, words in Russian, tribal patterns down his arms. He’s covered in ink and image, and I want to run my fingers and trace their shapes. I want to know what each one meant when he got it jabbed into his body, and what it means to him now. Scars wind their way through the riot of ink, cutting some in half, little puckers of twisted flash in slashes and bumps. Bullet and knife wounds.

  His chest is muscular, and his abs are beautifully defined. The sharp V that leads down into his perfectly fitted suit pants makes my mouth water with a strange, sharp longing. I look up and he’s smiling slightly, head tilted to one side.

  “Your turn,” he says.

  “I’ve never done this before,” I say, unable to stop myself. It’s the truth. I’ve never stripped while a man watched me. I’ve never gone home with a stranger.

  And I’ve never given myself to a man so completely.

  “It’s okay. It’s easy. All you do is take off your clothes. You’ve done that a million times before.” He steps closer and reaches out. “Here. Let me.”

  I hesitate, not sure what he’s doing until he reaches to my back and finds the zipper. I half turn as he clears my hair away, his fingertips brushing down my neck. He tugs the zipper down and lowers it, and my dress falls forward. I hold it against my chest with my hand, and he’s so close to me, his mouth open and his eyes taking in all that new skin. He kisses my shoulder, my throat, and my ear, and moves my hand.

  The dress falls forward.

  I’m not wearing a bra. When I left earlier, I thought it would be sexy and exciting, and anyway, the dress works better without one. But now that my dress is coming off, some part of me dimly wishes I had worn another layer.

  At least I have on panties.

  He stares at my breasts and at the pink, firm mounds of my nipples poking out between my fingers. My cheeks turn bright red and he can tell I’m excited based on how stiff my nipples are. God, it’s embarrassing, but he kisses me, biting my lower lip as he palms one breast and teases it before kissing my collarbone. I let out a surprised moan as he pulls me to my feet and yanks the dress down. It pools onto the floor, leaving me in only my panties. Fully exposed to this creature. He holds me against him, his skin warm, hot like a fresh shower turned to scalding. He licks my nipples, sucks them, and pulls my hair again.

  If he’s searching for a hidden blade, he’s not doing a good job.

  I release a ragged moan and he has me in his arms, holding me tight, sucking my breasts, licking my nipples, teasing me, taking me—and all worry, all stress, all fear evaporates into the air.

  I’m here tonight with Maxim. There is no tomorrow.

  There’s only right now.

  He finds my lips with his and pushes me back until I stumble into the wall. He pins my hands above my head and kisses me deep. His palms move down my cheeks, my neck, my breasts, my hips, down to my legs and around to my ass. He squeezes before dropping to his knees, running his hands along my thighs. Checking me. Searching. He kisses my hipbone and bites my side as he stands again.

  “You’re clean,” he says with a smirk. He holds my wrists with one massive palm and pins them above my head while the other hand slips down between my legs. I squirm as he teases my pussy, rolling along my damp panties.

  “You’re very thorough,” I say, fighting back the moans. Pleasure overwhelms me and I feel like my skull might short-circuit and explode.

  “I have to be to survive in a cold, hard world like this. But you’re not cold, are you, princess? You’re very warm.” He lets out a soft laugh. “For someone that never does this, you are soaking wet right now.”

  “I can’t help it. Maybe I’ve been thinking about someone else?”

  His eyes flash. Was that jealousy? But he only smirks and shakes his head. “No, princess. There’s nobody else for you. There’s only me.”

  I bite my lip as he slips my panties aside and runs a finger along my wet slit. I gasp when he finds my clit and rolls a fingertip around it nice and slow. Pleasure rolls along my core and I tilt my head back, exposing my throat.

  He kisses my neck and bites down. I gasp, shocked, but my wrists are bound and his fingers slide into my pussy, replacing the momentary pain with a burst of ecstasy. I moan as the pain and pleasure mix in a wild frenzy of endorphins.

  He smirks and bites my shoulder, softer this time.

  “You liked that,” he whispers. “Interesting. I wasn’t sure if you would.”

  “I’ve never been bitten before.”

  “Tonight is filled with firsts then.”

  “What else are you going to do to me?”

  His eyes blaze. God, I love that look. He stares at my body and it’s like he’s losing control, and it’s all because of me.

  Because of my breasts and my lips and my words.

  He kisses me harder and teases my pussy. First one finger, then two, fucking me in and out. I ride my hips on his palm and he pulls back to tease my clit.

  I’m moaning into his mouth and mindless with glee when he drops to his knees, spreads my leg, and grabs my ass with both hands, shoving my pussy against his mouth. He licks me, sucking my clit before tonguing my entrance. He has to push my panties aside again as I wrap my fingers into his hair and pull hard. He grunts but seems to like it as my head tilts back and he licks me, sucks me, and does something incredible with his fingers.

  “Oh, god, you shouldn’t,” I moan, blind with pleasure.

  “Why not?” he asks, amusement in his tone. He smirks up at me and slides his fingers deep inside.

  I shudder and groan. “I’m going to come and you haven’t fucked me yet.” I squeeze his hair, pulling.

  He growls and his eyes blaze. He grabs my ass hard and slams me back against the wall. I gasp in surprise but he licks me, sucks me faster, and slides his fingers inside, and I’m lost, so lost, well beyond any rational thought as I come on his mouth in a blaze of utter intensity and pleasure.

  I blink spots from my eyes as he laps me up and finishes me off. I lean against the wall, breathing hard. He stands and kisses me and slides a finger into my mouth.

  I suck it, cleaning myself off. I breathe rapidly. This is so filthy, but it tastes kind of good, and the way he looks at me like he wants to peel me apart and destroy me is too seductive to say no.

  He pulls back and unbuckles his belt.

  I stare at him. I’m mindless with that orgasm and wrecked. My legs tremble and my breasts shake with each deep breath. My pale skin’s flushed red and I don’t know if I can handle more.

  But he’s not stopping.

  “I think I’m satisfied,” he says as he takes off his slacks. “Maybe I should stop.” But he’s not going to. I know he won’t not now, not after he got a taste.

  The outline of his cock is thick and long. I blink down at his erection. “That suggests otherwise.”

  He smirks and takes off his underwear. He’s thick and hard, the veins pulsing and massive. He strokes himself.

  I gape at him. How the hell is that going to fit inside of me? I’m a virgin, and he’s got one of the biggest cocks I’ve ever seen.

  He speaks like a lion. Half purr, half threat. “Take off your panties.”

  I hesitate. Am I really going through with this? After being so careful for so long, am I really going to let this stranger—this beast—this gorgeous monster take my virginity?