Lion's First Roar
Lion’s First Roar
Her Russian Protector
Roxie Rivera
Night Works Books, LLC
College Station, TX 77845
Copyright © 2015 by Roxie Rivera
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
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Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
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Lion’s First Roar/Roxie Rivera -- 1st ed.
ISBN 978-1-63042-031-4
Dear Reader,
This short story belongs to the Her Russian Protector Series. It follows the events of NIKOLAI 2 (Her Russian Protector #6.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
ONE
Nikolai relished the calm, quiet stillness of the house in the early morning. Alone in the kitchen, he prepared and ate his simple breakfast and enjoyed a pot of freshly brewed tea, just the way he liked it. When he was finished with his meal, he put together a breakfast tray for Vivian. Toast with a smear of almond butter, fruit, a small glass of apple juice and a tiny pot of carefully made hot chocolate—he made sure it was perfect for her.
Last night, after bringing her home from the gallery and making love to her again and again, she had been up and down four or five times. He had quickly learned that asking her how he could help only aggravated and frustrated her more. So he had stayed quiet and used touch, a gentle caress of her back or a loving squeeze of her hand, to let her know that he cared and that he was awake if she needed him.
The back door opened and closed. The squeak of wet soles and the tapping steps of Stasi’s paws against the hardwood echoed loudly. Boychenko had taken the dog out to play as soon as he had arrived for his guard shift. It was a routine the two shared, and one he actively encouraged.
But as Nikolai glanced up from the grapefruit he was carefully sectioning, he waved the sharp knife in Boychenko’s direction. “If his paws are muddy, wipe them off. I don’t want to find Vee on her hands and knees cleaning up dirt again.”
“Sorry, boss.” Boychenko winced, undoubtedly reliving the memory of Nikolai losing his fucking shit upon discovering his pregnant wife crawling around in the entryway with a microfiber cloth in each hand. “I won’t let that happen again.”
The kid wouldn’t. One warning was all he ever needed. As if to prove his point, Boychenko grabbed a handful of paper towels and managed to get the massive Great Dane to cooperate. When Boychenko was finished, Stasi sauntered over to the oversized island and nosed around in search of food. Nikolai clicked his teeth. “
Nyet
.”
The dog grumbled and snorted dramatically before leaving the kitchen. He would slowly make the round of the house, nosing up against each guard until one of them fed him a treat.
“Vivian didn’t sleep well last night.” Nikolai cut out the last few sections of the grapefruit and dropped them into the small bowl. “I’ve already spoken to Ten about keeping the house quiet so she can get some rest this morning. I don’t want her doing anything strenuous today.” Gathering up the rind, he carried it to the compost bin and tossed them into the container under the sink. “And she needs to stay close to the house.”
He didn’t have to say why. Everyone in the family knew what today was.
“I’ll do my best.” Boychenko handed him a clean dish towel from the drawer.
“See that you do.” Nikolai picked up the tray and left the kitchen. When he reached the master suite upstairs, he gently pushed open the door with his elbow and slipped inside the room. The palest gray light washed over the bed and sitting area.
I should close the drapes so the sun doesn’t wake her.
“Kolya?”
He froze mid-step and turned toward the bed. Rolled on her left side, she lifted her head from his pillow and blinked sleepily. “What time is it?”
“It’s early.” He placed the tray on the ottoman in front of her favorite chair and walked back to the bed. Easing onto the mattress, he reached out to push soft strands of hair behind her ear. There were still faint red lines on her face from the wrinkles of his pillowcase. “You should go back to sleep.”
“I don’t think I can.” She made a face and rolled her shoulders. “My back is killing me.”
“Show me.” She took his hand and dragged it to her lower back. He pressed on the spot she had indicated. “Here?”
“Yes.”
Certain that asking her to move or rollover would invoke the angry version of his normally sweet little wife, he decided that it was hell of a lot smarter to just climb into bed behind her. There was a time when he would have protested the very thought of wrinkling his shirt before leaving the house, but those days were long gone. Vivian had changed him in small ways he had never expected.
And he loved her all the more for it.
“I made hot chocolate for you.” He squeezed into position behind her and adjusted the pillows so they could both be comfortable while he massaged her lower back. “It’s Benny’s recipe.”
She glanced back at him and smiled. “You spoil me.”
“You make it so easy for me.” He kissed her cheek before nuzzling her throat. She had chipped away so much of his emotional armor that he only hesitated a moment before admitting, “I worked hard for this life, and I built all of this,” he gestured around them, “so I would be able to give my wife and children whatever they wanted.”
She touched his jaw, her fingertips gliding feather-light across his skin. “You’re all I want and need.”
From anyone else, the statement would have drawn a scoff from him. But she meant it. Every word. She really did only want him. Rich, poor, mobbed up or free—she loved him. All of him. Just as he was.
“But I really do love the way you spoil me with pretty things.”
He laughed softly and continued kneading her lower back until he felt the tension leave her shoulders. In the back of his mind, he knew that he needed to get on the road if he was going to make the meeting on time, but he suddenly didn’t give a fuck whether or not Luka Beciraj had to wait. From the first whisper of a possibility of this meeting, Nikolai had registered his distaste. He had made it clear that his wife was ready to go into labor any day with his first born child, with his son, and that he needed to be close to her so he could protect and shield her when she was at her most vulnerable.
Vivian expelled a relieved sigh as he pressed hard against the curve of her spine. He matched the movement of his hand with tender kisses peppered up and down her neck and jaw. “That feels so good.”
The breathy sound of her voice made him crazy. Only ten hours ago, he’d been buried deep inside her, reclined right here on these pillows while she went wild on top of him. Just remembering the way she’d clawed at his chest and cried out his name again and again sent a hot streak of need through his stomach. It was hard to believe that only a year ago, she had been a shy, uncertain virginal bride. Now she was a wicked little sex kitten who drove him to distraction.
When he let his hand wander along the curve of her hip to her upper thigh, she giggled softly and grasped his wrist. “We can’t.”
“We can.” He dragged her hand right along with his as he slipped his fingers under her nightgown and discovered the silky smoothness of bare skin.
“Kolya…”
“Hush,” he whispered gently. “I know how to help you relax.”
“You know how to make me do whatever you want.”
“That too.”
With a careful tug, he pulled Vee onto her back and pushed her thighs apart. She didn’t even protest when he dropped sensual kisses along the swell of each of breast. He bit the front of her nightgown and tugged it down to reveal even more of her luscious body. She sucked in a sharp breath when he flicked his tongue against her nipple. Knowing how sensitive she was, he was careful not to be too rough with her.
His hand between her thighs, he cupped her feminine heat and slowly rotated his wrist, rubbing the flat of his palm against her clitoris. It wasn’t enough pressure to get her there, but it was enough to make her squirm and whimper for more. When she tried to kiss him, he pulled back and grinned, making her work for it. She threaded her fingers through his hair and gripped a handful, tugging him down for the kiss she so badly wanted.
The moment their tongues touched, he switched tactics and explored her slick pussy with his fingers. He circled her clit with lazy strokes, working that tiny pearl until it was swollen and stiff. When she started to clutch at his shoulders and rock her hips, he slipped a pair of fingers inside her and rubbed her clitoris with his thumb. He bit down on her lower lip, just enough to make her gasp, and then kissed the slope of her jaw to the sensitive spot on her neck that he loved to torment. He sucked hard and scraped his teeth over her skin, giving her a love bite that would throb bright red for the rest of the morning.
It was the bite that sent her right over the edge. She scratched at his shoulder and buried her face against his throat as she came. Her little pants and the moan of ecstasy that escaped her mouth left him grinning wickedly. He loved driving her wild like this, loved making her come with the practiced skill of a man who knew all the secret’s to his woman’s body. She was his, only his, and he wanted her to always remember that he was the only one who could make her feel like this.
As she came down from her orgasmic high, he stroked her lush curves and kissed her tenderly. Her cheeks were flushed, and she had that sweet, relaxed smile that told him he’d done a good job. Brushing his thumb along her chin, he whispered, “
Ya tebya lyublyu.
”
She kissed his cheek. “I love you, too.”
When her small hands drifted toward his belt buckle, he gently stopped her. She glanced up at him with confusion. “But you—?”
“I’m fine.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. He was actually anything but fine. His cock ached and throbbed, but he knew what would happen if he made love to his wife the way he wanted. He would be mellowed out and relaxed and that simply wouldn’t do. Not with everything that had to be hammered out during the meeting today. “I’m already running late.”
Cupping his face, she forced him to meet her imploring gaze. “Promise me you’ll be careful today.”
He narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He had told her he was going out of town for business but he hadn’t given her any reason to worry. “You’ve been eavesdropping again.”
“No.” She quickly dropped her gaze. “Yes,” she admitted quietly. “I heard you and Kostya talking in the kitchen last night.”
“Vee…”
Lifting her gaze, she stared up at him, her expression one of pure anxiety. “Are you really going to sit down with Luka and my father and Hector Salas?”
“Vee.” He spoke her name with more force, shutting her down before she managed to ask too many questions. “You know my position on this issue.”
She pouted like a young child. “What happened to no secrets?”
“You’re pregnant,” he pointed out the obvious. “You don’t need the stress of worrying about these things. And I
did
tell you that I was going to meet with your father today.”
“But you didn’t say anything about Luka Beciraj!”
“Because I didn’t want you to worry like this.” He frowned down at her. “I knew you would get yourself worked up into a panic.”
“It’s so dangerous, Nikolai. Meeting with Luka and Hector and my dad? He’s still a wanted fugitive! Luka won’t be able to fly into this country without being flagged, and you know the DEA probably has their spies and snitches all over Hector’s business.”
Like an arrow, sadness pierced his heart. Hearing Vivian talk about the underworld in a way that made it clear she understood the angles and players upset him deeply. This wasn’t the life he had wanted for her. He remembered a time, before she had ever come to work at Samovar, when he had worked out an entire plan for her. He had mapped out the bright future she would have and all the ways he would help her achieve her full potential.