Sergei (34 page)

Deciding to indulge my naughty side, I leaned forward and sucked his big toe. An explosive string of curse words shot from his mouth. Sergei lifted up on his elbows to watch me. He groaned and inhaled a shuddery breath. "You're killing me, Bianca."

"How?"

His eyelids lowered, hooding his dark, dangerous eyes. "You know how. Don't tease me,
milaya moya
. I'm on the edge tonight."

"Who's teasing?" I placed his foot on the bed and began to kiss my way up his sturdy legs. Pushing his thighs apart, I slid down onto my belly and dragged my tongue up and down and side to side along his heavy sac.

Cursing again, Sergei fell back to the pillows and spread his thighs even wider. "Suck me, Bianca. Put me in your mouth."

Smirking at the power I held over this Russian giant, I gave him what he wanted. My poor baby had suffered through one hell of a week. Surely he deserved some pleasure now.

I licked all over that huge cock of his, gathering the little bit of pre-cum from his slit before pulling him into my mouth. He groaned and reached down to caress my hair, urging me on with softly whispered compliments. Letting saliva pool on my tongue, I slicked down the impressive length of him and wrapped my lips around his wide shaft. He was so amped up tonight. I didn't think it was going to take him long to explode.

Hungry for his cum, I used my hand to stroke the bottom half of his erection while I concentrated all my oral efforts on the most sensitive part of him. As my hand moved up and down, my mouth followed the same path, stimulating him in ways that made Sergei cry out and whisper my name like a litany.

When I took him deep into my mouth, letting him nudge that hot, wet alcove at the back of my throat, Sergei lost control. He thrust up just a little bit, rubbing against my tongue and pushing himself right over the edge. I drank down his cum, moaning happily around the pulsing shaft stretching my lips, and reveled in the sound of my name shouted from his lips.

After I licked him clean, I peppered feather-light kisses up his belly and chest. Looking sleepy and so relaxed, Sergei placed his hand against my cheek and grinned at me. "You are so fucking amazing at that."

"I've never really liked doing it," I admitted. "Not until you," I added, when his brow furrowed. "You make it seem like a gift. You appreciate it."

"You have no idea how much," he said, kissing me tenderly. Tangling his fingers in my hair, he issued a gruff command. "Show me how much you like sucking my cock, Bianca."

Heat rushed into my face. I wanted to shake my head and say no, but those dark eyes of his enthralled me. Reaching between my thighs, I let my fingers ride the curve of my pussy to gather the evidence of my arousal. Lifting my hand, I showed him the shiny wetness clinging to my fingers.

Sergei stunned me by grasping my wrist and dragging my hand to his mouth. He licked my fingertips and growled with appreciation. "I've missed the taste of your pussy so much."

"Sergei!" I wondered if I would ever get used to the dirty things he said. Probably not…

"On your side," he ordered. "And open your legs for me."

"Sergei," I said uncertainly. "You're in bad shape. You need to rest."

"I need to feel your thighs wrapped around my head while I tongue-fuck you, Bianca. Now get on your side and give me what I want."

Trembling with white-hot currents of anticipation and excitement, I did exactly as told. Sergei slid down the bed and rested his head against my inner thigh. The position we were in allowed him to get what he wanted without having to rely on his tired arms to hold up his weight.

The first flick of his heavenly tongue on my throbbing clitoris made me want to sob with relief.
Finally!
Eyes closed, I surrendered to Sergei's skillful oral assault. He nibbled my clit and ran his tongue around it in slow circles before suckling me with long, slow tugs that made my freaking toes curl. Just as he promised, he probed my soaking entrance until I started to see stars.

When his tongue returned to my clit, I lost it. Shrieking his name, I rocked my hips and smiled as the blissful bursts of pure joy radiated through me. Even after my orgasm died, Sergei continued to swipe that wonderful tongue of his through my folds. Apparently he hadn't been joking about missing my taste.

Crawling back up beside me, Sergei burrowed close and rested his head on my shoulder. For the first time ever, I was the one cuddling him. I understood that he had survived some wild emotional turmoil this week. Pressing all the love I had for him into my embrace, I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight until he drifted off to sleep. It didn't take long for me to follow him into the realms of peaceful slumber.

But a strange sound woke me sometime later.

Confused and disoriented, I glanced at the bedside clock. It was late, almost three in the morning. I winced as my neck protested the odd position I had fallen asleep in and pushed up onto my elbow. Beside me, Sergei muttered something and flopped onto his back, his long arms slapping against the mattress.

I heard the sound again. It was a muffled thump that perplexed me. Certain it was coming from out back, I decided to investigate. I squashed the instinct to wake Sergei. Grabbing his shirt, I slipped into it and some panties before grabbing my robe from the chair in the corner. On tiptoes, I quietly left the bedroom and headed downstairs. The house was dark and still as I made my way to the kitchen and then into the sunroom. I heard the thumping sound a third time and pinpointed the noise's origin.

It was coming from the carriage house.

Curious now, I unlocked the back door and reached for the handle. The sudden awareness of another person's body heat made the fine hairs on the back of my neck rise. A hand closed over my mouth as a scream of panic erupted from my throat.

"Sweetheart, hush. It's me." Sergei's harsh whisper echoed in my ears.

Sagging with relief, I leaned back against his bare chest. The stiff sensation of denim tugged at my robe. He lowered his hand and kissed the side of my neck. Giving my bottom a swat, he hissed, "Don’t ever do this again. When you hear something, you wake me up."

"You were tired."

"And you're stubborn," he retorted tightly. "Stay here while I go see what the hell that is."

"No way. I want to know what it is."

"Bianca—"

"Sergei, I'm going." I could just imagine his frustrated expression, but the darkness prevented me from confirming my suspicions.

Growling, he gently pushed me behind him and thrust my phone into my hands. The feel of cold metal stunned me. Was he armed? Of course he was. Sergei wasn't going to investigate a strange noise without a way to defend us.

"Stay behind me. At the first sign of trouble, call 9-1-1 and run."

"Yes, dear."

He snorted and dropped a kiss to the crown of my head. "Come on."

Holding my hand, Sergei led me out of the house. We both skipped the step that squeaked and hopped down onto the grass. Sticking to the shadows and glad for the new moon that left the sky an inky black, I followed him across the yard to the carriage house. The dilapidated structure seemed so sinister in the darkness. Sergei had joked once that I should rent the space out to film students as a horror film set. I had to concede now that he was right.

The thumping sound grew louder as we neared the building. Peeking through one of the grimy windows, we spotted the glow of flashlights and a battery-operated lantern. A man with his back to us attacked one of the masonry walls. I had no idea what he thought he was going to find back there, but I sure as heck wanted to find out.

I felt Sergei relax next to me. Whatever this guy was doing, he wasn't here to kill or attack us. He just wanted whatever was behind that wall.

Sergei tugged me along beside him but wouldn't let me through the door. He pushed me down by the adjacent wall and put a fingertip to my lips. I understood his instruction and gave his hand a squeeze to let him know I would stay put.

Stepping up to the doorway, Sergei used the building as a shield for his body. In that deep, rumbling voice of his, he issued one clear order. "Turn around slowly with your hands in the air, or I will shoot you."

I strained to hear the movements inside the carriage house. The man there must have done exactly as Sergei ordered because he stepped away from his shielded spot for a better look. With his gun aimed and ready to fire at the first sign of trouble, Sergei held out a hand. "Come here, Bianca. Do you know this man?"

Joining Sergei, I blinked a few times to let my eyes adjust to the new sources of light. When my gaze settled on the dirty, dusty man, I gasped. "Marcus?"

"Who is he?" Sergei asked more forcefully.

"He's one of the contractors who put in a bid on this place. The one who said he grew up around here," I clarified. Confused, I threw my hands wide. "What are you doing?"

A man on the verge of a breakdown, the contractor Marcus scratched his fingers through his hair and wiped his filthy hands down his face. Sweat had mixed with the dirt and dust to form muddy rivulets that arced across his face. "Please," he begged. "Just let me get my father, and I'll go."

"Your father?" Sergei and I echoed in unison.

Marcus stepped aside and gestured to the brick wall behind him that he had partially dismantled. Gasping, I jumped back and clamped both hands over my mouth to stifle a scream of sheer terror when I spotted the desiccated, mummy-like skeleton entombed there. Even Sergei who seemed so unflappable exhaled with shock and murmured with disbelief in Russian.

His moment of shock quickly passed. Sergei didn't take his eyes off Marcus who he now viewed as a threat. "Bianca, give me your phone and go back to the house right now."

I didn't argue with him. I handed over my phone and backed out of that carriage house ever so slowly. Once I was free from that big old house of crazy, I pivoted on my heel and raced back to the house. Staring out the windows there, I bit my lip—and waited.

*

Of all the things Sergei had expected to find out here in this creepy fucking building, a dead body locked away behind layers of bricks hadn't been one of them.

"I noticed the dimensions weren't right," he said finally. "When I compared the specs from the bids to the old blueprints, I discovered the discrepancy." Staring at the man, he asked the only question that mattered. "Why is your father in that wall?"

Marcus rubbed the back of his neck and dropped his crowbar in defeat. "Does it matter?"

"It might," Sergei said, still uncertain what course of action he would take. "Give me a reason not to call the police and have you arrested for murder."

"The house was never supposed to be bought by anyone outside of the family. Mother and I thought we had everything squared away with an attorney who was supposed to look after the trust and keep the tax bills paid. After Mother died, I left Houston and moved to Seattle with my family. I didn't even know the place had gone up for auction because of taxes until it was too late."

"So you tried to put in a bid with Bianca for renovating this place so you could get the body before it was discovered," Sergei guessed. "I wondered why your company was so new and had no references. I thought you were a scam."

Marcus shook his head. "I am a contractor in Seattle. I had a business here years ago so it was easy enough to fake some business cards and letterhead." Swiping his hand out in front of him, the desperate man insisted, "I never meant to scare her. I tried to come in one night, a few weeks ago, but there was this cop who ran me off so I high-tailed it out of here."

So Kevan had gotten the idea to play a prowler after Bianca had seen Marcus and reported him.

"I drove by other times, hoping I could get in here and do what needed to be done, but there were always men watching the house or you were here. I didn't see your SUV tonight so I assumed it was safe."

"Obviously not."

"No," Marcus agreed.

"You still haven't answered my question. Why is your father in that wall?"

Marcus didn't want to answer. Sergei recognized the shame that turned the man's eyes so bleak. Eventually, the contractor said, "He was a really bad man. He hurt my mother all the time. Sometimes he would hurt me. After he caused my mother to lose a baby, I decided he would never hurt her again. I caught him trying to rape her—and I snapped."

Sergei didn't say a word as the chilling tale poured out of the man's mouth. Now he knew why this place always gave him a bad feeling. That body entombed in the wall belonged to a monster.

"I was only thirteen. I didn't know my own strength. After it was done, Mother helped me wrap him up in a tarp. I brought him out here and…well." Marcus ran his hands over the uneven seams of the bricks. "That secret has been buried here for forty-two years."

"No one ever wondered where he had gone?"

"Everyone assumed he had walked out on us. He was a known womanizer and a gambler. Some people thought he might have been killed for his debts." Marcus hesitated before nervously inquiring, "What are you going to do with me?"

Sergei considered his options and decided there was only one way to end this quietly. He used Bianca's phone to dial a number he had memorized.