Read The Captive Series Online
Authors: C.M. Steele
“Yes, my wife glows.”
“So do you. Like you are full of pride.”
“I am,” Nikolai replied.
“But I don’t want to tell anyone until after the party. It’s for Luci, and I don’t want it overshadowed.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t say a word,” he said with a grin and walked toward his wife.
“Bianca, are you hungry?”
“Yes. I am a little bit.”
“Come, let’s feed you and my son.”
“Son? What if it’s a girl?”
“Then I’ll apologize to my princess when she is born,” Nikolai said as he looked into her eyes before stealing another kiss.
“Can’t you keep your hands off her for a minute?” Sergei asked.
“No. Now go away.” They all laughed, and Sergei walked away with a shake of his head.
They stayed another hour, and Bianca started to grow tired. “Niko, I’m ready to go home.”
“Okay. We’ve been here for a while now. Let’s say goodbye and go home.”
††††
It was two days later when they learned that Detective Lana Grey was suspended for refusing to follow her chief’s orders to leave the Rykov and Rossi families alone. Sergei didn’t seem okay with the idea, but noticed that even after the suspension, he still saw her around, even more often than he’d seen her before. It ticked him off because she wouldn’t give up. He was on the verge of doing something crazy, and the woman drove him insane.
He gave Nikolai a call the next day and told his friend that he’d be away for a while.
“What’s up, Sergei? You don’t sound well.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just annoyed with that broad.”
“What broad? The cop?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen her all around town. Every time I walk downtown, she isn’t far away from me. I don’t know what she expects to happen.”
“I can make the call again.”
“No. That’s okay. I’ll deal with it,” Sergei said gruffly before disconnecting the call. Nikolai didn’t like the sound of that, but he knew Sergei had integrity and wouldn’t kill her.
The following week, Nikolai had a strange conversation with his wife when she stormed into his home office.
“Nikolai, did you know that Detective Grey just up and left town?”
“She left town?” Nikolai asked as he recalled his conversation with Sergei last week.
“Yes. Her apartment had been packed and cleared out. She sent a letter of resignation based on being suspended for doing her job.”
“Well, maybe she went back home.”
“That’s the thing. The rumor is that she didn’t have anywhere else to go. I hope nothing happened to her.” Bianca was looking pointedly at her husband.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s a grown woman that you don’t even know. She’ll be fine. I’m sure she went looking for a better job,” he said, placating his pregnant, emotional wife.
He returned to the papers in his hands. Everything was running smoothly at his company. The contracts had everyone working hard and getting the job done. He could rest easy knowing that everything was in order.
Then he thought back to the sudden disappearance of the cop and Sergei’s sudden need for a vacation. He’d already knew that it had something to do with Sergei, but what he didn’t know was how much he was involved.
Did she leave to get away from him? Did he chase her away?
“Hell, I hope he didn’t off her,” Nikolai said aloud to himself before returning the documents that required his attention.
Nikolai Rykov looked down at his sleeping family and smiled. The life he’d known had changed the day he saw her photo. He wasn’t the brutal, heartless monster Petrov had trained him to be, but he’d become the man who was worthy of the happiness he held in his heart.
His handsome son was wrapped up in Bianca’s arms as they rested from his birth. Little Nikolai was born after a long and arduous delivery. Baby Niko was a big boy, who had his mother’s dark, thick hair and fair skin, but his face was all his father’s. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. They were his everything, which made Petrov’s lifetime of lies a little easier to swallow, but he’d almost robbed Nikolai of all the things he had before him.
After searching Petrov’s things, it was clear the man had set to destroy Nikolai even before his father was cold in the grave. He learned all about Petrov’s family’s deaths and the pain the man suffered. What Petrov lost didn’t justify him taking action on the Rykov family, so Nikolai couldn’t hold on to the guilt that had hit him on occasion about the killing.
Nikolai slid the little guy from his mother’s arms, trying not to wake her, but wasn’t successful.
Bianca opened her sleepy eyes groggily and murmured, “Did he wake?”
“No, my dearest love. I wanted to hold my baby. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“It’s okay. How long have I been asleep?”
“Just about three hours.”
“Oh my,” she said with a startle as she tried to sit up too quickly.
With his other hand, he helped his crazy wife before she hurt herself. “What’s the matter, baby?”
“I need to feed our baby.”
“He is still asleep, love.”
“Yes, but he will be hungry soon, and my breasts will get too tender.”
“Do you hurt?” Nikolai said as he looked down at her lovely rack.
“No, but they said that it will start to hurt if I take too long in between feedings.”
“Okay. Come on, my son. It’s time for your meal.” Nikolai laid his boy on his wife’s lap as she pulled down her gown. Once she was ready, Bianca picked up the baby and placed him on her breast. Even in his sleep, Niko knew what to do and sucked out his food. They both smiled as they watched their son.
“Thank you, Bianca. You’re my treasure, and you’ve given me more than I could ever give you.”
“You gave me him too. I love you, my husband.”
Unable to resist, he bent down and kissed her. The kiss was too passionate and intense for the present moment. Nikolai backed away from his wife, hard and aching.
“Is it a bad time to say that I’m feeling really horny right now?”
“Yes, wife. It’s not the time. Tell me about it in six weeks,” Nikolai growled as he adjusted his soon-to-be-neglected cock, while Bianca laughed.
The End
It was both easy and difficult to be married to a beautiful woman, inside and out. Loving Bianca was simple and automatic for Nikolai, but it was difficult to keep from killing any man who looked at her. Nikolai's obsession with his wife didn't wane over the years. Three kids in four years and he couldn't be happier. As an anniversary present, her family decided to keep their babies and let them go on a romantic vacation.
They were set to take a weeklong vacation in Greece. He planned to enjoy every day loving his wife in the villa on the beach or to at least try. They were in a funk in their marriage, and he hoped this vacation would bring them back. There was just one problem with spending a week with a beauty like her—other men. She had to go get a bikini or two for the trip. He loved her and her figure, but he thought it was for his eyes only. It was time to go, so he needed Bianca to get a move on.
"Bianca, come on, we have to hurry," Nikolai yelled as he climbed the stairs to their bedroom. She didn’t seem that enthusiastic to go. Bianca was distancing herself from him and only played the affectionate wife when her family was around.
"I just need two minutes, please,” she said, annoyance blaring from her words. He wanted to confront her about the behavior, but he was afraid that he would get the response he feared deep inside. Bianca was everything he wanted and needed; if she decided that she didn’t want him anymore, then he’d be a shell of a man.
He opened their bedroom door. "Why? Your suitcase is downstairs."
She refused to make eye contact with him; instead she was in the top draw of her dresser, like whatever she was looking for would be in there. "I'm trying to make sure we're not missing anything for the baby."
"Bianca, this isn’t the first time they’ve kept the babies. They'll be fine,” he remarked. He had a feeling she was intentionally stalling.
"We've never left our baby this soon after their birth. It's only been six weeks since he was born,” she argued. It was true, but this was technically only their second pregnancy and the boys were twins, so they were a lot to handle and they didn’t want to leave them so young.
Trying to test her feelings, he wrapped his arms around his wife and growled in her ear, "Yes Bianca, a long six weeks." She pushed out of his hold, taking him by surprise. Bianca went into the baby's room off theirs, and Nikolai walked out the room hurt and confused. Ever since the baby was born she hadn't been loving. Her “I love you” felt forced, and she would sleep on the rocker with the baby most nights. He was getting the feeling that after all this time, the thrill was gone for her. Bianca didn't seem to love him anymore or she didn't want him physically. When she pushed away from him, he felt his heart crack. Nikolai worshipped her.
He leaned against the wall outside their room, trying to decide if they should even go. He knew if he asked she'd choose to stay, that he was sure of.
After trying to calm the pain cutting through his chest, Niko went back downstairs to where his father-in-law was waiting.
"What's the matter?" His father-in-law asked. Niko’s misery was written on his face.
"I don't think going on vacation is a good idea. Maybe we should cancel it,” he said, regretting the need for it, but what could he do. It was going to be a week of torture. His beautiful wife trapped in a villa with just him. Being alone with someone who didn’t want to be there was looking like a bad idea.
"Are you and Bee fighting?"
"I wish, then I would at least get some emotion from her."
"You two need this. Don't let your relationship fall apart."
"Thanks," Nikolai muttered. He already felt like it was broken. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for her, but it seemed like that didn't matter to her. She was sick of him.
She came down the stairs a moment later. “I’ll pack the suitcases in the truck.” Nikolai left the room hating how hard his heart begged for Bianca.
~~~~
The ride to the airport was silent. Bianca looked over at her husband several times, but he seemed to be focused on his phone. His strong hands held the phone tightly. He was mad at her and she knew it. Their marriage was on the fringes of falling apart. Four weeks ago she heard his phone call, and it broke her heart.
“No, I hate sharing the bed. It’s getting to a hassle. It’s kind of nice when she sleeps on the rocker,” he said to whoever he was talking to on the phone.
She never told anyone about it; she just pulled away from her husband. He didn’t want to be around her anymore. Was it because she had gained extra weight? Well, she already lost it. The moment she overheard him talk about her like that, she exercised and dieted. It was so intense that she’d gotten sick and couldn’t breastfeed anymore. It crushed her, but so did Nikolai’s disgust. That day she scurried from the hallway and down to their bedroom. Hiding in the bathroom, she cried while showering. Since that day she had shed the baby weight and more. Not that she let him know. Bianca had been so hurt that every time he came near her, she’d make an excuse to get away from him.
They arrived at the airport and Nikolai grabbed her hand, walking her to the terminal with his men carrying their luggage. She followed along, pretending that she wasn’t hurting. Her husband played pretend, too. In front of family and friends. The moment they boarded the private family jet, they both took seats and refused to look at each other. He returned back to his phone, and she decided to rest. It’s all she wanted to do lately. Her heart hurt and she couldn’t even tell anyone because he played the perfect husband to the world. Amber loved him. That was something that bothered her, too. Could he be attracted to Amber, and now she wasn’t enough for him anymore?
“Bianca, are you hungry?” she looked up when he spoke. The look of disgust appeared on the face that she had loved for so long. He thought she was heavy. It had to be it. Sharing a bed with a cow had been too much for him. He wanted someone who wouldn’t have a pooch on her belly.
“No, thank you. I just want a nap.” She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. It seemed that she was just going through the motions of life. Did she want to end it? Could she ask for a divorce? Maybe she could work up the nerve during the trip.
He grumbled several times during the flight, everything unintelligible. Once he fell asleep, the growling monster in her belly made enough noise that she couldn’t ignore it anymore. Bianca ate a small meal and drank her water, ,followed by a cup of coffee. It was all she could stomach. Life didn’t seem worth living. If it wasn’t for their boys, she didn’t know what she’d do.