Until the End (19 page)

Lauren watched her the entire time she took to exit his office. Without another word, Lauren walked over to his desk, rifling through the drawers, probably in search of the binder she’d left at his apartment.

“Lauren.”

She didn’t even acknowledge that he had spoken, at least until he touched her.

“Get off of me!”

“It wasn’t what it looked like.”

Laughing through gritted teeth, she looked him up and down. “And how many girls have you said that to?”

“Not as many as you would think,” Luka chimed in happily, looking far too amused.

“Luka.” His name was enough of a warning. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“I think I heard him say that once or twice,” Luka added.

“
Otvyazhis’!—Fuck off!”
Mishca shouted back at him, feeling the violent urge to shoot him.

“I need your keys. I have homework and I really don’t have time for this.”

“You’re not leaving.”

He didn’t want her stewing in her anger with him, that would only make it harder for him to fix later on.

“Oh really?” She asked sarcastically. “Watch me.”

“You want to be angry with me? Fine,
ponyatnyy—understandable
. But you’re going to be pissed here.”

“And you think you can tell me what to do?”

He arched a brow as if to say, ‘why not?’

Luka’s phone rang. Loudly. He apologized, and this time, Mishca looked back at him. The only times Luka was serious was when Mikhail was involved...or if he needed to kill someone.

After answering and listening to what Mikhail had to say, Luka looked at Mishca. “
Pakhan
wants you.”

He didn’t have time for this, not when so much was at stake. “Tell him I’ll be there when I’m able,” Mishca told him in Russian.

“There’s no point in trying to keep me here,” Lauren said when he was looking back at her. “You’ll have to go to your father eventually.”

Narrowing his eyes on her, he might not have wanted to admit it, but he liked the challenge he saw in her eyes, as though at any minute she would defy him.

“Just know I will drag your ass back.”

“Weren’t too concerned about my ass when you were looking up Naomi’s skirt.”

That drained some of his frustration away because despite her best efforts, the hurt she felt leaked through her voice.

“I didn’t. I swear on my stars.”

She knew he would never make that proclamation easily. “How about I grab my book later, when you’re not preoccupied?”

It was as much as he was going to get from her. Kissing her cheek, he allowed her to leave, finally snatching the phone from a grinning Luka.

When Lauren walked in and saw Mishca with Naomi, she was about to blow. It didn’t help that her die hadn’t gone well either, partly her fault since she hadn’t studied for that quiz. She just wanted a little peace. Was that too much to ask for?

“I was hoping you would be gone by now, seems I was wrong?”

“I bet that wasn’t the first time.”

If she thought Lauren was backing down from her, she was sorely mistaken. She refused to take this girl’s shit.

“He
will
grow tired of you, you know. I’ve watched it happen to countless girls before you.”

“Was that before or after he left you?”

Naomi laughed lightly, clapping her hands. “Is that what you think? Mishca didn’t leave
me
, I left him. I’d grown bored of him and needed a change.”

“And yet here you are, going after him when he doesn’t want you.”

“He will always want me, that was the kind of relationship we had. Love is cute, but it is for children. What do I need with love when there is lust?
That’s
what Mishca needs, not a pretty little girl that’s gotten way over her head.”

Lauren propped her hands on her hips. She didn’t want to believe Naomi’s words, but she couldn’t help but think that maybe she needed to do more. She doubted she had nearly the amount of experience Naomi had, but...no, it didn’t matter.

Mishca loved her and she wouldn’t doubt that.

“If you’re done, I’ll be going now,” Lauren said jerking her thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the staircase.

“I have one last question for you,” Naomi said. “Do you know what these mean?”

She turned, lifting her blouse to show off the tan length of her back, but Lauren’s eyes zeroed in on the twin stars on either side of the girl’s spine that were all too familiar.

“I don’t,” Lauren lied, swallowing, “but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“Do you know what these mean?” Naomi asked showing Lauren the twin stars on her back that were all too familiar.

“I don’t,” Lauren said closing her book, “but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“It seems there are many things Mishca never mentioned. These, my dear, are a message to everyone that I’m his. In the world we live in, these are what people would kill to possess. But I haven’t told you the best bit yet” Naomi whispered, curling a finger beneath Lauren’s chin to force her gaze up.

Slapping her hand away, Lauren faced off with the sole individual in all of the city that could get beneath her skin without even trying. Logically, she knew Naomi did it on purpose just to get a rise out of her, but she couldn’t help it.

“You can pretend you’re so much better than me, but remember this, the next time you climb into that bed of his, remember he had me bent over it as he tattooed those stars on my back. I don’t think I have to explain what happened after, you get the picture.”

Lauren was not naïve enough to think that Mishca had been a virgin when they met, had assumed scores of women had spent time with him, and she was okay with that, but now that she had the rather unpleasant thought of him and Naomi together, she didn’t think she would ever be able to sleep there again.

“Lauren, what are you—Shit.”

Naomi laughed cruelly when Lauren looked disgusted at the sight of Mishca. He was still calling her name when she ran down the stairs.

Heavy pounding on the door had everyone’s heads snapping up, looking at each other, but Lauren had a pretty good idea who was on the other side. He had promised that if she ever left, he would drag her back.

She almost smiled.

Matt was up and at the door, not giving her a chance to warn him who would be there. Only thing she could see was Mishca’s furious eyes as he walked into the apartment, the muscle in his jaw working.

“Amber, gentlemen.” The greeting was barely that, his attention solely focused on Lauren. “I need a minute of your time.”

He didn’t give her a chance to respond, walking past her to her bedroom. Amber gave a thumbs up, looking far too excited about this turn of events; Tristan waggled his eyebrows, and Matt actually made an 'O’ with one hand, using his index fingers as a crude representation of what he thought was about to come next.

“Dude,” Tristan said with a soft laugh. “You’re about to get the D.”

“Get
out
,” Lauren hissed at him, shoving him when she walked past him.

If she had wondered whether Mishca was angry or not, one look at his face told her he had grown angrier in the short span from the front door to her room. She pushed the door closed, trying to feign nonchalance as she faced over six feet of irritation.

He stalked towards her, uncaring of the small noise she made when he picked her up, setting her on her desk, papers crinkling beneath her. Her hands curled around the edge of it, but he didn’t stop there, keeping an arm around her waist as he tugged her forward, bringing them flush against each other.

Her heart kicked up a notch.

“I neither know nor care what she said to you because she
doesn’t matter
, but you have to stop running from me. Talk to me, I would have handled it.”

“I’m
sorry
, Mishca.” He actually had the nerve to glare at her for using his full name. “I can’t possibly remember why I didn’t feel like talking to you when...oh, right...your ex fuck-buddy tells me the details of how you did her in the bed I sleep in most nights.” She gestured at his chest. “And the matching stars? Cute.”

He shoved a hand through his hair, trying to grapple for control of his temper though it wasn’t aimed at her. “She likes to start trouble. And is that why you were so upset? The stars?”

“It’s more than that,” she said exasperated. “I accepted you and the mob, I didn’t know she was part of the package.”

“She’s not.”

“Maybe you should tell her that…or should I?” She meant that too. She was tired of Naomi’s behavior and the way she hung all over Mishca as though Lauren didn’t matter.

He was just staring at her, a small smile on his face before he had her face in his hands, kissing her forcefully. She kissed him back with every ounce of frustration she had, wanting him to know exactly how she felt.

It turned into something more as she started pulling at his clothes. He drew back, looking down at her with lust in his eyes. He grabbed both of her arms, pinning them behind her with one hand as he tugged her panties down her legs, letting them fall to the floor, then pushed her skirt up, leaving it bunched around her stomach.

Since their night together in the hotel, sex between them had always been undeniably romantic. Now, she was getting a side of Mishca she had never seen before, but that wasn’t to say she didn’t like it.

In fact, she thought she liked this side of him more.

He was always careful with her, making sure she was with him every step of the way.

This was about possession.

And though she would never admit it aloud, Naomi had been right about Mishca restraining himself with her, but no longer would she allow him to do that. She wanted all of him, the good and the bad.

His hand was between her legs next, a sound of masculine pride at how wet she was for him rumbling in his chest. She ached for him in a way that didn’t fully make sense to her, but she was entirely okay with that.

He didn’t bother trying to get out of all of his clothes, just undoing his pants, and pulling his cock free, the hard length resting against her thigh.

With the hand at the small of her back, he held her steady as he positioned himself at her entrance, pushing her legs wider as he slipped inside of her, his gaze immediately lifting to her face to see her reaction.

There was nothing more beautiful to him than her in that moment.

Her mouth was slightly parted as she gasped, her eyes focused on what he was doing to her. He twined his fingers in her hair, pulling on the strands until her head fell back, a moan escaping her.

He could feel her heartbeat pulsing as he lightly traced his tongue over the smooth column her neck, biting just hard enough to make her go tight around him, his name falling from her lips. Gripping her hip with bruising force, Mishca kept her steady as he pounded into her.

It was almost too much, like everything he felt for her was trying to burst out of him at once.

He pulled back, not wanting to push her too far too fast, but she didn’t let him go far, yanking him back by his tie, kissing him as though it was the last time, the heels of her feet digging into his back to keep him in place.

Breaking the kiss, he forced her to look up at him, wanting to see her eyes as she came. He could tell that she was close, the way she grew less self-conscious of how she looked to him.

Grabbing her hands, he placed them on her breasts, keeping his there as well as he tentatively squeezed, showing her what he wanted her to do.

“Keep them there,” he said when she thought to drop them to her sides.

Her pupils were dilated, her entire body writhing as she neared the place he was desperately trying to get her to. Before, Mishca could be considered selfish with some of his lovers, using them as a means to an end, but he made it a point to get Lauren there.

“Fuck, Lauren
cum
.”

That was all she needed.

He cupped his hand over her mouth, muffling her cries as she came apart in his arms. If possible, she grew tighter, nearly preventing him from going any deeper. That feeling, as well as the tingling sensation that raced up his spine made it impossible for him to last any longer.