Chapter 18

He went upstairs, wanting to talk to Danica. He had to remember she was pregnant and did not want to upset her and cause her to have a miscarriage.

He saw her standing by the bar with a glass of sparkling water in her hand. He walked over and sat down on the chair next to her. He didn’t say anything; he reached for her hand, and she pulled away.

He tried again, but this time, he didn’t let go.

“I do not know what is happening to me. I have killed and ordered people to be killed. I have put fear in every man I have met, yet you are the only person alive who puts fear in my heart.”

She was shocked to hear this coming from him.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, turning her head to look at him. She had seen the fear in men’s eyes when they were around him.

“I met this man once, Tony Marshall. He was known to be a tough bastard but met this woman who was given to him to pay off her brother’s debt. He fell in love with her, and he asked me to help save her when she was kidnapped. I remember telling him that a woman could destroy him faster than any bullet. He didn’t care; he gave up so much for her, for the sake of love. I told him that love would make him weak, but instead, it made him stronger. I’m afraid that you have the power to destroy and take me down, which scares me. I have never been scared of anything in my life.”

She turned to face him, standing between his legs.

“You are talking nonsense. I don’t have the power to destroy you, nor do I want to.” She put her arms around his neck. “You are strong, brave, and very powerful. I can’t hurt you.”

Putting his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer.

“Oh, but you can; you do not know your power over me. I have become so fond of you, and I do not like it when another man gets too close to you. I feel like I could kill him with my bare hands.”

“Dmitry, you must control your anger and your jealousy. I have given myself to you fully. I am willing to live in this world of yours. I would never cheat on you, and Kyle is gay, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“I am trying,” he said, cupping the back of her head and pulling her down for a kiss.

“About my lessons, will you allow me to continue with Kyle as my instructor?”

“Yes, now that I know he is gay.” Picking her up, he lifted her onto one of the tables. He began kissing her passionately, his hand roaming over her body.

He did not hear footsteps as they approached; only when he heard the shrill voice did he look up to see Bepa standing there with a scowl on her face and her arms crossed.

He snapped at her with his arms still around Danica and her practically lying on the table.

“What is it you want?”

“You have visitors. They are waiting for you in your office.”

“Whoever it is, tell them to come back another time.”

“It is Mr. and Mrs. Kuznetsov.”

Dmitry helped Danica up, still looking at Bepa.

“Tell them I’ll be there in a few minutes and have the kitchen staff bring in some refreshments.”

Bepa glared at Danica briefly before turning and leaving the room.

“Who are those people? Are they friends of yours?”

“Yes, they are good friends of mine from Russia who will be staying with us for a few days. I need to speak to them alone, so why don’t you go and freshen up for dinner, and then I will introduce you to them?”

She did as he asked and went to the bedroom to shower quickly and change into another outfit. She was a little wary of meeting his friends; she didn’t even think he had any.

She had no idea what his friends would think of her, and would they find out why she was here carrying his baby? Would they speak in Russian, leaving her out of the conversation, or would they even like her? So many questions were roaming around in her head, and now she found out they were staying for a few days.

When she went downstairs, she figured Dmitry would have taken them into the family room, so she went there. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous; she was petrified at the thought of meeting his friends.

Standing by the door, she looked at the couple sitting and talking to Dmitry. The man was of sturdy build with gray hair and a beard and looked around forty. The woman was slender, her dark hair was done up in a bun on top of her head, and she looked younger than her husband by a few years.

When he saw her, he got to his feet and held his hand out for her to come closer.

“Danica, come, meet my friends.” When she got to him, he put his arm around her waist, smiling, and he introduced them all to each other.

Benjamin took her hand, lifted it to his lips, and gave it a gentle kiss as he looked into her eyes.

“My dear, Dmitry did not tell me how beautiful you were. It is a great pleasure to meet you,” he said in a thick Russian accent.

Annika stepped closer.

“I too am thrilled to meet you. Dmitry has told us so much about you that I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Danica didn’t know why she was so nervous about meeting these people. They were very friendly and treated her respectfully.

“It’s a real pleasure to meet you both.”

After an hour of getting to know one another, Bepa entered the room and announced that dinner was ready to be served.

“Shall we go in? I’ve had my chef prepare a special meal in your honor,” he said, lacing Danica’s arm through his as they approached the dining room.

Once they were seated, Bepa came in with some wine and started pouring it into their glasses—even Danica’s glass. A look of horror crossed her face, and she shook her head.

“You know I cannot drink.”

Dmitry raised an eyebrow at the woman, his lips set in a firm line.

“Bepa, take the wine away and bring Miss Burke some sparkling water.”

“I heard it was okay for someone in her condition to have a glass of wine now and then. I do not see the harm.”

“Do as I say, now,” he snapped, raising his voice.

When she left the room, Annika looked at Dmitry.

“Her attitude has not changed over the years, and I’m surprised that you still employ her.”

“It is hard to find someone to trust, and she has proven that she can keep secrets, and I know she will never betray me. But lately, she has become worse, and if she keeps it up, I will have to get rid of her.” He looked at his two friends and smirked. “Perhaps you could use her services back home. She is amazing at running a household and its staff.”

Annika laughed. “No, thank you. I do not want that sourpuss anywhere near my family. Besides, she will never leave you.”

After eating, they took their drinks outside onto the patio and talked. He told them how Danica was taking art lessons.

She couldn’t help blushing when he started bragging about how well she was doing. “I’m not that good; so far, all I’ve drawn is fruit. It’s more of a hobby than anything else, something to keep me busy.”

“Well, once your baby is born, you will always be kept busy. I know it’s early, but you should start setting up the baby’s room and interviewing for a nanny.”

“A nanny? I don’t want a nanny raising my child. I’m more than capable of doing it myself,” she said, looking at Dmitry.

“You will be raising our child, but having a nanny—she will be here to help you out and give you a break every now and then. We can discuss this later when we’re alone,” he said, giving her that look and telling her to drop it for now.

Prior to their agreement, she would not argue with him in front of other people. She would wait and discuss it with him when they were alone.

There was no way she was going to let another woman take care of her child; she was the mother, not some stranger.

It was getting late by the time they all retired to bed. He knew she was still upset over the nanny thing. “You are angry with me.”

“What makes you think I’m angry?” she asked in a snippy voice.

“Because you have been ignoring me for the last couple of hours. I do not like being ignored,” he said, removing his clothes and getting into bed.

“I’m not ignoring you. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“Tell me why you are mad at me?”

She thought about it when she started removing her clothes before him. “All right, if you want to know why I’m mad at you, I’ll tell you. I have heard how rich people hire nannies to raise their children while they go out partying and on trips, and I will not be like that. I will raise my child and give him or her the love they should get from their parent. I don’t need a nanny to raise my child. You sit there agreeing with them about hiring one without even discussing it with me first,” she said, angrily snapping at him.

He did not like her tone of voice; he was not used to someone talking to him in such a manner. “I suggest you watch your tone when you are talking to me or else.”

“Or else what?” she hissed, putting her nightgown over her head and pulling it down.

“Or else I will have to punish you.”

She turned to glare at him. “Are you going to lock me up in that room downstairs and leave me there for days as you did before?”

He had enough of her lip, so jumping out of bed, he rushed over to her, grabbed her arms, and pinned her up against the wall. “How dare you throw that in my face after I have given you my word that I would never do that to you again. You have become too free with the way you talk to me. My punishment for you will be quite pleasurable for both of us.”

He heard her gasp when he pressed his body against hers; his manhood was stiff and throbbing.

“You think sex is going to make me forget that I’m angry with you? It won’t, so take your hands off me,” she said, breathing heavily. Damn it, his scent and the feel of his manhood pressed against her, and when his accent became thicker, she could feel herself getting turned on.

His eyes were glued to her breasts as they rose rapidly up and down. “Your anger only makes me want you all that much more. I bet if I put my finger inside you, I will find you are wet.”

When she turned her head and called him a beast, he placed his hand on her leg and moved up, going inside her panties. “Oh yes, you are wet for me,” he said, crushing his lips on hers.

“Oh God, you are so evil,” she said, moaning as he stroked inside her. She threw her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist when he lifted her and carried her over to the bed.

Her gown and panties were ripped from her body; she was trembling with anticipation. He was teasing her with his hands and mouth and tortured her by stopping when she was close to cumming. This was his punishment for her, and it was very effective.

Hovering over her, he smiled when she swore after he stopped, leaving her craving to release. “Now, will you behave and watch your mouth around me, or should I leave this bed now?”

She opened her eyes to look at him, snaking her arms around his neck. “Yes, now make love to me.”

Later, as they lay in each other’s arms, she ran her fingers over his chest. “I don’t want a nanny.”

He stroked her hair. “We will need someone to watch the baby when we go out. She will only be here if and when you need help. You will decide when she will care for our baby and how much time she spends doing so. There will be times when we go to dinner parties or out for a night at the opera. It is no different than hiring a babysitter. Only this way, the nanny will live here and be on call.”

“I guess you are right, but we will not be hiring a young, hot nanny.”

He chuckled softly. “You have become so jealous and possessive. I will let you hire—make sure she can be trusted.”

“I could hire a male nanny,” she said jokingly.

“Over my dead body,” he said, pulling her closer and leaning over to kiss her passionately.

He again made love to her, showing her who the boss was. He had no clue that she was now his boss.