Time Stood Still (8 page)

“It’s beautiful here,” she said absently, staring out at the reflection of the moon in the water. “Thank you for bringing me.”

“I can’t count the number of times you thanked me since we arrived. You don’t have to thank me at all. All of this, everything I do, is for you.”

“But still,” she said getting back up, shaking her feet to sling some of the water on him, making her laugh as he glowered. “I’m grateful for this, for everything. I know it isn’t easy for you, and I know that it could be potentially dangerous for you to walk around without your guys, so I need you to know that I appreciate it. I appreciate you.”

“Maybe you can show me how appreciative you are when we get back? I know I’ll enjoy that.”

She smiled, trailing her nail down his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath his clothes. “Sure…I think you’ll like the surprise I have for you.”
 

CHAPTER SEVEN

For the second time in only a week, Lauren was up before Mishca. At first, she’d sat on the balcony with the doors open, just breathing in the cool sea air before she began combing through the travel book she’d gotten—along with a few suggestions from one of the workers at the hotels—trying to decide on the first beach they would visit.

One thing she definitely wanted to do, though she hadn’t bothered to mention this to Mishca yet, cliff diving. Undoubtedly, she knew he wouldn’t agree and would more than likely try to stop her from doing this, but with the element of surprise on her hands, she doubted there would be much he could do.

With a pen, she circled a few of her favorites, trying to work out in her head how they would be able to visit every one of her selections by the time they left.

Vaguely, she thought she heard a chiming bell within the house, but as she ventured in, she caught sight of Mishca closing the front door, two bags in hand.
 

“Who was that?”

He glanced up at her and the sight of him, wearing nothing more than his pajama pants that rode low on his hips, and his messy hair made her smile down at him.

“I ordered breakfast.”

Her brow knitting n confusion, she shook her head. “When?”

Mishca’s answer was a smile. After making a quick stop in the kitchen, he headed in her direction, walking her back onto the balcony, his free hand at her waist. With the waves crashing against the rocks down below, and the occasional bird soaring through the air, there was no better way to enjoy the morning.

He plated all of it, setting each one in the middle of the table. When he finished, Lauren spread some Brie on a croissant, taking a small bite.

“What do you want to do today?” He asked, reaching over to play with her hair. “This island is your playground.”

She was silent for a while, thinking over all the possibilities until she made her final decision. “Rent a boat.”

***

Lauren was laying on a towel on the bow, sunglasses on as the sun beamed down on her. She’d already rubbed on a coconut scented tanning oil, and now was enjoying the slight rocking of the boat as the water moved around her. It had been a relatively quick process, renting the boat, and since Mishca already knew how to drive one, they had taken it out onto the water in no time.

The beaches of Sardinia were far more beautiful in person, their allure lost in translation with photographs.

Mishca had been below deck, but she could hear him walking back up. She shifted in his direction, using her hand to block out some of the sun as she smiled over at him. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of nautical themed board shorts, along with a straw fedora that
really
worked for him.

Thank God for this vacation.

“Are you going to tan, Mish?” She asked innocently, plucking a grape off the tray he was carrying with him, turning over on her stomach so she could see him better.

Mishca, in all his pale glory, glared up at the sun and shook his head. “I don’t tan.”

“Are you at least getting in the water then? I don’t want to get wet by myself.” Lauren realized what she said too late, rolling her eyes at his blooming smile. “I’m serious, Mish.”

“Sure, but in the mean time, I’ll enjoy the view.”

“You know,” Lauren said swinging her legs down. “I think we’re alone out here.”

Mishca lounged back in his chair, setting the tray to the side as he watched her, one corner of his mouth tugging up. His head canted to the side as he asked, “Are you trying to seduce me, Lauren?”

She hopped down, pulling at the strings of her bikini top as she took slow steps towards him. “Maybe.”

As her top fell away, and his gaze dropped from her face to her breasts, his next words came out as almost a whisper. “I’m already seduced.”

Usually that expression that he was wearing was playful, but now? She could practically feel the pulsing energy coming off of him. Grabbing his hand, she moved between his legs, using his fingers to trail down her sternum. He watched the descent, mumbling words in Russian that she didn’t bother to try and understand.

Though she felt like she was on fire, his skin was cool to the touch, leaving a cool but heated path down her stomach. At first he was compliant, just accepting her using him to tease herself, but he could only take so much.

He got to his feet, wrapping an arm around her waist as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck as he carried her down below the deck.

Dropping her on the bed, he immediately climbed over her, his hand sliding between her legs, slipping beneath the fabric that covered her.
 

His eyes roamed her face, waiting for her reaction before he dropped his lips to the curve of her neck, his tongue tracing over her flesh, his teeth grazing over her next.

Lauren felt like she was on fire as he slowly explored her like it was the first time all over again, like he didn’t know every single place on her body that made her come alive beneath him. By the time he found his way below her navel, she was a squirming mess, softly begging him to touch her more,
give
her more.

She had never thought that she could get this high off just his touch alone, and the moment his tongue traced over her opening, that groan of his breaking through his chest, she was done.

Within the confines of the boat, he let her scream out her release, her hands gripping fistfuls of the sheets on either side of her, but he wasn’t done with her, not by a long shot. Her cries seemed to spark something to life inside of him.

He pulled away, fisting himself, slowly stroking up and down, eyes on her spread thighs and the evidence of her arousal there. Mishca seemed mesmerized by the sight, like it was a place he was desperate to be.

After the orgasm he had just given her, she wouldn’t deny him anything.

Lauren moved to shaky knees, changing their positions so that Mishca was now on his back and she was the one on top. Replacing his hand with her own, she felt the pulsing throughout his length as she stroked him the way he liked, watching his expression change from hungry to something more heady.

“
Now
, Lauren.”

She rose above him, positioning him at her entrance before sinking down onto him, moaning in abandon at the way he fit almost perfectly.

It didn’t matter that she was the one on top, he was still in control.

His hands were at her hips, guiding her, easing her up and down in the rhythm he preferred. She could feel her orgasm building again, could feel it taking her over again, but Mishca wasn’t ready to give it to her just yet.

And they continued this dance, him getting her just to the brink before snatching her back, chuckling softly when she punched his shoulder.

“
Izvolit’
—
Please
.”

That one word and he finally put her out of her pleasurable misery. The moment she tipped over the edge, so did he, his thrusts slowing as he swelled inside of her, moments before he came, growling her name.

Lauren collapsed against his chest, feeling the sweat sticking to the both of them.

“I don’t want to move from this spot,” she murmured, tracing one of the stars on her chest. “I like it here.”

“I like
you
here.”

“Is this your idea of sucking up? Cause if it is, I’m all or it.”

“We could always stay on this boat,” Mishca suggested wryly, his satisfied grin growing. “I can think of a few more things we can do before we need to leave.”

“As tempting as that sounds,”—and it really was tempting—“I still want to swim.”

She could tell he would rather stay in bed with her, but he did honor her wishes, grabbing his own clothes before passing her her own.

When she eventually followed him back up the deck, she saw they were a good distance away from where they came, but closer to the cliffs that she had spied riding into the town. Mishca hadn’t noticed since he’d been the one driving, but on their way in, Lauren had caught sight of a few people around these parts,, climbing up only to jump back down. Back when she lived in Michigan, Lauren had only had the guts to jump off a cliff into the lake once, but only under the watchful eye of Ross. Now, she was more than excited to try it again.

Once Mishca dropped the anchor, she wasted no time diving in, smiling at the feel of the water enveloping her. When she came back up, she saw Mishca smiling at her from his position on the boat. She smiled back, but only for a moment before she began swimming for the rocks.

“What are you doing?” He called after her.

She had a choice, obviously. Either keep going, or pretend like she hadn’t heard him and keep going, knowing that if she did either, he would get upset. Of course, she picked the latter.
 

Mishca dived in after her, but it was too late. She was already climbing up to the top, a smile on her face as she went. Once she was finally in a relatively safe spot—after she waited for the waves to recede so she could see better—she gradually got to her feet, clapping at her success.

“I’ll be fine, Mish,” she called back, not bothering to look back at him, knowing that if she did that the look he was wearing would force her to climb back down. “This isn’t my first time doing this.”

“Get your ass down!” He was clearly upset, but Lauren tuned him out, almost to the top.

Once she got up there, and was steady on her feet, she smiled down at him, waving enthusiastically, even as he glowered.

“That’s the plan.”

Even from her distance, she could see his hands were balled into fists and she didn’t doubt that if he didn’t have a healthy dose of fear of heights, he would have come after her.

But at the moment, while she felt like was at the very tip of the world, the wind whipping her hair around, her arms outstretched, she felt invincible. She stayed there for a while, letting that emotion consume her entirely before she jumped over the edge.

The water came at her fast, and she only had a second to scream before she was underwater. She sunk for only a short amount of time before she breached the surface again, tossing her hair back and wiping the seawater from her eyes so she could see Mishca better. He was glowering, as she had expected him to be, but he didn’t look
that
upset.

“How many more times?” He asked sarcastically, probably thinking that once would have been enough.

It wasn’t.

And she made sure he knew that.

***

“What hurts?”

“
Everything
.”

Lauren was not above begging him to carry her the short distance from their car to the front door of their rental, but kept going, always thinking that she was one step closer to a wonderful down bed that she was more than ready to sink into. She had forgotten just how tiring swimming was, especially since it had been a while since the last time she had done it.

“Come here.”

He swept her up like she weighed next to nothing, and she nearly sighed in relief as the constant agony in her legs vanished. Mishca only set her on her feet long enough for him to unlock and open the door

“There are dozens of reasons why I love you, Mish. This is one of them.”

His lips twitched. “The feeling is mutual. Maybe now you’ll rethink this need to do things like cliff jumping?”

“Not a chance.”

When they hit the bedroom, Lauren would have been more than happy to plop down on the bed and spend hours that way, but Mishca had other plans. He kept a tight hold of her, going through to the bathroom instead.

“Mish—”

“Not yet.”

“But—”

“
Pover’te mne—Trust me
.”

Not about to argue—especially with the underlying promise she heard in his words—she let him sit her down on the counter, watching as he went over to turn on the shower, adjusting the taps until the room was filled with steam. He came back to her, helping her out of her dress, then her bikini.

Mishca helped her to her feet, walking them both into the stall, the heat of the water falling from the shower head above them, soothing her aching muscles. On one of the built-in stone benches, she relaxed, observing him, appreciating the view, cataloguing the tattoos that covered him.

The stars on his chest, the epaulettes on his shoulders, the rising sun and line of script on his forearm, and both crosses were familiar to her, ones that represented his life within the
Bratva
, but there was a relatively new one that was on his opposite arm that was devoid of any connection to the others. It was placed on his inner bicep, in a place easily hidden by the suits he wore daily, but she preferred it that way.

Lauren liked them having something
 
to themselves, apart from the
Bratva
and more than that, she liked what it represented.

The tattoo was of a pocket watch, his artist adding in hints of gold, the only color that Mishca had in all of his tattoos. The clock was set at twenty minutes before eight o’ clock, the exact time in which they met. Of course, he would be the one to remember something as insignificant as that.

One would think that after he had taken the leading role in the
Bratva
, he would have put on weight, but not Mishca. He was as fit as he’d always been, maybe more so.