The Bratva’s Bounty (Volkov Bratva #3)

30. Lev

Chapter 30

Lev

~3 days later~

"Still can't believe this is where you've been the whole time…"

All this time, Nicole was literally right under my nose. My family's fucking vacation cabin. I literally could have just happened upon her at any time if I'd decided to take a decompressing trip!

Yes, my pride was a little hurt, I'd admit that. I mean, for being so observant to a fault, and a damn good tracker, I literally missed her when she was right in front of me. It never even occurred to me to check any locations the bratva owned! I don't know why. But also, why on earth would Nicole be hiding in my family's property in the first place?

" ??i ca , are you still beating yourself up about all of that?" Nicole chuckled with pity as she looked at me apologetically. "It's nothing to get hung up on. I mean, the point of me being in hiding was to remain hidden. Besides, I had Angel's help, who had a lot of resources at her disposal because she married Nikolai." At least I could appreciate the effort she made to downplay my fault in this. "Also, it was just sheer luck you never found me here. I mean, like you said, if you had decided to take a vacation and picked this cabin, then that would have been either a very awkward meeting or the end of my days of freedom."

Sighing, I set the moving box I'd been carrying down by the front door before turning my head to give her a deadpan expression. " Zhizn moya , I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but all the reasons don't excuse my sloppiness and carelessness in overlooking this place." Well, at least I knew better from now on. Private bratva property or not, it needed to be checked.

Pushing the topic aside, I stood by the boxes with my arms crossed. "You have a slight hoarding problem, you know that?" I commented while running my eyes over the various boxes.

For the past two days we've been stormed in at the cabin, and we've done nothing but pack all her things up while we were stuck. All ten boxes stacked by the door were barely half her shit! All of them didn't contain any personal items and effects—they were all her office and materials.

Not gonna lie, it was a little worrisome to know nearly all those boxes contained bomb-making material. If it were a small crew or some bomb-obsessed psycho, then I wouldn't be too worried, but all this for one tiny woman was a little terrifying. Granted, my Nicole was a bomb-loving psycho… A good bomb-loving psycho, though!

Yes, I called her a psycho quite a bit sometimes, but it was mainly in jest or in an affectionate way. I mean, she was my psycho, and that was all that mattered. The little nickname was rarely used, though, and only ever behind closed doors or moments of extreme excitement that was fitting. Like when she blew those men up the other day—that was just amazing.

Honestly, just when I thought I couldn't fall in love with her more, she blew me away. And if I wasn't careful, she'd probably literally blow me away… Or to bits and pieces.

A brief scoff came from Nicole before the sounds of her footsteps came to a stop behind me. "I do not have a collecting problem," she argued with narrowed eyes. "I need everything."

Rolling my eyes, I reached into a partially open box we hadn't taped up yet. From it, I pulled out a small bag of mismatched wires that varied in length and size. "Empress, you do not need a wire that's barely a centimeter long. I mean, what the hell are you even going to use it for?" Shaking the bag in her face, I spoke again. "This is a bag of trash wire. You literally can't use a majority of this shit unless you're gonna painstakingly connect all these wires somehow. Even if you did, whatever bomb you're gonna use them in won't be reliable."

Without anything to say in return, Nicole just clicked her tongue at me and glared with her arms crossed. Staying like so for a good while, she angrily tapped her foot against the wooden floor. Then, she nervously licked her lips and jutted her chin out at me. "W-well, I could say the same for you and your weapons. I mean, who the hell needs that many handguns?" She tried to rebut me weakly.

Unable to help it, I laughed a little at her cute attempt. "Guns and knives do not count or factor into this little tiff of ours." I flashed her a smug smirk while loosely crossing my arms. "And I dispose of my weapons once they are no longer of use."

There was no winning for her.

Letting out a frustrated growl, she grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me down to her displeased face. "Listen here, you little lion, that is my shit, and I like my shit. So, I am keeping my shit. If you try to make an issue out of some habit I don't have, then don't come crawling to me if you wake up in a bed full of volatile explosives," she threatened in a low and dangerous voice.

If she was joking somewhat, then I would've laughed her off, but the determined blaze in her eyes burned her serious intent into my very soul the more she bore those stark orbs of hers into mine. I mean, she wouldn't do all of that… Right? Or at least, not to the scale that she implied… I hope.

Grinning nervously, I grabbed her hips and rubbed them lovingly with my thumbs. "Empress, you know, what's some bag of wires gonna do, hm? I mean, no harm, no foul." I tried to sweeten my way out with her, but the unamused look on her face meant I probably wasn't getting anywhere.

Pulling out my best pout, I leaned in and nuzzled her neck. "Come on, I'm sorry, I'll drop it." I wanted to cringe at how weird I sounded cooing. "Don't be mad at me, please."

Scoffing and chuckling, Nicole shoved me away playfully. "Don't do it again, and I won't," she told me with a roll of her eyes. "And please, don't ever talk like that ever again. Seriously, you sound so weird and cringey."

Well, good thing I wasn't the only one repulsed by it.

Smiling, I snatched her by her waist and brought her into a long and sensual kiss. "Can't wait to get back home with you," I groaned against her lips.

Giggling deeply, she looked up at me with curious eyes. "Oh? Why? What's so different there and here?" she questioned while pulling me toward the couch. "Or are you hinting at something?" Her voice dipped suggestively as she pulled me down on the couch. "Hm?"

Instead of answering her with words, I let my actions speak for me. My lips devoured hers in heated passion. My hands greedily grabbed at every part of her body that was a work of art on its own. God, she was so fucking perfect, something I'd never get over. It was as if she was carved out of marble from the high Heavens for me.

Only me.

"Fuck me, empress, please," I begged wantonly, nipping at her bottom lip and kissing every inch of her face. "Please, I need you."

Pushing me up, she gestured for me to switch positions with her. With a happy grin, I grabbed her hips and flipped us so that she was on top. I was more than prepared for her to strip me and burn every part of me with her luscious lips and skilled hands, so I flashed her a confused look when she got off me with a smirk.

"Be a good boy and strip," she commanded me with a powerful smile. "And stay," she said, pointing a stern finger at me before disappearing down the hallway and into the bedroom.

A part of me wanted to call out to her for answers, but the side of me that knew her held me back. She wouldn't tell me, even if I begged.

So, with a calming breath, I took off every piece of clothing from my body until I laid there bare on the couch, shivering in anticipation. I had no idea what she could be grabbing from her room; I hadn't gone through her stuff here yet, and she was a little secretive with packing her personal items. Actually, she didn't let me linger around her when she was packing up her personal space. So, whatever was in those drawers and the closet was beyond my knowledge.

"Close your eyes, little lion!" Her voice echoed down the hallway.

Oh God, what is she planning?

Letting out a shaky breath, I let my eyes shut. I tried to maintain a calm demeanor with controlled breaths, but every little tick and creak around me made my muscles tense and twitch with anticipation. I nearly bolted when I felt a warm presence crowd my space, even if I knew it was Nicole because of her soothing scent of gunpowder.

"Lev, breathe. It's okay." Nicole's giggle above me made my whole body shudder with nervousness. "I'm just going to blindfold you real quick, and then I'm going to get you ready to be fucked," she told me in a calm and collected voice. "And I'm going to try something a little different, but don't worry, it's nothing crazy." If it weren't for the stability and reassuring tone, then I would've called bullshit on her.

"Alright, empress." This was a little crazy. To go through something for the first time blindfolded was a little nerve-wracking. "I trust you." But I wasn't known for being sane. Besides, I knew Nicole wouldn't wrong me, as crazy as she was.

Instinctively, my face twitched when I felt something soft and smooth brush over my eyes. "Shh, it's okay, just a blindfold." Her calming voice eased my rising tension a little before a quick spike gripped my body at the feeling of her securing the fabric around my head.

Shivers ran down my body at the feeling of her nails raking down my sensitive body, along with her hot breath against my neck. "I fucking love how good you are for me." My body jolted with a sharp gasp from the sudden grab at my aching cock. "Already so hard for me."

Her soft lips brushed over my hard nipple, and her tongue teasing it got a small whimper to fall from my lips as I arched my body into her. "Can I touch you, please?" I barely managed to restrain my hands by gripping the couch. The need to feel her soft skin under my fingers burned at my fingertips.

Sparks of arousal shot throughout my body in response to her fingers running down my arms to my wrists. "Yes, you may." I breathed out a sigh of relief when she gave me permission, and I wasted no time feeling around blindly until my hands found their home on her delicate curves.

"Thank you, empress," I replied shakily, too focused on appreciating her divine body with my rough fingers.

As she moved down my body, I did my best to hold on, but I could only reach so far without seeing.

Soft warmth engulfing my cock suddenly jarred a sharp, gasping moan from me as my hips instinctively bucked at her hot mouth. Then, it barely felt like a second of bliss had gone by before a familiar pressure pushed against my asshole. Nicole didn't take it slow like usual this time. Her mouth and tongue gave my pierced member the perfect amount of attention and love while her fingers thrust in and out of my ass at a rather fast and hard pace. She barely gave me time to adjust to the first finger before adding a second and third shortly after.

Being ravaged with such lustful rapture drove my mind high into the sky. "Shit, empress, I—"

And just like that, everything came to a terse stop, making me let out a whimpering sob; I didn't know my body could make such a desperate sound until now. "No, please, I was so close." My hips bucked relentlessly at the air, hoping to catch some part of Nicole or press against something to give me some relief.

"Empress, plea—ah!" My words became strangled with my gasping moan when I felt a sudden tightness choke my aching cock.

Even though she's put me in the Amazon position so many times now, my body still fought it initially out of habit.

As she rocked her hips and fucked me, I felt something else along with her thrusts. A light tap, right against my ass. It was something semi-hard, but it didn't feel like a whip or a flogger.

Before I could ask her what it was, the feeling of her fingers spreading lube and toying with my backdoor distracted my mind. "You ready to really get fucked, little lion?" I could hear the devious edge to her voice.

The hell did she me–

The pitched, strangled, whimpering moan that escaped my mouth was definitely a sound I did not think my body could make.

I couldn't get a single word out between my jagged breaths as I struggled to adjust to the sudden penetration that stretched me wide like never before, and the depth in which the object slid into me was what caught me off guard.

This wasn't a small toy or a plug; it was way too big and long.

Fuck, did she…?

"Shh." Her soft kisses fell upon my gasping face as her hands stroked my body lovingly. "Breathe. You're taking it so well." Surprisingly, my body responded to her soothing words. "Deep breaths, babe, nice deep breaths for me."

They weren't smooth, but I managed to strain out some deep breaths for her. "More of a warning next time would be nice," I lightly snapped—playfully, of course—at her after I got a better grip on myself.

A cheery but devious giggle shook from Nicole's body. "You would have clenched if I told you I'd shove a dildo up your ass," she retorted. "You feeling okay, though?"

Oh, now she asks.

My eyes rolled along with my sarcastic thoughts, and I let out a small scoff as I relaxed on the couch. "Just give me a few more seconds to adjust," I replied in a small voice, feeling a little embarrassed about the situation a little.

Learning to accept our dynamic was one thing, but getting fucked by my girlfriend was another. This probably wasn't the time to be reflecting on it all, but having a dildo shoved into my ass was a new limit we were testing. It wasn't breaking me or anything; I just wasn't expecting it!

"Let me know when I can move," she told me between her peppering kisses along my body. "You look so wonderful right now, though, so fucking hot." Her hot words fanned against my chest with her soft chuckle. "Feels so good to be connected to you like this. Your cock in my cunt while I reward you for being a good boy by fucking your ass." Her excitement slipped through with some small thrusts—she probably couldn't help herself.

I couldn't see what she meant, but the image painted in my mind by her words got me shuddering and bucking my hips at her. "Fuck, you're so crazy for even thinking and planning something like this." Breathing deeply, I shifted my hips a bit to make it easier for her to be situated over me. "Don't go too fast. I'm still adjusting."

Her laugh echoed through the air, causing goosebumps to wash down my shivering body. "Honey, I just rammed a dildo up your ass. That's about the extent of my evilness today to you," she assured me with a rather hearty giggle before I felt her body slowly ease off until she was almost off my cock.

Gritting my teeth, I squeezed her hips to still her. The feeling of her tight walls working the length of my cock paired with the feeling of the dildo stimulating my sensitive ass was more overwhelming than I anticipated. "Slow, please," I reminded her in a pleading voice.

Keeping my hands on her in case I needed her to stop, I softly nudged her to continue. Then, I felt her lower herself back down on me with a low moan that blended in with mine. "Shit… I don't know how long I can hold back if this is how good it feels." And here I thought that vibrators were my worst enemies.

"You and me both." Nicole's breathy moan barely made it through the pounding in my ears. "I've never been so stuffed before," she strained out between her heavy breaths.

My hands never left her hips as her pace picked up slowly. Hanging onto her was more for comfort and ease of mind the more lost I became to the endless waves of pleasure crashing against my body.

"Shit!" I strained a groan through gritted teeth at the feeling of her cunt squeezing the life out of my cock. "Fuck, zhizn moya , if you—shit!" It wasn't even a second before I felt her squeeze me again with her next orgasm when she bottomed out on me.

"Sorry, too good, can't help it," she moaned happily as her hips jerked out of rhythm.

"Empress, if you don't stop coming, you're going to make me lose it." I could only take so much more before I completely lost it.

It was already taking so much out of me not to bust my load and paint her insides with my cum. God, she'd probably get out everything so easily with how filled she was with the added dildo.

Unfortunately, Nicole had other ideas.

The only warning I got to brace myself was the feeling of Nicole pressing my legs toward my chest more before the hard thrusts literally slammed into me, knocking my breath away for a split second. I didn't even get a chance to warn her about my release—it just came.

Immense pleasure consumed me like a raging inferno when my climax hit. Whatever shred of sanity and clarity I had burned away as I let myself be used by Nicole. It was so much. I could feel myself become overly stimulated to where my emotions went haywire. My body and mind didn't know how to begin processing all the stimulation that wrecked me all at once.

A painful ache tightened at my sobbing body following a second release that slammed into me out of nowhere like some derailed train. "Nicole! I can't!" I barely recognized my own voice because of how vulnerable and broken I sounded. "It's too much… I can't—"

Nicole shut me up with a deep and adoring kiss as her hips slowed to a stop. "Shh, breathe. It's okay. You are okay." Her soft voice was so loud to my sensitive ears.

Pulling out and off of me completely, she laid down on the couch next to me and held me tenderly. Nuzzling my head into her face, she stroked the back of my head with her dexterous fingers. "You did so well, so fucking good." Her lips soothed my forehead with kisses as she continued to speak, "I am so proud of you for being able to take all of that. You have no idea. Then, to fill me twice, I can't thank you enough, my good little lion."

I was a silent and tearful mess for a long while before I could recollect myself enough to fully process the life-changing sex we had. Somewhat shell-shocked still, I tried to voice my thoughts in hopes of easing the tension that threatened to snap in me, "That was…" I was at a loss for words.

Flashing an understanding smile, Nicole brushed her thumb against the seam of my lips. "Intense? Overwhelming? Shocking? A lot?" She offered some options with softening eyes. "It's okay. It was a lot, so just take your time to process it." Kissing my nose, her face brightens with a widening smile. "Don't force yourself to dance if you're not ready. I will be here, waiting and ready."

An appreciative spark warmed my body as I looked at my empress in awe. Just how on earth did I end up with an amazing woman like her? How patient Nicole was with me and our whole relationship would never cease to amaze me. Honestly, she was a saint in her own twisted way.

"Thank you." It was all I could manage out as I held her back and eased myself into her presence.

Playing with my hair, she hummed softly in response. "You don't have to thank me for anything, my little lion. I'm only giving you all the attention and love you've always deserved."

Cracking a quick smile, I leaned up and kissed her chastely. "I love you, Nicole, so much." I knew those three words would never be enough to fully express the never-ending devotion and intimacy I felt for her from the depths of my soul.

Pressing her own smile against my lips, she whispered, "I love you too, Lev, so much that my heart explodes with happiness with just the thought of you." Kissing me deeply, she let her hands cup my face.

Breaking the kiss, Nicole sucked in a deep breath as she kept her forehead against mine. Slowly, her eyes twinkled with curiosity as they trailed off to the side a little bit.

An involuntary shudder shook my body when Nicole pressed her fingertip against the top of my facial scar and traced it down my face. "How did you get this scar exactly?" she asked tentatively, her wary eyes searching mine for a response.

Placing my hand over hers, I held it against my face for a moment before my mouth moved. "The short answer, my father." I dryly chuckled at the sight of her flat glare. "But you want the full story, I know."

Before more words could come out, Nicole's finger shushed me. "Let me get you cleaned up and fed a little before you start," she told me with a soft kiss, slipping away from me for a moment before returning with an armful of water bottles, snacks, and washcloths.

Sitting next to me, she sits me up a little and makes me hydrate myself before leaning me back against the couch. "Go ahead and tell me while I get you cleaned up," she urged me with a warm smile before the slight chill of the washcloth touched my body.

Taking a deep breath, I reached out and played with a strand of her hair to help keep me distracted enough so that I wouldn't slip into some angry haze. "It was about ten years ago when I was around twenty-five or so," I started, pausing for a second as I felt a slow burn nag my chest. "I was at home with my mother that day because I was too injured from an assignment the night before to go to work."

Everything around me slowly faded back to the day the further I dove into the story. "My mother babied me the whole day, fretting over me and making me eat and drink her concoctions that she always swore by. Overall, it was a normal day for us." An unconscious smile pulled at my muscles. "We even got to tend to the garden and pick some apples that day to make apple tarts later that night for dessert."

A stinging pressure spread across my face when I let myself get lost in the memory. Nostalgia twisted at my heart, and the darkness of truth snuck in. "I was helping her set the table when my father came through the front door reeking of sex and booze, and I'm pretty sure he was high, too, because of how crazed his eyes were." Tightly shutting my eyes, I tilted my head up at the ceiling, hoping to keep my tears from spilling. "The state he came in was no surprise to any of us, but the aggressiveness in which he went after my mother was unexpected."

Letting go of Nicole's hair, I covered my scar with my hand, pressing hard against it in response to the phantom pain flaring. "There was no warning. He walked up at her while yapping at her, bitching about everything in the world and about us, then he laid his hands on her." Shaking my head, I had to pause for a moment to take some calming breaths. "Usually, we'd be able to see it coming, but there weren't any signs of escalation like all the other times. One second, he was running his mouth, spitting everywhere like a disgusting bastard, and the next, he was throwing my mother across the table."

Though years ago, the sound of the plates and cups shattering by our heads and feet rang so clearly that I could've mistaken it happening right now. The whish and whizz of the wind would hit my face before the sharp shards flew and scratched at my flesh. Feeling the soft brush of air from the air conditioning in the room made me flinch because my mind was pulled back to the day, and I honestly thought it was another plate flying by me.

If it weren't for the sight of Nicole, then I might have let myself be immersed in the flashback. Seeing her strong and beautiful face was the breath of fresh air I needed to drag myself back to the present. "My father eventually approached us and threw me aside to strike my mother with a broken bottle, but I shielded her with my own body in the nick of time."

My fingers dragged themselves along my scar, causing a shiver to roll down my body. "The bottle caught me, leaving a deep wound that probably won't ever disappear." My vision in my left eye was never the same after that night, either. I wasn't completely blind or anything, but the difference between my left and right eye was pretty stark.

A sad but grateful smile curved at Nicole's lips as she stroked my face, giving my scar a little more attention than usual. "Thank you for telling me, Lev." She sounded proud, making me puff my chest out a little at the satisfied feeling welling up inside of it.

Taking her hand, I kissed it with a smile. "Thank you for being patient with me, for not pushing me until I was ready, and for staying with me despite how difficult I am as a person." I mean, I wasn't the worst person to be with compared to a lot, but I knew I was a huge pain in the ass still.

Giggling, Nicole leaned up and kissed me longingly. "It should be me thanking you for not running away from my crazy ass and learning to love all my strangeness." She rebutted, laughing softly as she pinched my cheek. "Seriously, I thought for sure you would have run off after I chloroformed your ass and marked you," she reminded me with a hearty laugh that lasted a short second before her face turned saccharine. "Not that I would have let you because, ya know, you are mine and all."

"There's my little psycho empress," I mused with a chuckle.