Miles for love series bo.., p.53
Miles for Love Series Box Set, page 53
“I had to ask their permission, Malloriya.” He says, like it’s as natural as tying your shoes before going for a run.
“Did they freak out?”
He shakes his head and answers calmly. “No. Not at all. They gave their blessing.”
“You’re kidding.” I bark.
A ‘v’ forms between his brows. “No. It is not a joke, malishka.”
His eyes are so sincere. I kiss him softly. Then I look at the ring. It is a white gold band with a square cut diamond, probably half a carat, and small, crushed diamonds around the band. It’s so beautiful, especially under the restaurant lights. “So when do you want to get married? Before the baby comes, or after?”
“I would like to get married before the baby comes. What do you think?” he asks honestly.
I smile, thinking to myself. “If we get married before Larissa, she’s going to die.”
That gets a laugh. “Well, we have a baby on the way, Malloriya. She will understand.”
“Or die of jealousy.” I say, admittedly, I can’t help feeling a little vengeful with the idea of beating her to the altar.
He chuckles, and then he kisses my temple. “I was thinking that we could get married in Riga, and you could then apply for dual citizenship. You can rent your house while you and Henry move to Riga with me, give it some time, see if you and Henry are happy there, and if not, you can move back to America to your house.” He closes his eyes, blinking tightly. “Believe me, Malloriya, I would do anything to move out here with you and Henry, but I cannot, without giving up my career. I do not think that would be healthy for either of us. Also, your job is remote, yes?”
I nod. It pains him to say that he can’t move to America. He doesn’t want to inconvenience me, and I love him for it.
“I thought about Brent and how he would react.” Aleks adds. “But now that he is gone back to Afghanistan, the point is moot, no?”
“Well, I still have to get his permission to go and bring Henry.”
“Do you think he will have a problem?”
I consider it for a moment. “Not as long as I can bring him home to see him when he’s on leave.”
“Then it is no problem.” He says. “As long as he does not inconvenience Henry with school.” He smiles. “I do not want to pressure you, malishka, but I would like to get married soon, so I already booked the church. That little one in Olde Town that you love so much.”
My face lights up. He continues. “It will have to be a small wedding there. Does that suit you?”
I shake my head. “Oh, I despise large weddings. Larissa is having one, and frankly, it’s a pain in the ass.”
That gets a chuckle. “Okay, good. See? What did I tell you, liybimaya? I said that everything will work out.”
“I’ll listen to you more often.” I kiss him, letting it linger. The waitress arrives, delivering our food.
“Congratulations.” She says. “I hear that you’re getting married.”
“Yes, thank you.” We both say.
“Dessert is on the house. Anything you want.” She smiles before leaving us. We look at each other and smile. Aleks starts with a veggie stick. He dips it in sauce and feeds it to me.
“Mmm…see, now you get to taste the food from my hometown.”
Eying the beer-battered chicken wings, he says. “I think I am going to like it. But I will also get fat.”
“Not with what I have planned for later.” I say, feeding him a piece of chicken.
He laughs. “Oh, malishka. I have missed your humor most of all.”
A half hour later, we are feeding each other dessert: cheesecake tarts. “My God, malishka. What food you have here.” He gushes. “I will get so fat!”
“You’ll work it off.” I wink.
He laughs again. “I do not have any equipment here. This will be the first time in my life I have not worked out every day.”
“How long can you stay?”
“I have a week of leave time.”
“I have some stuff at home. And we have a great gym here, too. We can go together.”
Shortly after, we take a cab home. Aleks is starting to look tired. “Do you want to go lie down for a while? You’re looking awfully jetlagged.”
“No, I am fine, malishka.”
Henry runs to the door when we walk in. The look on Aleks’s face is priceless. “Moi Horoshiy!” he says. Henry looks at him like he just asked him to go kiss a girl.
Aleks smiles, kneeling to Henry’s level. Aleks is a giant compared to him. “It means ‘my good boy’. Do not worry. I will teach you lots of Russian. And your mama, too.”
Henry tries to repeat what Aleks said. Aleks helps him with proper pronunciation.
As if I thought my heart couldn’t swell any more…
Larissa gives me a knowing look. “Well?”
Lifting my left hand, I show her the ring. She looks at it and then peers over at Aleks, who is watching Henry play with his remote-control car.
“Nice taste, Aleks. I told you this was the one.”
He grins at her, and then comes over, placing his hand on my side.
“Congratulations.” She whispers. One eye is on Henry, and God bless her for being respectful. This little man is going to have a lot to deal with in the weeks to come, and she knows it. She smiles and kisses me on both cheeks, and then does the same to Aleks. “I’ll let you guys go and do your thing. Aleks, your luggage is upstairs.”
“Oh, thank you so much.” He says, and he gives her a half hug.
“Thanks for watching him for us.” I say to Larissa, watching her walk out the door. She gives me a wink. “Call me.”
Chapter 32
Aleks
Part of me was afraid that Mallorie would say no to my proposal of marriage. A man is always a bit nervous, I think. Especially under our circumstances. This woman is my life, and now she will be mine for life, and I will be hers. The happiness in me when she started running to me, I can never describe. It was unexpected and wonderful. Yes, I cried a little bit. When I am with her, I tend to wear my heart on my shirtsleeves.
The ring was a bit of a challenge. Mallorie does not wear much jewelry, so I was not sure of her taste. Larissa was very helpful with that, since Mallorie helped her pick out her own engagement ring. Mallorie even went with her to try some on, which is how she knew what size Mallorie is. This made my job so much easier. I truly owe Larissa one for all her help.
Little Henry is such a cute kid. He is very smart. By the time we put him to bed, he had already learned how to say ‘goodnight’, ‘bed’ and ‘I love you’ in Russian. This put Mallorie’s mind at ease, since she is a little bit worried about him having to learn a whole new language.
“Kids are like sponges, Malloriya.” I tell her as we get ready for bed. “Ask my mama and she will tell you. At this age, teaching another language is a piece of cake.”
“I sure hope you’re right.” She says, putting Henry’s dirty clothes in the hamper. My suitcase is piled in the corner. I have not had a chance to unpack.
“You will see.” I say, opening my suitcase, pulling my toiletry bag out.
“Do you want a shower or anything? The bathroom is yours if you need it.”
Lifting my arm, I give a test sniff as a joke. “Are you saying that I smell, malishka?”
She smiles, throwing a pillow at me from the bed. I catch it and throw it back at her. Catching it, she tosses it back on the bed, giving up. We are both smiling. “Do you want to play that game with me, Aleks?”
“I do not want to wake Henry.” I say, but in truth, I am nervous to rough house with her now that she is expecting.
“Fine. You’re off the hook…for now.” She lifts a finger in mock defence.
After we brush our teeth and climb into bed, I snuggle in behind her and take in a deep breath. It feels so good to be near her again. Kissing her shoulder, I ask. “Are you feeling better about things now?”
“A little bit.” She admits, cuddling in closer to me. Her rear end is right up against my lap, and I am naked. The proximity is doing things to me. I try to control myself by pushing my butt out further. I do not know how she is feeling, and I do not want to be too presumptuous. My arms slide around her middle, and my hand lands just below her navel. “Hard to believe that there’s a baby in there now.” She says, and I smile against her shoulder.
“Um hm.” I kiss her skin. “It will not be long before we can feel it move inside.”
“I started feeling Henry at around fourteen weeks or so. Maybe more. He was an active little critter.”
“As he is now. He is one heck of a baseball player.”
She snuffles a laugh. “You wait. He goes back on Wednesday night. You’ll get to see how much preparation it takes to get him ready. He gets so excited it takes an hour to get him out the door.”
I chuckle against her skin, kissing down her shoulder. Her nightshirt is soft cotton with spaghetti straps. As she turns over, her leg drapes over my hip, as she brings her face close enough to kiss me. “I think Henry’s asleep.” She whispers.
Drawing in a deep breath, I kiss her forehead. “I will have to get used to having a little boy in the house.”
“He’s pretty good once he’s asleep. Unless he has a bad dream, or he doesn’t feel well.” Her lips find mine, and she gives me a long, soft, lingering kiss.
“Mmmm…” I murmur, trying to let her know that I enjoyed the kiss, but trying to stay chaste.
“Are you feeling jetlagged?”
“No. I may feel different tomorrow, but for now I am fine.” I comb my fingers through the hair at the side of her face. “Are you feeling tired?” my voice is a whisper.
“How about I tell you how I’m feeling.” She says as she envelopes her lips with mine. The kiss has enough suction to make a smacking noise when she pulls back.
“You are feeling quite well.” I observe. The salacious tone in my speech is apparent.
Her hand travels from my shoulder, down my pecks, over my nipple, smooths over my abs, and keeps going down past my navel, until she arrives at my growing erection. Involuntarily I breathe in deeply, as I feel all the blood from my body flowing to my hardness, which begins to pulse the moment she wraps her hand around it. Lifting my head, I angle my neck, opening my mouth, sliding my tongue inside her mouth. As our tongues and lips meet, a small moan comes from Mallorie.
Our lips do not break contact as I pull my body over hers, being careful not to lean on her. I just hover. We kiss like lovers, hungrily, as our bodies entwine. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I tuck my hands beneath her, holding her close. Her hands are entangled in my hair as we kiss until we are breathless. Tugging her bottom lip gently with my teeth, I pull away, hovering down to her breasts.
“Aleks, I want you to lay on me. I miss that feeling.” She whispers in the darkness.
I lift my head from her breast. “But I do not want to harm you or the baby, malishka.”
“You won’t baby, I promise.” She says, kissing the top of my head. “I have been pregnant before, Aleks.”
As soon as I lay my body on hers, she moans erotically, pulling me closer by linking her feet together at my back. It takes everything in me not to bury myself in her right now. Her body feels so goddamn good. Her breasts feel fuller, and I am gentle when I suck the nipple.
“God, Aleks…more.” She begs. I lick and suck harder and she arches her back. My cock is twitching, waiting to be inside her. “Yesss…God, how I’ve missed you.” She mewls at my touch.
With her nipples wet and perked, I work back up to her neck, landing at her lips, kissing and sucking them. “Mmm..” she pants hungrily. “God, my hormones are going berserk, Aleks.”
“What can I do, malishka.” I ask breathlessly, trying to keep my voice down. “I am not sure what is…allowed.”
“Everything is allowed, Aleks.” She pants again. “I need you, baby.”
I have never seen her so hungry. I like it. I kiss her without tongue. My voice lowers to a tone which only lovers would use. “You want me to enter you, or do you want me to pleasure you…” I salaciously lick her bottom lip, demonstrating what I would do to her below the belt.
“Mmm….” She mewls. “Oh, God, the dirty talk is so hot, baby.”
“I am very hard for you,” I push my pelvis upward, touching her in the perfect spot.
“Mmm….” She repeats, enjoying the contact and the psychological foreplay, as I slowly, teasingly rub against her clit. Her wetness makes me glide easily. Too easily. Kissing her voraciously, dipping my tongue in deep, it is like she is drinking everything in, like she is so desperate to become one, that I feel guilty making her wait. On my last pass over her clit, I fill her, and she stills, holding her breath. “Ohhh…” she finally says as she releases the breath she was holding.
When I start to move, her fingernails dig into my shoulders. I am slow, filling her completely with every thrust, as I softly, tenderly make love to her. She seems to calm this way, so I kiss her with the same care, as I cup her face with my hands. Taking it all in, she buries her hands in my hair, slightly tugging, as I feel her start to tighten. The contact inside is exquisite. It is like all my nerve endings are alive I feel every inch of her. Being apart from her for so long is starting to show, as my body betrays me despite the fact that I am pacing myself.
Luckily her hormones are taking over. Her legs are beginning to go rigid. Gambling, I move faster, trying not to focus on the fact that I already feel my seed reaching the tip. My breathing goes ragged fast as the blood fights to reach the rest of my organs, while working to keep my hardness engorged.
“Aleks, oh God, it feels so good…” she says like she is confused by the power of us lovemaking again after all this time.
“It feels wonderful, malishka.” I grunt. “I need to come soon. Very soon.” I pant, and it seems like just those words drive her over the edge.
“Ah!” she cries as her legs lock tightly around my waist, and I feel her body convulse around me as her release grabs her and pulls her in like a tidal wave. “Oh…ahhh….mmm….” she pants, ragged breathing on the exhale as she comes, which brings my seed to the tip, shooting out like a cannon inside her. With each of her muscle contractions, she pulls more seed from me, making me cry her name out softly in the darkness.
“Oh…malishka…” I call to her as the bed softly thumps against the wall.
As we breathlessly finish, I set my head beside hers, and hold her tight to me. Her fingers skate up and down my back as we come down from the depths of passion. Lifting my head after a beat, I kiss her neck, collarbone, and then her lips. “That was wonderful, malishka.” I whisper through kisses.
“It was.” She drags her fingers through the sides of my hair, as we both search each other’s eyes. We kiss full on the mouth once, twice, three times, before she says. “I’ve always wanted a husband.” She smiles softly. “We skipped the whole ‘boyfriend, girlfriend’ phase and moved straight to ‘fiance’.”
“Yes,” I agree. “And I have always wanted a wife. And a family. Now I get to have both.” I kiss her again and remove myself from her, and we lay spooning in bed.
The next morning, I hear Henry and Mallorie downstairs. There is a beautiful scent wafting up my nose, and I realize that they are making breakfast. As I pull my shorts on, I walk downstairs, and it is a sight to behold. My fiancé is frying pancakes in her pajamas, over the stove, and my future stepson is standing on a chair, next to Mallorie, mixing the batter. “Good morning.” I say, walking into the kitchen.
Mallorie’s face lights up as she takes a step towards me and kisses me chastely. “Good morning.” Her arms wrap around my middle.
“Good morning.” Henry says politely, very focused on stirring the pancake batter. “Mommy, I think it needs more milk.” He says.
Mallorie hands him the milk and his face lights up. “Mommy! Where did you get that ring!”
With a quick glance at me, Mallorie’s face is red.
“Do you know what an engagement ring is?” I ask him. The look he gives me says clearly that he does not. “It is a ring that a man gives a woman when he asks her to marry him.” I pause, observing his face.
“Did you ask my mommy to marry you?” he clarifies.
“Yes, I did.” A pause. “And then when we get married, she will get a wedding band, which is another ring that she will wear with her engagement ring, and I will wear a matching wedding ring.”
Recognition comes to his face. “So it’s like when Aunt Kayla and Uncle Daniel got married!”
“Yes, exactly.” Mallorie intervenes.
“And are you going to have a baby like they did, too?”
Mallorie looks at me. I know that she is going to cry, so I rescue her. “Yes, you are a very astute boy. Yes, your mama and I are going to have a baby together. You are going to have a brother or a sister soon.” I place my hand on her waist.
“Like…now?” he asks.
Mallorie chuckles and it is contagious. “It will be born in about seven or eight months.” I point at her. “He is brilliant, malishka.” I kiss her temple.
She sniffs back her pending tears and takes a step towards Henry. “Are you okay with that? Mommy and Aleks getting married, and having a brother or a sister?”
He shrugs. “As long as he doesn’t break my cars.”
We both laugh. I am already in love with this kid. Mama will adore him.
“Can I open my present now?” he asks, with a tone noting how long he has waited.
“Sure, buddy. Let me go get it.” Mallorie says, kissing me quickly before she leaves.
As soon as she is out of the room, I take over flipping the pancakes. Henry looks at me. “So, will I have to call you daddy?”
I look at him and grin. “You can call me whatever you like. It is not important right now. My name is Aleks, or Aleksandr, as my mama named me at birth. Did you know that I spell my name with a ‘ks’, not with an ‘x’? That is because in the Russian language, the ‘x’ does not make the same ‘ks’ sound that it does in English.”
