Shattered Crown: A Dark Mafia Age Gap Romance (Kozlov Empire Book 4)

“Everything is set up for the wine auction in New York,’ Nadya reports, her voice business-like as she trails me through the halls of the mansion.

I nod, only half listening, my mind preoccupied with one thing. My wife.

Last night’s dinner, seeing the mayor’s hands on her, that kiss. That fucking kiss. And then this morning, the burning hate in her eyes when she woke in my arms as she came down from a nightmare.

It’s been one hell of a twenty-four hours, and all I need is a stiff drink and a hard fuck, but it looks like neither is coming my way.

After I spent the night pummeling any opponent that dared step into the ring with me, I made the snap decision to put our forged Romanée-Conti up for auction in New York. It’s an excuse to get out of Moscow, but more than that, it’s an excuse to get away from Kira because now that I know how she feels under me, I’m practically tortured with temptation.

It has to stop. Now.

“So, as I was saying, the⁠—”

I open the door to my office, and the sight that greets me is unexpected, to say the least. Kira, clad in her night robe, is sitting at my desk and typing on my computer. That is, until she notices me standing there. Wide and worried eyes lift to meet mine.

I should be angry—she’s clearly doing something she shouldn’t be—but for some reason, I’m more intrigued than infuriated.

“Maxim!” she exclaims, jumping up and attempting to pat down her robe. “I didn’t expect you.”

“No, I bet you didn’t.”

Nadya pushes past me, her voice sharp and accusatory. ‘What do you think you’re doing in here? This is completely unacceptable!’ Anger rolls off of her in waves. She turns to me, expecting me to echo her outrage, but I remain silent.

Not because I don’t think Kira is out of line, but because I don’t want Nadya around when I question my wife. That pleasure is mine and mine alone.

Kira’s eyes dart nervously from me to Nadya and back again. She bites her lip but smartly decides to remain silent.

“It’s fine, Nadya.” I hold up my hand to calm her. “I asked Kira to look into something for me this morning.”

“What?” My assistant whirls around, a puzzled frown creasing her forehead. “But, Maxim, you never⁠—”

“It’s under control. Thank you, you may leave us.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, my tone leaving no room for further discussion.

Reluctantly, she casts one last angry glance at Kira before leaving.

Kira stands there like a trapped deer in headlights, her nerves palpable. ‘I can explain—’ she starts, but I shake my head to stop her.

“Really? Can you do it without lying to me?’ My gaze holds hers.

She swallows hard, the tension in the room thick enough to slice.

“Sit,” I order, pushing out a chair into the middle of the room with my foot.

“I’d rather not.”

In two strides, I close the distance between us and push her down into the seat. She looks up at me, her eyes a turbulent mix of emotions. Bracing two hands on the chair’s arms, I bracket her in, letting her feel the full weight of the moment, the uncertainty of what I might do next. Then, slowly, I position two of my fingers on the pulse point at her neck, sensing the rapid beat beneath my touch.

“Explain yourself,” I command softly. “If you lie, I’ll know it by the speed of your pulse.”

She bites her lip, her chest rising and falling noticeably. My gaze drops, snagging on her delicate throat. Slowly, my eyes continue their descent, until… Jesus. Those tits were nearly my undoing last night. How I would love to suck her nipples until she cried out my name and begged me to slide my dick inside⁠—

“You didn’t come home with me last night,” she begins, her voice barely above a whisper. ‘After everything with the mayor and how you touched me.” She swallows, pulling my attention to her mouth and her delicate throat. And the steady thump of her pulse under my fingertips. “I … I was feeling jealous, and I wanted to find out who she is—your mistress.”

I bark out a laugh. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

She licks her lips. “Yes.”

“One, you’ve made it clear you’d rather I fuck anyone but you. Two, the thump of your pulse” — I drag the pad of my finger over her lower neck, smiling to myself when she shivers — “suggests you’re lying.”

“I’m lying? You’re the one who’s full of shit!” Like the defiant little brat she is, she wears her venom on her sleeve. She tries to push me away, but I grab her hands, restraining her delicate wrists with one of my much larger hands. “There is no way in hell that feeling my pulse is an effective lie detector.”

Restless lust simmers under my skin like an itch just out of reach. “It’s not,” I admit, “but it was fun to pretend.’

She softens her features and attempts a conciliatory tone. “Let’s forget about this. Your office wasn’t locked, and your computer literally has no passwords. Obviously, you’re not concerned about privacy, so I assumed there was nothing here you were trying to hide.”

I smirk at her naïveté. This computer is a showpiece. It’s where I play solitaire, schedule squash games. This sanitized, harmless machine is what they’ll seize if there’s ever an investigation into the country’s billionaires. I’m confident Kira didn’t learn anything of importance, but she was certainly after something.

“I have my reasons, and none of them concern you. What should concern you is how I’m going to extract the truth from you.”

“And what will you do?” Her voice is throaty. If I didn’t know better, I’d think there was excitement in her eyes rather than fear.

“You’ll just have to wait and see.” I release her hands and place my two fingers back on her pulse point.

Fuck. My wife likes this game we’re playing.

She lifts her head, and I don’t miss her half-lidded gaze, nor the way her nipples have hardened to peaks beneath her thin robe.

My cock throbs in response. “One more chance to tell the truth, lastochka.”

She glares back. “I’ll take the punishment.”

“That’s not an option.”

She blinks up at me as the tip of her pink tongue dances out of her mouth to wet her parted lips.

Fuck me, there’s only so much a man can take, especially when that sexy mouth is level with my crotch.

“Get up.” I wrench her up by her hair, and God help me, instead of a cry it elicits a little moan. How did she go from shooting me death looks this morning to practically wrapping her lips around my dick?

A sudden thought surfaces—she’s using sex to distract me. She knows I’m weak for her. After last night, the whole city knows I’m weak for her. I can’t believe I fell into her trap, but now I’m in dangerous territory. She’s a liar, and instead of throwing her in the dungeon, I’d rather teach her a lesson on her knees.

Hand still wrapped around her silky strands, I force in a deep lungful of air. “Last chance to come clean,” I rasp, not bothering to hide my arousal pressing tightly against her.

Perhaps we have a different definition of coming clean. Because Kira rises to her tiptoes, parts her lush mouth, and drags her tongue over my lips.

‘Kira,’ I growl in warning, our breaths mingling.

She’s manipulating me, but that realization isn’t enough for me to stop this. Not when my need for her is seeping out of my pores.

She’s about to speak, but I know the only words to come from her will be lies so I don’t let her talk.

My thumb hooks into her mouth, and I pull her lower lip down with a sensual tug. “You don’t get it, do you? This mouth is the fucking bane of my existence. Not only because it’s always sassing me but because it’s so fucking sexy. I’ve had detailed fantasies about plundering it with my tongue, my cock, even my fingers…”

I slide my thumb between her lips—she twirls her tongue around it, drawing it in deeply. A low groan escapes me, followed by a sharp ‘Fuck!’ as I press my arousal against her. Delicious tension builds, and although one of us should be the responsible adult, it won’t be me. I’m beyond saving. The brief taste of her in the limo only fueled my desire.

My cell buzzing in my pocket snaps me back to reality—the reality that she’s a cunning little liar, searching for dirt on me, playing detective in a world she barely understands.

I pull away from her inviting mouth and eager tongue, my breaths coming in heated pants. She blinks up at me as if emerging from a trance.

“Don’t think this means you’re off the hook,” I manage to say.

Her lips press together, still maintaining her silence. The most likely explanation is that she’s gathering information about my business to pass on to her brothers. Whatever her motive, I’m determined to uncover it. She won’t be out of my sight until I figure out her true intentions.

“By the way, you better get packing. We leave for our honeymoon tomorrow.”

She freezes, her narrowed eyes meeting mine. ‘Honeymoon? That was just a story for the press.’

I step back from her and straighten my tie, then adjust my cufflinks. It feels like I’m coming down from a drug high.

“I have business in New York, and there’s not a chance in hell I’m leaving you here alone.” So much for getting a break from her—I’m going to be glued to her fucking side. “We leave for New York first thing in the morning.”