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

I’m so full.” Kira moans as she drags the last dumpling on her plate through the remnants of sour cream and pops it between her luscious lips, her eyes fluttering shut in satisfaction.

“They are excellent,” I say, unable to tear my eyes away when her tongue darts out the side of her mouth, chasing a dollop of sour cream.

Good God, that mouth. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing her lips wrapped around my cock, but damn, I’m ready.

Her eyes flutter open, shining with contentment, and something in me softens.

“I know it’s good. It’s my aunt’s recipe. Literally the only thing that woman was able to cook.”

At Kira’s suggestion, we settled on the floor near the coffee table to eat. With the meal over, I shift back onto the couch, drawing her with me so she nestles against my front. She sighs happily against my body, and a slow realization hits—I like having her close.

“I can’t imagine Masha cooking,” I admit, testing the waters of discussing her aunt in life, not in death.

Kira is quiet for a while, drawing circles on my wrist, before she finally responds, “How well did you know her?

“Not all that well. She was an acquaintance.” I shrug. “You know how it is in Moscow—we ran in some of the same circles. We’d bump into each other at parties and such. I remember her swanning around the room in bright dresses and cornering any minister whose policies she disagreed with. She was fearless. That’s why when we first met, I said you remind me of her.”

“I remember that,” Kira says, her head nestling into my chest. “It was when we were walking in your vineyard a few days after you abducted Alyona and me.”

“Are you still bitter about that?” I tease.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I still object to your methods, but if things hadn’t played out like they did, I wouldn’t be here. And you wouldn’t be helping me track down my aunt’s killer.”

“True,’ I concede with a nod. ‘Now, tell me what you remember about your aunt.’

“I don’t know where to start. My father dumped me in her arms as a newborn, and instead of telling him to go to hell—as I’m sure she wanted to because Masha disliked my father as much as anyone else—she realized if she did, then I would have no fighting chance of a decent future. My father would have left me at the next orphanage without a second thought. He never really wanted me—he wanted to ruin the Kozlovs.” She sighs deeply, and I feel it in my chest. “The funny thing is, I’m not sure Masha wanted children. She was made for glamorous parties, runway shows, weekends in Paris, and sailing through the Greek Isles.” Her voice carries a hint of a smile. “Still, she raised me with all the love any mother would offer.”

‘Did your aunt ever reveal the truth about your lineage? About who your mother and brothers really were?’ I ask, brushing her hair with my lips.

“No. She either didn’t know it herself, or she chose not to tell me because she knew I would confront my father and he wouldn’t take kindly to that.” She shakes her head “I only discovered the Kozlovs were my brothers when I had a gun pointed at them, demanding they help me bring down my father. You should’ve seen the shock on their faces. They’d been looking for me all this time.’

I kiss her on the head. “I’m glad you found them when you did. You deserve a family that loves you.” Kira deserves more than a family that loves her—she deserves a man that worships her, that puts her above all else. If I still had a heart left in my chest, that could be me. Because I see how amazing she is—smart, capable, a fighter. But I’m too broken to give myself to any woman again.

She looks up at me as if she can hear my thoughts. “So do you.”

Pain unfurls in my chest. My past is as tragic as hers. The only difference is that I’ve locked it away, never to be looked at again. “I have my family. They aren’t blood relations, but Pavel and Roman are my brothers.”

“And you have Alyona,” Kira murmurs.

“Alyona is my blood, but I doubt she’ll ever consider me her family.” I say that with no bitterness. When I discovered I had a daughter, little else mattered. I wanted the best for her, to keep her safe, even if it meant she hated me for a time. I believed she would come around. But now, I’m not so sure.

“Give her time,” Kira says gently and then with a sly grin, “Did you really think threatening her would work?”

I shrug. “My methods are persuasive, if not wise.” Gathering Kira’s hair in my hands, I tilt her head, exposing her neck to me. “Did you honestly believe you would be able to kill me?”

“Yes,” she says with absolutely no hesitation.

I kiss up her neck, enjoying the little breathy moans she releases.

“I was going to stab you in your sleep.”

I nip her earlobe. “It’s like that, huh. What would you have done afterwards? How would you have hidden my body?”

“Uhh, hadn’t thought that far,” she admits.

Or maybe she has, but my prominent erection digging into her ass might be distracting her. I suck and bite on her neck, loving how she’s losing control in my arms.

“That’s not much of a plan, lastochka. You would have been killed by my men on the spot. Or worse.” Unease presses down on my chest. The thought of Kira hurt or in danger twists my insides.

“I was prepared to die.” She turns in my arms, straddles my lap, and starts kissing and licking her way up my neck.

The feel of her soft lips and warm tongue on my skin is a fierce turn-on, but I’m still stuck on what she just said.

I gently pull away from her. “No.”

“No?”

“No. I don’t care what your reason is, you’re not allowed to risk your life again.”

Kira looks at me like I’ve half-lost my mind.

Maybe I have. Because the thought of something bad happening to her feels like a vice tightening around my heart. Which is a problem. Because no matter how she makes me feel, a real marriage is not in the cards for me.

“You can’t forbid me to get hurt or die.” She reaches up and threads her fingers through my hair before trailing them down my neck, eliciting a groan from me. “These things happen,” she adds quietly.

I hold her face so she can’t look anywhere else except directly at me. “I can, and I will.”

She snorts. “Do you have the grim reaper on your payroll or something?”

“I am the grim reaper,” I tell her. Then I grab both of her ass cheeks and pull her flush against my aching length. “Now, get naked so I can make you feel alive.”

Her fingers hover over the first button of my shirt when my phone starts to buzz. I manage to resist the urge to answer for a solid minute, but when the caller tries again immediately after hanging up, I know it’s urgent.

‘What is it?’ I snap into the receiver, seeing Pavel’s name on the screen.

“The Black Company hit one of our shipments in Vladivostok an hour ago. We’re trying to make contact with our men on the scene. So far, no luck.”

“Gavno,” I curse.

This day is back to being a fucking nightmare, just when I thought it was about to get a lot better. I desperately need to taste Kira again, to have her sit on my face while choking on my dick. But that will have to wait.

“I’ll call you back from the office,” I say to Pavel, then hang up the phone.

“Is everything okay?” Kira raises an eyebrow.

“The usual. More shit I have to deal with.” I roll down my sleeves and reach for my suit jacket. “This will take a while.”

She nods and sits back on her haunches. “You know, I might be able to help. The Kozlov Bratva has come up against a triad before. I have knowledge about how they work.”

I stand, shrugging my suit jacket onto my shoulders. Not much I can do about the raging hard-on. “I know you’re smart and capable, but I don’t want to get you caught up in my syndicate’s drama. Sometimes the less you know, the better.”

“Back to this ‘delicate lady’ act? As if I can’t handle more,” she scoffs.

I lean forward, brushing my lips softly against hers. “Please, let me protect you from all the bullshit.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Guess I’ll go back to the room and get myself off tonight since you won’t be around to do the job.” The look she flashes me is pure evil.

I grip her wrists in one hand and lift her chin with my other. “What did we discuss earlier? Your pussy is mine, and you’re not allowed to touch yourself without my permission.”

She pouts. “I think that rule is bullshit.”

“I’m serious—there will be hell to pay if you touch yourself below the belt tonight. Don’t think I won’t be watching. There are cameras everywhere,” I warn her.

“Or you could let me be part of your meeting. My brothers always did. They valued my opinions. You might too.”

I firm my voice. “I do value your opinion, but it’s not happening.” I know she’s capable, but I can’t bear the thought of her getting caught up in my tarnished world, even if it’s the world she comes from. I want better for her. “I need to go now. Don’t disobey me or I’ll be forced to take action.”

“Again with the spanking? I thought you’d be a little more creative.”

Jesus, my wife is a brat.

“I’m plenty creative. Don’t test me to see.” Kissing her on the head, I leave the room with the distinct feeling that she has no plans to heed my warning.

“What do we know?” I bark as soon as I enter the office.

Konstantin has already set up a conference call with Roman, Pavel, and Viktor.

Pavel is the first one to speak. “They blew up our transport truck as it was coming out of the port. It only contained empty bottles and labels, but it will put our production behind by at least a week. All three of our men were killed on-site.”

My fists clench on the desk in front of me. “How did they find out about our shipment?”

Viktor clears his throat. “One of our port guys was bought out. We found the digital trail showing he tipped off the Black Company about our shipment.’ There’s a pause. “He was killed in a shootout with our soldiers, but we’re hacking into his phone to see if we can ID his Black Company contact.”

I slam my hand down onto the desk. ‘Fuck.’

I’m already on a short fuse. I should be buried inside Kira’s tight little cunt now, not managing this mess.

“I might have something to warm your cold heart,” Roman offers.

“What is that?”

“We’ve captured Leung, the Black Company operative that turned Henri Blanchet. Caught him on the CCTV at Teatralnaya Station and figured out he has a flat nearby. He’s being transported to the warehouse as I speak.”

“That does warm my heart.” I crack my knuckles, grateful that I don’t surround myself with total idiots. “Start questioning him tonight. The sooner we know the Black Company’s plans, the better. I’ll fly back to Moscow tomorrow.”

“We’re on it,” Pavel assures me.

The conversation moves on with Roman and Pavel talking about the measures they’re enacting to contain the Black Company’s damage, but my mind keeps wandering into the next room.

Is Kira behaving, or is she purposely disobeying me?

I pull out my phone and open the encrypted app that shows me all camera angles in the penthouse suite. It’s the first thing we do whenever we’re in a new location. At first, I can’t locate Kira anywhere in our bedroom, and a small prick of panic builds. But soon enough, I find her luxuriating in the giant tub in the en suite.

I smile. She looks relaxed and comfortable, bubbles up to her neck. She’s being a good girl.

As I’m about to put away my phone, something catches my attention. Something about her facial expression, the way her mouth hangs open. When she releases a little gasp, I zoom in closer, but I don’t have a good enough angle to see what she’s doing.

“Maxim, what’s our timeline for that?” Roman’s voice carries through the speakerphone.

My head snaps up. I have no idea what he asked me, but I don’t bother making him clarify.

“Yesterday,” I say.

There’s a beat of hesitation, and Roman chuckles. “I see.”

My gaze must be scorching the phone as I attempt to decipher Kira’s body language. That’s when she tosses her head back, a display of obvious pleasure. That isn’t the expression of a woman luxuriating in a hot bath; it’s the look of a woman touching what’s mine.

There’s shit to do. Serious matters to take care of. I shouldn’t be pulled into Kira’s little game, but I can’t fucking help it.

Slipping the phone into my pocket, I stand and announce, “There’s a situation that needs my immediate attention.”

Stalking out of the room, I make a beeline for the bathroom. Throwing the door open without knocking, I find Kira looking straight at me, mischief in her gaze and no hands in sight.

“What are you doing?” I ask deceptively casually, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe.

“Taking a bath.” Her eyes close, and she lets out a little moan. “What does it look like?”

“It looks like you’re disobeying me, lastochka.”

A slow grin builds on her face. “I’m not using my fingers. I’m using the water jets. I don’t believe you specified that that wasn’t allowed.”

“All of your orgasms are mine to give or deny. Maybe I should have made myself clearer.”

“Why would you deny me?” Her adorable eyebrows knit together. “Are you going to spank me again?”

“You’re about to find out.” I stalk over to her, stripping off my jacket, tie, and dress shirt, dropping them on the ground as I walk. I let her enjoy the view, drinking me in.

Bending so my lips are right by her ear, I say, “You’re a greedy girl. You already came once tonight, but I see that wasn’t enough.”

Her eyes are wide, watching me as I slowly dip my hand under the water. Her rapt gaze gives me a little thrill.

“Have you been playing with my pussy?”

She nods, not looking the tiniest bit contrite.

“Spread your legs,” I demand.

She does, but it’s not enough.

“More,” I say, slapping the inside of her thigh. My fingertips brush between her legs, my breath warming the skin of her neck. I sweep my thumb between her slick folds until I find her clit, circling it with an expert touch, allowing her a taste of pleasure.

“Is that nice?” I whisper.

“Yes,” she breathes, her eyes closed.

My lips ghost over hers before I suck in her bottom lip. I give it a little tug with my teeth, and a copper taste fills my mouth. She cries out, digging her fingers into my shoulders, releasing a moan into my mouth as I lap up the blood from her lips.

She’s close, I can tell. But I’m not going to make this easy for her. I keep stroking her clit under the water and plundering her mouth with my tongue.

“I need to taste you again. Don’t you remember how good it feels with my tongue buried inside of you?”

She doesn’t answer, just squirms, chasing her orgasm on my fingers. Her hips writhe under the water as her orgasm builds. It’s going to happen soon.

I pull my hand out of the tub and sit back, watching her eyes shoot open, and she looks at me like I’ve stolen the last piece of her favorite candy.

“Noooo. I was so close,” she breathes.

“I told you, baby, your orgasms are mine to bestow or deny. And I’ve decided to deny you.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I think you know why. Now, out of the tub,” I order.

She tips her chin up in defiance, and for a moment I think she’s going to challenge me, but for once she doesn’t push the issue. She stands up straight, water sluicing down her body, between her full breasts with perfectly pink nipples, continuing to her curved stomach and juicy thighs. I have to adjust my rapidly hardening cock.

The way she stands there with a self-satisfied smile, allowing me to drink in every inch of her, reminds me of the night I doused her in ice water and made her change in front of me. That clearly didn’t teach her a lesson about disobeying me, but I hope this does.

“Dry yourself, and get on the bed,” I rasp.

She grabs a towel, quickly passing it over every inch of pale, smooth skin. I’d love to see it covered in my bite marks, but that can wait. Tonight is about teaching her a lesson.

She lies down on the mattress, watching me with big, curious eyes as I reach for a few of my silk ties resting on the nightstand. First, I bind her wrists together above her head. Then I tie a quick, tight knot around one ankle and then stretch the tie to the corresponding bedpost, looping it multiple times before securing it with a tight knot. I repeat the same action with the other ankle.

I step back to check my handiwork, my breaths coming out in ragged pants as I take her in, spread-eagle, the view of her dripping cunt nearly making me come in my pants.

Does she know how every little thing about her turns me on? Kira is a fascinating mix of vulnerable and confident, seductive and innocent. Which makes me wonder something.

Positioning myself between her thighs, I ease down until my abdomen presses against the bed. “How many men have touched this?” I ask, trailing a finger over her slit.

She shivers. “What do you mean?”

“How many men have touched what’s mine?”

Instead of responding, she makes a futile attempt to roll aside before realizing escape is not an option.

“Kira,” I say in warning.

“I … I don’t know. I don’t keep track of shit like that.”

“Good. Forget anyone who came before me. Your body is Belov property now, and no one dares mess with what’s mine.”

I push my shoulders under her thighs, bringing her up to my mouth and plunging my tongue in her cunt, feasting like a starved man. I don’t have it in me to go slow. In fact, if I was on death row, Kira’s pussy would be my last meal request.

She closes her eyes and throws her head back with a sigh. The look of intense pleasure on her face is perfect.

“No one has ever done this to you before, have they?” I ask between swiping my tongue over her beautiful clit.

“You did, the other day.” She can barely get the words out. They spill from her lips stilted and breathless.

“And I was your first,” I clarify, flicking and circling her clit with my tongue.

“No. But the only one worth remembering.” She cries out, clearly done with this conversation.

“Good,” is that last thing I say before I go absolutely feral on her. Sucking her clit into my mouth with long, gentle pulls and plunging two fingers, palm up, into her sweet pussy, curling them in a come-hither motion, stimulating her G-spot so she loses complete control.

“Holy shit, Maxim.” Kira shudders, and she thrashes at her restraints.

She’s about to come. I can feel how ready she is, but I won’t allow it.

I run my tongue between her folds a final time, savoring the taste of her pussy. Then, I pull away.