Warrior Alpha (Alpha 6) Read online

  He had to have heard those noises on the roof too, and gone to investigate on his own.

  He was the most arrogant, pig-headed, unreasonable—

  Calling him names wasn’t going to get the job done.

  Daisy climbed warily up the metal stairs until she reached that door at the top, noting the bolt was drawn back before slowly turning the handle and, as expected, finding it was also unlocked.

  Gun still raised as a precaution, she stepped out onto the roof and into a wave of intense heat.

  She was standing in a large, glass-enclosed and tiled area, the heat coming from a sauna at one end and a hot tub at the other.

  An occupied hot tub.

  Daisy’s breath caught in her throat, and her mouth went dry as she stared at Nikolai’s head and naked muscled shoulders and chest visible above the churning water, droplets glistening on his arms draped along the back of the tub. His gun and the knife lay within reach of his right hand.

  Nikolai, not an intruder, must have been the person she’d heard up on the roof earlier, when he came up here to turn on and climb into the hot tub.

  Was he wearing trunks, or would he be completely naked beneath—

  “I think you might have some explaining to do to both Gregori and Lijah if you’ve decided to shoot me yourself.”

  Daisy’s startled gaze moved quickly back to Nikolai’s face. Amusement glittered in his eyes, a mocking smile tilting those sculptured lips.

  He shrugged. “Of course, you might get away with it if you can make it look as if one of Petrov’s men did it.”

  Nikolai was amused. At her expense. And Daisy couldn’t altogether blame him for feeling that way. She must appear ridiculous, standing here in her knee-length robe, her bed-head hair, and with a gun aimed and ready for firing in her hand.

  She allowed her arms to drop to her sides, the gun feeling cold as it rested against the warmth of her thigh.

  It really was hot in here, so much so her hair was starting to curl. The silk of her robe was also starting to stick to the dampness of her back.

  “Or maybe you came up here with the intention of joining me?” Nikolai added softly.

  Joining him? Get into the hot tub with Nikolai? A possibly naked Nikolai?

  Gray eyes glittered with impatience at her continued silence. “Daisy, I suggest you either shoot me or get in here and watch the sunrise with me.”

  “I have no intention of shooting you,” she assured him irritably.

  “Then that would seem to leave joining me and watching the sun rise?” he came back softly.

  The warmth coloring her cheeks owed nothing to the heat in the room and everything to the thought of getting into that hot tub with a naked Nikolai. “I don’t— I’m not— I’m working. It wouldn’t be appropriate,” she said lamely.

  “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”

  A shiver ran down the length of Daisy’s spine as she heard the intimate rumble in Nikolai’s tone. A shiver of caution? Or anticipation? Either way, it wasn’t good.

  Nor did she intend to show any sign of weakness in front of this arrogant and domineering man. A man who had preferred to ignore her existence for most of the night.

  She deliberately strolled over to stand at the side of the hot tub. It was huge, at least four feet deep, and could easily seat a dozen people comfortably. Did Nikolai have parties up here? The sort of parties where everyone—including Nikolai and Gregori, if the stories of their shared past were true—jumped into the hot tub naked and just—

  “No.”

  She glanced at him. Had she spoken her thoughts out loud? No, she didn’t think so. Maybe the expression on her face had given her away?

  Great. She was trained for combat to within an inch of her life, knew how to kill someone in at least a dozen different ways, and yet she couldn’t stop the expression on her face from showing how disturbed she was just thinking of a naked orgy taking place in Nikolai’s hot tub.

  Could she get in there with him? Take her clothes off and just—

  “You’re the first person ever to come up here, apart from myself.” His voice was soft and still had that seductive rumble running through it.

  “You shouldn’t have come up here without telling me first.” Thank God she hadn’t called down to Jonas or Seth for backup. She would have looked a complete idiot if the two of them had come up here, guns at the ready, only to find it was just Nikolai Volkov relaxing in his hot tub.

  “I didn’t feel like sleeping yet.” He shrugged those wet and muscled shoulders, the bottom of his overlong hair having become damp from the bubbling water. “You’re going to miss the sunrise if you don’t get in here soon.”

  Daisy glanced out across the rooftops to where the sun was just starting to appear. “I can see it from here.”

  “Not the same.” Nikolai’s hand snaked out and grasped her about the wrist.

  “What are you doing?” Daisy’s efforts to free herself proved completely futile as Nikolai pulled her remorselessly forward.

  “You haven’t seen the sunrise until you’ve watched it sitting in a hot tub,” he assured her as he knocked her gun out of her hand before grasping her under the arms and dragging her over the side of the tub before pulling her down into the water.

  Daisy gasped as she came into contact with the hot water, managing to free one of her wrists, only for her head to sink under the water. She pushed her way back up again, gasping for air as she emerged. “You bastard!” She spat hot water out of her mouth and raised her hands to push her wet hair back from her forehead so she could glare at him.

  Nikolai had to clamp his lips together in order to stop himself from laughing at how closely Daisy now resembled an enraged hedgehog. Her hair was sticking up in tufts from where she had just pushed it back, water was streaming down her face and catching on her spiky lashes, those moss-green eyes sparkling with her indignation.

  He had been slightly annoyed when she emerged onto the rooftop a few minutes ago and invaded his solitude, but he could see now that having a woman in residence could have its benefits as well as its drawbacks.

  His gaze dropped lower, to where Daisy’s wet clothing was now clinging to her every curve and allowing him to see the outline of those pert little breasts tipped with engorged nipples. Because of the shock of falling into the hot water? Or something else?

  He hadn’t gotten as far as baring Daisy’s breasts during their lovemaking at Utopia but he wanted to bare them now. Wanted to take one of those swollen nipples into his mouth and suck on it until he made Daisy scream with pleasure.

  Great. Now he had a hard-on that was going to be as unmissable as her swollen nipples if Daisy should happen to glance down—

  Yes, she’d just looked down, her eyes widening, cheeks becoming flushed, as she obviously saw his bare and engorged cock bobbing just beneath the surface of the water.

  “Watch the damned sunrise,” he all but snarled as he turned her before pulling her to sit on the bench seat beside him, the bubbling water covering her shoulders.

  And Daisy had thought coming to Nikolai’s apartment with him earlier was surreal.

  Sitting beside him in a hot tub, her night clothes wet and clinging to every inch of her body, and knowing his engorged shaft was just inches away as the two of them watched a beautiful sunrise together went way beyond surreal.

  Damn it, it was—well, it was almost romantic.

  Which was just ridiculous. Nikolai and the word romantic just didn’t go together. At all.

  And yet here the two of them were, silent, their bodies touching as they sat side by side, Nikolai’s arm resting along the back of the tub behind her, with the sky a beautiful red and gold as the sun slowly rose higher and higher in the sky.

  “It’s even more spectacular in here when it’s snowing outside,” Nikolai said gruffly beside her.

  Daisy kept looking forward. “I can imagine.”

  “Can you?”

  Not really. Her parents still lived in t
he rambling old house in which she and her two brothers had grown up. It was a large house, with an equally large garden, and her father was a country doctor, but he certainly didn’t earn the sort of money he could spend on luxuries like saunas and hot tubs.

  “There are lots of other things we could do to enjoy each other that don’t involve penetration.”

  “What?” Daisy turned to gape at Nikolai now, cheeks ablaze with color.

  Nikolai winced inwardly at her obvious shock. That reaction alone was enough to tell him that not only was Daisy a virgin, but an inexperienced one at that.

  Hell.

  Which accurately described his current situation.

  He had been furious last night. Ever since that first shot resounded down the hallway and the doorframe splintered beside his head. A cold, icy, vengeful anger. Toward Boris Petrov. For daring to send one of his men into Utopia, Gregori’s known territory, as well as Nikolai’s.

  He hadn’t been fearful for himself—he really could take care of himself—but he had been furious that Petrov had dared to bring his show of power into Utopia. Admittedly, there hadn’t been too many people in the nightclub that time of night, only half a dozen of the staff having already arrived for the night’s work ahead. Gregori hadn’t arrived yet either.

  But Daisy had been with Nikolai, and Petrov’s actions had put her in danger too.

  He accepted that Daisy’s choice of career put her at risk, probably on a daily basis, but this time, it had been on Nikolai’s behalf. And that was unacceptable.

  As unacceptable as Daisy now being caught up in this web of Petrov’s making, whether she wanted to be or not. There was no way out for Daisy now. Her name and presence were inextricably linked with his after the last two nights.

  Damn Gregori.

  Fuck Lijah.

  Damn and fuck the pair of them, for putting Daisy in this position in the first place.

  Equally as hellish was the little fact that Nikolai got a raging hard-on every time he was anywhere near or so much as thought about Daisy. Little fact? There was absolutely nothing little about his cock. At the moment, he was so aroused and hard, it felt as if his cock was about to burst.

  For Daisy the virgin.

  Off-limits Daisy, he reminded himself impatiently.

  And while he had allowed his thoughts to ramble, she was still gazing at him in wide-eyed shock.

  He gave a self-disgusted shake of his head. “Forget I said that—”

  “No! I mean…” Her cheeks flushed at the vehemence of her own denial. “No, let’s not forget you said that.” She moistened her lips as she turned fully to face him, holding his gaze with hers as she put her hands on his shoulders before placing her knees on the seat either side of him as she moved to straddle his thighs. “Wow.” She breathed as the length of Nikolai’s engorged cock fit perfectly against the barely covered heat between her thighs. “For me?”

  He gave a grimace as his hands grasped her hips. “Daisy—”

  “Is it for me?” Their faces were on a level as she stared intently into his eyes.

  “No, it’s for the fucking tooth fairy—” Nikolai’s words came to an abrupt end as Daisy kissed him. Hard.

  Oh sweet Lord…

  She tasted and felt delicious.

  Her lips were soft and yet demanding against his, her hands moving up to become entangled in the dampness of the hair at his nape as she arched into him and deepened the kiss.

  Nikolai knew he should push her away. End this now.

  He couldn’t do it.

  He had been in a state of agitation and arousal since the shooting yesterday evening. Initially, he had been too angry with Petrov’s man and Daisy’s insistence on protecting him to so much as feel able to talk to her. Then he had been too aroused to be in the same building with her. He had come up here a short time ago to sit in the hot tub because, having already tried, he knew there was no way he was going to fall asleep knowing Daisy was in another bedroom just down the hallway from his own.

  Only for her to then suddenly appear in the doorway of this glass-enclosed room, and looking far too desirable, with her tousled hair and wearing only a short robe over whatever she wore to sleep in.

  There was only so much torment his self-control could stand, and having Daisy kiss him while she straddled his hips and rubbed her pussy against his cock had definitely reached that limit. And beyond.

  Nikolai gave a low groan, his hands leaving Daisy’s hips to encircle her waist to draw her even closer still as he ran his tongue along her lips, parting them even wider before his tongue pierced the heat beyond and he took complete possession of that sexy mouth. Licking. Tasting. Claiming.

  He continued to kiss her, devour her, as his hands moved to unfastened the belt on her robe, easing the wet garment off her shoulders before discarding it completely, and his hands returned to—

  What in hell was she wearing?

  He brought the kiss to an end as he shifted back slightly to gaze down at her. His breath constricted in his chest as he saw Daisy wore only a thin white vest top, its wetness revealing more than it hid. Her breasts were small and perfectly rounded, the nipples firm and engorged and colored a rosy hue through the thin white material.

  His gaze lowered to the slenderness of her waist and below— “Men’s boxers?” he groaned.

  Her lashes lowered. “They’re comfortable to sleep in—”

  “They’re sexy as hell,” Nikolai bit out huskily.

  She looked up at him in surprise. “Really?”

  “Fuck, yes,” he confirmed with a groan as one of his arms tightened about her waist and he used his other hand to move and cup the back of her head to pull her in for another kiss. Deeper this time, more demanding as his fingers became entangled in those silky blonde strands.

  He may have decided he wasn’t going to fuck this woman, but that wasn’t going to stop him from feeling and tasting the softness of these lips.

  He also wanted the wet heat of her mouth on and around his cock before the sun had completely risen in the sky.

  Chapter 7

  Daisy had no idea what demon of recklessness had possessed her and made her decide to straddle Nikolai’s hips.

  The why didn’t matter once she was there, because she was totally seduced by the way his thighs felt muscled and taut beneath her bottom, the length of his shaft jutting up between the two of them and pressing against her softness. It was so thick and long, the bulbous tip a flushed red, and so edible—

  Whoa, where had that thought come from?

  Edible?

  What did she know about any part of a man being edible, least of all his cock?

  What did she know about being kissed in the way Nikolai was now kissing her?

  Nothing, she admitted.

  But Nikolai obviously did, and God, his mouth felt and tasted so good as it took complete possession of hers.

  The leanness of his fingers tightened in her hair as the two of them now devoured each other, mouths hungry, their breaths hot and ragged, lips tasting, teeth biting, tongues dueling as desire raged hot, out of control.

  Nikolai’s eyes were a soft misty gray when he pulled back slightly minutes—hours?—later. “You need to take this off.” His hands moved to the bottom of her vest top as he paused to eye her enquiringly.

  He was giving her the chance to say no, Daisy realized.

  She didn’t want to say no, wanted to know more about those “things they could do to enjoy each other without penetration.” A lot more. She had more than enjoyed what they had done together so far. She certainly didn’t want to stop now.

  “Yes.” Daisy held his gaze as she answered him.

  Her eyes widened as he picked up the knife from the hot tub surround before pulling her vest away from her body and slicing it open from her waist to her breasts, putting the knife down again before parting the material and easing it from her body.

  His eyes widened and his jaw tensed as he saw her completely naked breasts.
r />   “You like?” she prompted nervously as he didn’t move or say a single word but just continued to stare at her.

  “I like.” Hell, Nikolai fucking loved Daisy’s breasts.

  They were perfect. Not too big and not too small, and tipped with the most delicious rose-tinted and engorged nipples. Nipples that were sitting up and begging to be suckled.

  Virgin, he reminded himself.

  Oh, to hell with that. Daisy and her breasts were here, right in front of him, so delicious and fucking begging to be in his mouth. And he wanted them there.

  He lowered his head to slowly lave the moistness of his tongue over one puckered peak, able to feel Daisy’s jolt of pleasure before she pressed into his mouth, asking him for more.

  Nikolai took his time, hands on her hips as he savored first one nipple and then the other. Licking and tasting, even as he enjoyed hearing and feeling Daisy’s uninhibited responses.

  Her back was arched, head thrown back on her shoulders as she leaned with her hands behind her and resting on his thighs, soft mewling sounds coming from her throat. Those sounds became a breathy groan as Nikolai finally suckled one swollen and succulent nipple fully into the heat of his mouth.

  Once he’d tasted her, Nikolai couldn’t stop, drawing on her longer and deeper, her nipple becoming elongated and fuller the more he sucked. His hand moved up to cup her breast, fingers and thumb replacing his mouth to tweak and squeeze the nubbin while he transferred the attention of his mouth to her other breast.

  Daisy was mindless with pleasure, reacting instinctively now as she arched into Nikolai, his mouth hot as a furnace as he sucked and bit her sensitive nipple, fingers pulling on its twin in the same rhythm and sending the pleasure coursing through her body to her core.

  She throbbed.

  She ached

  She wanted more.

  She needed more.

  She was almost sobbing with that need as she lifted up and desperately began to arch her mound along the hardness of Nikolai’s shaft, gasping as she found the perfect spot that allowed her clitoris to rub against that silk-covered firmness. Grinding thrusts that Nikolai met and matched. Harder and faster. Then harder and faster still, as he now suckled Daisy’s nipple deeper, drawing the whole of the areola into his mouth as his fingers continued their tormenting pulling and rolling of its twin.