Russian Billionaires Family (C - Lee, Leona - Copy

Russian Billionaire’s Family (Chekov Billionaire Series #6) By: Leona Lee

All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2015 Leona Lee

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Note: This book is part 6 in the Chekov Billionaire series! If you have not already, read the five previous installments to avoid spoilers! Part 1: Russian Billionaire’s Virgin Secretary Click here to read now for FREE on

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Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14

Chapter 1 “Not guilty!” Ivan shouted, raising his champagne glass in salute to his boss, Vitaly Chekov. “Not guilty!” came the rallying cry as the Casbah rang with the clink of glasses and good cheer. Closed for a private party, most of the staff of VIC Enterprises was at the Casbah, one of the most popular nightclubs in San Jose, California to celebrate Vitaly’s not guilty ruling after close to six months of grueling scrutiny by the Justice Department.

Hugging his wife Sarah to him, he looked down at her champagne glass, raising an eyebrow in question. “Relax,” she told him as she elbowed him lightly in the side. “It’s ginger ale,” she added and rubbed her growing belly. With a kiss to the top of her head, he rubbed her lower back, knowing that she had been on her feet too much today. “How is the nausea?” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s been much worse, but I’m living on candied ginger and peppermints, and that seems to help. My Aunt Hannah says that my indigestion is merely the babies growing hair.”

Choking on his champagne, Vitaly turned to look at her as she smiled into her glass. “What?” he demanded. She nodded her head and laughed as he dipped his head down near her ear so he could be heard over the loud music. “So, does she have any other advice?” “Only that I need to come out to the ranch for a visit before I get too large to fit behind the wheel.” Snorting in response, he said, “As if I’d let you drive that far on your own.” Before Sarah could respond, glasses began to clink and Vitaly was called up to make a speech.

As he talked, Sarah was thankful that these last seven months had gone as smoothly as they did. Barely newlyweds, the young couple had already dealt with Sarah’s second kidnapping by none other than modern pirates and false accusations of smuggling, which brought the Justice Department down on their heads as Vitaly was arrested and had to prove his innocence. Not that anyone who knew him believed the allegations. In fact, almost his entire company had rallied around him, continuing to work at greatly reduced wages to keep the business afloat and their clients happy. Because of their

loyalty and dedication, they only lost two clients and ended up gaining four more. Sarah gasped as she felt one or both of the twins move. Rubbing her belly, she held her breath until the baby finished moving and smiled down at her future offspring. While she had always assumed that they would have children, she had hoped to wait a few years, considering that she was on birth control at the time. She had no idea how Vitaly would be as a father, but while her pregnancy seemed to mellow him in one respect, in another, he had become incredibly over-

protective of her, which she found frustrating at times as she wanted things to be normal. Whatever that is, she thought. Attempted murder, espionage, kidnappings, and smuggling – if all that was truly normal, she’d hate to think what an off day might look like. Pasting a smile on her face, she looked up as Susan, Vitaly’s secretary, and Diane, his personal assistant, joined her. Sitting down on either side of her as one, they both reached down and pulled one of her shoes off before kicking off their own as she looked at them in shock. “That’s better,” Diane said with a sigh. “Now, we can pretend that we’re doing

this so Sarah doesn’t feel alone.” “Amen,” Susan replied as Sarah started laughing. “What? Did you think that we were doing this for you?” “I happen to know that the two of you wear the most foot friendly shoes in the whole place. But point taken. See? I’m even putting my feet up,” Sarah told them as she stretched her legs out on the small cocktail table in front of her. “Oh boy, that feels good.” Looking at each other over the top of Sarah’s head, they smiled and stretched their legs out alongside hers. The women sat comfortably in silence as

they watched the happy faces. As a thank you for their dedication and hard work, Vitaly had instituted a profit sharing program for his employees and had just made the announcement of his plans to roll it out the first of the month. More cheers went up as he thanked everyone and expressed his appreciation for sticking by him. As he stated in his speech, that level of loyalty didn’t exist within every organization and he was determined never to prove them wrong. *** At San Jose General Hospital, another man who instilled that level of passion and loyalty stood by helplessly as efforts

to resuscitate his wife were ineffective. The doctor looked at him, wanting a confirmation, which he gave in a slight nod as the doctor called it. “Piper Harper, time of death 21:07.” Nodding to both men who stood there stricken, he signed some papers before leaving the room, followed by the nurses who mumbled their condolences as they filed out. “She had a good life,” Max, Piper’s brother, said as he walked over to the bed and looked down at his sister. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting her to make it this long.” Slumping into the chair, Cash Harper

looked at his wife, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. While their marriage was only a matter of convenience to ensure she received health benefits, he still had a relationship with her and had grown quite fond of her over the past three years. “I had hoped that with the money from the ransom, there was something more we could do,” Harper replied. “She was my baby sister. I would have given anything to keep her around longer. We thought we had the leukemia licked when she was a kid, but it came back with a vengeance this time. But she

fought it. I think more for you and me than her, but she did fight it. Well, us and that damn necklace,” Max ended with a murmur as he looked down at the diamond choker still around her neck. “I still don’t get why she was so fascinated with it.” Reaching down, Max removed the necklace, holding it up to the light as the diamonds glittered. “What do you want to do with it, Captain?” Captain Harper stood and held his hand out to take it. “We should return it.” Max handed it over with a snort. “Are you sure that’s wise? When Chekov saw us here in the hospital, I thought he was

going to tear us all to pieces. If it wasn’t for his wife…” “Exactly. Which is why I’m returning it to her.”

Chapter 2 Sarah rolled over and bumped up against a body. Opening sleepy eyes, she was surprised to see Vitaly still in bed, and she ran her hand up his leg. In response, he tangled his hand in her hair as he rubbed her head affectionately. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” murmured as she smiled up at him.

he

“Good morning. I’m surprised to see you still in bed. Pleased, but surprised.” Waving the tablet he held in his hands, he gestured toward the bedside table. “I thought I would wait for you.”

When she lifted her head, she was surprised to see a tray with a carafe of coffee and what looked to be pastries. “Oh, please say those are from Harry’s Bakery,” she asked as she sat up in bed. Bringing the tray to the bed, he poured himself another cup of coffee as Sarah reached for a bear claw. She closed her eyes in pleasure when she bit into it, saying a silent prayer that the babies would let her keep the pastry down. “Oh, that’s so good,” she said as she licked powdered sugar off her fingers. Vitaly watched her eat, his eyes darkening as he contemplated licking

powdered sugar off her. Glancing up, Sarah caught his look, knowing exactly what he was thinking and she casually dropped part of the pastry on her chest before slowly reaching her hand out to brush it away. He captured her hand in his before she could and she looked up at him. Setting his coffee cup down, he pushed her back against the pillows as he rolled to face her. He dropped his head down to lick the pastry crumbs off her chest and Sarah moaned in approval. Dipping his finger in the center of a fruit tart, he smeared the strawberry sauce on both her areolas, staring transfixed as

her nipples puckered enticingly. Sticking his tongue out, he licked around the nipple on her right breast, pushing it against the roof of his mouth as he sucked on it. She tangled her fingers in his hair with a groan as she prodded him over to her other breast, which he gave equal attention to while she rubbed her legs together. “Ever since I became pregnant, I find that I’m much more aroused than usual,” she told him as she pushed against his head, wanting more. Lifting his head, Vitaly gave her a shocked look. “More than usual? My

darling, that must mean that you are constantly horny.” At her blush, he gave her a slow smile. “Well, let me see if I can do anything about that, shall we?” Sliding up beside her, he looked down at her as he cupped the side of her face. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he told her before he captured her lips with his in a dizzying kiss. Sarah moaned and parted her lips, inviting him in as he swept his tongue inside in a possessive kiss, promising more. Their tongues danced together, twisting around each other before she swiped her tongue along his lips,

stopping to nibble on his lower lip as he growled in response. “Mmm, someone is hungry,” he murmured against her lips as her kisses became more aggressive – hungrier. She mumbled an incoherent response as she kissed him ardently. Leaning against her leg, Vitaly’s erection bounced against her thigh. “Can you feel what you do to me?” he asked as he broke the kiss and began working his way down. Raining kisses across her chest, he renewed his attention on her breasts, enjoying their fullness as her nipples puckered painfully demanding attention. Alternating back and forth between them,

he made sure that either his mouth or his hand was on them as she began to writhe beneath him, arching her back up as he sucked harder. With a cry, she grabbed his head, holding it tightly to her chest as she shuddered through an orgasm. Her body shook in response to the intensity. Pulling her hand off his head, Vitaly looked at her in surprise as he caught his breath. “Did you just?” “Oh yeah,” she answered breathlessly as he laughed. “Well, that’s a first. Let’s see what else will set you off,” he said gleefully as he

stroked her body. Throwing her arms above her head, she tilted her head up. “Have at it, Mr. Chekov. Consider me your blank canvas to experiment on,” she told him cheekily before gasping when he placed his palm on her mound. When he lifted his hand up, his palm was glistening. “Sarah, you are so wet.” Raising an eyebrow, she lifted her head enough that she could see over her belly, “Well, you did say that you were hungry,” she commented before shrieking when he slid his hands under her ass and lifted her toward his mouth.

“That I did, Mrs. Chekov. That I did,” he told her before dragging his tongue up her slit. She moaned as she draped her legs over his shoulders, and he settled on his stomach between her legs. Squeezing her ass cheeks, he massaged them as he rubbed his thumbs up and down along her groin, the action causing more fluid to leak out as he lapped at it. Parting her folds, he continued to drag his tongue up and down as he began to push inside, sliding his tongue along the inside while he held tight to her ass to keep her from thrashing around. She tossed her head back and forth, fisting

her hands in the sheets. Her hand hit something hard and she looked over to see the tray. With a mischievous smile, she reached for the fruit tart he had been using earlier and dipped two fingers in it, scooping up some of the cream cheese filling along with the strawberry sauce. Stroking her body with her other hand, she drew her hand down and pushed against her hood as Vitaly looked up at her. With the same smile, which was rapidly turning seductive, she smeared the filling on her clit, gasping at the coolness, and his eyes darkened in response. Grabbing her hand, he sucked hard on

her fingers, cleaning them off as she cried out in response. Her face and chest had turned red as heat swept down her body, gathering tendrils of pleasure and sending them spiraling all over her body. Still holding her captured hand tightly in his, he licked at the filling, swirling his tongue around her clit before sucking on it painfully. She cried out his name and another orgasm swept through her. Jerking her hand free, she held his head as he lifted her hips and continued to lick and suck as Sarah felt as though she were on fire. He pulled his head free. “Oh God, Sarah, I want to bury myself inside you.”

Unable to speak, Sarah nodded her head as he helped her sit up and then shift to her knees. Placing pillows around her, Vitaly’s hands shook as he stroked her back. While she pushed her legs farther apart, she looked at him over her shoulder, moaning as he rubbed his turgid cock along her drenched slit. Shifting on her knees impatiently, Sarah felt as though her eyes might roll back into her head as he slowly pushed in. She clutched tightly to the sheets as her body convulsed around him before he even moved. With his hands on her hips, he began to make long, slow strokes as he thrust in

and out. Lifting her head, Sarah continued to moan, unable to say anything for the intense pleasure that had seized her core and was sending shockwaves throughout her body. She reached one hand up to hold onto the headboard, pushing back with each upward thrust, growling in satisfaction as he managed to bump both her clit and her g-spot with each thrust. Pleasure overtook her and she began to spasm, clutching his cock painfully as it became more difficult for him to move inside her. “Sarah…” he moaned as he thrust into her one last time, his own orgasm temporarily paralyzing him and

he froze inside her, allowing her muscles to milk his cock. With another groan, he fell to the side, knocking the tray off the bed as he pulled Sarah’s back against him and wrapped his arms around her. Holding her tightly, he stroked her body as she continued to shudder against him, crooning words of love to her in Russian while he kissed her neck. They lay like that for several minutes, neither of them wanting to move or break the spell they were under. Sarah stiffened when she heard his phone ring. Vitaly slid off the bed and reached for her, scooping her up into his

arms and striding to the bathroom. Looking up at him in surprise, she was shocked that he didn’t at least look to see the caller ID. “Aren’t you going to see who it was?” she asked him as he set her down and reached into the shower to turn on the sprayers. “Nyet,” he answered and adjusted the temperature. “They can wait,” he told her as he stepped into the shower and tugged her in behind him. His answer caught her by surprise, given that he had lived with the phone near his ear while they were on their honeymoon. Following him into the shower, she

reached for the washcloth but he stopped her. “Allow me,” he told her as he poured scented shower gel on it and began to rub it all over her body. Sarah was grateful for the built in ledges in the oversized shower as she found herself gripping them painfully while he brought her to two more orgasms while bathing her. By the time they were done, her skin had wrinkled like a prune and she was ready for a nap. Laughing at her yawn, Vitaly toweled her off and sat her down on the bed as he finished drying her hair and then patiently combed it out.

Sighing contentedly, he left her propped up in bed and munching on the remaining pastries that did not go sailing off the bed as he went downstairs to make more coffee. When he walked back into the bedroom, he set the carafe down on the bedside table and looked down at his sleeping wife. Curled onto her side, she had wrapped herself around a pillow and was snoring quietly. Grinning at the noises she was making, he retrieved his phone, which was beeping pitifully, indicating a low battery charge.

Chapter 3 Sarah strolled into VIC Enterprises at lunchtime on Monday carrying a picnic basket and waved to Ivan who was standing near reception. After taking the elevator up to the tenth floor, she walked into her husband’s office and set the basket down on the table. Walking around the table to greet her, he kissed her. “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t be coming into the office?” he questioned as he looked at her. “To work, yes,” she answered. “But this is lunch,” she told him as she flipped

open the basket and began to pull out boxes. Chuckling, he sat down at the table. “And you have no intention of doing any work while here?” With a shrug of her shoulders, she reached for one of the boxes and began to open it. “Well, as long as I’m here…” Before Vitaly could respond, Diane slid into the room, set down some files along with a flash drive near Sarah before grabbing one of the boxes Sarah indicated and leaving the room without saying a word. Vitaly shook his head with a laugh as he wagged his finger at his wife.

“You need to take it easy.” “And, I am. Promise. Now, let’s eat. I’m hungry.” While they ate, he filled her in on the current clients and she offered her thoughts. As they were finishing up, Laurel, the receptionist for senior management, walked in to tell them that Ivan was on the phone. “Why didn’t he call my direct line?” She shrugged and grabbed the container of berries Sarah handed her before leaving. Reaching for the phone on the table, Vitaly put the line on speaker, “What is it?”

“There’s someone here to see Sarah,” Ivan said without preamble. “So, send him up,” she called out. “He won’t. He wants to see you down here.” “Well, who is it?” Vitaly demanded. “Captain Cash Harper.” “What?” Vitaly yelled as he rose to his feet. “You tell him…” “That I’ll be right down,” she finished for him, as she looked pointedly at her husband, “alone.”

“Will do.” After Ivan hung up, Vitaly stared at his wife. “Why do you continue to be nice to these people?” “Because when you were lying in a coma, I needed all the friendly faces I could get,” she answered as she rose. Opening and closing his mouth, he couldn’t find an appropriate answer as he nodded his head. She leaned into him, going up on her toes to kiss him. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave the building with him and I’m sure Ivan will be close

by.” As Sarah rode the elevator down, she wondered what he wanted with her. Exiting out into the lobby, she scanned the rotunda before finding him pacing in front of a bench. She scrutinized him as she walked over. He didn’t look like he’d slept or changed his clothes in several days, reminding her of her time on his fishing trawler when he held her for ransom. “Captain Harper,” she said quietly and he whirled around in surprise, taking in her very pregnant body. “Wow,” he said looking down at her. “How far along are you?”

Rubbing her stomach, she answered, “Thirty weeks.” “What can I do for you?” He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I’m returning this,” he said as he dropped her diamond choker into her outstretched hand. “But I gave it to Piper,” she answered, looking at him in confusion. “She doesn’t need it anymore,” he answered flatly. Staring into his face, she realized that he had been crying. “When?” she asked

quietly. “Friday night,” he answered with a sigh. “And, we want to thank you for covering her hospital stay. It gave her…it… itgaveherafightingchance,” he let out in a rush before taking an explosive breath. Sarah nodded her head, about to say something, but he was already striding to the exit and heading toward a waiting car. Sinking down onto the bench, she stared at the choker, feeling a loss for a young woman who died too soon. She could not imagine what her life would be like without Vitaly and she silently thanked whomever might be listening that they were both safe.

Feeling an arm around her, she settled back into her husband’s embrace. “Are you okay?” he asked her as he kissed the top of her head. When she nodded her head, he tapped her hand clutching the choker. “Are you sure?” When she opened her hand, Sarah stared down in surprise at the blood from where she had been squeezing the necklace. Taking the choker from her, he went to put it in his pocket, but she stopped him. “This necklace represents everything and nothing,” she started as he waited patiently for her to talk. “I remember being so angry and hurt with you that you

didn’t even remember me wearing it when we left for the island and then you didn’t seem to care that it was missing. I realize now that you had a lot on your mind, but I was feeling insecure.” Pausing, she took a deep breath. “And then when I saw Piper wearing it, all I could see was red and I knew that no matter what happened, I wasn’t leaving without it. And, I didn’t. But then…” “The hospital.” She nodded. “When I saw her lying in that bed, I realized how lucky I am to have you in my life. You mean the world to me and soon, we’ll be a family of four. And this necklace, while beautiful,

will never make me as happy as I feel when I’m with you.” Hugging her to him, he said, “I love you, kotyonok. More than I could ever express.” “And, I love you, Vitaly.”

Chapter 4 For the next few days, Sarah felt as though she were only going through the motions. Work had lost its luster. Her old roommate Mia had set her up with a decorator to help with the nursery and work was progressing quickly. So much so, that they anticipated finishing long before the twins were due, for which Sarah was appreciative. Diane and Susan had organized a baby shower for her at the Casbah and while she was looking forward to seeing everyone, she wasn’t in the mood for a

party. When she heard a car horn, she walked out to the car with Vitaly and he helped her into the passenger side. Waving to Lisa and Chloe, two of Sarah’s closest friends, he declined joining them – again – and they waved merrily and drove away. Arriving at the nightclub, which was closed for their private party, Sarah was surprised at the number of people who came. With her best smile on, she walked inside to greet everyone as she made the rounds. She smiled politely and made small talk when it appeared called for, but if

pressed, Sarah didn’t think she could remember anything that was said to her. She was pleased that so many people were taking photos and keeping track of what was going on as she hoped to look at the pictures later. She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm and looked up into the concerned face of her Aunt Hannah. “You haven’t heard anything that I said, have you, dear?” Aunt Hannah asked her in concern. Giving her a sheepish smile, Sarah shook her head, and her aunt squeezed her hand. “Why don’t you come out to the ranch for a week or two? I think that a change in environment

might be just what you need. We have several cows getting ready to birth, along with your father’s favorite mare.” Smiling at her aunt, she said, “I’ve actually been thinking about it, Aunty, and I think that may be just what I need right now.” “Excellent, my dear. I know that Vitaly doesn’t want you driving, but we aren’t due to leave until Sunday. Why don’t you drive back with us and Vitaly can drive out for a visit later and the two of you can head back to San Jose whenever you are ready.” “I think that’s a great idea. I’ll text him.”

“Nonsense. That’s a discussion for face to face, not some silly phone. Besides, you have a room full of people who want your attention right now. So, put that smile back on your face and let’s go open some presents.” Hugging her aunt, Sarah smiled as the guests joined them and they spent the next hour opening presents and oohing and ahing over everything. By the time she had arrived home later that evening, she was smiling and laughing as Vitaly and Ivan came out to help unload the cars. She caught the look Lisa and Ivan gave each other and briefly wondered if there was something

going on between them. Especially when Ivan was quick to excuse himself as her friends were leaving. As Vitaly escorted her into the house, she sagged against him, so he scooped her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way inside. When they entered the living room, she was surprised to see a fire lit in the fireplace. Settling her down on the couch, he pulled her shoes off and placed her feet on his lap. He had set a tray of drinks and goodies on the nearby table and handed her a hot chocolate, which she sipped at gratefully. She almost dropped her drink when he

began to massage her feet. With shaking hands, she went to set the cup down, but couldn’t quite make it and Vitaly quickly caught the cup and set it down for her. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and sighed in contentment as he worked the balls of her feet with his knuckles. “Oh. That. Feels. So. Damn. Good,” she managed to say as she felt the tightness in her legs give way. While she had been warned about swelling in her ankles, she didn’t think it would happen while she was sitting. “You have magic fingers,” she moaned and he laughed. “Usually I get a response like that when I have my hands on other parts of your

body.” Opening her eyes to give him a seductive look, she said, “Keep that up and you won’t need to have your hands on other parts of my body.” He raised an eyebrow and adjusted how he was sitting before responding, “Challenge accepted.” Reaching for the remote, he turned on some music and the sultry vocals of Billie Holiday floated out the speakers. Drawing her feet onto his lap, he rubbed the tops of them gently as she sighed. He picked up her right foot and began making circular motions with his thumb and the palm of his hand across the top

of her foot while she flexed it in response. Taking each toe between his thumb and index finger, he massaged each toe in turn, pressing his thumb a bit harder along the neck of each toe. Working his way down, he continued to make circular motions across the ball of her foot before applying pressure with his thumbs in a side-to-side motion, making her moan. “You are so good at this,” she murmured, feeling herself relaxing even more. “I cannot believe that I am married to you,” she added as he chuckled. “Wife, if I didn’t know better, I might think that you are enjoying this a bit too

much.” She opened her eyes to look at him. “Too much? When it comes to foot massages, there is no such thing as too much.” “Hmm, another challenge,” he told her and he rolled his knuckles over the sole of her foot. Getting more comfortable, Vitaly held her foot in both hands and pressed his thumbs across the top of her foot and along the mounds. As he pressed and held, he rotated his thumbs, watching her face carefully to see how she responded. Working his way down in a grid pattern, he smiled when he saw her breathing quicken.

When he reached her heel, he gripped it in his hand, rolling her ankle both clockwise and counterclockwise, and Sarah moaned. Sliding his hands back up, he laced his fingers together and pressed his thumbs along the sole of her foot, moving his hands back and forth as she tossed her arms over her head. After setting her foot gently down, he picked up her left foot and repeated the process, and Sarah shifted her hips, rubbing her legs together. Setting both feet down, Vitaly kneeled on the couch. He wrapped a hand around each foot and continued to stroke her

feet, rubbing his thumbs and fingers along the sides of her feet, being sure to cover as much skin as possible with each stroke. When he reached her ankles, he made small circular strokes, providing even pressure as he began to work his way up her legs. As he got about one-third of the way up her shin, he brought his hands back down to her feet and continued slowly to work his way up her legs. By the time he reached the backs of her knees, she was actively panting. Saying his name on a moan, Sarah opened her eyes to look at him as he watched her. The intensity of his stare

only made her more aroused and she bit her lower lip in response, enjoying how his eyes darkened. His hands slid under her skirt, and he made circular motions with his thumbs along the insides of her thighs while he continued to make long strokes with his hands up and down her legs. “I can smell your arousal, Sarah,” he told her, surprised at how strongly she was responding to him. “Don’t stop,” she answered. “Not yet.” As his fingertips hit her hips, he lightly grazed his thumbs along her groin and she pushed her legs farther apart. He

thought about pulling her panties off, but the added sensation of the fabric rubbing against her skin increased her arousal as her body began to tremble and he watched her chest turn red Lifting the fabric against his hands, he continued to rub her hips and his thumbs made sawing motions along her groin. With a cry, she arched her back up as her whole body quivered in response. Adjusting the pressure, he continued to stroke her skin lightly until the tenseness in her body dissolved and she sagged against the cushions. “Wow,” he commented as she opened satiated eyes to look at him. “Is it like

that when you get a pedicure?” he teased. “Heck, no,” she replied. “I’ve never gotten a happy ending. Hmm, maybe I don’t tip well enough…ow!” Laughing, she sat up to kiss her husband. “That was amazing. Thank you so much. Feel free to do that again. Anytime. Really. Preferably sooner rather than later. Often.” Stopping her, he chuckled. “I get the picture, wife. Foot massages good. Better with orgasms.” “Yesssssssssssssss.”

Chapter 5 Sarah felt better than she had in days. The baby shower had put her in better spirits as she enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. And, the attention Vitaly had been giving her felt wonderful. She felt as though she had been running on overdrive for so long that she was in fear of burning out. After some discussion, Vitaly agreed that spending some time at her family’s ranch might be just the thing for her, especially if it meant that she wouldn’t be working.

As he carried her suitcase downstairs, he smiled broadly at Sarah’s Aunt Hannah, who enveloped him in a big hug. “How soon do you plan on joining us?” she asked him as he loaded the suitcase into the car. “Couple weeks. It’s so rare to have everything running smoothly that I feel as though I’m waiting for the other shoe to fall.” Squeezing his arm, she said, “Well, soon as you can, come on out. The family will be glad to have everyone together.” Sarah joined them out at the car and she

put her laptop and another small bag in the trunk. Reaching for her husband, he pulled her in for a hug as they kissed. “I will miss you.” “And, I you. I will come out as soon as I can.” “You better.” As Sarah drove away with her aunt, she wiped away the tears. “Hey, now, what’s with the tears?” her aunt asked. “Aren’t you looking forward to spending time with us?” Nodding her head, Sarah said, “Oh, I

am, Aunty. But these past months, my hormones have been on overload. I can’t even watch commercials.” Hannah laughed. “You mom was like that. When she was pregnant with your brothers during the holidays, she couldn’t walk into a store playing Christmas music without bursting into tears.” Sarah smiled as her aunt talked. While she missed growing up with a mother, her Aunt Hannah had been there for her and whenever she needed motherly advice, she always gave her a thoughtful response. Reaching for her phone, Sarah texted

Vitaly. I miss you already. Moments later, he responded. I miss you, too. I love you, kotyonok. I love you, too, husband. As Sarah put her phone away, she smiled. When she was in college, if someone had asked her what her goals were for the next five years, she never would have said married and pregnant, but the more time she spent with Vitaly, the more she appreciated everything about him. And, she really couldn’t see her life moving in any other direction.

As her aunt drove, Sarah did her best to follow the conversation, but found herself rapidly growing sleepy. She awoke with a start when she felt the car bounce. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see that they were already on the private road out to the ranch. “Well, hello, sleepyhead,” Hannah told her as Sarah sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I slept the whole trip?” Nodding her head, Hanna said, “Yes, you did. But no worries, we were only about forty miles into the trip before I realized it.”

“I guess I was really tired.” “Well, of course, dear. Babies are going to do that to you.” Sarah grabbed the handle on the car as her aunt hit another pothole. “This road keeps getting worse and worse with each rain. Your father promises to have it repaired someday soon, but I suspect that it will be up to your brothers to get it done.” “Is Dad okay?” Sarah asked, suddenly concerned. “Of course, dear. We all are, but your father is your father and despite his age,

he is still resistant to delegating some tasks, which often means that the work doesn’t get done unless someone happens to be around when he talks about it.” Laughing, Sarah winced as her aunt hit another pothole. After thirty minutes of driving on this road, she wasn’t sure which would be the worse for wear, her body or the car’s undercarriage. She would have to remind Vitaly not to drive the sports car or risk damaging the alignment and possibly the frame. As they drove through the gate with the Jenkins Cattle Ranch logo emblazoned across it, Hannah honked the car horn

and drove around to the barn and the numerous guesthouses that dotted the property. With four married brothers with families of their own, it had been their parents hope that everyone would choose to stay on the land and raise their families. Three of the five siblings chose to remain on the property and shared in the labor to keep the busy ranch running. Sarah’s youngest brother, who was one year older than she was, had chosen to join the military and had hoped to make a career out of it. Sarah was the only one to go to a four-year college and if she hadn’t met Vitaly, chances were that she would have returned to the ranch, as well.

Getting out of the car, she stretched her legs as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet to get feeling back into her legs. She hated to admit that Vitaly was right and for her to drive out to the ranch on her own would have been a disaster. At the sound of voices, she turned to see her dad and uncle rounding the corner of the barn as they made long strides out to greet her. Wrapping her up in a bear hug, her father hugged her tightly. “I missed you, pumpkin. You don’t live that far away, you shouldn’t wait so long between visits.” “I know, Daddy, but I’m here now.”

“Quit hogging my niece,” her Uncle Max stated and her father reluctantly let her go so that she could hug her uncle. “Uncle Max! Where’s your hair?” she asked, realizing that his normal shaggy head of hair was missing. Looking from her father to her uncle, she raised her eyebrows as her father roared with laughter and her uncle turned a distinct shade of lobster. Crossing his arms, her uncle glared at his brother who continued to laugh. Amidst the choking and sputtering, Bill Jenkins finally managed to talk. “It seems that your uncle fell asleep and one, or more, of the little ones decided

to give him a haircut. Haven’t been able to figure out who the culprits are, but by the time he woke up, they’d made an absolute mess of it.” Taking his hat off, Max rubbed his head. “Hannah thought it best to shave it down and let it grow back clean, but everyone keeps warning me that it’s going to come back completely gray.” Going up on her toes, Sarah rubbed his head affectionately. “Well, I like it. I had no idea there was such a handsome face underneath all that hair.” “Do you really think so?” “Of course.”

“Hey,” her father interrupted. “We are twins.” Looping his arm through hers, Max began to escort Hannah over to one of the guest cottages as he shouted over his shoulder, “Yes, but clearly, I’m the better looking of the two.”

Chapter 6 When Sarah walked into the guest cabin that would be her home for the next few weeks, she stopped short. “What is all this?” she asked her uncle as she looked around the obviously remodeled space. Crowding in behind them, her father and aunt brought her luggage as they looked at her. “Do you like it?” her father asked. “It’s amazing.” Walking into what was once a simple A-frame cabin, the newly remodeled space looked like something out of a magazine.

“We thought that what with the babies coming, you might want to have a more comfortable place to stay when you come to visit,” her aunt told her as she set her laptop down on the small desk. Light flooded the cabin with the addition of skylights. The once barn-like interior had been covered over with insulation and thick walls to keep out the bad weather. Modern ceiling fans and track lighting filled the ceiling. The once tiny kitchen now was home to a modern, albeit small kitchen, which opened onto a large communal area that included a round kitchen table, large kitchen island, and a comfortable living area. A padded

rocker sat in a throne-like position in the room. Walking toward it, Sarah frowned as she tried to remember where she had seen it before. “It’s the rocker I made for your mother,” her father told her. “Your Uncle Max found it out in the barn and we refinished it for you. The highchairs were used by you and your brothers,” he added, pointing to the pair of matching highchairs tucked under a shelf along the wall. Stepping toward the back of the cabin, he opened a door that Sarah had yet to notice. “We added onto the square

footage and gave you bedroom,” he told her.

a

proper

Walking toward the door, she stepped into the new bedroom that, like the main living space, boasted skylights that basked the room in a sunny glow. Tilting her head, Sarah looked at the bed. “The headboard came from your grandparents’ old bed and the footboard came from your bed. Your Uncle Max and I built the frame and the mattress is brand new.” Moving slowly, Sarah stared at everything in the room, from her favorite pieces that once graced the main house, to the small touches that her family

thought to include. Along one wall rested two cribs, and she walked toward them. As she rubbed her hand along the polished wood, she remembered using one of these cribs growing up for her dolls, and she turned tear-filled eyes to the smiling faces of her family. “Your Aunt Hannah pieced together the quilts on the bed and in the cribs from old blankets and clothing. There’s a piece of everyone in those blankets,” Max told her proudly as he hugged his wife. Sarah fingered the quilt on the bed as she spotted what looked to be a piece from one of her old dresses.

“I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you did all of this,” she began. “It’s all so beautiful.” “We want you all to be comfortable here when you visit,” her father told her as he hugged her. Hugging each one, Sarah thanked them all as she walked them to the door. After shutting it behind her, she turned around to stare at all their hard work. She opened the cabinets in the kitchen and refrigerator, not at all surprised to see that it was fully stocked with all her favorite snacks and drinks. Grabbing a bottle of juice, she retrieved her phone and began taking pictures to send to

Vitaly. After munching on some grapes and finishing off two bottles of juice, Sarah sent the pictures off to her husband and decided to take a nap before dinner. Grabbing another quilt that was draped across the couch, she kicked off her shoes and curled up on the bed, falling asleep within moments of her head hitting the pillow. Vitaly smiled when he received the messages from Sarah. Scrolling through the pictures, he was pleased to see how welcome her family made her feel and couldn’t wait to visit. But in the meantime, he wanted to wrap up the

final pieces to the nursery, as well as make sure the current cargo ships coming out from the Baltic arrived on the east coast without any complications. While the case against him by the Justice Department had been dismissed, he didn’t for one second doubt that he was still under their scrutiny and would be damned if he gave them anything new to come after him or his company.

Chapter 7 Time seemed to fly for Sarah as she walked along the creek that bordered the family property. Taking a deep breath, she stepped carefully across the small bridge under the watchful guise of some of her nieces and nephews who took it upon themselves to join her on her morning walks. Skipping along beside her, the girls pointed out medicinal plants while two of the boys built small rock piles along the way. Sarah’s oldest brother Bill Jr. and his wife had decided to homeschool their children and Aunt Hannah had been

teaching them about the local flora and fauna indigenous to the Central California valley. Sarah paused when one of the babies decided to kick as her youngest niece ran over to check on her. Taking the girl’s hand, she held it to her stomach just as the baby kicked again and watched as her niece’s eyes opened in surprise. Laying her ear against Sarah’s belly, she appeared to listen intently and have whispered words with her future cousins before finally picking her head back up and informing Sarah that the baby didn’t mean to hurt her, but they were running out of room inside.

Smiling broadly, they held hands as they continued their walk. While Sarah would have preferred to have Vitaly here with her, coming back home was just the thing she needed to feel better about life in general. While she enjoyed visiting her family, she didn’t miss all the hard work it took to run the large cattle ranch. Or the smell, she thought as she wrinkled her nose. But there was also the camaraderie of working side by side next to people who would always have your back in every situation. And, she missed being around her brothers. Spending time with them reminded her how much she enjoyed having a large family and she

couldn’t wait for the twins to be born. Vitaly had lost his only sibling when he was barely a teen and while he grew up around a loving uncle and boys close to him in age, he never experienced the type of interactions that occurred in a large family, except when he was visiting the Jenkins. He was due out to the ranch the end of the week and she was looking forward to sharing many of her experiences with her husband. As they walked back to the house, she watched her dad and uncle out on horseback herding the cattle and realized that she missed riding horses. Her uncle had offered to let her use the wagon, but

Vitaly had been adamant that she not ride horses and he considered sitting on a bench in a wagon being pulled by horses to be the same thing. She grinned as she wondered how he would handle sitting in a saddle. The few times he had been here, he stayed near the house and only ventured out into the barn once. Since she hoped to teach the twins to ride as soon as possible, now would be a good time for him to learn to ride. Especially since she hoped to spend more time here once the babies were born because she wanted them to grow up surrounded by their cousins. Sarah resisted the urge to rub her hands

together gleefully at the thought of being able to show Vitaly a side to life he had never experienced before. While he was not opposed to hard work, spending hours in a saddle was far more taxing than the hours she spent at the office. *** Friday couldn’t come around fast enough as Vitaly wrapped up the last of his meetings, pleased that the most recent cargo ship arrived in New Jersey with no complications from the US government. His team was able to process his client’s product through customs quickly and he felt comfortable enough to leave for his in-laws’ ranch

knowing that everything was running smoothly. As he packed up his laptop, he had to smile at his team’s constant reminders that central California was not the middle of nowhere and given that Sarah was contacting them regularly via video conferencing, it was obvious that she had internet access. Looking around his office to make sure he didn’t forget anything, he checked in with his assistant, who waved him off with a reminder that it was less than a four-hour drive and in the event of a true emergency, there was plenty of room to land a helicopter.

While he had only been out to the ranch a few times, he had thus far managed to steer clear of the large animals – something Sarah had threatened would change. He was not looking forward to the prospect of sitting atop a horse. The last time he had seen Sarah on a horse, she had made it look so easy, but having never been raised around animals of any kind, the thought of climbing on top of one made him nervous. Tightening his grip around the strap on his bag, he checked in with Ivan who promised, once again, to keep him abreast of any situations and reiterated that if need be, he could be out to the ranch by air quickly. He waved to his

chief of security as he drove away and tried to shrug off the feeling of impending doom. While he adored his wife and missed her terribly, the more he thought about riding a horse, the more terrified he became.

Chapter 8 As Vitaly pulled onto the familiar road out to the Jenkins Cattle Ranch, he was glad that Sarah had warned him of the road’s condition as his sports car would have sustained considerable damage to the undercarriage. Navigating the rough road, he breathed a sigh of relief when he drove through their gate and headed around to the back where everyone kept their vehicles. Parking next to a familiar red truck, he walked into the office hoping to find Sarah. Instead finding one of his sistersin-law, she smiled brightly as she

directed him out to the paddocks. As he walked behind the barn, he followed the sound of excited voices and came upon a row of eager children hanging happily on a fence as they watched a pair of foals scamper around. Looking for Sarah, he finally spotted her tucked in with the children. “Kotyonok,” he called out as he strode toward her. Sarah turned and ran to him as he wrapped his arms around her. Tilting her chin up, he looked at her bright eyes and rosy cheeks, before he dipped his head down to kiss her. The sounds of cheers and jeers had him lifting his head as the

children voiced their opinion of their public display of affection. Laughing, they hugged each other before Sarah introduced him to the group of nieces and nephews assembled there. After the reintroductions, one of the little girls pointed to the foals vying for their mother’s attention. “Did you see them?” she asked in a mouse-like voice. “My grandpa’s horse had twins just like Aunt Sarah is having.” Walking to the fence, Vitaly joined the children as he watched the horses attempting to nurse. Tilting his head, he gave Sarah a sidelong look, as she

blushed and pulled her hat farther down on her head. They stood there with the children until Bill Jr. rode up with Uncle Max. Climbing off the horses, they walked over to greet Vitaly before escorting the couple to his car to retrieve his luggage. After seeing that he only had the one suitcase, Max excused himself as Bill pulled the bag from the trunk and walked with them to their cabin enthusiastically talking about the planned changes around the place. With no idea what he was talking about, Vitaly nodded his head in response as Sarah smiled, realizing that she would have to bring him up to speed on the family’s operation.

Stopping at the door, Bill set the suitcase down and excused himself as Sarah showed him inside. “Wow. This is even more amazing than the pictures,” he told her as he set his bags down and looked around. “And, they keep adding to it,” Sarah told him excitedly, as she pointed out the baby supplies. “My sisters-in-law have been busy. Between their knitting and my aunt’s quilts, the babies will be warm.” In the bedroom, he looked around at the comfortable surroundings, as Sarah climbed onto the bed and sat back against the pillows. “While I love our mattress at home, I have to admit that

sleeping on a feather mattress and pillows has been pure luxury,” she told him as she patted the mattress next to her. Kicking his shoes off as he took off his jacket and tie, he joined her on the bed and stretched out. “This isn’t the same mattress I used last time,” Vitaly stated as he pulled her into his arms. “It’s new,” she answered, and she tilted her head back to give him access to her neck. Taking her cue, he nuzzled her ear as he murmured terms of endearment in

Russian before pressing light kisses down her neck. Sarah moaned and grabbed his hand, drawing it under her shirt to her breast. “I cannot even begin to tell you how much I missed you,” she told him as his sure hand found her breasts and began to massage them. When he stroked his thumb over her nipples, she arched against his hand and reached around behind her to find his growing erection. “Mmm, and you missed me, too.” Rubbing her palm up and down, Vitaly groaned in response as he pinched lightly at her nipples in response. “Very much so, kotyonok.”

Vitaly reached for the clasp on her bra to unhook it and they both groaned when he cupped both breasts, rolling the nipples between his thumbs and index fingers. Sarah gave up struggling with his trousers and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning against his chest as he massaged her. As he was rubbing his fingers across her intercostals, Sarah could not believe that his ministrations were turning her on, and she reached for the button on her jeans and pulled the zipper down. Sliding her hand under her waistband, she easily found her clit, which felt as though it was throbbing in time to her rising pulse rate. With two fingers, she

mimicked his movements on her nipples, and she began to pant. With long strokes, Vitaly’s sure fingers continued to massage and tug at her breasts as Sarah rocked her hips against him. As she got closer, she tried to speed up, but his consistent strokes prevented her from doing so and she growled in frustration. Chuckling against her ear, he nipped at it lightly as he drew his left hand down her body and toward her very busy fingers. With one hand still kneading her breasts, his other hand joined hers and together they pinched and rolled her clit. With a moan, Sarah’s orgasm had her

curling her toes as she bent her knees before straightening her legs out. Holding her against his chest, he continued to tease her body as she shook through a series of small orgasms that felt much like earthquakes to her as her body spasmed against him. When she began to calm down, she realized he was still stroking her body. When she rolled against him, he winced when she pressed against his erection. Reaching her hand out, she tried to stroke him, but he quickly stopped her. “Vitaly, what’s the matter?” she asked, concerned. “We don’t need to,” he began, as he

winced again when she touched him. “Is something wrong?” As Sarah tried to turn to face him, he stopped her. “Nothing is wrong, other than how much you turn me on.” “Well, then, let’s do something about that,” she answered dryly. “We can’t…I didn’t want to cause…is it okay?” Laughing, she replied, “The doctor said that everything is fine and I can continue to have sex.” With a growl, he sat up and reached for

the waistband on her jeans and tugged them over her hips and down her legs. Lifting her feet, he tried to pull them off, but in his impatience, they got tangled in her socks as she started to laugh. Sarah sat up and tried to tug her jeans off, but they were well tangled and not budging. With a groan, she slid her legs off the bed and stood up. Pulling her shirt over her head, her bra followed it to the floor as she turned around and bent over the side of the bed. Looking at Vitaly who was giving her a confused look, she gave him a sexy smile. “Why are you still sitting there?” she

asked him and he leaped off the bed and came around behind her. Pulling at the clasp on his trousers, he dragged the zipper down, pushing his dress slacks down over his hips in a puddle around his ankles. Reaching for a pillow, she dragged it under her as she leaned across the mattress. Unable to wait any longer, Vitaly pushed his cock between her eager folds and they both groaned lustily. Rubbing his palms on her hips, he gripped them as he slowly pushed his way in, unsure if he would hurt her. When he got as far as the thought he could go he paused, worried about

hurting her or the babies. Impatient, Sarah rocked back against him, the wetness from her arousal making it easy for him to end up buried inside her as her ass cheeks bumped against his pelvis. Still unsure if he should move, Vitaly held her against him as she began to move her hips forward and back. Her body, still so alive and throbbing from her earlier orgasms, was clutching wildly to his cock, causing him to groan as her vaginal muscles began to milk him. Starting with short strokes, he began to thrust into her as she mumbled words of

encouragement. The last two weeks apart coupled with her ardent arousal was sending him spiraling higher and higher as he fought to maintain control. He caught the motion of her hand, as it snaked down between her legs to her clit and it became too much as his own orgasm slammed into him. Calling out her name, his body spasmed hard as he shook through his ejaculation, shocked at how strongly she had affected him. Still holding her tightly to him, he was reluctant to let her go, not wanting to break the passionate bubble that enveloped them.

Not wanting to destroy the moment, either, Sarah enjoyed the feel of him wrapped around her, but simply couldn’t wait any longer. “Vitaly,” she called, and he mumbled in response. “I need you to move. I really have to pee.” As the bubble around them broke, Vitaly collapsed on the bed in laughter and Sarah rushed to the bathroom.

Chapter 9 Vitaly woke the next morning to an empty bed. After a passionate afternoon spent in bed with Sarah, they had an enjoyable night in the good company of her siblings and their respective families. Having grown up relatively an only child, he had to admit that he found the large boisterous crowd to be a bit overwhelming, but he saw how much his wife enjoyed herself and that’s what mattered. Sitting up, he padded out into the living room to find a pair of boots sitting next to a travel coffee cup. With a sigh, he

went back into the bedroom to get dressed, coming out minutes later wearing jeans and a black fitted t-shirt. As he slipped on a pair of socks, he looked at the boots, which if memory served, belong to her brother Chad. Sliding his feet into the boots, he was surprised to find that they were comfortable as he tugged his jeans down around them. Grabbing the coffee cup, he filled it with still hot coffee from the coffee maker before putting his jacket on and heading outside and looking around. He was unsure where to go, but again ended up following the voices. This time, he wandered into the barn where he found

Sarah and her twin brothers, Joe and Chad. After waving to him, Sarah went back to rubbing down the foals who seemed to enjoy all the extra attention as they poked at her hand for more treats. Joining his brothers-in-law at the fence, he looked at the foals as Sarah finished up with them. “Ever ridden a horse before?” Joe asked. Shaking his head no, he followed the brothers as they motioned for him to come with them. They walked past the tack area, which he remembered from

the first time he visited, and passed the storage room and came upon a section of corrals. Vitaly could hear horses as he stumbled to a stop. One of the brothers walked into one of the corrals and came out leading a mare who was already saddled. “This is Bella,” he told him as he rubbed her forehead and muzzle. “She is about the gentlest mare here and is the one we use when we introduce people to horses.” Setting his cup down, Vitaly stepped forward to pet Bella where Joe had been petting her. Surprised at how soft her coat was, he raised his eyebrows when

she flared her nostrils. Taking the apple pieces Joe handed him, he held his hand out as she took them and munched on them. As Joe led her out of the barn, Vitaly followed, listening as both Joe and Chad talked about riding, what to expect, the importance of staying seated. Wait, what? With a laugh, Chad clapped him on the back as he warned about the potential for being thrown off a horse. “Well, that’s not going to happen since he won’t be riding along any rough trails,” Sarah admonished as she joined them. Smiling at her husband, she

squeezed his hand. “It’s not that hard. Promise. Once you get the hang of it and can sit comfortably, you might find that you enjoy it.” With a nod, he watched as Sarah glared at her brothers, silently daring them to say something else. Joe shrugged his shoulders, laughing as he placed a hand on Bella’s bridle. Watching Chad mount his horse, Vitaly placed his left foot in the stirrup and holding onto the horn, mounted the horse. He clutched wildly as Bella back stepped, but Joe was quick to stop her as he patiently waited for Vitaly to get comfortable. Sarah walked around the horse and made

some minor adjustments as Joe handed him the reins. Stepping over to his horse, he mounted easily as the brothers flanked him and gave him instructions on how to get Bella to walk, stop, and turn. Stepping over to the gate, Sarah opened it as all three men filed out on horseback and headed out toward the back property. Vitaly would have preferred to stay inside the paddock for his first time, but the brothers insisted that the best way to learn to ride was on an open trail. With all the teasing, the brothers turned out to be excellent teachers as they helped Vitaly navigate the stream and

ride up the small incline. True to their word, Bella turned out to be an excellent horse for his first time out, although he seriously doubted how much influence he had on her as she seemed content to follow the lead horse. The western saddle was more comfortable than he expected, once he figured out how to sit on it without feeling as though he was going to slide off. Vitaly shook his head over allowing his fear of the unknown to keep him from learning to ride as soon as he found out how much his wife loved it. Since when am I afraid of anything? he thought to himself as he enjoyed the ride.

He may have been raised in New York City, but he was not going to allow the unfamiliar to dictate his reactions without first experiencing them. Seeing how well Vitaly was doing on Bella, the brothers decided to extend their ride and check some of the fence lines along the property. There had been some loose cattle and they wanted to make sure that all the broken fencing had been found and repaired. “What’s it like growing up twins?” Vitaly asked the brothers as they rode. Laughing, Chad replied, “It’s like having your best friend and sometimes your worst enemy staring back at you.”

“You want to be alike, but you also want your own identity,” Joe added. “When we were little, we were inseparable, but then we went through a phase where we fought about everything. I think we didn’t talk for much of junior high and by high school, we had our own friends and our own interests and suddenly being twins again sounded like fun.” “Oh, especially when one of us wanted to skip a class or…what was her name…Cheryl something. To this day, I don’t think she knew that she was dating both of us,” Joe stated with a laugh. “So, was trying to fool people part of

it?” Vitaly asked. Shrugging his shoulders, Chad replied, “Sometimes. If it suited us.” “Mostly, we wanted to be seen as separate people and not lumped into a single person. Instead of being Joe and Chad, we were the twins. As if we were attached at the hip or something,” Joe added. Nodding his head, Vitaly asked, “Which one of you has twins?” “That would be me,” Joe told him. “Are you raising them any differently than you were raised?”

“Sort of. It helps that they are fraternal twins, although sometimes I think the girls would have preferred to be identical.” “Do you and Sarah know the sexes of the babies?” Chad asked. “Nyet,” Vitaly replied. “Sarah wants it to be a surprise.” “That doesn’t surprise me,” Chad replied with a nod. “What about you? Any preferences?” “Ten fingers. Ten toes. Healthy mind and body,” Vitaly replied. “The rest is irrelevant.”

“Fair enough,” Joe replied. “Although, you do need to double those numbers,” he added with a grin.

Chapter 10 When the men didn’t return at the expected time, Sarah began to pace. When she tried to reach Vitaly on his cell phone, she realized that he had left it in the cabin. She knew it was a bad idea to ride, but if they weren’t back soon, she would take one of the off-road bikes and go look for them. Her Aunt Hannah found her beating a path around the barn and dragged her into the barn to help with the horses. As they worked, Sarah continued to fret, but soon found that she didn’t have the energy for both. Deciding to concentrate

on what she was doing, she helped her aunt reorganize the tact area as they took inventory. Completely losing track of the time, the women were just wrapping up when they heard the sound of male laughter. Rushing outside, Sarah was relieved to see the three men riding in. As they dismounted, she ran to Vitaly, throwing her arms around him. “Where have you been? I was worried about you,” she scolded as she hugged him. “Not his fault, sis. He was doing so well, we decided to check the fence lines and lost track of the time. We

would have radioed, but the battery was dead.” Crossing her arms, she looked up at her husband. “And, you didn’t bring your cell phone.” Vitaly kissed her forehead and held her arms. “Leave it to me not to bring my phone the one time you wanted me to.” Shaking her head, Sarah threw up her arms and hugged him again. “I’m just glad that you’re okay. How was it? Did you have a good time?” “Dah. It was far more enjoyable than I expected.”

“Glad you liked it, newbie,” Chad told him. “As part of your lesson, you get to see that the horses are taken care of.” Giving him a confused look, Vitaly asked, “What does that mean?” “Taking the saddles off, brushing them down, feeding them,” Joe told him. “What my brothers really mean to say is that they are pawning the work off on you because they want to go have a couple beers,” Sarah told him dryly. Handing Vitaly another set of reins, she grabbed the third. “Come on, I’ll show you how to do it. Between the two of us, we can get it done quickly and you can tell me about your first ride.”

Once they were in the barn, Sarah showed him how to remove the saddles and where to set them. She pulled the blankets off and together they brushed the horses down. Having given them something to eat, the horses were happily munching away as Vitaly talked about how much he enjoyed the ride. “I understand why this place is so special to you, kotyonok. And your family. While I knew that I wanted children, I never understood the special place an extended family could have – until now. Watching how your brothers interact and all their children…I want our children to know their cousins.”

Coming up behind him, Sarah wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “And they will, I can promise you that. We don’t live that far away, we can come here as often as we want. That cabin is ours and my dad wants us to spend as much time here as we can.” He set the brush down with a sigh. “I have to admit that I’m a bit jealous of you and your siblings,” Vitaly began. “When Anna died, it was as though my mother’s entire world ended and I no longer existed. Seeing the love you have for your brothers and they you, I want that for our children. I want them to be surrounded by people and happiness.”

“And they will be. As are you. As my family told you before we married, you are a part of us now and you always will be. You have brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews; heck, even a second father, and an aunt and an uncle. And, that’s just here. This last year is a prime example of the family you built through VIC Enterprises, Vitaly. Family is not about blood relations, but how we treat each other and from where I’m standing, you have more family than you realize.” “And it’s all because of you, kotyonok.” “No, my love, it’s because of you. With…maybe a little help from me,” she replied with a grin as she held her

fingers up. “Just a little.” “Sarah, you don’t give yourself enough credit. If it wasn’t for you, I might not be here.” “Well, you definitely wouldn’t be standing exactly here, but you built your enterprise through thousands of hours of hard work. If it wasn’t for you seeing something in me, I never would have had the chance to prove myself. Much less marry the boss.” “Well, it helped that you were a hot blonde,” he told her with a smile. “Hey! Were? Were?” she demanded, glaring at him. “I’ll have you know that

behind this growing watermelon is one hot chick, dammit.” Laughing, Vitaly held his hands up in surrender. “You are very right, kotyonok. And, while I still find you very beautiful, I would rather that the rest of the male population kept their eyes to themselves.” “Still?” “Okay, I’m done talking now,” he replied as he started to back away. “I can tell that no matter what I say, I’m going to be in trouble, so perhaps we should go get something to eat?” he asked hopefully.

“I’m not hungry,” she replied, still attempting to glare at him. “Well, that’s a first,” he replied before he slapped his hand over his mouth and turned away. It was all Sarah could do to keep from laughing as she fought to keep a straight face. “So, let me get this straight, Mr. Chekov. I was once hot and now, I eat too much. Does that sound about right?” As he turned back toward her prepared to grovel in apology, he saw the look of mirth on her face before she burst out laughing. Sighing in relief, he began to

laugh, too. “Wow, you had me going,” he said as he wrapped her in his arms. “I thought for sure I was going to be banished to the doghouse.” She wiped away at the tears in her eyes as she continued to laugh. “You should have seen the look on your face as you kept digging yourself into a hole,” she replied as she fought to slow her laughter. Hiccupping loudly, she started laughing again. “It wasn’t that funny,” he told her dryly. “Oh. Yes. It. Was,” she answered before she started laughing again.

“You know, where I come from, a wife shouldn’t mock her husband,” he told her menacingly. Sobering instantly, she gave him a heated look. “Or what?” He stalked toward her and she took a step back with each one of his until her back was up against one of the saddles sitting on its stand. Pinning her wrists to the saddle, he towered over her as he lowered his head to whisper against her ear. “I really can’t wait until after the babies are born because I think we could have great fun using that saddle for something other than riding horses,” he told her as she

shivered in response. He stroked the side of her face, then he pushed her hat back and tangled his fingers in her hair, drawing her closer to him. “In fact, I think that we should get one for the house,” he told her as she moaned in response. Capturing her lips with his, he took possession of her mouth, easily plundering its depths as she parted her lips in response. She tugged at her wrists, and he released her so her hands could find their way around his neck and tangle in his hair. Pressed tightly against him, she made small mewling noises against his mouth

as they kissed, their tongues twining together in a dance long familiar, but never ceasing to excite them. Her hands found their way to his waistband as she tugged his shirt loose and slipped her hands underneath to rub against his skin. Sliding her hands up his chest, she lightly rubbed his nipples, loving how responsive he was as they stiffened beneath her touch. Unable to resist, she lifted his shirt, breaking the kiss so that she could kiss his chest. She trailed feather-light kisses across his stomach, her hair tickling his chest as she worked her way up. She could feel the effect she was having

on him as his erection brushed against her. Sliding one hand down, she cupped him through his jeans and felt him press into her hand. She lifted her head and looked at him. “What say we try that saddle out now?” she asked him. Taking several breaths, he looked back at her. “What did you have in mind?” “Drop your pants and get on,” she demanded as she licked her lips. Wasting no time, Vitaly switched positions with Sarah, pulled the buttons loose on his jeans, and slid them down below his hips along with his briefs.

Reaching behind him, he hopped up onto the saddle to sit sideways. He clutched at both the horn and the cantle when he realized that he was perfectly aligned with her mouth. Smacking her lips in anticipation, she wasted no time as she opened her mouth and wrapped her lips around the head of his cock. She licked it like a Popsicle, then she drew it into her mouth and then slowly released it as she dragged her lips against the shaft on the way back up. Not quite letting go, she sucked it back into her mouth, being sure to put pressure along the underside with each draw.

Vitaly tried to pay attention to any voices in the barn, worried that a family member might catch them, but he was quickly overcome with pleasure as his body shook in response to the stimulation. Looking down at Sarah’s intent look as she worked his cock, he was both surprised and pleased at his kitten’s occasional bouts of exhibitionism; although, he was the one who was halfnaked. His body practically vibrated with the intensity of the sensations she was creating inside him. He clutched tighter at the saddle as she looked up at him, her

head continually moving as she slid her mouth up and down his shaft, applying just the right amount of pressure as she swirled her tongue around. Digging his heels against the stand, he wished that he had taken his pants all the way off as he would have liked to drape his legs over her shoulders. Sensing his frustration, she leaned in closer, wrapping her arms around his thighs as she rubbed her thumbs along his groin lines before sliding her hands over to his hips. The light touch of her fingers tickled along his lower back and then the tops of his ass as they tapped along the crack, creating a matching vibration to her hum.

The additional sensation had him swallowing his groan as he fought the urge to shout his pleasure to everyone within earshot. Rubbing her hands along his hips and outer thighs, she worked her hands around as she cupped his balls, massaging and pulling on them lightly. When she could sense that he was close, she increased the pressure with her mouth as she rubbed her finger from his taint to his anus. Feeling him suck in his breath, she sped up, matching her actions to his shift in breathing. With a low moan, Vitaly came as he arched his hips toward her mouth.

“Don’t stop,” he whispered hoarsely as she kept bobbing her head up and down, drinking in everything that he gave her. As his body began to sag against the saddle, Sarah slowed down before finally stopping. With a small pop, she released his cock, licking her lips as she looked at her husband. He didn’t think it was possible for his cock to respond so quickly as it jumped in response. Sliding off the saddle, he gingerly pulled his briefs and jeans back up, deciding that he wanted to continue this back in their cabin. She still stood there, staring at him, her gaze intent on his actions. When he finished, he cupped her face

with both his hands and kissed her thoroughly, tasting his own juices in her mouth as she returned his kiss. Breaking the kiss, he looked down at his wife, whose face was flushed with arousal. “What say we move this back to our cabin and pick up where we left off?” he asked her and she nodded in agreement. With his arm wrapped around her, he escorted her out of the barn. As they rounded the corner, they ran into Chad and his wife, who looked Sarah up and down knowingly. “You guys were still in the barn with the horses?” Chad asked in bewilderment

before his wife elbowed him in the ribs. “Oww,” he complained before she whispered in his ear, winking at the couple. Not wanting to hear his reply, Vitaly hustled Sarah back toward their cabin, but couldn’t miss Chad’s sounds of protest when he figured out what his wife was telling him. Deciding that he would probably have far worse chores in his future for fooling around with his wife in the barn, he was anxious to pick up where they left off, which would make it that much more worth it at a later time.

Chapter 11 Pushing the cabin door open, they stumbled inside, kicking their boots off as they walked. Vitaly reached for Sarah’s shirt, yanking it over her head before taking his own off. Leaving her to unbutton her jeans, he pulled his open and pushed them back down over his hips, leaning up against the couch to pull the legs over his feet and leaving them in a pile where they landed. Seeing Sarah struggle, he dropped to his knees and helped her step out of her jeans as she leaned against him. From where he was kneeling, he could smell

her arousal and saw the wet spot on her panties. Placing his thumb in the center of the wet spot, he made circular motions with his thumb as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. Sliding his fingers under her panty line, he pushed her panties to the side and pushed her legs farther apart as he dipped one finger inside. One rapidly became two as he twisted his hand, rubbing his fingertips along her sensitive spots as she panted in response. With his other hand, he parted her hood and watched as her clit popped out, already swollen and throbbing with need. Pushing on it with his thumb, he again made circular motions, applying

pressure while his fingers pumped in and out between her folds. Almost immediately, her legs began to shake as she clutched wildly at his shoulders. Just as swiftly as he started, Vitaly stopped, pulled his hand free, and stood up. Looking up at him in surprise, she yelped when he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. After laying her down on the bed, he looked down at her, admiring her beauty as her entire body rapidly grew flushed with arousal. Deciding he wanted her naked, he reached for the front clasp on her bra and released so her full breasts

sprang free. She pushed the bra to the side and reached up to cup her breasts as he reached for her panties. Vitaly’s hand stilled as he watched his wife play with her own nipples while she watched him with a hooded gaze. Swallowing his suddenly dry mouth, he slid his fingers along her waistband as she lifted her hips. He pulled her now soaked panties down her legs and tossed them to the floor before joining her on the bed. She continued to play with her breasts and kneaded them with her sure fingers, switching it up as she tugged and twisted lightly at her nipples, each pull sending

electrical shots down her body as she wiggled her toes. Watching his wife’s growing arousal, he stroked her fevered body as he worked his hand down. He completely cupped her mound with his large hand, holding it there while she moaned. Vibrating his hand, he tapped lightly at her clit as Sarah tugged harder on her nipples, enjoying the tendrils of pleasure as they coursed through her. Using his index and ring fingers, Vitaly began to saw back and forth along her groin line applying pressure as his middle finger found its way between her now drenched folds. With a curled

finger, he easily found that spongy spot and he pressed against it as he rubbed. With a cry, Sarah grabbed his hand, holding tight to it as her first orgasm caught her by surprise. Squeezing his wrist, she rode his hand as the juices from her pleasure dripped down his wrist. Pulling his hand free, she brought it to her mouth, licking and sucking at his fingers as she cleaned her juices from his hand. With a groan, Vitaly joined her as they both licked his fingers, the erotic moment causing her to rub her legs together as a smaller orgasm caught her off guard and she sucked harder at his

fingers in response. Vitaly grabbed her chin, swept his head down, and kissed her hard, and she returned his kiss with an intensity that rivaled his own. Wrapping his hand around her wrist, he held her arm against her side as he continued to ravage her mouth, enjoying the mingled taste of their pleasure on her lips as his tongue swept inside. Releasing her wrist, he reached for pillows as he helped her lift her hips so that he could position them under her. Her fingers easily found her nipples again and she returned to playing with them as he kissed his way down her

body. Positioned between her legs, he lay on his stomach as she draped her legs over his shoulders and down his back. Holding her legs open with his hands, he briefly wrestled with her as she fought the urge to clamp her legs tightly around his head. She moaned when he blew hot air on her mound before dragging his tongue up her slit, making a loud slurping noise that broke the intensity of the moment as she laughed. Her laugh quickly turned to moans again as his fingers easily slid inside her and began to pump in and out. Wedging his shoulder against her thigh to keep her

from hurting him, each thrust of his fingers had her tossing her head from side to side as she grabbed at his head. Dragging his tongue along her slit, he pushed inside, the action causing her to bounce on the bed as he continued to twist his fingers deep inside her. His nose bumped against her clit as he lifted his head and sucked it into his mouth, pushing it against the roof of his mouth as he played with it with his tongue. With a cry, Sarah arched up, her orgasm slamming into her with intensity as he continued to suck and lick, thrashing beneath him. As she slowed down her thrashing, he

carefully pulled his hand free, grinning at his blue fingers. Shaking his hand to get the feeling back, he joined her, pulling her back to his chest as he stroked her body in long soothing strokes. When Sarah finally felt as though her heart was beating at a normal pace, she tilted her head up to kiss Vitaly on the chin. “I still can’t believe how intense your orgasms have been since you became pregnant.” “Everything is more intense. The water hitting my body in the shower is a deeply arousing experience,” she told him as

she rubbed her legs together while the last of the juices continued to trickle down her leg. “Is that…normal?” Vitaly asked contemplating how hard it would be to keep her pregnant all the time. Shrugging her shoulders, Sarah laughed, picking up on his thoughts. “I have no idea. The doctor said that it might happen. But then again, he said I might be too sensitive for sex. Seems to be dependent on the person.” He hugged her to him. “Well, I can’t wait to find out if it happens again,” he told her as he grinned.

Elbowing him, Sarah chuckled. “How about I deliver this pair first and then we talk about a future pregnancy.”

Chapter 12 Vitaly stayed at the ranch for a week, enjoying his time there with his new family. He surprised everyone with his willingness to step up and help with some of the more smelly chores as he quickly overcame any misgivings he had about being around large animals. Deciding that they would drive back on Sunday, the couple was enjoying a barbeque with the family on Saturday as Sarah’s father pointed out ominous clouds working their way across the sky. “Looks like you might be staying with us

an extra day or two if those clouds have anything to say about it,” he stated as he looked at the sky. “The storm is probably going to hit some time tonight.” Excusing himself, Vitaly called Ivan to let him know of the potential change in plans. After declining his offer to send the helicopter, he decided that they could wait out the storm if need be. “Before you get off the phone,” Ivan began, as he took a deep breath. “What is it?” “I was hoping to wait until you returned, but given that you might be awhile…”

“Ivan. Just spit it out!” Vitaly demanded, worried at what it might be. “I heard from the lawyer in New York who is managing your parents’ finances. Three nights ago, there was a fire in the apartment building where they lived. Investigators haven’t ruled out arson, but they currently seem to think that it was negligence.” “Are they okay? Wait – you said lived.” “Several people died in that fire, mostly from smoke inhalation. It wasn’t until this morning that they were able to identify all the bodies.” “And?”

“Your parents were among them. I’m really sorry, Vitaly.” Sagging against the wall, he took several deep breaths. “Do you know if they suffered at all?” “I don’t know. I’m sorry. The fire occurred well after midnight, so it’s possible that they were already in bed. It might well be that they simply didn’t wake up.” Nodding his head, Vitaly swallowed hard. “That would at least be something. Ivan, thank you for telling me. You are a good friend and you’ve had shit duty of late. Remind me to do something nice for you when we get back.”

“Vitaly, that isn’t necessary.” “Yes. It is.” Disconnecting the call, Vitaly walked back toward the house. The sound of laughter filled the air as he watched his nieces and nephews racing around in the yard. He wished that things could have been different with his parents. He was sure that in a different life, they would have loved Sarah and their soon to be grandchildren. But theirs was a life of anguish and regret. As he walked toward Sarah, she paused in her conversation with one of her sisters-in-law when she saw the look on his face. Walking to meet him, he

looked at his wife and silently vowed that he would never be like his parents. He would cherish his wife and his children, no matter what. “Were you able to reach Ivan?” He nodded. “Yes, he knows that we may not make it back tomorrow.” Rubbing his chest, she looked up at his stricken face, “Vitaly, what’s the matter?” “There’s been an accident. A fire,” he corrected. “At my parents.” “Are they?”

He shook his head. “They did not survive,” he stated flatly, wondering why he wasn’t more upset. Sliding her arms around him, she hugged him. “I am so sorry.” “What are you sorry about?” her brother Chad asked as he came upon them. She looked up at her brother and told him what happened. Before Vitaly could say anything else, he found himself completely surrounded by the Jenkins as they offered condolences and hugs. The outpouring of warmth was overwhelming as Vitaly felt the vestiges of his past life melt away in the love and kindness of this family.

Before long, the children were sent off to bed and bottles of Irish whiskey and rye were brought out as shot glasses were handed out. Toasts were soon made to all those who had come before and were now gone. Close to midnight, the rain started to fall as Sarah, supporting a very drunk Vitaly, headed back to their cabin. Stepping inside, she helped him out of his wet clothes before he collapsed on the bed. “Sarah, my Sarah,” he crooned as he rolled onto his side and fell asleep. Covering him up, she kissed him lightly before heading into the bathroom for a shower. As the water cascaded across

her back, she leaned her forehead against the wall. Her head had been pounding since dinner, but after finding out about the deaths of her in-laws, she wanted to give him this time to mourn the loss. When she stepped out of the shower, she could hear the rain coming down and knew that they wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. While she loved being around her family, the babies were due in less than a month and she was anxious to return home to finish preparing the nursery. Climbing into bed, she slept fitfully, plagued by nightmares she hadn’t had

since her mother died. Assuming it had to do with the recent deaths, she sat up, no longer wanting to try to sleep as she looked over at her husband, jealous at how peaceful he looked. She looked out and saw it was close to dawn and still very wet outside. She stood, rubbed her back, and started to walk to the bathroom when she started having painful cramps. Clutching her stomach, she held her breath before reminding herself to breathe through it. As the pain subsided, she was about to take another step when she realized that her feet were wet. Looking down, there was a puddle where she stood.

Staring at it quizzically, she then realized what it was and began to shout for Vitaly to wake up. “Vitaly! Vitaly, wake up! VITALY!” she screamed out. Leaping up, Vitaly landed on the floor in a heap as he looked up at his wife through sleep-filled eyes. As she looked at him, she realized that he was still drunk and chances were, so was most every other adult. “Damn!” she complained as she went in search of her phone. Unable to find it, she remembered the bell her nieces hung outside their cabin in case of emergency. Hoping it would be loud enough to rouse

the dead, Sarah staggered over to the door and flung it open. She stepped out onto the porch and began to ring the bell as hard as she could. The clanging sound could be heard for miles in the early morning as she continued to ring it waiting for someone to come. When she felt another cramp coming on, she tried to ring the bell faster, worried that she might pass out. She finally heard footsteps as her father, uncle, aunt, and brothers came running toward her. “What is it?” Bill Junior asked. “My. Water. Broke,” Sarah announced before she slipped to her knees.

Jumping forward, her brothers helped her stand up and ushered her back into the cabin where a groggy Vitaly was pulling on a pair of pants. “I heard,” he managed to say as he began looking for his shoes. “And, where do you think you’re going?” Hannah asked as she stood there with her hands on her hips looking at him. “The hospital.” “You wouldn’t even make it to the main road sober,” Hannah replied. “Chad, Joe. Get on the ATVs and get out to the doc’s place and see if he’s up.”

As the brothers ran off, Hannah began issuing orders to get Sarah back on the bed. Staring at all the activity, Vitaly asked, “You have a doctor nearby?” “Best in the valley,” Max answered. “And he has experience delivering twins.” As Vitaly was about to sag in relief, Sarah chimed in. “He’s referring to the horses.” “And cows,” her uncle replied helpfully. As Vitaly stared from one Jenkins to another, the room began to spin and he

felt his vision go dark.

Chapter 13 Vitaly woke with a groan. Reaching his hand up, he felt a lump on the back of his head as he tried to remember what happened. He sat up and realized that he was lying on the couch in the cabin. Hearing Sarah cry, he remembered what happened as he went to leap up only to end up back on the couch with a groan. “You gave yourself a concussion,” said a familiar male voice. Looking up, Vitaly saw Sarah’s father sitting in the chair with a smirk on his face. He reached down next to him and

picked up a large bottle of water to give to Vitaly. “The doc said that you should be fine, but you’re going to be nauseated. Here, drink this.” Vitaly attempted to nod his thanks as he took the bottle, but cringed when he moved his head. Unscrewing the cap, he took a long swallow, almost choking on the taste as he began to cough. “What is this?” he finally managed to ask. “Electrolytes. Doesn’t have much of a flavor, I know, but it’s good for you. At least, that’s what the doc says.”

“Is this for human consumption?” Vitaly asked as he attempted to take another sip. Slapping his thighs and laughing, Bill replied, “I have no idea, but knowing doc, he wouldn’t give you anything too dangerous.” As Sarah began to wail, Vitaly attempted to get up, but the room began to spin and Bill forced him to sit back down. “Easy, son, won’t do my daughter any good if you collapse again.” At that moment, Max came in from outside carrying a small cooler. Seeing that Vitaly was awake, he opened it, pulled out an ice pack and handed it to

him. He thanked him as he took it and set the pack on the back of his head. The door to the bedroom opened and Hannah poked her head out. Seeing her husband, she waved her hand impatiently as he handed the cooler over. Giving Vitaly a disapproving look, she stepped back inside, shutting the door behind her. Chuckling, Max sat down. “She won’t admit it, but she hurts as bad as you look. She’s simply too stubborn to let anyone see.” Vitaly heard his phone beep and as he began to look around for it, Max reached into his pocket and handed it to him.

“That Ivan fella is a fine man,” Max told him as Vitaly squinted at the phone. “He was able to track down some ex-military pilot willing to fly in this weather, but we couldn’t find an obstetrician willing to make the flight.” “And even if he did, there’s no way Sarah could fly at this point. Her contractions are less than two minutes apart. But as soon as the weather clears, he has guaranteed to have whatever we need brought in,” Bill told him. “Ivan is the best,” Vitaly told them, as he heard Sarah cry out again. “Should I be in there?” “That’s up to you,” Max told him. “She’s

in good hands. I can promise you that. The doc has delivered human babies before and my Hannah was a nurse before we met.” With a nod, Vitaly slid to the edge of the couch and slowly began to rise. Breathing through his nose, he willed himself to keep moving as he held the ice pack to his neck. On shaky legs, he looked at the two men who seemed suitably impressed as he took a couple steps toward the bedroom. He felt as though he was moving at a snail’s pace as he worked his way across the room, finally making it to the door. Knocking lightly, he waited for a

response and was surprised when Hannah opened the door. After looking him up and down, she stepped back to allow him into the room. “It’s about time,” she told him as she shut the door behind them to the sound of laughter from Bill and Max. Seeing Sarah on the bed, Vitaly moved around to the other side to sit down beside her, kissing the top of her head as she squeezed his hand. A strange man walked out from the bathroom dressed in worn jeans, cowboy boots, and a flannel shirt. Seeing Vitaly, he stuck his hand out as he walked toward him.

“I’m Jim Waverly, but most folks call me doc. You must be the future dad.” “Vitaly,” he replied as he shook the doc’s hand. “Well, Vitaly, your wife and babies appear to be doing well. Everyone has a strong heartbeat and there are no signs of distress. At this point, it’s a waiting game until the little ones decide to come out.” “It’s much too early. What happens if there are complications?” Vitaly asked as he held Sarah’s hand. Rubbing his chin, the doc looked at the couple. “Twins often come early. Most

folks say that they run out of room. Nothing to worry about,” he answered, avoiding the question. As he spoke, Sarah had another contraction and she squeezed Vitaly’s hand painfully. Yelping, he attempted to pull his hand away, but she squeezed tighter. “Yeah, given that the babies are going to be born naturally, it would be best if you not get too close to her at times. Otherwise, you will be sharing the pain,” the doc told him with a grin. Time seemed to slow to a halt for Vitaly as it became centered on Sarah. Hannah monitored the contractions and the doc

kept an eye on her. As the contractions came faster and faster, the doc stepped up and before Vitaly realized it, the doc and Hannah were helping Sarah through the birthing process. As Vitaly went to step out of the way, Hannah stopped him. “No, you sit back up where you were. We need to concentrate on the babies. You watch Sarah.” Vitaly nodded sat back up against the headboard as Sarah gripped his hand. Stroking her face, he moved her sweaty hair out of the way and reached for the towel and water sitting beside the bed. He mopped her forehead and cheeks and

wiped at the sweat as she squeezed his hand appreciatively, in far too much pain to say anything. As the next set of contractions started, she held her breath at the pain that felt as though it were ripping her apart. She vaguely felt Vitaly rubbing her head as he reminded her to breathe. Drawing in short breaths, she eventually evened out before another contraction hit. With a cry, she clutched wildly at his hand as he yelped in response. “Well now, seems as though the babies are ready to come,” the doc said soothingly as he began to issue orders to Hannah.

Outside the bedroom, the family came and went as updates filtered through. The rain had subsided and Ivan called to say that a helicopter was on its way, but wouldn’t make it before the babies were born. The wail of a newborn was followed shortly by a second and a cheer went up in the living room. Jumping up, Bill ran to the bedroom door and cracked it open to see the doc and Hannah busy with the babies as Vitaly hugged a tired Sarah. The doc saw Bill and called out, “You got yourself a pair of granddaughters.” Bill whooped in response and quickly shut the door at Hannah’s glare.

Turning around, he surveyed everyone in the living room before shouting, “Girls!”

Chapter 14 It was several hours before the helicopter was able to make it out to the ranch. Landing near the barn, Ivan jumped down along with another man. Ivan looked around, spotted Vitaly, and moved quickly to join him. Walking up to him, Ivan stuck his hand out to shake, but Vitaly grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. “Girls, Ivan. I’ve got girls.” “Congratulations, everyone doing?”

boss.

How

is

“Just fine.” Vitaly turned and recognized Sarah’s obstetrician. Sticking his hand out, he continued, “Thank you for coming.” “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” the doctor replied. “Now, where are they?” Walking inside, Vitaly introduced the two men to the very crowded room. They moved to the bedroom, and he knocked quietly before Vitaly and the doctor entered, leaving Ivan behind. At the bed, the obstetrician introduced himself to Doc Waverly and Hannah before examining Sarah and the babies. “You didn’t cut the umbilical cords?” he asked as he turned to the vet.

Shaking his head, the doc said, “No. Just read recently about improved health rates in babies when the cord isn’t cut too soon. I figured if you didn’t get here fast enough, I was going to let Dad here do it, but now that you’re here.” With a nod, the obstetrician commended the vet on his thinking as he opened his bag and pulled out his instruments. Motioning to Vitaly, he had him follow him into the bathroom where they both washed their hands and then gloved up. Back in the room, he opened the plastic wrapped around the instruments and handed the clamp to Vitaly. “Would you like to do the honors, Dad?”

Taking the clamp, Vitaly followed the doctor’s instructions as he clamped the umbilical cords. After cutting them, Hannah and the vet took the babies over to the cradles while the doctor finished up with Sarah. It was several hours before the doctor felt that Sarah and the babies were safe to fly, but he was impressed at how well everything had gone and he kept shaking his head in disbelief. As they were preparing to leave, one of Sarah’s nieces called out, “What did you name them?” Sarah smiled at Vitaly as he nodded his head. Smiling at everyone, she held up

the baby she was holding, “This is Anna, and,” pointing to the baby in Vitaly’s arms, “this is Katie.” “Katie?” her father asked, as he wiped at the tears on his face. She nodded. “We had decided that if we had girls, we wanted to name them after two very special people: Vitaly’s sister and my mom,” Sarah said, as she wiped at her own tears. “I think that’s a fine idea,” her father told her as he hugged her. “Just fine. It’s about time we had a little Katie running around here and we will definitely need an Anna, too.”

As they loaded everyone onto the helicopter, Ivan stayed behind to gather up their things and as soon as the road cleared, planned to drive the car back. When Chad offered to drive the car back at a later time, Ivan politely declined, as there wasn’t enough room on board the helicopter as it was. He waved and stepped back as it lifted off and watched as it flew low toward San Jose. Turning around, he went back to the cabin to help and was surprised to see that everything had already been cleaned up and the bed linens were changed. The smell of chicken caught his attention

as he realized how hungry he was. Looking up, one of the women brought in a basket filled with food as he began to salivate. “Figured you would be hungry,” she told him as she set the basket down. Nodding his thanks, he stopped what he was doing and tore into the food. It wasn’t until the next morning when Ivan was able to leave safely. Promising to send reports to everyone, he drove straight to the hospital and headed over to the children’s wing. After signing in, he was heading to their room when he saw Vitaly walking down the hall.

Vitaly turned around when his name was called and smiled as his friend approached. “I was just going to see the babies,” he told him as they walked down the hall to the viewing room. Stepping up to the glass, he pointed out the twins as the nurse waved from the inside. “How is everyone doing?” Ivan asked as he congratulated his boss once again. “Fantastic. Everything went so smoothly, I still keep waiting for the other shoe to fall.” Clapping his boss on the back, Ivan said, “Sometimes things do go well.”

Deciding not to visit with Sarah, Ivan left the hospital after transferring everything over to Vitaly’s car and headed home. Re-joining Sarah in her room, Vitaly paused when he saw that she was nursing the girls. She smiled up at him and asked him what took so long. “I was seeing Ivan out.” “He didn’t want to see us?” “Well, he saw the girls and then decided he wanted to get some rest. I’m sure he’ll stop by in a day or two.” Sitting down next to her, he looked down

at the three most important people in his life. “Would you look at what we made?” he asked her, still incredulous. “And they’re perfect in every way. Just like you,” he told her as he kissed the top of her head. Smiling up at him, she said, “I’m still in awe over everything that’s happened. And these…these are ours now. Are you prepared for life with three females under one roof?” “Well, if all goes according to plan, they will have brothers to protect them in no time.”

“I just feel so blessed,” Sarah told him as she leaned up to kiss him. “I love you so much, Vitaly.” “And I love you, kotyonok. Far more than words could ever express.”

Authors Note: Hello my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed Vitaly and Sarah’s series! Please check out a FREE SAMPLE of my BRAND NEW Russian series below! It’s out on Amazon now! Also if you haven’t already, please sign up below for my fan club newsletter. You will get FIRST notice when new books are available, as well as exclusive news and book previews! Thank you so much for reading! Would

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RUSSIAN MOB BOSS’S CAPTIVE Chapter 1 Olivia admired herself in the mirror as she reapplied her make-up. Running her hand through her thick, curly, jet-black hair, she looked up in surprise as a man walked into the women’s bathroom.

Before she had the chance to ask what he was doing in there, he wrapped his arm around her and covered her mouth with a cloth in his other hand. Screaming into his hand, she began swinging her legs wildly to kick him, but he merely lifted her off the ground while she kicked at the air. She could feel herself growing weak while her vision became blurry. Panic filled her as she made one last attempt to get free before everything went dark. Two hours before... “Olivia, please tell me that you aren’t wearing that to the club,” her friend Tanya demanded, as she looked at Olivia

from head to toe with dismay. “What’s wrong with it?” “Nothing, if you’re going to a funeral,” Tanya answered as her friends laughed. “It's not that bad!” She looked at herself in the mirror. It was that bad. She only knew how to dress conservatively. After all, she was a politician's daughter. “You must have something,” Tanya commented as she followed Olivia back into her bedroom. “I am not cut out for clubs.” She slumped onto her bed.

“Nonsense. We just need to get you out of your comfort zone.” Tanya walked over to Olivia's closet, opened it, and began pulling clothes out. She muttered a running commentary as she wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Too old. Too much fabric. Wrong era. Needs burning.” As Olivia’s closet was quickly emptied of all her clothes, she stared at her friend in dismay. “Tell me there’s something usable?” Tanya gave her a disappointed look as Olivia shook her head. Olivia needed to change the subject. “I can't believe that we finally graduated,” Olivia said dreamily as she flopped onto her back. She had just graduated with

her Master’s in Education. “Yes, neither can I. It felt like we were never going to finish. Wait a minute…” Tanya leaned into the back of the closet, as she balanced on one foot. Pulling out a dress still in its garment bag, she pulled the zipper down and drew a red cocktail dress out. “You have this dress and you never wear it?” Olivia jerked her head up and looked at Tanya. She eyeballed the mid-thighlength halter dress that Tanya held up. “Oh, that dress,” she mumbled before flopping her head back down. Tanya raised her perfectly threaded eyebrows. “I can't believe that you own such a

dress.” “My aunt Carla bought it for me, but it’s too promiscuous.” Tanya laughed. “No, it's not.” She threw the dress on the bed. “It's settled, you are wearing this one.” “Red is too bold.” Olivia was not confident enough to wear red. She was simply not daring enough. “It'll suit you.” Tanya winked. ”Now, hurry up and change.” Olivia slowly got up and picked up the dress. Holding it up to her, she stared at herself in the mirror. Why not?

Slipping the dress on, she fastened the halter clasp around her neck and frowned into the mirror. Sighing, she slipped her hands under the skirt to pull off her panties before removing her bra. Rubbing her head in irritation, she looked at herself again and turned slowly back and forth. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places. But could she pull off no undergarments? Opening her dresser, she sifted through what she had knowing that nothing would work under the dress, the material was simply too clingy. “Olivia! Hurry up!” Tanya shouted from the other room.

Tugging at the length, she looked down at her feet. With a sigh, she kicked off her sensible shoes and reached for the shoebox on the top shelf. Opening it, she stared down at the strappy sandals her aunt had bought her to go with the dress. She teetered on unfamiliar heels when she put them on. She took a deep breath. I can do this! “Where have you been hiding those curves?” Tanya teased, as Olivia reappeared in the room. Their other friends giggled. “You look gorgeous,” Tracy told her as Melanie whistled.

“Do I? It’s not too revealing?” Olivia shifted uncomfortably. The other girls narrowed their gazes at her. “No!” they replied together. Not giving Olivia a moment to change her mind, Tanya quickly looped her arm through hers and escorted her to the door. Olivia was both nervous and excited about going out with her friends. At her age, she had spent her life always taking the safe route, preferring to stay home and study instead of going out clubbing with her friends. But tonight was different. She was finished with school and she was determined to celebrate her

graduation. She was going to have fun for once. The only problem was that she did not know how. Thanks to some name-dropping, Tanya had managed to get their names on the guest list for the hottest club in New York City – Club Deranged. Barely open for a few weeks, it was the current go to spot for every A-lister from the Upper East Side to Battery Park. Olivia walked in cautiously and looked around at the industrial-looking interior. The server led the girls up the stairs to the VIP section, where they clustered along the rail as they looked down at the mass of bodies twisting and turning to

the latest beats. Flashing lights danced around the club, lighting up the club goers as the black lights gave everyone an eerie glow. Olivia looked down at the dancers wishing that she didn’t have three left feet – if there was ever such a thing. She was a terrible dancer; at least, she assumed she was, having never ventured past her bedroom mirror with any attempts to dance. As they settled in their sitting area, Tracy ordered a round of shots as the girls excitedly looked around. When the server returned with their drinks, Tracy passed them around, as the girls toasted

to their graduation. Olivia inspected the small glass with the amber liquid. She was not much of a drinker and only ever sipped on expensive wines and champagnes at the political parties her parents forced her to attend. “On the count of three.” Tracy said. “One, two, three!” Taking a sip, Olivia made a face and watched as her friends quickly downed their drinks. They stared at her waiting for her to do the same. She held her breath, opened her mouth and downed the shot, telling herself not to cough as the burn from the tequila worked its way

down her throat. She shook her head and opened her eyes to the approving looks of her friends. Before she knew it, two more rounds found their way across the table as the girls toasted each other. Tanya stood and grabbed her hand. “Come on, time to hit the dance floor,” she told her as Olivia pulled her hand away. “I think I’ll stay here.” Olivia wiped her now sweaty palm on a napkin. “Oh no, you don’t,” Melanie scolded as her friends pulled her to her feet and dragged her to the stairs.

“Come on, it will be fun,” Tracy called out as she bounced down the stairs. “You’ve seen me dance, right?” Tanya laughed. “No one will see you out there, it’s too dark. Come on, live a little.” With a dubious nod, Olivia joined her friends out on the dance floor as she attempted to copy their moves. The music was infectious as she soon found herself swaying to the beat. Closing her eyes, she let herself go. While the alcohol didn’t make her fearless, she was enjoying herself as she whipped her black curls from side to side.

A tall pale man dressed in all black came and asked her for a dance. Olivia giggled as she shook her head in refusal. She would not even know how to dance with him. He stood there, waiting for Olivia to change her mind before Tanya pulled her away from him. “He looks creepy,” Tanya warned as Olivia nodded in agreement. They shifted to another part of the dance floor, having a good time. During a break, they headed back upstairs, but Olivia held back. “I’ll be right back,” she called out as she pointed to the bathrooms. Waiting in line, she continued to tap her foot to the

music as the line gradually became shorter. When it was her turn, she walked inside and was surprised to see it was relatively empty. As she washed her hands, the last of the other women left to return to the club, and she was alone in there. She brushed her hair out before replenishing her lip-gloss. Staring at herself in the mirror, she was impressed with the young woman staring back at her. So, this is what I look like when I’m having fun, she thought. Olivia looked up when she heard the door open and was surprised when a man walked in.

Staring at him, she realized that he was the same guy who had asked her to dance earlier. Before she could say anything, he grabbed her and covered her mouth with something as she fought to get away, but he was too strong for her and easily lifted her small frame and held her in the air while she kicked uselessly at him. Reaching her hand up, she managed to scratch his neck, but instead of letting her go, he only tightened his hold on her mouth. As panic set in, Olivia’s vision began to blur as her legs slowed down. She knew something was seriously wrong before she blacked out.

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