Waking up in his bed, let alone being stared at with such predatory emotion in his eyes, was the last thing she had expected when she had decided to join the cruise trip.
“Good morning, little Aaliyah,” Volkov stared at the girl in his arms with an amused smile.
He didn’t know she would be so tired after just one activity that she won’t wake up till morning.
Volkov had contemplated whether to take her to her room, but how could he miss this chance of sleeping with her in his arms? All night, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling happy whenever she nuzzled her head closer to his chest like a kitten.
He barely slept the whole night, not wanting to let her out of his vision, but whatever sleep he could grab was the best he ever had.
It felt like he was living his life perfectly fine, but only after Aaliyah came into his life he understood what happiness feels like.
“Did you do anything to me when I was asleep?” It was Aaliyah’s first question, and Volkov quirked his brows, amused by her choice of words.
“Well, did you want me to?” He immediately climbed over her, looking down at her, wanting to eat her all over again.
And though his body wasn’t touching hers, he could feed the slight warmth from her, making him smile.
“Can I see them?” Volkov’s gaze lingered on her chest that he was yet to explore, and Aaliyah’s cheeks turned red.
“Shut up. Why didn’t you bring me to my room?”
“Did you think I would miss the chance to hold you close? It was the best sleep I had,” Volkov said, and seeing the genuinity in his eyes, Aaliyah’s heart skipped a beat.
How could a person be so romantic so early in the morning? Was he the same guy who spoke of thousands of kills?
“Get off me. I need to freshen up. If my friends don’t see me down for another half an hour, they’ll come here,” Aaliyah tried to get away from the situation.
“Well, should we give them a show worth remembering?” Volkov asked, and Aaliyah’s cheeks flushed even more as the events of last night flashed in her mind, her p*ssy immediately aching with need.
Damn it! It was too early to be feeling like this!
“Get off me, you hormonal jerk!” Aaliyah pushed him away, and Volkov chuckled at her way of cursing him as he saw her wearing her shorts and rushing out of the room like her pants were on fire.
Lying where she was sleeping, he took a whiff of her smell through the pillow before sighing in contentment.
‘One day, Aaliyah. One day you will stop running away from me and your feelings, and when that day arrives, I will love you so hard that nothing in this world apart from me would matter to you,’ Volkov groaned before rubbing his nose on her side.
Hearing his phone going off, he was about to pick up when the door of the room burst open, his eyes immediately darkening when he saw who it was.
“Hello, brother,”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Volkov growled.
If Aaliyah hadn’t left earlier, he would’ve caught them like this, and Volkov doesn’t shy away from these things, but the thought of another man, even if it was his brother seeing Aaliyah’s beauty made his blood boil.
She wasn’t naked, but her morning beauty and flushed face were for only him to see.
“Is this how you greet your elder brother? Has isolation turned you into an even colder jerk?” Benjamin walked inside, looking around the room.
“Why are you lying like that?”
“Do you have a problem with my sleeping position now?”
“No, but I am surprised you are still in bed. I was waiting for you downstairs, but when you didn’t come after an hour, I couldn’t help myself,” Benjamin looked at the number of pillows on the bed, feeling a bit suspicious.
“Anyway, come out. Dad and sis are here too,” Benjamin walked out of the room, and Volkov’s gaze turned colder, if possible.
Today was the first time he felt so warm waking up next to Aaliyah, and they had to come to ruin his plans.
It was only the second day, and Volkov thought he would make progress on this trip, which was going smoothly, but how was he supposed to interact with her with all of them around?
If they got even a hint that he has fallen for her, they would make her trip hell with all the questions and continuous pestering. Though she was responding to his advances positively, he was still unsure if she was treating him like a fling or was developing feelings as he had. Groaning with frustration, Volkov kicked the sheets away in anger.
***********
What the hell is wrong with you, Aaliyah? How could you let him control you like this? He is handsome, irresistible, charming, dangerous, predatory, dominant yet submissive, everything you have ever wanted in a man, but seriously?
Aaliyah’s mind was at a battle. While she was shaming herself for letting him do whatever he wanted and touching her most sensitive part, giving her the first orgasm of her life, she also knew she would do it all over it again.
What was the part that she hated was that she might not be giving in to him just because of temporary lust. She was afraid she was starting to fall for his charms.
The way her heart has started to skip a beat whenever he smiles or how her heart picks its pace whenever he is looking at her, not to mention how her body and mind don’t even seem to listen to her whenever it comes to him, she knew she was losing her control.
Now the main question is, is losing her control bad? She knows he is a gangster, and probably more dangerous than he claims.
He is her teacher for the remaining 8 months, her stalker, the owner of so many things, and an aristocrat, so is falling for him worth the risk?
She wasn’t the type to fall for a handsome and rich man because she knew how poor their character could be. But how can she control herself when his character was exactly what arouses her so much?
‘I am falling for Mr. Volkov,’ Aaliyah looked at herself in the mirror, smiling at the thought of it.
Quickly taking a shower and wearing a tank top with olive green knee-length shorts, she exited her room, her gaze flickering to Mr. Volkov’s room before she continued walking towards the lift.
“Well, who is this fine lady? I don’t think we have met before,” She heard a man near the lift, and she turned around, looking him up and down before smiling naturally.
“I am Aaliyah Gold. I haven’t seen you around either,” Aaliyah shook his hand firmly, her gaze observing him, and Benjamin raised his brows at the girl’s confidence.
“You are related to Mr. Volkov,” Aaliyah commented after the handshake, and he looked at her impressed.
“And how did you figure that?”
“You have the same predatory cold gaze when you look at others like Mr. Volkov. You want to show who is the dominant one, and moreover, your faces have similarities,” Aaliyah said.
Now he wasn’t a dangerous man, but it’s rare to see girls her age have that kind of confidence around him.
“Well, I am impressed. I am Dominic’s elder brother. Are you going to have brunch? Shall I join you?” Benjamin bowed like a gentleman, and Aaliyah chuckled before nodding.
Mr. Volkov’s elder brother? He is the leader, or should she say, the new face behind the python gang? Aaliyah smiled before entering the lift.
Seeing Aaliyah and Benjamin walking together, Samantha and Dimitri looked at each other, unsure about the situation.
“Has he woken up yet?” A lady dressed in a satin dress asked, everything about her screaming elegance.
“That brat is having too much fun,” Aaliyah’s gaze shifted to the old man who spoke these words, and Aaliyah realized that Volkov’s family was on the cruise now.
That old man was sure his father, and this lady, who was she? His sister or another childhood friend? Aaliyah looked at her, unsure.
“Hello, everyone,” Aaliyah looked at everyone before she went straight to her friends, who were laughing about something.
“Is that Mr. Volkov’s family? When did they arrive? I know that man is his brother. We met in the lift just now,” Aaliyah said, and Momo clapped her hands excitedly.
“Isn’t every man in the Volkov family a fine piece of meat? Look at those muscles and jaws. I didn’t know I was also into older men until now,” Momo gazed at Benjamin dreamily, and as if feeling someone’s gaze on himself, Benjamin turned to Aaliyah and her group with a smile, making Aaliyah look away.
She doesn’t know why, but she doesn’t seem to have a good feeling about it.
“Miss Aaliyah, why don’t you join our table? You dine with your friends all the time, no?” Benjamin raised his hand like an excited fangirl, and Ashton raised his brows at the excited man.
“You are so good that all handsome and rich men are naturally addicted to you. How lucky,” Momo gushed like a proud mama, and Aaliyah pressed her lips into a thin line.
She doesn’t know if she should call herself precisely lucky.
Smiling and nodding at Benjamin, Aaliyah stood and was about to walk when Ashton grabbed her hand, making her leg twist, and she fell on his lap, and everyone chuckled at Ashton’s red face.
“Don’t you have any sense of balance?” Ashton grumbled, and Aaliyah leaned back to look at his face before quirking her brows.
“Last time I checked, you held my hand. What is it?” She asked, amused, standing again, and he sighed.
“I will have to leave the trip today. We will be stopping at the next island in an hour. I will take the flight from there,” Ashton smiled bitterly.
“Is everything okay?” Aaliyah’s smile faltered.
Grabbing his hand, she pulled him away from the crowd, making everyone follow her movements, and Volkov, who entered the area, looked at them with a sigh.
“What is it? I want to know the truth,” Aaliyah crossed her arms.
“It’s dad. Something’s wrong with the organization, and he needs my help,” Ashton said
“Don’t go. I will miss you,” Aaliyah hugged him out of nowhere, feeling her heart ache for him, and he sighed before hugging her tighter, nuzzling his face in her neck.
“Don’t worry. We will meet after five days, no? Buy something for me?” Ashton whispered, his heart hammering in his chest from all the pain he was feeling.
“Are you sure it’s nothing? What would I do without you? Who will handle my anger? I am coming with you,” Aaliyah said, not knowing why she was feeling like this suddenly.
She doesn’t have attachment issues, but her bond with Ashton was something else.
Though he didn’t want to spoil the friendship, his feelings for her were no less, and Aaliyah was no better. Ashton was the first friend she made when she moved here, and no one apart from him understood her better.
He is like a pillar she could always rely on.
“We will go somewhere to enjoy, and I promise I will take you on bike riding. We will sneak at night to enjoy Mr. John’s ice creams. I will buy you hot chocolate,” Ashton said, his heart aching even more.
If he knew Aaliyah would act like this, he wouldn’t have said yes to going back.
“Don’t go,” Aaliyah pouted, making it difficult for him.