Chapter Fourteen

He quickly shed his shorts. He watched her eyes travel over his body. She clearly liked what she saw.  She must not be a very good liar, he thought.  Her every thought was all over her face.  Her eyes lingered on his erection.  He watched her bite her lip and look up into his eyes.  She was so beautiful.  Maybe now was a good idea.  He crawled over her again, sliding between her legs and supporting his weight on his arms. She ran her hands up his arms onto his shoulders. She tugged on him gently and he leaned down to kiss her.  He liked how she ran her fingers up into his hair.  He liked how she sucked on his bottom lip after she kissed him.  He liked how she wrapped her legs around him.  He liked just about everything about her.  Most of all, he liked how bad she wanted him and she didn’t even know who Alexander Ovechkin was.

She slipped her hands under his arms and caressed his sides with her fingertips.

“No, that tickles,” he said grabbing her hand and smiling down at her. Her eyes lit up for a moment and he gave her a warning look.  He could see the decision not to pursue tickling him on her face.  He quickly kissed her again to prevent her from changing her mind.  He loved kissing her.  Once she decided she wanted him, she gave herself to him completely.  She didn’t seem to hold anything back. She was just as breathless as he was.  She bucked her hips up against him and he decided he’d waited long enough.

He pressed the tip of his penis against her.  She licked her lips and caught her breath as he slowly pushed inside her.  She felt so warm and tight around him. He heard her sigh or maybe it was him.  He kissed her again when he was fully inside her.  He definitely heard her whimper as he pulled back and thrust deeper.  She thrust her hips against him in rhythm with his.  He kissed down her neck and felt her back arch against him.  He slid back and forth slowly. She reached up and kissed him again.  He caressed the hair back from her forehead and followed the strands down across the pillow. Soft, it was so soft. Everything about her was so soft.  She looked up into his eyes again.  She constantly looked at him like he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.  She made him feel incredible.

He slid his hand across her side and up her thigh.  He pulled her knee forward and shifted his weight for better leverage.  He thrust faster.  

“Oh, Alex, don’t stop,” she cried as he quickened his pace. 

He grunted in answer and continued to pump in and out, faster and faster.  He released her knee and slid his hand down to her lower back.  He felt her dig her nails into his back.  It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but strong enough to send him over the edge.  His muscles seized up as his orgasm shook the both of them.  He thrust into her one last time as he bit down on her shoulder. He had the presence of mind not to actually hurt her, but just barely.  She whimpered against him. Her whole body was trembling.  He lay on top of her completely spent, doing his best to catch his breath.

“Alex,” she murmured and moaned. He felt her kisses on his cheek.  He mustered enough energy to kiss her again, softly.  She looked up into his eyes again with a contented smile on her face.  It was a very attractive smile.  He’d been happy to see that smile every minute of every day. 

“Zoey,” he whispered and nuzzled her neck. He felt her fingers travel through his hair again.  He shifted his weight to lay beside her and enveloped her in his arms. She snuggled in against his chest and he felt her sigh against him.  He caressed her hair again enjoying its softness.

They fell asleep together as the moonlight started to shine through the window.

Chapter Thirteen

She loved the sound of his laugh. It was deep and real and it made her heart leap in her chest. He was irresistible. It seemed she had no defense against the way he looked at her with those big blue eyes. Her better judgment kept screaming at her, you’ve only known him a little while, what are you doing?  Her body kept screaming, more, more, more!  He was kissing her again and her body was swimming with desire.  His gentle hands were so warm rubbing against her back. Her brain was losing the battle. His hands traveled down and cupped her buttocks. He pressed her down against him while grinding his hips upward. She could feel how hard he was beneath her.  He kissed her harder, more urgently.  She felt his hands travel back up to the string of her swim suit.  He pulled the tie.

“Zoey,” he whispered in her ear.

The war was over. The battle was lost.

She sat up, slowly, pressing her hands against his chest to keep her balance in the hammock. He held her hips to keep her steady. Her swim suit top fell away.  He ran his hands from her hips up to her full, round breasts.  He cupped them, gently squeezing. He ran his thumbs across her nipples, hard from the cool breeze and his touch.  He licked his lips and put his right hand on her back again pulling her too him and he sat up and teasingly licked her nipple.  She leaned over allowing him to lie back down and grabbed the sides of the hammock on either side of his shoulders.  He took turns kneading one breast with his large fingers as he suckled the other.  He took his time, continuously caressing her with his tongue until her breathing was so rapid, she was beginning to get lightheaded. He reached up to the back of her neck and pulled her down into a kiss again. She pressed her hips down against him and she heard his soft moan.  Her damp nipples rubbing against his chest was maddening. She kissed down his neck and down his chest to tease his nipple as he had her own.  His chest was so solid, yet so soft. His skin felt amazing and she couldn’t keep herself from exploring it with her hands.  She ran her hand down across his abs as she sucked on his nipple. He had his hand twisted in her hair and he squeezed as her hand slid past his abs and across his shorts. She rubbed his hard cock through the fabric and smiled against his chest hearing him moan.  She kissed back up his chest and neck.

“Oh, Alex, I want you,” she whispered breathlessly in his ear.

Suddenly, he grabbed her and held her close, swinging his legs down from the hammock and sat up with her in his arms. He stood supporting her weight and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her inside. If she hadn’t been completely overwhelmed by her desire, she would have marveled at the strength it would take for him perform such a maneuver.  He carried her to the small bedroom that he had left her overnight bag in and lay her down gently on the bed.  He grabbed the bottoms of her swim suit and pulled them off of her.  He stood there looking at her naked body for a few seconds.  She was breathing hard with excitement and she could see he was clearly just as excited.  He rubbed his hand from her ankles around her calf and pulled her leg to him. He kissed the inside of her knee and she couldn’t keep from catching her breath. His hands traveled up her thigh followed by his lips. He kissed softly to her inner thigh, making her whimper in anticipation.  He kissed the soft, hollow at her left hip and then across her abdomen to her right and down to her inner thigh again.  He slid his hand under her knee and rubbed up her thigh, sliding her knee onto his broad shoulder. 

She cried out in pleasure as he finally plunged his face between her legs.  She bucked her hips involuntarily against his mouth as he licked and sucked.  He pushed her other knee across his shoulder and pulled her hips toward him.  She moaned as his tongue teased her clit over and over. She reached out and ran her hand through his hair while grabbing the sheets with the other. He felt the vibration of his moan against her. He grasped her hips and sat up, pulling her up on her shoulders. He raked his teeth gently across her clit, sending a shutter through her body.  Her orgasm exploded sending an electric current up her spine.  Her whole body shook.  She cried out his name over and over.

He supported her back and moved her back up to the head of the bed lying her gently on the pillow. He kissed her belly and up to her neck. Zoey grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

“Alex, now, I want you inside me right now,” she demanded, breathlessly.

“Now?” he grinned. “What if I want to go slow?”

“Slow? But…,” she protested.

He kissed her neck, smirking at her groan.

Chapter Twelve

Mishka stayed only a little while longer. He kissed her hand again when he left, and though his smile was kind, she got an odd feeling from him. She didn’t think he liked her much.  She watched Alex embrace him. Mishka said something to him in Russian and his eyes darted in her direction.  Alex just smiled. Zoey walked back out onto the porch and sat down in the hammock. The brightly colored canvas was cool and soft.  She lay back and snuggled into the fabric.  She imagined napping here would be very comfortable. The sun was beginning to go down and the temperature had begun to drop.  The breeze drifting across the porch brought goose bumps to her arms.  It was time to change out of her bikini into something a little warmer.  Alex appeared in the doorway. She watched his eyes travel across her body. She watched his smile broaden as he walked over to her. 

“You know, there is room for two,” he said.

“Really? You think so?”

“I know so,” he replied.

“Oh, you know so.” 

“Uh,” he hesitated, her tone was playful, but not completely amused. “My brother sit there with his wife before.  It will hold us both.”

She smiled wide and her heart jumped in her chest as he placed a hand on each side of her to steady the hammock and sat down.  

“Move over some. I bigger than that,” he grinned.

“But I’m comfortable right here in the middle,” she teased. “That way I won’t fall.”

“I won’t let you fall.”

She moved over slightly and smirked up at him.

“Fine,” he said and leaned over on top of her, shifting his hips to rest next to hers. He slid he arm underneath her shoulders and moved her over himself.  The hammock rocked unbalanced and she clung to him. He smiled at her.  She looked up into his big, blue eyes and swallowed hard.  He brushed his lips gently across hers.  She expected him to keep going, but he pulled away.  She was more than disappointed.  He held her tight and shifted his position again in the hammock so that he was lying on his back with her on her side next to him.

“Hey, you’re taking all the room,” she whined playfully.

He pulled her over on top of him, “Better?”

His bare chest against her skin felt so good. She leaned down and brushed her lips across his. But she didn’t pull away. She could feel his breath on her lips and she couldn’t keep from kissing him.  She kissed him softly, loving the feel of his velvet lips, the roughness of his beard.  As he twisted his fingers up into her hair, her kiss became deeper and more urgent.  She wanted it to last forever. She wanted to lose herself completely in his kisses. His large hands were amazingly gentle as he brushed them across her back and up her shoulders.

He looked up into her eyes and smiled, “Are you trying to seduce me?”

She grinned down at him, “Well, I’d never want to compromise your virtue.”

Chapter Eleven (translated from Russian)

Alex went back inside followed quickly by Mishka.  His friend moved around the kitchen a spoke to him in a hushed voice.

“Ты, что с Луны свалился? What are you thinking, bringing an American girl here, Sania?” he said with distain.

“What?” Alex ignored his friend’s tone. “She is interesting. She amuses me. And you don’t have to whisper. She doesn’t understand Russian.”

“Amuses you?” he said incredulously. “I understand that she is very pretty, but she is not even your type.”

“Oh, what’s my type?” Alex asked with a chuckle.

“Tall, skinny, blonde and Russian. Sure, her curves are in all the right places, but… she’s an American!”

“You said that already,” Alex said, quickly becoming bored with the conversation. Mishka gave him an annoyed look.

“She was alone and she is nice and funny,” Alex cocked his head to the side, shrugged his shoulders and added quietly, “and she didn’t know who I was.” 

“Didn’t know… what she is not from this planet?  How can she not know who you are?”

“Not everyone follows hockey, Mishka.”

“What do you mean, she was alone?”

“Just what I said. She is alone here.  She doesn’t speak the language.”

“So, you thought you needed to play hero and rescue the lady.”

“I know what it is like,” he said, his tone began to hold a note of warning that was not lost on his friend.

Mishka shook his head at his friend, clearly disapproving.  Alex sighed.  He couldn’t blame his friend. He asked himself the same questions on the drive out here. But every time she smiled at him, it didn’t matter where she was from.  It didn’t matter that their worlds were so far apart. He wanted to get to know her.  What was so bad about that?  

She appeared in the doorway.  Mishka was right, she did have curves in all the right places. She walked slowly over to him and smiled.  She had a beautiful smile.  He quickly forgot his annoyance with Mishka as he took in her appearance. She had full lips and very large, chocolate brown eyes.  Her long, dark hair fell in damp waves halfway down her back.  She had a long, graceful neck and a sun-kissed chest with lovely round breasts hidden beneath that bright orange bikini.  He couldn’t help but imagine tasting them as she wrapped her toned legs around his waist. He watched her eyes travel across his chest and smiled himself.  She was definitely attracted to him.  He wondered how long it would take for her to accept it.  He felt his desire for her building and resisted the urge to reach for her.  She would come to him, of this, he was certain.  Though, he found himself beginning to hope that it was sooner rather than later.

Chapter Ten

At the last second, he grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her in with him.  She felt his arms encircle her under the water.  He pulled her to him and they breached the surface together.  He shook his head, sending his wet hair flying and grinned at her.

“That was not nice,” he smirked and put his large palm on top of her head and pushed her under again.

“Hey,” she cried, as she surfaced for the second time.  He was standing there laughing at her. She swam up close to him and held on to his arm. He was much taller than she was and at this part of the pond, she could only touch the bottom with the tips of her toes.  He slid his arm under hers and held her up.   He pulled her close and swam a few strokes with his powerful arm and deposited her in more shallow water.  She was a little disappointed when he released her. She liked the feel of his arm around her.  The water was warm, but not too much and it was very refreshing.  Mishka jumped from the deck into the water and splashed them with a great wave.  Alex released a slew of Russian phrases that Zoey thought could have been light-hearted profanities and then splashed his friend back with a great sweep of his hand.  He then turned to her and lifted her chin up to look in her eyes. He wiped the water droplets from her eyelashes and cupped her cheek in his hands.  He leaned down and kissed her lips softly.  She suddenly felt completely weak, looking up into his deep, blue eyes. 

“Sorry, he a jerk sometimes,” he said with a chuckle.  “Next time, be prepared, you know. It sure to happen again.”

All she could do was nod at him.  She couldn’t find her voice.

Mishka tossed at ball at him.  Alex caught it deftly and grinned at Zoey like a little boy before moving away and throwing a bullet straight at Mishka.  She watched them play like children for a long time. Mishka seemed to be the same age as Alex, though he was shorter and did not have nearly as muscular a build.  She watched Alex jump out of the water and lunge after the ball as Mishka threw it wide.  She was still impressed by how big and powerful his upper body was.  She expected his legs to be large. How could they not be, with all that skating?  She guessed hockey must be a good workout.  She might have to start watching when she got back home.  She smiled to herself and watched Mishka take exception after he was pelted in the head.  He moved quickly across the water and grabbed Alex, trying to pull him under.  Alex was the stronger and only laughed as he wrestled with his best friend.  He finally pushed Mishka’s head under the water just as he had Zoey’s.  He turned to look at her. When he laughed his whole face lit up.  He relinquished his grasp on his friend and came over to where she was sitting at the edge of the water. 

“You want drink?” he asked her breathlessly. She nodded and he said something to Mishka in Russian. Apparently, he asked his friend the same question because Mishka nodded in answer.

Alex headed inside grabbing a towel from the bench on the porch and disappeared inside.  Mishka joined her.

“You like Moscow?” he asked her, his eyes not exactly meeting hers.

“I do.  It’s a beautiful city,” she said and despite the warm air, goose bumps broke out on her skin.

“How you know Sasha?” he asked screwing up his face slightly, trying to find the right words.  She wasn’t sure she could explain so that he would understand.

“St. Bazil’s. I met him there,” she decided would be the easiest answer. 

Alex returned with the refreshment.  He handed his friend a bottle and nodded his head as if asking Mishka to move away.  He sat down between Zoey and Mishka and handed her a bottle as well. 

“Kvass. You will like it. Trust me?” he asked with a grin. 

“Sure,” she said a little breathless, returning his smile. And it was the truth, though she didn’t know why.

The Kvass was similar to beer, only slightly sweet and it was very good.  It was strong with the taste of Rye though and she wasn’t expecting it. She exhaled a bit and Alex laughed.

There it was, the sparkle in his eyes that she’d never seen before in anyone, as if he had so much joy inside, it couldn’t help but leak out.

Chapter Nine

“How about lunch?” she said, trying to resist the slightly sweaty, extremely sexy man in front of her.  It was not anything near what she really wanted at that very moment. But her mind kept telling her she hadn’t known him very long.  He grinned at her and walked back to the bench to pick up his shirt.  She let out a sigh of relief.  If he’d kissed her instead of walking away, her resolve would have completely melted away.

“Come. I hungry too. We find something,” he said and she followed him back to the house.

“You sit,” he motioned to a large hammock on the porch. “I be right back.”

 He tossed his t-shirt in a lounge chair on the way through the door. Zoey sighed. She hoped he would put it back on. She found his chest and shoulders very desirable and she felt a little weak now that he was shirtless.  She had to make a conscious effort not to touch him. She felt sure that he knew it too.  She sat on the hammock carefully so as not to tumble out of it. It was not too hard though. It was quite large – large enough, in fact, for two people. She got up quickly and sat at the table instead.  The breeze picked up slightly and she took in a deep breath. The air was so clean out here.  She detected the sweet scent of red currents from the garden off to the left behind the basketball court. It was quiet and peaceful.  Zoey had no doubt that Alex must love summers here.

“Okay,” Alex appeared in the doorway, surprised to find her at the table instead of where he left her. “You know, it not much. I don’t cook. We could go out.”

He sat a place of cold cuts and cheese in front of her and sat beside her at the table.  

“I find these too. You like berries?” he added a bowl of strawberries to the presentation.

She smiled over at him, “They are my favorite.”

He gifted her with that incredible smile and she felt the need to repress a sigh.

Lunch was a quick affair, but just perfect.  He even softly wiped the juice of a strawberry from her lip.  She was surprised that something so cliché could actually be so sexy.  She found herself wishing at that moment that he would kiss her. It seemed like he was going to, but then he pulled away and got up from the table.   He moved over to the hammock and lay down putting his hands behind his head.  She had to avert her eyes from his well-toned body to keep from betraying her desire.

“You know, there is much room here. You should come join me,” he smirked. 

She chuckled.  “I am quite comfortable right here.”

He nodded his head to the side and smiled as if to say he knew she wanted to, regardless of what she said.

A gust of warm wind blew in across the porch.  She placed her hand on the back of her neck. She was getting warm and the pond out back was looking more and more attractive.

“We could, you know, swim,” he suggested. “Come, change clothes.”

She let herself be persuaded and followed him back inside.  She quickly pulled off the t-shirt that had begun to get sticky and donned her orange bikini.  She didn’t wear it often. She had a red tankini that she wore all the time, but this one made quite an impression. If he was going to tempt her, well, turn about was fair play, after all. 

“I be outside,” he called from the other side of the door, as she was tying the up string around her neck.

“I’ll just be a minute.”

A moment later she was out in the sunshine on his deck looking out over the pond.  He wasn’t out there anywhere that she could see.  The sun was quite warm and she lifted her long hair up off of her neck.  She turned around to see Alex standing with another man just inside the porch.  They were standing still, both with their eyes on her.  Just as she was beginning to feel self-conscious, Alex moved down to the deck toward her ushering the man with him.

“Вы привносите мне подарок, Sasha,” the man grinned over at Alex. You bring me a gift.

Alex slammed an open hand into his friend’s chest.

“This is Zoey,” he said to his friend and then turned to her, “This my best friend, Mishka.”

Mishka looked at his friend questioningly, “американский?”

Alex dismissed his friend’s surprise at Zoey’s nationality.

Zoey smiled and Mishka took her hand and kissed it softly. “здравствуйте, happy to meet you.”

Alex took her hand away from his friend and said, impatiently, “Yes, she happy to meet you too. получить назад .”

He led Zoey away to the edge of the deck. “He not bad guy. His English not too good. It okay if you not want to swim now,” he said, looking over her body. Feeling his eyes travel over her body was enough to make her blush. The suit had the effect she was looking for, though, she hadn’t expect to wear it for his best friend as well.

“You look very beautiful,” he said quietly.  “I promise, he is harmless, if you still want to.”

She definitely got the feeling that he didn’t want to change their plans just because of Mishka. 

She grinned up at him. “Okay, so you are ready to cool off?”

He smiled, “Need too cool off.”

She stepped closer to him and shoved him off the end of the deck into the pond below.

Chapter Eight

He took her through some sliding glass doors out onto a covered patio. She could see a pond beyond, lovely and natural with a high deck that went out over it. She spied a tennis court and a basketball court in the distance. 

“Wow, do you play?” she nodded her head toward the court.

“I play,” he smiled. “Want to?”

“Yeah, sure, but you have a really big advantage over me,” she looked up at him. He was nearly a foot taller than she was.

“What? You want me to play from my knees?” he grinned.

“Hmf,” she grunted, taking the basketball that he pulled from the shelf.

“Tell you what, you score on me, you win,” he offered, walking her out to the court and unlatching the gate.

“What, just one basket?” she asked incredulously.

“You think you can score on this?” he grinned and spread his arms out from his sides in a display of his mighty wingspan.

She smiled slyly. “Okay,” she said, “I score one, I win. You have to score 5.”

“Five? That hardly seems fair,” he protested.

“What, you scared,” she taunted, “of little ‘ole me?”

He laughed.  “Okay, five. Let’s go.”

 He grabbed the back of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. It took her a second to recover and make sure that he didn’t see her jaw drop.  Luckily, he had turned to toss his shirt on the bench and she didn’t think he noticed. His height and wingspan might not be his greatest advantage. She was clearly going to be distracted by that massive, sun-kissed chest and his broad shoulders. He had just the right amount of light brown chest hair that spread out across his pectoral muscles and slightly downward across his abdominals ending in a treasure trail that led past his belly button. 

His bounce pass snapped her back to reality as she’d already gotten distracted again. She began to dribble and her competitive nature took over.   She moved in closer and he planted his feet and spread his arms making a veritable wall against her.  She backed up a little and grinned at him. She dodged to the right and then went left and tried to shoot. He blocked her shot easily, dribbled back out to center and took his turn. He dribbled in to the right side and she slapped the ball away from him.

“Oh, Kroshka has some skills,” he cried with a smile.

“What does that mean? Kroshka?”

“Little one,” he explained with a crooked grin and slapped the ball from her hands, turned and shot the ball toward the goal. Big guy has some skills too, Zoey thought to herself, watching the perfect form of his jumpshot just before the ball sank into the net. 

He tossed the ball out to her. “That’s one,” he grinned.

“And where did you get your skills, Alex?” she asked, dribbling the ball straight at him and stopping short.  He stuffed the ball back down with a huge paw as she shot.

“My mom played on the Russian Olympic team.”

She stopped and stared at him, dumbfounded. “Now, don’t you think that’s something you should have mentioned before we started playing? Maybe you should go to ten?”

“No, no, no changing rules now. It five and I only have three to go now,” he said as he slid a layup into the goal.

He tossed the ball back to her.  She dribbled up the left side and caught him in the chest with her shoulder, yet he still managed to palm the ball.

“That was foul, charging. I get free-throw,” he demanded.

“Oh come on,” she complained, but uttered a “fine” as she realized he was not going to back down.

“You cannot change rules just because you are little,” he teased her with an air of authority. “Move that way, free throw is unhampered by defender.”

“I know the rules, Alex.”

She moved behind him slightly and then snuck up to blow in his ear just as he was about to shoot.  He missed by a full foot.

“That cheating.”

“I didn’t touch you at all,” she teased.

“Not fair,” he grinned at her devilishly. She took the ball to center again and dribbled up to the left. He stopped in front of her blocking her forward progress again. This time she pulled the ball around behind her hoping to switch directions on him, but he wrapped both arms around her and grabbed the ball.  She suddenly found her face in his chest and she dropped the ball.

“THAT was a foul!  You can’t do that!” she cried as he gathered up the ball and shot for another basket.

“What?” he laughed at her.

“That one doesn’t count. Gimme that ball. My turn for a free throw,” she insisted. “And you go stand all the way over there.”

“Why, afraid I might distract you?”

She scowled at him and set up her shot. It went in. She looked over at him with a satisfied grin on her face.

“So, you win. What you want as prize?” he said, moving closer to her and brushing a stray hair away from her face. She swallowed hard watching him bite his lower lip. She knew exactly what she wanted her prize to be.

Chapter Seven

She spent the rest of the evening trying to distract herself with work. She downloaded all her pictures and organized them on the computer.  She spoke to Parker back in the States. It was a girl, a beautiful and healthy baby girl. He was gushing with joy and pride. He expressed some guilt over leaving her alone and she assured him without going into detail that she was fine.  She issued her congratulations and told him to take all the time he wanted.  She had lots of work to do, but she couldn’t completely keep her mind off of the dashing Russian who had invaded her life. She came across the picture of him at the Cathedral. It really was quite lovely. He was leaning casually on the car, staring off into the distance.  She lingered over the picture, studying the sunlight on his hair, the set of his jaw.  He’d been right. He left her with a lot to think about. She couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. She couldn’t stop thinking about the taste of him, the softness of his lips, the way his whiskers rubbed her chin, the firmness of his body as he crushed her to him, how strong and incredible his arms felt around her.  She let out a deep sigh. I could be having more of that right now, she thought. But no, I had to be a good girl.  She shook thoughts of him out if her mind and went back to her work.  She worked well into the night, hoping that she would be too tired to linger on thoughts of him.  It didn’t work.

The morning sunshine woke her after a restless night. She had two free days before she was supposed to go to St Petersburg. She’d hope to spend them seeing things in Moscow that most people didn’t see.  The tourist attractions were great, beautiful in fact, but there was more to Moscow that just that and she wanted to experience it all.  She showered and dressed, tamed the waves in her hair and sat on the bed with a map, deciding on what to do.  She tried to make a plan, but finally had to admit to herself that she was hesitant to leave her room because she was hoping to see him. After wasting as much time as she could stand, she ran out of patience and gathered her bag and room key and opened the door to leave.

He was standing there, in the process of knocking on the door when she swung it open.  She gasped.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly.  He grinned at her.

“Leaving without me?” he teased.

“Well, I … didn’t know when… uh,” she stumbled trying to find the words.

“Go back inside,” he ordered.

“What?” she said bewildered and a little anxious.

“Go back inside and pack a bag, one night. We be back tomorrow. Do you swim?”

“Well, uh, yes I do, but where are we going?”

“Bring swim suit, no need anything else, just one night. I take you to country. My dasha.”

“Your house?” she asked in shock.

“Yes, come on, get stuff, let’s go.”

“But Alex, I don’t know, I …” she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to go running off with him to the country and overnight no less.

“You have fun. It will be okay. You be safe. Your, what is word,” he thought for a second, “virtue will be safe, unless, you change mind, of course.”

He grinned at her slyly and she had no doubt he could easily make her change her mind. 

“Come on, let’s go,” he shooed her back into her room and she put a few things in an overnight bag. He herded her quickly around so that she wasn’t even sure she got the things she wanted.

He drove so fast, but after a few minutes she got over her nervousness. He said he slowed down for her though she couldn’t really tell. She watched the city quickly fade away into the Russian country-side.  The summer grass was still so green and the area was littered with fir trees.  The air was a little cooler than in the city, but it was still warm. Alex had the windows in the BMW down. She wasn’t sure if it was the wind created by his driving or the way he looked at her that gave her goose bumps. After about an hour, he pulled the BMW into a lovely, red brick country house. There were three other cars in the drive.

“Do you have other people here?” she asked, afraid she might be meeting a bunch of new people.

“These mine. I like cars. I have lots of cars,” he said matter-of-factly.  She smiled at him, relieved and also a little glad that she had him all to herself. She followed him inside watching him move as he carried her bag and set it down in a small bedroom.  She could see the muscles in his back flex as he moved.  He had a strong, broad back and chest. She licked her lips in anticipation of swimming with him and being able to see what it looked like without a shirt.

“What?” he said, questioning the look on her face, with a grin.

“What?” she said coyly, acting as if she hadn’t just been undressing him with her eyes.  His smile widened and he motioned her to follow him on a quick tour of the house.

Right, she thought sarcastically, her virtue was completely safe.

Chapter Six

She looked at him questioningly as he pulled up to her hotel.

“There is great restaurant here. You will like, but we have to change clothes. Have to look nice for Restaurant Moskovsky.”

“What? Well, wouldn’t we need a reservation then?”

He glanced over at her with a crooked grin, “I think we will be able to get in.”

“What is your room? I come get you in twenty minutes.”

After she told him, he smiled and waved quickly and went to the elevator on the far left, the one to the Presidential Suite.  She smiled at herself. She had forgotten that he was famous for a little while. Of course, he could get them into the restaurant. They would probably fall over themselves to have him.  She would have to steel her resistance in order to avoid doing that herself.

It was still early afternoon and she didn’t feel that her black silk dress was appropriate, so she pulled out a teal colored slip dress.  It was cocktail length, so long like the black one and it seemed more appropriate for the day time. Besides, it had a halter neckline that made her neck look long and graceful and she always felt pretty with the way the color played on her tanned skin. She added a pair of strappy, silver heels to complete the outfit. Twenty minutes didn’t leave her much time to mess with her unruly waves.  She decided to pull it back from her face with a silver clip and leave the rest of the curls to fall down her bare back.  She just finished dabbing some lipstick on her full lips when there was a knock at the door. Her heart jumped. Suddenly, she was nervous. Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself, it’s just a nice lunch with a nice man. Stop being a jumpy, little girl.

She made a conscious effort to close her mouth before he noticed that she was overcome by his appearance.  She thought he was handsome before, but standing there in his navy blue suit and cerulean blue shirt, he was a feast for the eyes.  He’d decided against a tie and his shirt was open at the next providing just a hint of chest hair.  She took a deep breath. She’d never felt such desire for a man she barely knew before. Two days, she reminded herself, you’ve only known him for two days. 

He wasn’t shy about looking her over. When his eyes met hers, he smiled and said, “You look very beautiful.”

She swallowed quickly and complimented him in return.  He held out his hand to her. Again, she felt that spark as she place her small hand in his huge palm.

The Restaurant Moskovsky was splendidly beautiful. There were archways all around with table hidden in the alcoves. There was an incredible mural painted on the ceiling. There were fireplaces here and there. But it was the view from a few of the select tables that was the most amazing.  The maitre d’ led them to a quiet table by a window with a spectacular view of the Kremlin and Red Square.  Alex spoke to him in Russian, turned to her and asked if she wanted some wine.  She nodded to him.  He spoke again in Russian and she was enchanted by the sound of it. She’d heard it from Parker when he translated for her, but clearly he was not doing it right.  Parker sounded like a braying donkey. Alex sounded like a deep, low song floating on the breeze.  She looked at him with renewed interest, as if she needed more.

“I ordered a light wine. Too early for Vodka,” he winked.

They talked about food and what she liked. When the waiter came, Alex ordered for the both of them. When he was finished the waiter asked Zoey a question in Russian.

“He want to know if you want sour cream on side of blinis. They come with it, but he will separate it for you,” he explained.

“Oh, I don’t mind. He doesn’t need to do anything special for me.”

“My apologies, Miss. I did not realize you were American,” the waiter said in English.  “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“No,” she smiled. “I’m fine.”

He nodded at her and then at Alex and retired. 

“He didn’t know I was American.  I feel like I’m walking around with a huge sign across me that screams foreigner!”

“No, it not that bad, only whisper of foreigner.”

“Thanks a lot,” she laughed at him.

“The only thing you scream is beautiful.”

She looked up into his eyes, even deeper blue because of his cerulean shirt, blushed and fussed with the napkin in her lap.

Lunch was lovely. Alex had ordered them both beluga caviar blinis to start, then he had lamb chops while she enjoyed a variety of seafood, sea bass, scallops, tiger shrimp, and squid with fried mushrooms. He managed to convince her to try his lamb, a new experience for her.  She was very glad he had ordered the sea food for her instead.  During dinner, he told her about Moscow, about himself, about living in Washington DC and about hockey.  She was intrigued with every aspect of his life.  In turn, she told about her home in New York, her book, her travels.  By the time lunch was over, she was even more enamoured with him. 

When they walked to the elevator, she felt his hand in her hair just before he placed it at her back.  She felt a shock travel through her body at his touch.  Her body certainly didn’t have a problem reacting to him.  She reminded herself again that she’d only known him two days. Two days! 

“Thank you for lunch,” she said as the elevator began to rise.

“You are welcome,” he smiled and she caught him looking at her lips.

The elevator doors opened and he followed her out.

“Are you going to walk me to my door?” she grinned up at him.

“Of course, gentleman always walks lady to the door.”

“And you are a gentleman?” she asked, as they stopped in from of her room.  She turned to face him.

“Have you doubts?” he teased her.

“No, not really,” she looked up into those beautiful blue eyes and felt her resolve slip.

“Can I come in?” he leaned closer to her placing his forearm on the door above her.

“Alex, we just met.”

“Still, I know you want me to come in,” he leaned closer to her, so close she could feel his breath.  She put her hand up on his chest to stop him from coming any closer. She felt how powerful he was, how warm he was. She did want him to come in and he knew it. She knew she would be unable to stop him if he persisted.

He let out a deep breath and pulled away from her slightly.

“Okay, but I am going to kiss you. Give you something to think about.”  He put his large hand at the small of her back and pulled her close to him and pressed his lips to hers. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and kissed her hard and passionately.  Her hand went up to the back of his neck and into his hair.  Feeling his body hard against hers was almost too much. His hand ran up her back and into her hair and he pulled her even closer nearly crushing her against him. Finally, he pulled back from her leaving her lightheaded and breathless.  He seemed a little breathless himself. He sucked on her bottom lip slightly before taking a step back, grinning devilishly.  She blushed, turned and opened her door.

“I see you tomorrow.”

And he walked away, leaving her with quite a lot to think about.

Chapter Five

She was relieved when they reached the Cathedral.  He didn’t drive like a mad man. That would have been impossible in the city, but she could tell that he was like a race horse wanting to burst out of the gate.  He revved the engine once or twice and grinned at her. She couldn’t decide if he was trying to make an impression on her or if he was just that way.  Either way, she was charmed by him. 

The sun was bouncing off the golden tower caps on the Cathedral just like she had feared.  However, the effect was not as bad as she thought it might be. It was not the picture she had planned, but did leave an attractive glow that she thought she could work with.  She took several shots from a distance and then walked up to the building itself and took shots from about five feet away with the camera angled up for an upshot with the towers against the blue sky.  That would turn out beautiful, she hoped.  She turned and saw Alex leaning against the hood of his car. He was looking out over the gardens around the Cathedral.  She took a shot of him, but then slowly lowered her camera, thinking she should get permission before she took pictures of him.  He glanced back over at her as she approached him.

“Done already?”

“No, I… well, I turned around and took a picture of you, but then I thought I should have asked you first.”

“I no mind. Why you want picture of me?” he grinned.

“You looked deep in thought.  I don’t know. I just took it,” she blushed.

“Can I see?”

She retrieved the picture on her digital camera and handed it to him.  He nodded his head and smiled.

“I have future as model, no?”

Then he laughed.  It was a low contagious laugh and she laughed with him.  She actually found him quite attractive. She wondered if his personality would come across on camera. Though, she guessed, the broken nose and missing tooth would hinder a modeling career.

“Good thing I have job already,” he said, smiling at her.  His blue eyes sparkled with amusement and she found herself thinking it would be amazing to capture that on film.

She blushed again and turned back to the Cathedral.  The grounds around the Cathedral were lovely and she busied herself with shot from that vantage point.  The summer flowers gave off an enchanting scent. There were several rose bushes of varying colors. They were quite beautiful and she actually found herself reaching out to touch one of the roses and kneeled down to sniff.  He startled her as he came up behind her.

“You jumpy.  Do I make you nervous?” he asked, with a crooked grin. He clearly knew she found him attractive.

“No. Not really.”

“Want lunch?”

She smiled at him and nodded.  He held his large hand out for her.  She placed her small one in his and rose to her feet.  This was a picture to remember in her mind, looking up at him, the sun gleaming down making the gold in his brown hair stand out, the deep blue of his sparkling eyes, her hand in his. It was just a moment, a moment that would change her life.

Chapter Four

He had helped her collect all her gear and deposit it and herself in a cab back to her hotel.  He spoke to the driver and she got the idea that he was making sure she would get there just fine.  He was very sweet and quite dashing and she felt a little disappointed as the cab pulled away leaving him on the sidewalk.  The driver helped her with her gear when she got to the hotel. It just confirmed what she suspected.  

She had googled him once she got back to her room at the Hotel National. She was astounded by all the press on him. She quickly changed her mind, deciding she didn’t want to read it for fear of breaking the spell he’d cast on her. She’d met a kind man. She preferred to remember him that way.  She closed her laptop computer and flipped her long, chocolate brown hair into a twist and clipped it up.

It was warm in Moscow at the end of July even toward the evening. She shed her clothes and slipped into the plush robe that the hotel had provided. The Hotel National was a big splurge for her. She was spending several days here in Moscow. Her first location was St. Bazil’s, but she had a few other places to shoot and then she was going to St. Petersburg. She decided that she would only take a day there and return to Moscow.  She was going to take advantage of the book shoots to have a vacation and explore a city that she’d always longed to see.  She walked across the room to the window and pulled back the curtain. Her studio room had a lovely view of the Kremlin. It was an absolutely beautiful building. The sun was going down and only the top turrets had sunlight on them.

She moved back to the bathroom and ran water into the tub. She slipped her toe in cautiously, but the water was not too hot and she sat down and let the warmth wash the day away.  She closed her eyes and enjoyed the smell of the Réméde bath products that the hotel provided for her comfort. It smelled slightly like oranges.  It reminded her of springtime.  She cleared her mind and thought through her day for tomorrow. She would have to get to her next location, but that could be managed without too much difficulty.  The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was another very popular tourist attraction and she felt sure she could manage tomorrow. She would just not take so much gear. 

The sheets on the bed were so soft that she slipped right to sleep after crawling between them. She found herself thinking about those amazing blue eyes before drifting off.

It was late morning as she made her way toward the door, the sun peering through the windows in the lobby.  She’d overslept. She never overslept.  She was hurrying through the lobby and bumped into someone. She turned to apologize and stopped dead in her tracks.

“You make a habit of running over people?”

“No, I’m sorry. I… what are you doing here?” she asked, staring up into those deep blue eyes again.

“I stay here last night. I stay here sometimes when I am in the city,” he said nonchalantly. He was dressed in jeans a white t-shirt with a graphic design on it. His shaggy brown hair was tossled like he had just gotten out of bed, but his beard was neatly trimmed. It looked no more than a few days growth. Zoey had always had a weakness for facial hair and he looked very handsome in his.  He was tanned and he seemed very relaxed. His smile was surprising. He was missing a tooth in the front and, yesterday, it took her off guard, but his smile was so contagious. She couldn’t help but smile back.

“You look like you are in hurry.”

“Oh, yes,” she said remembering that she was late. “I should have been at the Cathedral hours ago. It’s going to be too bright if I don’t get there soon.”

“Too bright?”

“The light, for the pictures. I wanted something soft and now, with the Cathedral being so white, it’s going to be lit up like its glowing.”

“Might not be so bad,” he offered, with a bashful smile. Zoey felt the color rise in her cheek. Why on Earth was she blushing?

“You want ride? I give you ride.” 

She hesitated, knowing she should not accept a ride from a man she barely knew.

“It just a ride,” he added, reading her thoughts.

She smiled, “Okay.”

He led her outside and placed her into a small, white BMW sportscar.  She smiled at him again as he got behind the wheel.

“This looks fast.”

He flashed a crooked grin at her and said, “Hold on.”

Chapter Three

“Oh, no. Thank you. I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she said quickly, looking up at the tall man standing over her. He was clearly Russian even without the strong jaw line and pronounced brow, his accent would give that away. He had high cheekbones and full lips, the bottom slightly more plump, that curled up into a smile. His blue eyes sparkled in amusement at her apology.

“No, was my fault. I not paying attention,” he released her from his grasp and looked around at all of her equipment. “You are not a tourist, are you?”

“Oh, uh, no. I’m a photographer,” she explained. “St. Bazil’s is my assignment for today.”

“You work for magazine?” he asked, a little surprised.

“No, it’s a book actually.  I was supposed be in Russia for several more days.”

“Supposed to be?”

“My assistant had to go back to the States.” She didn’t know why she was telling him this. It was not a good idea to spread around that she was all alone in a foreign country. But he was not very threatening even though he was a big man. His smile seemed genuine and she let her guard down.

“You will not stay without assistant?”

“I’m not sure. I will have to make some arrangements. I don’t speak Russian well. You speak very good English, by the way.”

“I spend the winter time in States.”

She was distracted by a group of boys near the outer doors of the church. One of them was pointing in her direction.  The man standing next to her raised his hand at them and they moved on with a wave.

“Friends of yours,” she asked.

“No, just fans.”

“Fans?”

A quick grin flashed at the corner of his mouth.

"I play hockey... in the NHL."

She looked at him with surprise and slightly embarrassed.

"So, I should probably know who you are, shouldn't I?"

He smiled broadly and his eyes twinkled slightly.

"Some people do," he extended his hand to her and introduced himself. “I’m Alex.”

Chapter Two

Zoey Simmons set her tripod up in the square.  She had spent several minutes trying to find just the right angle to get the picture she imagined in her mind. This was the third stop on her assignment from her publisher. She was putting together a photography book of the greatest churches in the world. They had chosen fifteen with the most beautiful architecture and interesting history.  Her first stop had been Notre Dame. She had always dreamed of going there and the beautiful cathedral did not disappoint. Then she had visited Saint-Chappelle in the center of Paris. It was an incredible sight. The medieval architecture was exquisite. The stain-glassed windows were breathtaking.

“Zoey, I have to go,” said Parker, sliding his cell phone back into its holster and quickly packing up pieces of equipment.

“What do you mean? We just got here.”

“That was a call from home. The baby is coming early. I have to go.”

“Stop that,” she said placing a hand on his shoulder. “I can get this, go. Go.”

“Zoey, I’m so sorry to leave you here.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Go.”

Parker slid behind the wheel of their rental car and, with a wave, was gone.  He was a very good assistant, but this trip had been extra hard for him.  He and his wife were expecting at the end of the month. This was early, but not too early, just a couple of weeks. He had been getting calls from Elizabeth more often over the last couple of days. He had begun to get anxious. Zoey hoped the long plane ride home was not too much for him.

She decided to put some of her gear away and continue taking pictures when she realized she had no car.  She let out an exasperated breath. At least, this was a popular enough tourist attraction that she would have no trouble getting a cab. She stood back and admired the church’s towering turrets.  From where she was standing, the morning sun was just starting to peek out from behind them. It seemed to create a halo around the church. It made a fantastic picture.  She continued to snap shots of the church.  She had never seen such color and character in a building with such history.  She stepped back and bumped into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said and turning around to apologize, she stumbled slightly. A pair of large hands steadied her. She gasped slightly.

“I am sorry. Did I scare you?” said a deep voice.

Zoey looked up and felt her heart jump in her chest. She gazed into the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen.

Chapter One

It was cold in the arena as she made her way down to her seat.  It was a little loud with the crowd of people all moving to find their places. Zoey followed closely behind her friend, Madison, as they found their seats near the glass.  She was excited and apprehensive at the same time. She had thought this would be fun when she agreed to come with Madison. Now, she was completely nervous. He would probably not even see her. She told herself that she could just enjoy the game and see how he played. It would be exciting to see him play. He wouldn’t know that she’d been there, but maybe that would be for the best anyway. It had been a long 5 months since she’d seen him.

There was a countdown on the jumbotron.  As the time ticked down for the players to take the ice for warm up, her nerves became more and more strained.  She smiled at her friend who fidgeted in the seat next to her, unable to contain her excitement. Madison had taken the occasion to get them tickets right next to the glass. She had been to the games before but never sat so close. She was hoping for a cross-check right in front of them. Zoey just wanted to see him again. It didn’t matter, she kept telling herself, that he wouldn’t see her. She found herself fidgeting as well. 

The first skater jumped through the door and onto the ice. Zoey caught her breath.  A whole line of skaters appeared, one right after the other, zooming out across the ice. He was the last. He skated a big circle, stopped and began stretching on the ice. Zoey sat up in her seat inching to the edge of the chair.  She watched him stretch unable to take her eyes off of him. Madison was pointing to her favorite skaters, but Zoey wasn’t hearing her. She only had eyes for one. He started shooting pucks at the net. The guys all made a wide circle near the boards and came up the middle to shoot. She watched him amazed at how hard and fast his shot was.  She’d never watched him play hockey before, not even on TV. Her reasons all seemed irrelevant now. She smiled to herself.  He didn’t have his helmet on for warm up. He created his own breeze as he skated, which made his hair blow back like it did that warm summer day by the pond.  He skated in front of her and stopped short. He was waiting for a pass from his line-mate. He turned in her direction and missed the pass. She found herself looking into the same amazing eyes that had taken her breath away the first time she saw him.  He had a shocked look on his face and then he smiled, the smile that stole heart.