Exposed (38 page)

A growl rumbled up Ivan’s chest and he gripped June’s bottom, hauled her body against his mouth so she was suspended in his large, warm hands. He sucked at the heat of her, flicking his tongue against that sensitive spot, lapping at her opening until June was practically panting. 

She thrust her hips, groaning as he worked and worked at her arousal. His mouth was hot around her bud, his lips pulling all of her into him, his tongue a wonder of movement against her pulsing, trembling spot until she shuddered out a cry. Until the world was a floating, spinning, gauzy firmament that held June in its arms. Her body quaked and shivered, reaching a pinnacle of ecstasy she didn’t know existed. 

June fell back, limp, against the quilt. Her limbs were heavy, drowsy. But something still pulsed deep within her, begging for more. Demanding more. 

On shaking arms, June pushed herself up so she sat with her legs spread wide, heat still rolling from her sweet center in waves. Ivan knelt before her, his lips wet and his blue eyes dark with desire. June fumbled at his underpants, working against Ivan’s cock that pressed against the band. 

Hurrying now, nearly in a frenzy of need, June pulled his trousers down completely. Ivan yanked them off along with his underwear then stood tall on his knees, the length of his shaft moving slightly with each ragged breath. 

June cupped him with one hand, teased the length of him with her other. She twirled her fingers along the head of his cock and moved her mouth closer, closer. Ivan groaned and moved his hips so the tip of him brushed against her mouth.

June licked her lips and pulled him into her mouth, reveling at the fullness of how he felt in her mouth. She moved her mouth up and down his shaft, working her tongue against the sensitive head of his cock. He moaned and gripped June’s shoulders to steady himself, and that made June’s own desire flare hot within her. She pulled him deeper, sucked him harder, until they were both gasping together. His cock was shuddering now in her mouth, and she ran one hand up his stomach to feel it quivering under her fingertips. Harder, harder, she wanted him to feel what she’d felt, to give in to utter, absolute ecstasy. 

“Wait,” Ivan croaked. 

June didn’t listen. She rolled her tongue along the length of him, circled the tip of him for a teasing second before plunging his cock back into her mouth. Ivan groaned, a deep thing that shuddered all the way through him and into June, and warmth flooded June’s mouth. Finally, finally, she let his cock slip from her mouth and rested her fevered forehead against Ivan’s stomach. They collapsed back to the blanket in a tangle of limbs and lay there panting.

June’s body still pulsed, her nipples hard peaks and her center swollen. Ivan’s eyelids were heavy, but he rolled onto his side and dragged his fingers down June’s stomach. Slowly, languidly, he rubbed against the heat of her. June lay on her back, draped one leg between Ivan’s own so he pressed against her side. His movements were lazy at first, gently enticing June’s bud and stroking her silky opening, but soon his eyes were full with desire again, and his arousal stirred against her hip. He worked his fingers inside of her, flicking them deep inside where her desire pulsed. He pushed himself up to his elbow so he could suck at her breasts, and his hard cock pressed against the curve of her stomach.

June grabbed at his hips, dragged him on top of her. She was wet with need, and his cock slipped inside her. She bit at her lip, dragged it between her teeth, and then Ivan’s mouth was on hers and they were kissing like they’d just discovered each other. He thrust into her, and her hips rocked up to meet him. They moved together, one body, connected at their very cores.

June’s eyes opened wide as she reached the brink of desire and she looked straight into Ivan’s eyes. They fell over the edge together, falling, falling into a floating, ethereal world where they existed in a sea of stars. Ivan crashed against June, the weight of him heavy and wonderful. He shifted to one side so they lay curled together, and fell asleep.

June awoke first with a soft smile. She looked beyond Ivan’s sleeping form, beyond his chest rising and falling with the deepness of sleep. Bright, golden sunlight filtered through to them, cast them in a halo of warmth. 

They were still in Ivan’s bed—June knew that—but it was as if the outside had crept in while they slept. Verdant shoots of ivy crawled up the walls and dripped from the pitched ceiling above, purple flowers opening toward the two lovers in their midst. All around the edges of the bed, bright green moss carpeted the wooden floor. A curtain of wisteria hanging over the window fluttered in the breeze.

But the true awe lay just beside June, his eyes closed and his chest bare. In the hazy morning light, June took him in. Her Ivan. 

His chest and shoulders were broad and tanned with summer. He lay on his side facing her, one long arm draped protectively over June’s naked stomach. June drew her fingers feather-light across Ivan’s chest and lower, along his flat stomach, where hints of muscle teased just under his skin. She curled her fingers through the down of dark hair trailing from his navel down to his manhood. June curled onto her side so they faced each other, their bare feet sliding together. 

Ivan smiled in his sleep and lazily opened his eyes. He stirred, his arousal awakening as he did, asking for more. And willingly, she opened to him. They spent the morning without a thought for life rumbling on without them outside their nest, and June wore nothing but her beautiful pendant.

The rays of sunlight filtering into their private cocoon glowed in that hazy way of summer. June sighed happily.

“Where shall we go first?”

“The ocean,” Ivan whispered into her neck.

“Which ocean?”

Ivan kissed her jawline. “All of them.”

“And will we visit Russia together?”

Clouds gathered in Ivan’s eyes for a moment, and he looked at something unseen past June. “Someday, I hope. But not now.” He ran a hand down June’s arm and twined his fingers with hers. “I want my children to see where their father and grandfathers come.”

June squeezed his hand in response. “
Ya lyublyu tebya
.”

“I love you,” Ivan repeated in English.

June wanted to lay there forever, but the real world called. It was the Fourth of July, the day of her mother’s ridiculous party. She had to make an appearance. The whole thing was meant to show her off to prospective mothers-in-law, after all, even if the entire town now knew the truth. 

What would Mother think when June told her she would have none of them? She wanted to say she didn’t care, but the truth was she did. Every girl wanted the approval of her mother, even a mother like Annette Powell.

“We should go back,” June said.

Ivan sighed heavily. “I know.” He helped June to her feet and retrieved their clothes from amid the moss and flowers carpeting the floor. He pulled up his trousers, his shirt balled in his hands. 

The more they moved and spoke, the more the outside world invaded. Ivan checked the clock next to his bed. “I think we missed the parade, but we could still go to town for the bands.”

June buttoned her pants and slipped into her shoes. “That sounds lovely. Though I have to stop at home this afternoon. I need to have a talk with my mother.”

“And Clayton and I are meeting some others at the mine to discuss what to do about Butch.” 

Hand in hand, the two of them walked from the cabin and toward Ivan’s truck.

“What do you think you’ll do?” June asked after a moment.

Ivan slammed the truck door harder than he probably intended. “All I know is, he’ll
never
hurt you again.”

Hand in hand, June and Ivan wandered through the bustling, festive town square. It was dressed for celebration and mirrored June’s happiness. 

Patriotic streamers rippled from lampposts, flag-colored buntings hung from store windows. The parade had just ended at the old Mamie Watkins statue and deposited revelers into the town square: high school pep squad girls bounced by in their uniforms and boys in tall marching band hats carried tubas and trumpets. 

The town was alive with talk and laughter, people gathering in the square for a big picnic before the evening fireworks. June let everything wash over her and smiled. She squeezed Ivan’s hand and led him on.

They strolled down the sidewalk, weaving through kids waving flags and mothers balancing treats to share at the town picnic. The thump and boom of the band warming up to play for the picnic reverberated through the crowd, but nothing reverberated quite so wide as the sight of June Powell and Ivan Sokolov making their real debut to all the people of Independence Falls. 

Across the sidewalk, Lucy Roberts waved, then June noticed Evie beside her doing the same. Frank, Teddy, and Clayton were handing out sparklers from behind a table on the wide lawn, but Frank wouldn’t meet June’s eyes as they walked closer.

A small pang worked through June—Frank had been her friend since childhood. Hopefully, with a bit of work he would be again.

Clayton looked up then, and the grin he gave them made June bubble with happiness. Being out in the open with Ivan felt so, so right. Even if she could feel the whispers and wide-eyes of the rest of the town following their every move.

Teddy and Clayton nodded at them, and the two men left Frank alone at the table. Ivan squeezed June’s hand.

“We need to get going,” he said.

June sighed. “Me too. I’m afraid my mother is not going to be happy with me.”

She was dreading it, if she was honest. She was about to tell her mother and father the truth—the truth about everything—and that old panic rose in her. She was so afraid of their disappointment. She was their only child, after all. June pushed down the fear and concentrated on Ivan. Others may be disappointed, but for the first time she could remember in years, June was happy. Just simply happy. Happy for herself.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

June waved away the offer. “I need to do this on my own,” she said. “Just …,” she looked around and spied Clayton and Teddy waiting for Ivan at the edge of the square. “Be careful, will you? Don’t do anything rash.”

“Me?” Ivan teased. “I’m never anything but easy-going and forgiving.”

June grinned, and boldness overtook her. She pulled Ivan’s head down to hers and pressed close to him in a kiss. Somewhere behind them, someone gasped. That just made her kiss Ivan harder. When they broke apart, Ivan’s eyebrows were raised high in shock.

“We’re not long for Independence Falls,” she said with a shrug and a grin. “We’re going on adventures, Ivan Sokolov. I’m just giving them all something to talk about while we’re gone.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Ivan

Voices rose in the mine. Voices teetering on the edge of a fight.

“I’m not saying we have to harm him,” Clayton said loudly, trying to drown out dissent. “But Butch used his power to
hurt
someone, hurt one of us.”

“And I’m saying,” Don said loudly. “We only have your side of the story. Why didn’t you ask Butch here to defend himself?”

Clayton sighed in disgust. 

Ivan crossed his arms over his chest and glared Don down. “If you saw what that maggot did to June, you wouldn’t be so eager to defend him.”

“We all saw what June did to you at the dance,” Veronica said. She looked at Don and laughed.

“That was Butch,” Ivan growled.

“It seems to me you’re blaming everything on Butch,” Veronica shot back. “Can’t you admit June
maybe
had a part to play in all this.”

Ivan snarled. “You’ve never been under Butch’s control, or you wouldn’t even try that argument.”

Don, Kent, and Veronica shared a glance. A glance that made Ivan’s jaw clench. Something was up. It was almost like ….

Kent nodded at Veronica, just the slightest bit.

Ivan sprang toward her, but Veronica was quick. She grabbed pregnant Blanche Sutton around the throat and jammed the edge of a knife against her windpipe. Blanche’s eyes went wide and she shrieked, both arms hugging her belly. 

Kent lunged for Will, but Teddy shot his arms out and threw up a force field. Kent’s flesh gleamed metal, but he couldn’t get past Teddy’s power. Inside, Will and Teddy were safe.

Clayton and Cora bunched together, Ivan ramming his back against Clayton’s so they could see all around. Not that they needed to. Butch strolled into the chaos like a returning king and twisted his lips in that horrible smile.

“I told you folks wouldn’t like how you ran the show, didn’t I?” Butch sauntered up to the three of them, Kent and Don flanking him and Veronica dragging Blanche behind. Ralph brought up the rear, his forehead shiny and his teeth bared. 

“And what the hell is this?” Ivan spit. “Getting others to do your dirty work.”

Butch leveled a stare at Ivan and blinked slowly, his gaze sliding to Teddy. Suddenly, the force field dropped and Teddy dropped with it. At the same moment, Ralph became a blur of speed, and he had Cora by the neck before Ivan barely blinked. He dragged her backward and threw her at Butch’s feet. Butch grabbed her by the hair and hauled her to standing.

“You thought you could steal from me? You thought there wouldn’t be a comeuppance?” Butch sneered and pulled Cora’s hair harder. She bit down on a squeal of pain and clenched her mouth shut.

Clayton acted fast. He drew energy from the field of flowers outside the mine and sent an orb of crackling blue energy at Butch. It soared over the brute’s head and exploded against the wall of the mine. The very foundation of the mine shook and groaned, and a hole the size of a boulder blew out the wooden planks with a deafening boom.

Butch calmly watched the orb arc overhead and cocked his head at Clayton. “See? That’s where we’re different. You’re afraid to use your power—really use it. And I’m not.” 

He nodded at the followers spread out behind him, dragging Cora with him. “Neither are Kent, Don, and Veronica. We want to
use
our powers, not pretend we’re like the rest of them.
Ordinary
. I think that’s why you’ll find you’re no longer in charge here.”