Las Vegas Sidewinders: Toli & Tessa (Book 6) Read online

  Her now ex-husband had turned into someone she didn’t even know and falling in love again had been completely unexpected. Tessa’s fiancé, Toli Petrov, was a star forward for the Las Vegas Sidewinders, an NHL expansion team that had just won their first championship in June. The team’s success coupled with his personal accomplishments over the years afforded him the ability to have the wedding of a lifetime. Since this was going to be his first wedding, he’d told Tessa they were going to spare no expense. This wedding was going to be totally different than her first wedding. This was going to be an event. Three dresses, a nine-layer cake, $50,000 in flowers, open bar all night, and a catered gourmet meal that could rival any restaurant in Vegas—this was going to be a big deal. It wasn’t just going to be an event; it was going to be the event of the summer.

  At first Tessa had balked, but her tall, sexy Russian fiancé wouldn’t back down so Tessa had lovingly given in and let him do what he wanted. The only things she’d insisted on were choosing her own dress—one that he wouldn’t see before the wedding—and the color scheme, which was champagne, pink and black. He’d readily agreed and now it was just days before the most important day of her life.

  She’d never loved anyone the way she loved Toli, with his twinkling blue eyes, strong chin and adorable smile. His body was absolute perfection, with lean hips, ripped abs and the firmest, tightest ass she’d ever seen. Not to mention his massive hands and the wicked mouth that brought her the kind of pleasure she’d never imagined possible. He was the kindest, sweetest and funniest guy she’d ever known, and the way he whispered he loved her in the middle of the night made her squirm a little any time she thought about it. Especially right now, as she tried on the wedding dress that Toli would see for the first time when she was walking down the aisle.

  The dressing room at the bridal shop was stuffed to the gills with her friends and their dresses. She and all eight bridesmaids were picking up their dresses tonight, leaving one less thing that needed to be done before the big day. Tessa had asked her friend Tiffany Marcus to be her matron of honor since she didn’t want to have to choose between her two best friends from college, Kate and Erin. She’d also asked the wives of two of Toli’s teammates, two of her friends from Chicago and her older sister, Ava. Tessa’s daughter Raina was the flower girl, and the two-and-a-half-year-old was twirling in circles now, letting her pretty pink dress fluff out around her.

  “Thank God it still fits,” Tiff murmured to Tessa as she stepped out of the stall where she’d changed. Her dress was more of a champagne color than true pink, like the rest of the bridesmaids, and it looked stunning on her.

  “You look beautiful,” Tessa grinned. “You are absolutely glowing. Pregnancy agrees with you.”

  “Well, either that or the 12 orgasms Zakk gave me last night,” Tiff giggled and they burst out laughing.

  “Toli’s being a huge baby since I cut him off last month,” Tessa chuckled. “It’s fun—last night he tried to bribe me.”

  “With what?” Tiff asked, wide-eyed.

  “I’m not telling,” Tessa flushed.

  “Tell me!” Tiff nudged her friend. Tessa whispered in her ear and both women covered their mouths with their hands to smother their shrieks of laughter.

  “Oh, nice,” Erin called out to them. “Talking about Toli’s dick again without including the rest of us!”

  “You know almost as much about his dick as I do!” Tessa yelled back. “I talk about it ALL. THE. TIME.”

  “Really?” Ava, who was a slightly darker version of her younger sister, with curly light brown hair and pale blue eyes, cocked her head. “How come you never talk to me about it?”

  “You never acted interested!” Tessa laughed. “You said you didn’t like him, if I recall!”

  Ava flushed. “That was before I knew him!”

  Someone had opened a bottle of champagne and was passing out glasses to everyone. Tiff shook her head and stuck to her bottle of water, but everyone else lifted their glasses in a toast to Tessa and Toli.

  “To the biggest, most expensive wedding in the whole world!” Erin laughed.

  “Everyone should have a big, wonderful wedding.” Avril Marquez, the wedding planner, had a faint smile on her face as she listened to everyone talking.

  “Is this the biggest wedding you’ve ever done?” Tessa asked her.

  “No, but it’s a close second,” Avril smiled.

  “I had a wedding but it was small.” Suze Armstrong pouted. “And I’ve been married nine years!”

  “You should renew your vows next year,” Molly suggested lightly.

  Suze flushed. “We’ll see. We’re trying for another baby, so I might be pregnant on our anniversary.”

  Everyone stared.

  “What?” she asked innocently. “Cody wants one more.”

  “We’re trying again too,” Erin said.

  “I’m almost five months,” Molly put in. “I can’t believe I’m due on Christmas Day.”

  “And I agreed to work on it after the wedding,” Kate whispered.

  They all turned to stare at her. Kate had been adamant that she never wanted to go through pregnancy, though she’d always been open to adoption.

  “For real?!” Tessa squealed.

  “Yup.”

  They moved in for a group hug, laughing together.

  “So basically we’re all going to be pregnant together?!” Molly giggled. “Oh my God—those poor guys.”

  The girls started to laugh at the thought of all of them being pregnant at the same time.

  “I’m really glad I don’t live here,” Ava muttered. “I want no part of that!” She already had three kids.

  “Okay, it’s the bride’s turn,” the owner of the shop called out. Tessa disappeared inside the dressing room, while the other girls talked and sipped champagne. The wedding was in just a few days, so they were all excited.

  Tessa didn’t seem stressed at all, although she’d been nervous when Toli’s brother, Sergei, and sister-in-law, Tatiana, who was also Toli’s ex-girlfriend, had arrived over the weekend. It was weird being around a woman Toli had dated for nearly 20 years. Tessa had been a wreck the week leading up to their arrival, but things had gone smoothly so far so she was optimistic.

  The door opened and Tessa stepped out. The girls all turned and stared as one. No one said a word as they looked at her in awe. She was a vision in white, wearing a dress literally fit for royalty. It was huge, with a billowing silk skirt that was at least six feet wide, and covered in thousands of the palest pink Swarovski crystals. The top was strapless and fitted, showing off enough cleavage to be sexy but not so much that it was tacky. The train was so long that the attendant had it rolled up in her hands and was carrying it.

  “You’ll need to walk out to the front of the store if you want them to see your train,” the attendant said softly.

  Tessa smiled and walked forward with the girls making an aisle for her. A giggle escaped her as the attendant began to let out the train. Kate snorted and started to laugh; Tessa kept walking and the attendant kept unraveling.

  “Are you kidding me, Tessa?!” Erin burst out laughing. The train was at least 25 feet long!

  “Toli said he wanted the biggest, most expensive everything—and that’s what he’s getting.” Tessa stopped walking and looked over her shoulder at them. “I’ve been married before and I was totally okay with a short cocktail dress and a justice of the peace, but he was adamant about all of this.”

  “He was,” Molly nodded. “I tried everything to get him to kick it back a notch, but that’s not who he is. When he cares about someone he’s over-the-top generous and loving. You should see what his godson gets in gifts!” Molly and Toli were best friends and he was the godfather of her and Dom’s son, Brian. Though it was a little strange having a male best friend, everyone had gotten used to it.

  “Well?” Tessa gave them all a smile. “What do you think?”

  “It’s crazy,” Kate giggled. “But you l
ook absolutely stunning. He’s going to love it as much as he loves you!”

  The girls raised their glasses for another toast and the attendant ran to get Tessa her glass.

  “To weddings!” Erin said.

  “To love!” Molly added.

  “To lots and lots of babies!” Suze giggled.

  “Cheers!”

  Tessa toasted and smiled, but her thoughts drifted far away. As happy as she was, she couldn’t help but feel like this was all too good to be true. How did a Midwestern girl like her wind up with a Russian hockey star, having the wedding of a lifetime? She knew it was silly, but her intuition told her nothing was ever this simple. She just didn’t know what to do about it.

  In bed a few nights later, Tessa couldn’t sleep. Not only was she exhausted from everything she’d been doing to get ready for the wedding and their honeymoon in China, but in the back of her mind she was still worried. Marco had threatened to do something to disrupt their wedding and although they’d arranged so much private security she could barely remember where the actual event was taking place, she was nervous now that it was close. She hadn’t slept well the last couple of nights, but no matter how tired she was she wound up tossing and turning all night.

  “Sweetheart?” Toli’s soft, rumbling voice startled her and she turned onto her side so he could spoon up behind her.

  “Did I wake you? I’m sorry.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, intuitively sensing that she was worried about the wedding or something related to it.

  “Can’t sleep,” she admitted.

  “You’ve looked tired the last few days,” he said softly, pulling her into his arms. “What’s wrong, my love?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I’m nervous Marco is going to try something.”

  “Leave that to me,” he said. “I’m taking care of everything.”

  “He scares me, Toli.”

  “He scares me a little too,” he admitted. “But we’ve changed the location three times. We have two separate chapels booked for the ceremony and only three of us know which one is the real location. Guests have no idea where the wedding or reception will be and they won’t know until they arrive. We’ve taken every precaution, sweetheart. At this point, you have to let go of the possibilities and think about all the wonderful things we have planned for our future.”

  “We have wonderful things planned for our future?” she asked dryly. “All I keep hearing about is me getting pregnant.”

  He pressed his lips to the hollow of her neck and lightly trailed his tongue along the sensitive skin. “We could start right now…”

  “I don’t think so, big guy,” she giggled, wiggling her bottom against his already bulging erection. “We’ve held out for 28 days—there is no way in hell we’re giving in now.”

  “Tessa, this is cruel and unusual torture!” he grumbled, holding her tightly against him.

  “You agreed, and after 28 days of abstaining, we’re not blowing it now!”

  “Not even a little?” he teased. “What if I just put it in, say, an inch?”

  She burst out laughing. “Like you’d be able to stop at an inch!”

  “Half an inch?”

  She laughed harder. “No!”

  “Blow job?”

  “Anatoli Petrov—we had a deal!”

  “You had a deal!” he grunted. “We’ve been sleeping together for almost a year, living together most of that time. What does this prove?”

  “It proves that you love me enough to do something I want,” she whispered, looking over her shoulder at him. “That you love me enough to wait, so that our wedding night is special, not just business as usual.”

  He sighed. “Sweetheart, does not having sex for a month really prove how much I love you?”

  “Of course not. But the same way this big, crazy wedding was important to you? Abstaining for the month before the wedding is important to me. It’s not about the sex—I know that’s silly. It’s not like I’m a virgin.”

  “Then what is it about?” he asked gently. “We’ve gone 28 days…you know I can wait two more, but I want to understand.”

  “It recreates that feeling of everything being new. Living together before the wedding takes a tiny bit of the magic out of it, so by not having sex for a month, we’re really looking forward to the wedding night. Almost like our very first time together. Do you remember the first time you made love to me?”

  “Of course,” he smiled, running rough fingers along her jaw. “Right on this bed, after I ravaged you on the couch.”

  “Do you remember how much we both wanted it after abstaining the night before when I’d had too much to drink?”

  He chuckled. “Oh yeah!”

  “By holding out we’re kind of building up again, like we did then.”

  “Except back then we only held out for one day!” he laughed.

  “Please, Toli.” She nestled against him. “Just two more days.”

  “I’d wait forever for you, sweetheart,” he breathed against her hair. “Now sleep. Stop thinking and worrying—if you’re not going to let me make love to you, then you need to rest.”

  “Okay.” With a soft smile of contentment, she curled against him and as he stroked her hair everything else melted away.

  Toli, on the other hand, lay there for a long time, staring at the ceiling. He’d spent a fortune on security, booking multiple venues for the event, and to make things as safe as possible for himself, Tessa and their friends and family. He was still concerned, though. Marco had proven he was coming unhinged; he was mean, selfish and vengeful. The thought that he’d kidnapped Tiff with the idea of selling her at his private sex club wasn’t just wrong, it was reprehensible. Toli was still having trouble wrapping his head around it. The look on Marco’s face when they’d pulled Tiff from that stage in Zurich had been one of pure hatred, and though he hadn’t voiced his concern to Tessa, he’d spent a lot of time talking to Zakk about it. They had a plan, but nothing was infallible when it came to someone as crazy as Marco Rousch.

  Watching Tessa sleep, he was grateful he’d been able to distract her from her worries so she could get some rest, but she was right to be concerned. He didn’t know what he would do to protect her if Marco showed up. A disguise and some well-placed bribes could get him through the hotel and into the wedding or reception, and then what? It occurred to Toli that he could make a phone call that would undoubtedly afford them the very best protection, but at what cost? If he called in this type of favor, it might be the kind of thing he never got out from under. On the other hand, not doing anything more meant there could be trouble.

  He hated thinking about all the things that could go wrong, but the most important people in his life would be in that room: his beautiful bride-to-be and her little girl, his son Anton, his brother and his family, and the entire Sidewinders organization. Maybe in the morning he’d call Sergei and see what he thought. The wedding was in two days, so he didn’t have a lot of time and he really didn’t know what to do.

  “You’re going to call Grisha?” Sergei stared at his brother as if he’d suddenly grown horns and a tail. “Toli, you can’t be serious.”

  “I can’t take a chance, Sergei!” Toli was pacing. “What if he comes after us? You weren’t there. You didn’t see the hate in his eyes that night in Switzerland…”

  “You’ve hired enough local security to take over the state of Nevada—what can the Russians possibly add to this?”

  “The Russians aren’t nice,” Toli said quietly. “They don’t play by the rules and, to be frank, as corrupt as they are, if someone like me makes the call, they’re a lot less likely to be bribed by someone like Marco. The guys I have here, who the hell knows who they are or what Marco would offer to get past them? They have no loyalty to me.”

  “You think these ex-KGB thugs are loyal to you?”

  “They’re loyal to the cause of getting me to owe them a favor.”

  “Jesus, Toli, you’re just asking for
trouble.”

  “And if I do nothing? What then?”

  “Then why are you having this wedding? Go elope and be done with it!” Sergei scowled at him.

  “That means Marco wins,” Toli grunted. “I want this to be a day we’ll all remember—but especially me. I’ve waited a long fucking time to find a woman like Tessa! Why should I let fear dictate one of the most important days of my life?”

  Sergei shook his head. “You can’t have it both ways, brother.”

  “All the years Papa served them—is it really such a big deal for a little protection this one time?”

  Sergei met his gaze. “It might be.”

  “Shit.” Toli was still pacing, his jaw set in frustration. “I don’t want to be afraid of that sonofabitch. But I worry about Tessa and the girls…Anton, the other kids. What if he tries something?”

  “We fight back,” Sergei shrugged. “Look, do what you think you have to. I’ve got your back—you know that.”

  “I don’t know what to do,” Toli admitted. “Making that call means an alliance with the devil.”

  Sergei shrugged. “Papa has always said that this Grisha character owes him a favor.”

  “That’s was my thought too.”

  Their eyes met. “You’re going to make the call, aren’t you?”

  “The wedding is in 36 hours, Sergei. I’m out of time, Tessa’s afraid—she hasn’t been sleeping—and I know Zakk is nervous too. He won’t say anything to spoil our big day, but I can feel how on edge he is whenever we talk about it.”

  “Then make the call.” Sergei nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “Just keep me in the loop, will you?”

  “Yeah.” Toli looked out the window and took a deep breath. He really hoped he was doing the right thing.