Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
God, she’s so beautiful.
I can’t help it. I crush my lips to hers, hard and demanding, but remember her bruised, split lip and pull away.
“No,” she pants desperately. “Kiss me.”
She yanks me back to her mouth, her tongue sweeping in, and I groan at the pleasure.
Her hands slip along my cock, water squelching with every stroke.
She whimpers as I rub her clit, and it’s almost my undoing.
“Oh God, zayka—” I bite back the need to come. Because I need to get her there first.
She sags against the wall, her strokes faltering as her body softens, and she begins to tremble and moan.
My cock aches with the loss of friction, and pain be damned, I let her have her orgasm, but before she finishes, I hoist up her leg and thrust into her wet pussy and take my own. Everything hurts, but it’s nothing compared to the pleasure of chasing an orgasm and then coming inside her.
Except this time, I know she’s pregnant with my baby, and there is something primal in my release. It’s me claiming her. Claiming them.
My chest heaving, I slip out of her warm body and press my forehead to hers, kissing her wet lips until both our breathing evens out.
When we’re done, we step out of the shower, and I carefully dry her off, taking special care of her bruises.
“I’m a lot stronger than you think,” she says softly.
And I don’t know why, but a rush of pride and admiration pours into my chest.
But it’s quickly followed by a guilt so gut-wrenching it physically hurts. She shouldn’t have to reassure me of her strength. None of this should have happened.
“Wait here,” I say, wrapping her in a towel before leaving the bathroom. In my dressing room, I quickly slide on a fresh pair of black pants and a belt before grabbing one of my shirts for Brooke.
When I return to the bathroom, she’s combing her long hair.
I come up behind her and meet her eyes in the enormous mirror, and that familiar jolt of pain grips me when I see her bruised face. I swallow thickly.
“I won’t break, I promise,” she adds, clearly reading my emotions like a book, something she’s getting good at. “I can move on from this.”
But her words gut me. She shouldn’t have to.
There is a hairdryer in one of the drawers. I remove it and start drying her hair, wanting to take care of every inch of her.
It’s not lost on me that I should be elsewhere.
That I should be corralling my men and preparing for retaliation.
But right now, I’m needed here, and seeing Brooke’s sweet face looking at me in the reflection of the mirror, I know where I’d rather be.
Here with my fiancée and my baby.
“Can I get you a drink?” I ask after I’ve dried off her hair.
She shakes her head. “I’m too tired. I just need to sleep.”
She climbs into bed, and I crawl onto the bed beside her.
I’m so damn tired, and every muscle in my body aches to fall asleep with her in my arms. To listen to her soft breathing and let myself sink into the inky darkness of sleep.
But I need to keep her and the baby safe, and my lying here indulging in the comfort of her soft warmth is not going to make that happen.
War starts today. And it is going to be bloody and violent.
Not that I tell her that. I keep those thoughts to myself. And if she asks questions, I will downplay my responses so I don’t scare her, just like I downplayed the threat of Agent Michaels to Brooke because I need to protect her.
The truth is, Agent Michaels is a giant pain in the ass. Ever since I became pakhan, he’s been trying to find something to pin on me. He’s poked around in almost everything I am involved in. My business affairs. My financial affairs. My personal life. Obviously, he’s found nothing, but he’s like a dog with a bone, and he’s not going to stop until I’m in jail or he’s dead. And after learning about Brooke’s encounter with him, I’m contemplating the latter.
I wasn’t lying to Brooke when I said he won’t get anything on me. I move in circles that are unforgiving toward those who talk to the authorities, and I never leave any witnesses.
Well, except Wilson.
He’s the exception.
He’s only alive because Brooke gave up her freedom for his life.
But if anyone were stupid enough to open their mouths… well, things could get very tricky for me. Even with the swift hand of the bratva behind me, damage could be done before we brought it under control.
But today, I have bigger fish to fry.
Today, I’m going to decimate Vlad and everything dear to him. His business. His home. His car collection. His entire everything.