Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Alexei
“Five minutes.” She said and opened the door for me to step through. It was cooler in here. The air conditioner was blasting on full. The room was simple and basic, but she had made it a home.
“You know you don’t have to live like this, Amy.” I turned to face her as the door clicked shut, closing us inside away from prying eyes. “You don’t need to go back to work in five minutes. You never have to work again.”
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she passed me so closely that I got a tantalising whiff of her scent and had to stifle back a groan. Ignoring me completely, she poured herself a glass of lemonade and held the cold glass to her cheek. I watched it all mesmerised.
And even though I knew she wasn’t doing it to be seductive but to cool down, it was instantly erotic. Thrusting my hands in my pockets, I felt my cock throb and harden at the sight of her.
“Do you really want to spend your five minutes talking about my life choices, Alexei?” she snapped. “Choices that have nothing to do with you I might add.”
Repositioning myself, I took a step towards her. “You’re my wife, and you’re carrying my baby. I think it has everything to do with me, actually.”
“Alexei,” she sighed, frustrated. “What do you want?”
“To talk like I said.”
“I really don’t think we have anything to talk about. Our marriage is over.”
It might have been my imagination, but I was sure I could hear tears in her voice. I searched her face quickly, and there it was. She was trying to hide it, but she was sad.
“I’ve missed you, Amy.” Another step took me right in front of her. So close that she had to crane her neck up to have any chance of looking into my face. Reaching up, I tilted her face up further. She didn’t blink or look away, and neither did I. Had she always been this beautiful?
“Tell me you’ve missed me, too.” I lowered my head, swiping my thumb against her bottom lip. It was such a kissable lip.
Amy sighed, and for one fleeting second, her eyes closed, and she leaned into my hand. And then her eyes flew open, and her hand went down to her stomach.
“What?” I glanced from her face to her stomach. Totally confused.
There was a completely new kind of smile on her face now, and I didn’t understand it. It made her whole face come alive.
“It’s nothing. She just kicked.”
Instantly, my eyes were on her stomach again. “A girl? We are having a girl?” I couldn’t help it. I reached for her stomach again. “Can I?”
The last time I had tried to touch her stomach, but she had slapped my hand away angrily. I didn’t want to make her mad, but I did want to feel my child move. My daughter.
“Yes.” Grabbing my hand, she pressed it over the apron of her uniform. At first, I didn’t feel anything, just the warmth of her skin through her clothes, and then—my head snapped up. “I can feel her. She’s strong.”
“Yeah.” Amy seemed to shake herself and stepped away, breaking the spell. “She’s very active.”
“And she’s healthy?”
Another step, and suddenly, she was too far away from me. I closed the distance quickly. Closing my hands around her hips. If I could have my way, I would have crushed her to me, but I didn’t want to hurt the baby.
“She’s perfect.”
“That’s because she has you as a mom. I mean it, Amy. Any child would be so lucky to have you as a parent. I was so lucky to have you as my wife, and I ruined it. I know that now.”
She didn’t answer me. Instead, she looked away. As gently as I could, I turned her back to face me. “Can you ever forgive me, my love?”
“I don’t know.” Wildly, she looked into my eyes. “I think it’s too late.”
“No.” I knew I’d said I would respect her decision, but I couldn’t, not now that she was right in front of me again. “I’ll beg on my knees if I have to.”
Keeping my eyes glued to her face, I fell onto the threadbare carpet, my arms around her, and my cheek pressed to her stomach. Inside, I could feel our baby moving.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you, Amy.
These last few months have been hell without you.
” Every word ripped its way out of my mouth, and every single one of them was the truth.
“I know I messed up. But I want you to know that those first few months, those weeks we spent every morning together were the best in my entire life. I don’t blame you for running, for punishing me. I deserved that.”
“Get off the floor, Alexei.” Even as she said the words, her hands tangled in my hair. “You don’t belong on the floor.” Reaching down, she helped me to my feet. And this time she didn’t move away from me.
“And you don’t belong in a place like this.” I mirrored her movements, my hands reached around her head and loosened her ponytail so that her wayward curls fell over my fingers.
“There you are.” Curling my hand around the base of her skull, I drew her mouth towards mine.
The first taste of her lips after so long was like the sweetest honey. Addictively soft. Just like I remembered them to be.
“Alexei.” She breathed into my mouth, and I sucked down her cinnamon-scented breath like it was the only thing to keep me alive.
“We shouldn’t.”
“Sssh.” I kissed her again. If I had my way, I would never stop kissing her. “We want this. You want this.” Swiping my tongue against the seam of her lips, I felt her tremble.
This was the moment where she either pulled away or—Amy’s lips parted for me. Instantly, I swiped my tongue against hers, clutching at her like a madman. Only her stomach was in the way. Not that I minded. Our child was growing big and strong in there.
“I need you.”
“Stop.” She struggled out of my arms, pushing at my chest roughly.
I tore my lips away from hers. Had I heard her right? I had been sure she had kissed me back, or was it just wishful thinking?
“I’m right here.” Catching her hand, I pressed her palm against my lips. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere ever again. Never again. Do you hear me, Amy Petrovov?” Wildly, I let my hands slide down her body and under the hem of her little pink waitress uniform, sliding it up her body.
She stiffened when my fingers brushed her cotton panties. “Alexei, stop. Just stop”
Instantly, I froze. “Is something wrong?”
Chewing on her lip, she shook her head, but she stepped away from me. “You said you wanted to talk, and this isn’t talking. This is,” she sighed. “This is wrong, we can’t.”
“Is it because of the baby? Because I’ve never been more attracted to you than I am right now,” I said honestly because damn, she looked hot. Maybe it was because I hadn’t seen her for so long, but being pregnant suited her. Even the ancient-style uniform was hot.
I ran my hand down her spine and arched her into me.
“That’s not it.” Roughly, she smoothed out her clothes and stepped away.
“Oh.” My hand dropped to my side. “Could it hurt the baby?”
“I don’t know. It’s not something I had to worry about, so I didn’t ask the doctor.” She chewed on her lip some more.
“Does that mean you have stayed faithful to your wedding vows, Amy?” I pulled her lip out from beneath her teeth and rubbed my thumb against it.
Now that I had her here in front of me, I couldn’t stop touching her. Her eyes flashed angrily. “I was never the one who strayed, Alexei, and I didn’t run to punish you. I ran to save myself.”
“I’ve never once been unfaithful to you, Amy. I know you think me and Violet—”
Not giving me a chance to explain, she tore herself out of my grip and turned away. “I don’t want to talk about Violet, Alexei.”
“Neither do I. I want to talk about us.”
“Then talk.”
Catching her around the middle, I brought her flush to my back, resting my chin on the top of her head. “Would you believe me if I told you that I missed you?”
Her lack of response told me she didn’t. Sighing heavily. I tried again. “I have, and I never stopped looking for you. I know I messed up, but I want you to come home. Especially now.”
“Because I’m having a baby?”
“Because you are having my baby,” I corrected. “But I didn’t know that until just now, Amy, and I still came looking for you. I have wanted you home since the second you left.”
“I don’t need your support or your money, Alexei. I’m doing just fine on my own.”
I twisted her in my arms. “I’m not offering you money, Amy. I know you can look after yourself. You have always been a survivor. I’m offering you, me.”
In shock, she tilted her head back, her eyes quizzical.
“More specifically, my heart. It only beats for you anyway.”
Her eyes widened into saucers. “You mean?”
Slowly, I nodded, a wide smile spreading across my face. “Always.” Catching her hand, I pressed it against my heart so that she could feel it beating. I wasn’t lying when I said it beat only for her.
“I know I have a lot to make up to you, a lot to prove, but I’m just asking for a chance, a chance to prove to you that I can be the man you deserve. For both of you.”
“Alexei, I don’t know.”
“At least let me take you out for food, something nice.” Lifting one finger, I pressed it against her lips. “One date.”
“I have to work.” Her lips moved against my finger, and I stifled back a groan.
“I’ll talk to your boss. You will still have a job. I promise you. You don’t need a job, but you will have one. We don’t even have to go out if you’re not ready for that. I can bring food in here and recreate one of our mornings together.”
My cock twitched at the thought.
“You know I can’t,” Amy mumbled. “And I’m huge and disgusting.”
My eyebrows slammed down. Catching her face between my hands, I traced her lips with mine. “You are neither of those things. You are a Goddess, but I wasn’t just talking about sex. I just want to be with you and talk like we used to, back when we were happy.”
Before Violet had come back and ruined everything.
“Maybe steal a few kisses because I’ve missed the taste of your mouth.” To prove my point, I caught her mouth with mine. Sipping at her lips like they were the most expensive wine in the world. “I’ve missed the taste of other places as well,” I couldn’t help but add.
“Alexei.” She rolled her eyes. “You can’t come in here and expect things to just go back to the way they were. You don’t get to touch and kiss me and promise me things that we both know you can’t deliver.”
“Can’t deliver? I promise you.” Laughing, I stepped away, but not before I saw the look on her face. My laughter died. “We don’t have to do any of that. Just talk and eat, and if I’m lucky, you will let me steal a few kisses. What do you say?”
She thought about it for seven whole seconds before nodding her head. “We can talk a little more, I guess.”
I couldn’t help it. I grinned. “And the kisses?”
Her eyes flashed, and I backed up. “Fine, fine. I will behave for now. But I will be stealing your kisses every chance I get, Amy. When it comes to you, I just can’t help myself.”
She fell onto the sofa with a shake of her head. “Food and talk first, Alexei. We will talk about all the other stuff later on.”
Hope blossomed in my chest. She was saying we would talk about the more physical side of things later, but she had already let me kiss her. Things were finally going my way. “I’ll be as fast as I can.”
And I would be, there was no way I was letting her out of my sight for a second longer than necessary.