Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
KAYLANI
The Florida evening was muggy despite it being Fall. I was still buzzing with excitement by the time we made it back to the stalls to check on Atlas. We had taken first place in the FEI speed class.
Not second or third, but first.
You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. If I weren’t twenty and holding Goran’s hand, I would have skipped the entire way to the barn.
Most of the riders had already cleared out, and the lights were dimmed to a soft golden glow that felt like a held breath after the chaos of the day.
Atlas lifted his head as we approached, ears flicking forward, eyes alert, and a few strands of hay sticking out the side of his mouth.
I smiled despite the ache in my legs and the nervous anticipation of doing it all again tomorrow.
“There’s my handsome boy,” I murmured.
I unlocked the stall and slipped inside. The familiar scent of hay, shavings, and horse wrapped around me like a comforting blanket. Most people hated the smell of horses, but I loved it.
Atlas nudged my shoulder, impatient in his search for the treat he knew I had hidden. I laughed as I pulled a carrot from my pocket.
“You earned an entire basket when we get home,” I told him as he crunched the top of the treat. “Two more days like today and we’ll have all the qualifying scores we need.”
He nickered softly.
“And don’t think I don’t know you saved me again when my brain tried to sabotage us. I love you, Atlas.”
He munched down the rest of the carrot, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
It didn’t matter how old I got. I would always hug my horse the way I had when I was eight years old.
In this stall, I wasn’t Kaylani Mikhailov. I was just a girl who loved her horse. A girl who didn’t know about arranged marriages or family warfare. A girl who had not learned what betrayal or heartbreak felt like. A girl who still believed that dreams come true.
I rested my forehead against Atlas’s neck and breathed him in. Horses never judged anyone. They didn’t care about last names, expectations, or politics. They only cared if you showed up.
And I’d always shown up for him.
When I glanced over my shoulder, Goran was leaning against the stall door, watching us with that unreadable expression that softened only when he looked at me. When he thought no one was paying attention.
I checked Atlas’s water buckets out of habit, but Corey had already filled them. After brushing my hands against my breeches, I stepped toward Goran.
“You’re allowed to say it,” I teased.
He lifted a brow. “Say what?”
“That you were impressed.”
A corner of his mouth curved up. “I was definitely impressed.”
I stepped closer, and the smell of his cologne, mixed with leather soap and dust, wrapped around me. Somewhere along the way, the scent had become synonymous with home.
Before I could overthink, I rose onto my toes and kissed him. It was quick and soft. My eyes stayed locked on his.
He checked down the aisle, always vigilant, then pulled me closer and kissed me hard.
A horse banged against a stall.
Goran jerked back and broke the kiss.
I laughed quietly. “Relax. No one’s watching. Corey is hanging with the other grooms and Coach already left for the night.”
Coach Ehren always took a hotel room close by, while Corey stayed in the tack stall beside Atlas on a cot, just to be safe. Frank never stayed the week, he flew back and returned when it was time to drive the rig home.
Goran exhaled and rested his forehead against mine. “Doesn’t matter. Habit.”
“Come on,” I said, tugging his hand. “I have a much better idea of how to celebrate my win,” I whispered.
After latching the stall, I pulled Goran down the gravel path toward the trailer parked just beyond the temporary stabling. We stepped inside, and I smiled automatically. This was my home away from home.
It was warm and intimate. Wood finishes, a full kitchen, two couches, a three-piece bath, and a master bedroom. Soft lighting traced the outer edges of the walls, making everything feel cozy and safe. Somewhere no one could reach us.
I kicked off my sneakers and gave Goran a quick kiss.
“I can’t believe today actually happened. I kept waiting for something to go wrong.”
He leaned against the small kitchen island, watching me as he always did. It used to intimidate me. But now it lit a fire in the pit of my stomach.
“You rode like you belonged in that ring.”
“I do belong out there,” I replied quietly.
Father had let me ride because he thought it was a phase in a little girl’s life. But it wasn’t. Now all I wanted was my incredible horse and my sexy husband.
Goran brushed his thumb along my jaw.
“You always have.”
Heat crept into my cheeks as I ran my lip through my teeth.
“I’m going to shower. I’ll be right back.”
He cupped my face, trapping me in place. His lips hovered just over mine.
“I’m not going anywhere. But don’t be too long…or I’ll come looking for you.”
“Is that a promise or a threat?”
He kissed me again, deeper this time, until my head was light, and I had to cling to his shirt to stay upright.
When he pulled back, his voice was rough and low, like he had just gargled with whiskey.
“Both”
I stepped back and rushed to the bathroom. I had never showered so fast in my life. All I pictured was having Goran to myself for three more nights without prying eyes. These shows were the only time that we got to be normal.
Steam clung to my skin as I wrapped a towel around my body and twisted another around my hair. When I left the bathroom, I went on the hunt.
Goran was lounging on the couch, blinds drawn, drink in hand, and the television on but muted.
As much as I loved him in a suit, the relaxed jeans and white T-shirt he wore were mouth-watering.
He looked up as I approached, and his eyes were full of desire, making my heart pound. He was a lifeline to my sanity, yet made me utterly crazy at the same time. I stopped between his knees and reached up, tossing the towel from my hair aside.
Other men would have grabbed me and hauled me down onto the couch. But not Goran. His restraint was part of the seduction. He had been trained to kill by the best, deadly to the point of terrifying. And yet I had never once feared him.
Pushing him until he broke had become something that defined us as a couple.
Goran took a slow sip of his drink and set the glass aside without breaking eye contact. He extended his hand, and I slipped mine into his, as he slowly pulled me forward.
“You’re going to get me killed,” he said, his voice low as his hands slid up my legs beneath the towel.
I shivered despite the warmth of his touch.
“Stand on the couch.”
Biting my lip, I slowly stepped up with one foot on either side of him and gasped as he angled me so my pussy was in line with his mouth.
“Ohh…God…”
A deep moan escaped my lips when Goran swirled his tongue, licking me like I was his favorite dessert.
He squeezed my hips, rocking me forward.
My head fell back, and I was unable to stop myself as I continued to set my own rhythm while he worshipped me.
He sucked on my clit and groaned. I whimpered as the vibration spread through my body.
Pulling the towel, I tossed it aside and tangled my fingers in his hair as I rocked against him. My hands clenched into fists as my climax raced toward the surface.
“Goran, yes…” I rode him faster, desperate to come. “So close…yes…I’m gonna come…please don’t stop.”
The climax hit and I froze as I was pushed over the edge.
Goran held me firmly, his control never slipping even as mine shattered. He didn’t let up, sending waves of pleasure through my body in overwhelming currents.
He moaned as he looked up at me.
Heat flooded my cheeks under the weight of his gaze. He stared at me with a desire so intense it singed me.
I slowly sat down on his lap, kissing him hard. The taste of my arousal mixed with the remnants of the whiskey lingered on his tongue.
“Fuck, you taste good.” Goran licked his lips. His voice was deep and gravelly, making my body tighten with need all over again. “I don’t know how to stop wanting you.”
His hand slid up my back, pulling me close as he sucked on one of my nipples.
“Then don’t try.” I gasped as he rolled the other between his fingers. “I want you to fuck me until I can’t remember my name.”
He released my breasts and I claimed his mouth. His tongue invaded mine as his arms wrapped around me.
Breaking the kiss, I leaned my forehead against his.
“I need to feel you inside of me.”
“Fuck, you make me so weak. I can’t say no to you,” Goran groaned and stood, taking me with him.
My legs locked around his waist, and my arms wrapped around his neck.
“Do you want to say no,” I asked, my voice soft but steady.
“I should.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He smirked. “No. I don’t want to say no to you. I want to give you the fucking world. I’ll take your father’s empire apart brick by brick. I thought my loyalty to my duty was absolute. But the power you have over me is dangerous, Lani.”
Goran walked us to the bedroom. The mattress dipped beneath our weight as he braced himself on one arm so he wouldn’t crush me, even though I wouldn’t have minded. He brushed his thumb along my jaw, the light touch drawing a shiver from me.
“I was trained to be a shield, but for you, I’ll be a weapon,” he said against my lips.
His hazel eyes burned with something far deeper and darker than love.
“I’m not going to fuck you.” Goran stood, and disappointment washed over me. Instead of leaving, he peeled off his shirt and let it fall to the ground. “I’m going to make love to my wife.”
Emotion clogged my throat and stung my eyes as I smiled stupidly, watching him strip off his jeans.
“Say it again,” I demanded.
With a devilish smirk, he crawled over my body. His muscles flexed in a way that stole my breath.
“Wife,” Goran growled against my ear, and no single word had ever sounded sweeter.
I arched into him, and he answered immediately, pressing me into the mattress, his hard body trapping mine in the best way. Heat radiated from his skin, making me tremble as I soaked him in. His lips dragged along my jaw and down the curve of my throat, lingering where my pulse raced.
“You drive me insane,” he murmured.
His fingers threaded into my hair, tilting my head back until I had no choice but to press my chest up into him. I loved feeling his weight, the way he held me like I was precious and dangerous all at once.
He claimed my lips and thrust slowly into me. My fingers gripped his shoulders like he was the only thing keeping me here on earth.
Goran moved slowly at first, his cock filling me as his chest brushed against mine.
“No…you drive me fucking crazy,” he said, pushing himself up and picking up the pace. The dim light shrouded half his face in shadow, making him look more dangerous than usual.
I felt the shift in him, the moment I lived for when restraint gave way to need. He finally broke, and all the walls he held so firmly in place came crashing down. He was no longer my bodyguard, no longer my brother’s best friend, no longer a loyal soldier to my family.
He became a man with a feral desire burning inside of him. And what he desired was me.
My nails dug into his skin as his movements quickened. The bed shifted beneath us, and the trailer rocked as he fucked me. The moment was a blend of carnal need and sweet bliss as he pushed me higher.
“Goran…yes…” I moaned as he gripped the headboard as if he planned on ripping it from the wall. His cock rubbed over the sensitive spot deep inside of me at the perfect angle. The friction shattered what little control I had and sent me crashing over the edge.
“Oh God…yes,” I cried out, seeing stars as the world ceased to exist. I came in a rush, my body tightening and clamping down around his cock.
“Oh, fuck me,” Goran growled as he snapped completely.
There was no Florida. No consequences.
Just the frantic rhythm of our breathing and bodies coming together. The tension we had both carried for far too long unraveled in a way neither of us had ever fully allowed before.
“Fuck!”
Pleasure twisted across Goran’s face as he froze above me and came. He pulled back slightly, then thrust forward again, and I cried out as it ignited a chain of smaller climaxes. I felt him breaking apart, and it made me feel claimed and wanted all at once.
His body relaxed, his breath heavy as he kissed my forehead.
“You’re mine.”
My heart tripled in time, even though it was already racing.
“You mean that?”
“Yes,” he said as I ran my fingers down his face. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you.”
I cupped his jaw.
“I’ve dreamed of hearing you say those words to me.”
“I bet you have,” he said, teasingly, and rolled us, tugging me against him as he pulled the blankets over our bodies.
“What do you mean?”
I rested my head on his chest and looked up at him, waiting for an answer.
“I may have whispered it in your ear while you were asleep,” he admitted.
Where others might have found that creepy, I loved it. I shifted closer and hooked my leg over his, holding him tighter.
Time blurred as we lay there. I listened to the steady beat of his heart and was enveloped in the warmth of his body. His arms were wrapped around my back, his hand tracing slow, absent patterns across my shoulder like he always did.
There was a new calmness to us. We had always enjoyed each other’s company. Always had passion, but this felt different.
“I like this,” I said softly.
He hummed. “You mean the trailer with neighbors who are going to stare at us tomorrow?”
I smiled against his skin. “No. This. You don’t need to rush off. We aren’t pretending to be friends. I never want to leave this trailer.”
Goran chuckled, kissing my forehead again. “Dreams that I long for.”
His fingers stilled. “Watching you ride today. That was harder than any job I’ve ever had.”
“Harder than being shot at?”
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “Because I couldn’t do anything except trust an eighteen-hundred-pound animal to take care of you.”
I lifted my head, meeting his eyes.
“Sometimes it’s hard to remember that protecting you doesn’t mean stepping in front of you. Sometimes it means stepping back.”
“He did,” I finally said. “Atlas. He’s a lot like you. He’s a natural protector.”
Goran laughed. “I know. It’s why we’ve agreed to share you. But I’ll only ever share you with him.”
I giggled at the image of them sitting down and negotiating that arrangement. Then I let the sounds around us settle my mind. Crickets, distant laughter, and the soft shuffle of horses in the stalls.
“For a little while,” I whispered, “this feels like a life we could actually have.”
His arm tightened around me. “Then let’s keep it. For as long as we can.”
I closed my eyes, clinging to that promise even though I knew how fragile it was.
“I love you, Goran. Now and forever,” I mumbled as sleep pulled me under.