Chapter Twenty
Elena
The smile on my face disappears the moment I step outside.
One moment, I’m talking with Tatiana and trying not to think about how distant Leonid has been since he found out about Artem’s betrayal a week ago.
The next, I’m staring at three unfamiliar men standing around my car. They’re all dressed in black suits, and they have the murderous eyes most of Leonid’s men do.
I blink in confusion, then tilt my head toward the one opening the back door of the car for me. “Who’re you?”
“Dimitri Volkov, ma’am. Your new bodyguard,” he answers. His English is good, but he has a deep Russian accent just like most of the other men.
“And the other guys?”
He points toward the one in the driver’s seat. “Sergei.” Then to the one standing behind the car. “And Nikolai. We’ll be in charge of your logistics and security from now on.”
My heart sinks into my stomach because there’s only one person arrogant enough to make a decision like this without consulting me.
Leonid.
I turn to Tatiana and narrow my eyes. She doesn’t seem the least bit surprised at this development. Of course, Leonid must’ve discussed this with her first, and neither of them thought to ask for my opinion before making the decision on my behalf.
Fury rushes through me. “What’s this?”
“Your new bodyguards. After the issue with Artem, Leonid decided to tighten security in the mansion.” She pauses and sighs. “That included doubling security for his wife and sister as well.”
His wife.
We’ve been married for months now, so I’m already used to the word, yet my heart flutters each time I’m referred to as Leonid’s wife.
Focus, Elena. That’s not important right now.
I kill the excitement rippling through me and focus only on the anger. Leonid and I have been through this before. I know how much of a threat Vasili is and how overprotective my husband can be, but I’d rather be consulted before decisions about my safety are made.
I cross my arms over my chest. “And where’s this husband of mine?”
“He’s—”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find him myself.” I spin on my heel and storm back inside.
I already know where Leonid is. Although he’s chosen to keep his distance from me while mourning the death of the man he loved like a brother, he still sneaks into the bedroom when he thinks I’m asleep at night and goes back to his home office before I wake up in the morning.
I practically fly up the stairs and kick the door to the home office open. Just like I expected, my husband sits behind his desk, looking at something on his computer.
“What’s all the commotion about?” he asks without looking up, as if he’s been anticipating my reaction.
“What’s delegating three new bodyguards to me without my permission about?” I shoot back, kicking the door closed before walking to his desk and leaning over it.
He finally glances up at me, his steel gray eyes piercing right into mine. “You’re my wife. I don’t need your permission to keep you safe.”
“You’re right,” I oblige, bobbing my head up and down. “I’m your wife. Not your child, not your prisoner, and definitely not one of your shipments. You agreed to consult me before making any decisions that involve me.”
He runs a hand over his head, and I almost stumble over my thoughts because of how insanely hot he is.
God, I need to take a lesson on how to stay focused.
“You wouldn’t have agreed if I told you first,” he says calmly.
Maybe it’s the calmness of his voice conflicting with the storm raging inside of me, or the fact that I’ve missed my husband so much these last couple of days, but I find myself raising my voice even though I know I’m overreacting.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t have agreed, because I don’t want three strange men following me around and watching me all day.” I draw in a rushed breath. “I want to live like a normal person, not like a guarded possession.”
“Too late, ptichka. I’ve already assigned the guards. You’ll have to learn to live with them.”
“No, Leonid.” I snort. “No, I won’t learn to live with them. You have to call them off. Now.”
“I don’t remember having to take orders from you, Elena. You’ll do as I say, and please don’t make it a habit to try to counter every decision I make. Especially when it’s for your own good.”
My mouth falls open, my breathing labored from how angry I am. I glare at him for a full minute, and then a short, disbelieving laugh ripples from my throat.
“Oh, that’s rich coming from the man who apparently woke up this morning and decided I needed an entire security detail and didn’t mention it to me despite the fact that we sleep in the same bed.”
Leonid leans back in his chair, his expression remaining infuriatingly calm. “You know why I made the decision to get you new guards. You were targeted in the attack, and I can’t risk you getting harmed in any way.”
The raw concern in his voice almost softens my resolve. Almost. But I don’t back down, because this isn’t just about the guards outside.
It’s about my growing feelings and how he seems to be withdrawing just when I thought we could finally begin something real.
“You killed Artem. The threat is gone.”
“Artem was just part of the threat, Elena. He was Vasili’s tool, and we have no idea who else might be working for him or how much information he got from Artem. I can’t lose anyone else. My priority is keeping my family safe.”
The reminder of how many losses he’s suffered lands between us like a bomb.
My anger falters for half a second, just enough for me to see the exhaustion in his eyes, the strain and grief he keeps buried beneath that cold exterior.
For the past week, he’s kept his distance. Even though he’s never said it, I know how much killing Artem took from him. And it dawns on me that my husband isn’t such a cold-blooded bastard after all.
He’s simply a human trying his best. A human who has to make tough decisions and live with them. A human who also has a soft side.
And I hate how much I’ve noticed about him.
I hate how much I’ve missed him.
“Leonid.”
“I’m busy, Elena.” His voice is gruff, his tone harsher than he’s ever used with me. “I’m not having this argument with you.”
“Well, I am.”
“Leave.”
“God,” I mutter, throwing my hands into the air. “Just when I start falling for you, you—”
The words leave my mouth before my brain catches up, and it’s too late. He heard me.
He looks at me, not moving, not even blinking. “What did you just say?”
My pulse starts hammering. “Nothing,” I lie. “Let’s forget we ever had this conversation.”
I turn around to leave, but before I make it to the door, Leonid’s on his feet. His fingers wrap around my wrist, pulling me back.
The contact sends a shock straight through me, and heat explodes through my entire body, every nerve suddenly too aware of him.
Of the warmth of his skin, the strength in his grip, and how close he is.
His steel gray eyes bore into mine as I turn around. “Say that again, Elena,” he whispers, his fingers leaving a hot trail as they move from my face down to my neck. “Tell me I didn’t imagine it.”
I swallow hard, willing the heat pooling between my legs to go away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
One corner of his mouth twitches and his eyes darken dangerously. He wraps his arm around my waist and hauls me even closer. “You’re a terrible liar, ptichka. A terrible liar.”
The air between us feels impossibly thin, making my heart pound faster. For the first time since the showdown with Artem, he’s not just existing anymore.
He’s looking at me like nothing else in this world matters.
Not Vasili and his war.
Not our argument about security.
Just me…and him…in this room.
His gaze drops to my lips and he swallows hard. My stomach flutters, my lungs deflate from lack of oxygen, and my brain becomes devoid of any thought other than how much I’ve missed him.
“You should go to work,” he murmurs, his face moving dangerously close to mine.
My tongue darts out, desperately swiping over my lips as I yearn to feel his mouth on mine. “I should.”
Neither of us moves.
“You have a meeting this morning.”
I didn’t know he keeps track of my schedule, and I don’t bother asking why. “I know.”
My heart beats faster, the longing I’ve been holding back surging uncontrollably. The space between us shrinks until I’m no longer sure who moved first.
Maybe it was him. Or me. It doesn’t matter, because the space between us is gone, and for the first time in over a week, neither of us tries to hold back.
Our lips crash together and we kiss each other like our lives depend on it. Leonid’s hands work overtime as he rips off my clothes and I do the same with his.
In a matter of seconds, we’re both naked, moaning with pleasure as we feast on each other’s lips like starved creatures.
He picks me up and I wrap my legs around him as he carries me to the desk, gently placing me there before positioning himself between my thighs and kissing me all over.
His hands explore every sensitive part of me, and I swear I see stars bursting behind my eyes from how intense his touch feels.
I wrap my arms around his neck, curl my legs around his hips, and pull him closer until I feel the warmth of his erection against my entrance.
He doesn’t take the bait, though.
He takes his time, sucking on my earlobes and kissing the crook of my neck so hard I’m tingling all over as the sweet sensation envelops me. Then he takes one of my nipples in his mouth and circles it with his tongue before clamping it between his teeth.
My head rolls back as pleasure explodes through me.
He pulls away slightly so that I can see the raw intensity in his eyes. His breathing is ragged, emotions crackling under the surface of his expression as if he’s been stripped of the cold, calculating mask he presents to the rest of the world.
In this moment, the feared Leonid Nazarov doesn’t exist. He’s only a man completely consumed by the woman beneath him.
“Look at me, ptichka,” he orders, his voice raw with need.
I open my eyes, still reeling from my own pleasure, and look up to see his eyes boring into mine. There’s something reverential about his gaze that makes my heart hurt.
He takes hold of my face in his huge, rough hands and traces my cheekbones slowly, as if he’s trying to memorize my face.
Then he leans forward, pressing his forehead to mine.
I can feel the frantic beating of his heart through my ribcage like an echoing drum.
God, this is what heaven feels like.
Finally, he positions himself against me and enters me with one long, tortuously deep thrust.
A quiet gasp escapes me, overwhelmed by the heat and fullness of him inside me. It feels like our souls align the deeper he goes as my body surrenders completely to him.
Leonid buries his face in the crook of my neck and lets out a low, shuddering groan, his entire body trembling as he pushes in deeper. He stays perfectly still for a heartbeat before he glances at me.
“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are, ptichka?”
I swallow hard, our breaths mingling in the quiet space between us. “A few times.”
“You’re beautiful, Elena,” he mutters in a voice that’s barely audible. Then he begins to move inside me. “So beautiful I can hardly think when you’re with me. So beautiful that I can’t imagine a life without you.”
“Leonid…”
He moves fluidly, curling his fingers around my neck and kissing me deeply. Passionately. As if he’s desperate for me to feel all the emotions he can’t bring himself to voice.
His hands slide down my neck, mapping the line of my collarbones before tracing the curve of my waist and lifting my hips to meet his deep, possessive strokes.
There’s no roughness here, only a desperate, heavy tenderness that makes my eyes sting with unshed tears.
Every touch feels like a language he’s never been allowed to speak, a confession of his love carved into my skin.
I tighten my legs around his hips, pulling him deeper, burying my face in his shoulder as my climax builds.
This time, it’s not a sudden explosion I feel surging inside of me.
It’s a slowly rising tide that threatens to pull us under.
And neither of us can resist its force.