Chapter 55
I wakeup to pure bliss.
When I open my eyes, I’m treated to the best view ever. My legs are thrown over Roman’s powerful shoulders as he goes to town between my spread thighs. I cry out, and grab a handful of his locks as he swirls his tongue over my clit before sucking it deep into his mouth. It’s pure ecstasy.
And then a whole new sensation takes me by surprise.
His tongue dips lower, much lower. Wetness coats the crevice of my ass.
A surprised gasp escapes from my lips. “What are you doing?”
His answer is a low murmur. “Making you feel good.”
I clench my cheeks together, feeling self-conscious as he explores this forbidden place for the first time.
“You were making me feel good,” I squeak, but I can’t deny that his tongue running over my back entrance also feels pretty damn good.
“Patience. I’m just getting you ready.”
“Getting me ready for— Oh.”
One of his fingers traces over the spot where his tongue just was. Then I feel a gentle pressure at my opening as a finger slides in. He holds it there, keeping it shallow.
Okay, wow. That feels much more pleasurable than I thought it would.
A shiver blasts up my spine as his tongue circles my clit and he continues to do what he does best.
This is unchartered territory for me, but Roman seems confident that he can make me feel good.
“Relax, milaya.” He drops a slow, sexy kiss on my clit, in the same way he would kiss my mouth, just as he plunges his finger forward, both sensations working in tandem to heighten my pleasure.
I let out a long, low moan as I clutch at the sheets underneath me. He doesn’t let up as his tongue continues to dance over my bud, and he twists his finger inside of me. Sparks of pleasure grow in my core despite the foreign sensation.
”You”re loving this,” he whispers huskily. “You’ve never been this wet for me before.”
Is that true? I don’t know because I’m beyond thought. Unintelligible words spill from my mouth.
When he sucks my clit between his lips, I arch my back and writhe like a woman possessed, unable to hold back the wild noises that break free from my throat. My pussy clenches, and waves of pleasure build into an intense orgasm that takes me by surprise. I”m not sure I”ve ever climaxed this hard, and it takes me a few minutes to come back down to earth.
Roman continues gently lapping at me until my breathing has steadied, and I let out a giant sigh. When he slowly pulls his finger out of my ass, I shudder.
He releases a deep chuckle. “You seemed to enjoy that.”
A slow satisfied smile grows on my face. Will I ever get enough of this man?
“Unexpectedly, I did. It was … amazing.”
His lips still glistening, Roman settles beside me and leans on his elbows, watching me intently. “Good morning, milaya,” he whispers and drops a sensual kiss on my lips.
I can taste myself, and it sets my blood on fire. “Good morning to you too,” I pant.
He leans in and sweeps the hair away from my face while I cup his cock beneath the sheets.
“Should we make it a really good morning?” I ask with a hopeful grin.
He groans but shifts away from my touch. “As much as I’d love that, Kira and Maxim will be here soon. Wild horses couldn’t keep Kira away from you, and I’m not about to try.”
“Probably better if you don’t,” I admit with a smile.
Since our return from Greece two days ago, we”ve been staying in Roman”s penthouse. I”ve been laid up under strict orders from the doctor to rest, nursing a fractured toe. Thankfully, aside from that and some mild dehydration, Sofiya and I escaped without serious injuries, though we”re both exhausted—mentally and physically.
But it”s the mental scars that cut the deepest, especially for Sofiya. Her world has been turned upside down—she”s gone from a high school senior to finding out her former brother-in-law is a maniac and learning her parents were ready to trade her to a lunatic for their gain. And on top of everything, she’s married to Nikolai.
Roman’s lawyer is looking into whether the marriage is legally binding or not. I was furious with Nikolai at first, but when Roman explained it to me, I understood Nikolai’s reasons for what he did, even if I’m not thrilled about it.
I run my fingers over Roman’s faint stubble and my heart skips a beat, as it always does under his intense gaze.
His expression shifts to a sad smile. ”I never apologized to you,” he says softly.
“Apologized?” My eyebrows hit my hairline. “For what?”
His finger traces my cheek. “I promised you and Sofiya would be safe in my home, but in the end, you weren”t. It”s my fault you suffered, that you were assaulted and nearly forced by that monster.”
I shake my head fiercely. “How can you blame yourself? The only one at fault here is Anatoly. Well, Sergey deserves some of the blame as well,” I add, trying to break the tension.
Roman”s gaze remains dark. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
I rest my forehead against his. “It”s going to be a long life if you can”t forgive yourself, Roman. Your job will always be dangerous, and I can accept that if it means I get to be yours. Forever. But can you accept it?”
He looks away, pain etched in the lines of his face. “Maybe it”s time I made some hard decisions. Decisions like leaving the syndicate.”
My eyebrows knit as I softly cradle his face in my hand. “Is that what you really want?”
His hesitation is palpable. “I’ll be happy with you, no matter what.”
I trace a finger down his arm, feeling the muscle tense under my touch. “You”re not ready to retire; I”m sure of it. But there”s a way for you to have it all. You can have me and the syndicate. It”ll just take some adjustments on our end. But don”t give up—consider this a lesson. I want this life beside you, whatever it entails.”
He lowers his head as if weighing my words. After a moment, he looks up with a bright smile. “In that case ... I have something to ask you.”
My nerves buzz with excitement as he opens the nightstand drawer and pulls out what is unmistakably a jewelry box. I hoped this day would come, but I hadn”t expected it to be this soon.
“Open it,” he rasps. “I know Maxim and Kira are on the way over, but fuck it, I can’t wait.”
My hands tremble as I sit up higher in bed to take the little black velvet box from him. My breath catches, and emotion stings my eyelids as I open the box to see a stunning pink sapphire ring. The stone is cut in a brilliant oval, set in a delicate rose gold band encrusted with tiny, sparkling diamonds. It’s perfect.
“I thought it would look beautiful on you.” Roman’s eyes search mine. “So… is that a yes? Will you marry me?”
“Yes. A thousand times yes. Nothing would make me happier.” I kiss him fervently, like I’ll never get enough. Tears fill my eyes as he slips the ring onto my finger.
“Did I do good?” he murmurs.
“You did more than good.” I swipe a tear from under my cheek. “I couldn”t have chosen better myself.”
“There’s one more thing.” He reaches below the bed. “I’ve been waiting a long time to give this to you.”
He presents me with the first edition of Jane Eyre, the one I didn’t accept in London. His eyes lock with mine—deep, intense, and brimming with emotion.
“You kept it.”
“I knew you’d say yes one day. I was going to keep on trying for the rest of my life.”
All the air whooshes from my lungs, and I’m about to tackle him back onto the bed, when Kira’s voice carries from the other side of the door.
“Okay, love birds, time to get out of bed.”
“Give us a second,” I call out. “We”re just … in the middle of something.”
There”s a pause. “Jesus, how much longer is this something going to take?” To Maxim, she says, “I bet they’ve been doing a lot of something lately.”
Roman and I exchange a smile. His eyes light up with affection as he leans in to kiss me. It”s soft and sweet, and I know nothing will be the same again—not my life, not my future, and definitely not my heart.
Kira can”t stop gapingat my ring. I don”t know if it”s the shock of learning that Roman and I are together, or if the pink sapphire is just so dazzling it’s made her dizzy, but she seems a little shell-shocked.
She clears her throat. “So, to be clear, things started between you two the night we went to Sanctuary?”
Roman smirks. “You brought us to a sex club. What did you expect?”
Kira smiles like the cat that ate the canary. “Exactly that.”
My eyes narrow as understanding sets in. “You planned for us to hook up?”
“You can’t plan for that kind of thing, but I saw the way you two looked at each other from the start. I knew there was something there. I just created the optimal conditions.”
My mouth hangs open. “Looked at each other? I disliked Roman intensely until we went to London.”
Roman swoops in to kiss my neck. ”You know what they say: there”s a thin line between love and hate.”
I”m still reeling from Kira”s revelation. “You little she-devil. We are going to have a serious talk about boundaries,” I jokingly scold her.
She lets out an amused huff. “Please. There was chemistry between you two from the start. We all noticed.” She looks over at Maxim to confirm her point.
He holds up his hands in front of him. “I”m not getting involved.”
Kira purses her lips. “I knew you were miserable with Anatoly, but you would never accept my money or help. I figured it was worth a chance to play cupid and see if my gut was right.”
I look over at Roman, who seems more amused than surprised.
He leans in to kiss my neck. “Well, Kira, you might have a new career as a matchmaker,” he declares.
Maxim rolls his eyes. “Please don’t encourage her.”
She elbows him in the ribs. “Obviously, I’m amazing at it.” She gestures to Roman and me curled up together on the couch.
I sigh and rest my face against his shoulder.
Roman kisses my head and rises from the couch. “Maxim and I have some business to discuss. We’ll leave you two to catch up.”
Kira scoots closer to me on the couch. While I’ve filled in Kira and Maxim on pretty much everything, there is something else I need to say.
“I’m sorry that I lied to you. With the shipping deal, the pregnancy, and everything that Anatoly threatened, I was too scared to ask for help. I just wanted to protect Sofiya and all of you.”
She squeezes my shoulder. Emotion shines in her eyes. “Why are you saying sorry? I’m the one who’s sorry you went through such hell. He was a monster, and you deserved none of the abuse he inflicted. It”s hard to ask for help when the people who should be your protectors are the ones hurting you.”
I bite my lip and nod. That’s all I’m capable of at the moment.
Her jaw hardens. “Your parents enabled him, and they deserve to pay.”
“They will,” I say simply.
Sofiya and I have agreed that we want nothing to do with our parents. They can live on the streets for all we care. Roman won’t kill them because I don”t want to live with that cruelty on my shoulders. They made terrible choices, but I don”t have to. Still, they’ll live in poverty and be social pariahs, which to my mother might be worse than death.
Kira releases a little sigh and rests her head on my shoulder. “Now, we have a wedding to plan.” She gives a little clap. “I never thought my little game of cupid would end like this.”
I release a throaty laugh. “We”re not in any rush. I really want to make sure Sofiya is settled before we start making any big plans.”
“Does she know yet?” Kira gestures towards the ring on my finger.
I shake my head. “I’ll tell her right after this. She’s been hiding out in her room for days. I want to give her the space to process everything, but I also don”t want her to close herself off from life.”
“It”s a lot to take in. She probably needs some time.”
“She”s trying to decide if she wants to go back to school, or if she’ll finish the semester remotely.” I shrug. “She has to make the decision for herself.”
One thing I”ve realized is that I can”t protect Sofiya from every bump and bruise life throws her way. She needs to make her own choices and navigate her path to learn what’s right for her.
“She’ll figure it out. And she’s lucky to have you and Roman. We’ll always be there for her as well.”
I squeeze her hand. “You’re the best. Even though I’m still kind of shocked that you set Roman and me up at a sex club.”
She winks. “You mean ‘erotic theater’.”
I snicker. “You’re one of the good ones, Kira Belov.”