5. Rose
ROSE
Kon leaves without a word and for the first time in months, I'm alone.
There's no Mathew breathing down my neck, none of the Vasiliev brothers around, no family and now, no husband.
It's just me in this vast, comfortable bed without a single shadow lingering in my periphery.
It's… weird.
Tension lingers in my chest amid uncertainty that as soon as I move, this illusion will break, so for a while I just sit there and gaze around the room.
The bed is up on a small platform next to large windows that look exceptionally thick, given how the gardens outside appear slightly warped.
Beyond the bed are the walk-in closets filled with clothes, my unpacked suitcases, and a small lounge area, where an open door gives me a glimpse of the powder-blue ensuite.
All in all, very beautiful.
I shift under the sheets and wince as a throbbing ache flares between my legs, and memories from last night flood through me.
Konstantin was like an animal, but a very gentle animal.
There'd been a moment where I was certain he was going to turn me down, but then he fucked me like he hadn't come in years and it was insane.
Two orgasms inside me should be enough. I hope it is.
The sooner this hell is over, the better.
Yet, as I lie there gazing up at the ceiling, a strange sense of hesitation floods my chest.
Is it because I'm alone, or because Kon was tender with me?
Despite the force of his thrusts and the power in his hips, I felt safe with him.
Almost like there was affection in his touches and his kisses.
I curl my lower lip into my mouth and ignore the creeping thoughts that slink their way up through the back of my mind with whispers of the horrors I've endured under the Vasiliev brothers.
That's not important now.
What is, is Kon.
And a baby.
That's where my focus needs to be.
After enjoying the silence of being by myself, I get up and drag myself into the bathroom, where I take a long, hot shower under a powerful spray that acts like a massage across my shoulders.
It's utter bliss.
There are countless shower gels and soaps to choose from.
Most of them look as new as the clothes in the closet. Kon really has thought of everything.
I lather myself in peaches and cream, then dress in some dark jeans and a light blouse that kisses my skin just softly enough to remind me of Kon's hands all over my body.
The memory of it is enough to make me smile, but that smile fades when I open the bedroom door and walk into Calvin, who was poised to knock.
"Mrs. Belyaevna!"
"Rose."
"Right, Rose. Sorry. I wasn't sure what to call you."
Lingering in the doorway, I squint as I nod. "Honestly… I wasn't sure either. But ma'am makes me feel too old when I'm only twenty-three, and I'm not used to “Mrs.” yet so… just Rose."
"Just Rose. Kon wanted me to check on you if you hadn't left the room by a certain time."
"Why?" Crossing my arms over my chest, I look him up and down. "Did he think I would run away?"
"Nothing like that," Calvin assures me. "He was merely concerned he may have been too rough with you last night and worried you would need to be checked out."
"Is that his ego talking?" I smile lightly as my heart lifts at the thought of him being worried. "I'm fine. I was just enjoying being alone."
"Should I leave you to it?" Calvin's already stepping back as if to resume guarding the wall.
"No… actually, could you give me a tour? Last night, this place looked like something out of a fairytale but if I'm to live here, it would be handy to know where everything is."
"Certainly." Calvin's smile widens. "Do you have a preference?"
I unfold my arms and clasp my hands together while shaking my head. "Nope. Lead the way."
With Calvin at my side, we stroll down the hallway and take a winding set of stairs up to the fourth floor.
This floor is colder and less lived in than the rest, and Calvin explains that this is mostly where guards and security sleep.
They're split between the first and fourth floors to ensure Konstantin is protected in the middle.
There are a couple of locker rooms, an armory and several large bedrooms with multiple beds, as well as a few single bedrooms for generals and more.
Back on the third floor, there are more bedrooms, as well as a gorgeous library with shelves brimming with more books than I could ever count. Kon wasn't kidding when he said he enjoyed reading.
An art room and several other bedrooms complete the third floor, and Calvin explains that these rooms belong to him and Ethan.
The second floor is where things get more lively. We're wandering through an extensive home gym when I finally pluck up the courage to ask something that's been lingering in my mind.
"Why do you sound different from the others?"
Calvin pauses near the treadmill and glances at me. "Different?"
"You're clearly American. But Kon and Ethan and every other guard I've heard speak has some level of Russian accent. But yours… you're American?"
Calvin nods. "It's not sinister, I assure you."
"I didn't think it was."
"I am American. I was actually a taxi driver when I first met Kon."
My brows lift. "How does a taxi driver get entrusted with the security of Kon's wife?"
Calvin scoffs slightly. "When you say it like that, it sounds rather pathetic doesn't it?"
"Oh no!" My chest clenches and I reach for his arm as we walk around barbells and weight plates. "I’m sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just… from what I've seen of Kon in the twenty-four hours I've known him, and even from my own family… it seems strange."
"I met Kon a year ago, just after he landed in the States.
We literally crashed into one another. He was walking with a purpose like he always does and I was rushing through the airport to return a bag to a passenger who left her stuff in my cab, and I came around this corner and—" Calvin smacks his palms together.
"I took Kon clean off his feet. It was kind of terrifying because his guards descended and I almost thought I was going to die. "
We exit the gym and walk down a long, bright hallway filled with exquisite statues and paintings.
"But my accident with Kon delayed him at the airport, so the car bomb that was rigged to kill him blew up when he was nowhere near it.
I accidentally saved his life and to repay me, he hired me on the spot.
One shift gave me more money than I could earn in a year as a taxi driver so it was pretty easy to decide to stay.
Ethan trained me and Kon did too, for the most part.
It's been a pretty crazy year but yeah—I've been here ever since that day. "
"Wow," I breathe out softly. "And you have no problem with…?"
Calvin glances at me. "The fact that he's a criminal warlord and the entire New York mafia hates him for moving in on their territory?
Nah. Kon is…" Calvin's brows dip and then he smiles as he leads me into a gigantic ballroom twice the size of the room we held the wedding reception in.
"Kon is calm but fair. Some people call him cold, but I think it's because he's careful and calculated.
He knows what he wants and what he's doing.
Which might sound strange and a little intimidating, but in all my time of knowing him, I've only seen him smile once. "
After taking in the vast ballroom, I turn to Calvin. "When?"
"Yesterday at the wedding. At you."
Warmth suddenly surges to my cheeks and I have to look away. "I'm sure that's not true."
"It is, he replies simply. "Soon, you'll see for yourself."
The rest of the tour includes another gym, a large dining room, and the outdoor pool, then we finish the tour in the kitchen, where Calvin shows me the fridge filled to the brim by Kon's private chef and lets me pick whatever I desire.
I settle on some alfredo chicken pasta and Calvin heats it up in a pan while I perch on a barstool next to the island counter that shows no evidence of Kon fucking my brains out on it last night.
"So what about you?" Calvin asks. "Is it strange being away from your family?"
"A little," I admit and my stomach twists.
"I miss my sister the most. Beatie. She's younger than me, but I'd do anything for her.
She understands all of this though, maybe better than I do.
And my mom… I'm sad she couldn't make it to the wedding, but having Dad there was nice.
It's just…" I sigh deeply and then smile.
"I do what I can for my family. It's what we all do, right?
And the business aspect will help my father out a lot, as will the money, so everyone wins. "
"And your brother?" Calvin asks as he plates up the meal.
"My bro—" I catch myself just in time, so caught up in how empty the seats next to my father looked that the truth almost escapes. "Right. My brother. Mathew. Yeah… we never really got along but it's fine." I force my smile wider. "He walked me down the aisle so that was sweet."
Calvin holds my gaze as he slides the plate of food toward me, but if he notices my hesitation, he doesn't say anything.
Instead, he heats up some chili for himself and delves into a story about how he lost his mother when she was young and his father died overseas in the military.
With no one to look out for him, he scraped his way up until he met Kon and now life is good.
Learning about Calvin makes everything a little easier.
He's no longer a complete stranger.
After lunch, I spend most of the afternoon soaking up the sun by the pool and waiting for Kon, but he doesn't come home until well after midnight.
I'm tucked up in bed, half asleep by the time he walks through the door with a scowl deep across his face and tiredness dragging his features down.
"Hey," I say softly, pushing myself up.
Kon freezes. "Did I wake you?"
"No. I waited up for you."
"You did not have to do that," Kon says as he tugs off his tie.
"I wanted to. I wanted to see you."
Kon finally moves again and disappears into the ensuite, returning ten minutes later smelling of oak and a little of mint.
He slides into bed and lies down, so I move closer to him and lay my hand on his shoulder.
"I could tell you all about my day," I murmur softly, "since asking about yours feels like a no-go. Or…" My smile turns coy and I lean forward, attempting to catch Kon's lips in a kiss. "We could see if we can beat last night's record?"
He came in me twice, but there's no guarantee, and if I want this to stick, I need to make sure sex remains constant.
Kon, however, clearly isn't in the mood. The kiss is barely returned and he leans away from me to turn out the light. As darkness descends, he grunts softly. "Not tonight. Sleep. You need it."
My heart sinks but rather than pressing the issue, I slide down the covers and cuddle the pillow while Kon restlessly shifts for a few moments, then he settles.
Silence falls, and cold dread builds in my stomach.
I could already be pregnant, in which case everything is fine. But there's no guarantee and if Kon is turning me down already, that can't be a good sign.
Was our wedding night a one-time thing?