Chapter 13 #3
“I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’ve fallen in love with you.
I’m certain of it. There would be some who would say it was because of the danger we went through and the fact you saved my life a couple of times.
” She laughed nervously, darting a look in my direction.
“But they’d be wrong. I might not know everything about you, but you allowed me to catch a glimpse of your soul.
I was right about you. You are a courageous man.
You’re intelligent and passionate, and when you allow yourself to forget about your honor and duties, the way you lust for life is incredible.
I just… Well, there it is. Stupid, huh?”
I realized I’d been holding my breath. The electricity soaring through me tugged at every cell and muscle in my body. I took her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. “That’s not stupid at all, Chloe. That’s beautiful.”
“But you don’t feel the same.”
“I’ve never allowed myself to love a woman. Have I been with several over the years? Yes, but not in a long time and certainly not in any kind of serious way.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew that wouldn’t be fair to them. Life of the Bratva is no place for a woman.”
“Let alone those rules you had to follow.”
Huffing, I squeezed her hand. “I assure you that a few of the rules weren’t followed religiously.
When Maxim declared himself to be my new father, I learned early on that his wife and daughter had been murdered by a rival family years before.
That left him bitter. I watched several wives or girlfriends of soldiers in our organization killed or abducted.
I made a promise to myself early on I wouldn’t allow that to happen to anyone I cared about. ”
“But you’re not in the Bratva any longer. At least I don’t think you are. Are you?” She shifted closer, daring me to answer with her rebellious expression.
“I don’t know yet. That’s as honest as I can be. Look what happened these past few days. Do you honestly think I want to place you in any danger from here on out?”
She nodded several times, finally rolling her eyes. “No. I understand, but that doesn’t make me happy.”
“Then you’ll find somewhere to go?”
“Yes. I’ll hate it, but I will.”
I loathed the sadness in her voice, the way the light had already gone out of her eyes.
Love. I wanted to express my feelings with her more than anything.
I longed to gather her into my arms, promising her the very house she’d always wanted, but if I did, she would always be targeted.
When I tried to pull her hand to my mouth, she resisted.
“Don’t fight me, Chloe. You are the bright shining star in my life. That’s what you’ll always be. The moments we’ve shared have been the best I’ve ever had in my life.”
“And you’ll never forget me.”
“How could I?” I pulled her hand to my mouth, taking my time to brush my lips across her knuckles, memorizing her face, trying to remember her different beautiful expressions. The way she laughed. The tears. The anger. The determination. She was everything to me. My entire world.
Leaning closer, I placed her hand into her lap then lifted her chin with a single finger.
“Don’t, Nikolai. I can’t take loving you any longer.”
Growling in response, I lowered my head until our lips were only centimeters apart. “I can’t stop hungering for you.” As I captured her mouth, she placed her hand against my chest, pushing in an effort to shove me away. Then she wrapped her fingers around my shirt, pulling me in closer.
Every part of my body craved hers, my mind exploding with thoughts.
Then there was my heart. I’d never wanted to fall in love.
Everything I’d told her had been true. I’d purposely fought against caring about anyone.
Then there was Chloe. I slipped my hand around the back of her neck, tugging her closer.
Every cell in my body was on fire, my needs escalating to the point I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
The passion we shared was incredible, the electric current something neither of us could deny.
I could tell her resolve was crumbling, her hunger growing.
I slipped my tongue past her lips, the sweet taste of her a powerful aphrodisiac.
She was the light to my darkness, the anchor to the beast inside.
She’d stolen a portion of me that would never be able to recover once I was gone.
Mewing, she shifted her hand to my groin, fingering my throbbing cock.
Even the denseness of my jeans was unable to hide my desires.
As she stroked me, savage thoughts entered my mind, the filthy things I hungered to do to her bridging the surface.
The moment of passion was intense, dragging us back into the vortex we’d experienced before.
How the hell was I supposed to leave her behind?
How could I ever live without her by my side?
When I broke the kiss, nipping her bottom lip, the sound of her ragged breathing was nothing more than sweet music.
“I want you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“I can’t.”
I brushed my lips across her cheek and down to her jaw, allowing my hot breath to cascade across her shimmering skin.
When I tipped her head, exposing her long neck, she whimpered in my hold.
The taste of her skin was sweet, further fueling the brutal man inside of me.
Every sound she made, the soft purrs and barely audible whimpers were almost too much to take.
Easing away, I took the glass from her hand, studying her for a few seconds before placing both crystal stems on the small table. Then I cupped both sides of her face, shaking my head slightly. “Never forget how much I care about you.”
“I won’t.” There would never be another woman in my life. While I knew the odds of my survival were limited, my love for the beautiful woman would never be extinguished.
She wrapped her fingers around my wrists, staring into my eyes. “Make love to me.”
The words were sweeter than she could imagine.
After pressing my lips against her forehead, I rose to my feet, pulling her with me.
There were no additional words that needed to be said.
She didn’t resist as I moved into the house, walking up the stairs to the bedroom we’d shared but hadn’t been intimate in since our arrival.
She’d been terrified of hurting me, watching over me at night as if my injuries were life threatening.
I couldn’t share with her the horrors I’d experienced over the years.
She didn’t deserve to fully embrace the life I’d led or the one I was prepared to face again.
All I wanted to do was share a wondrous night, exploring every inch of her body.
I wanted to drink her in, to have her scent stain my skin for weeks to come.
And I craved hearing her cries of passion the moment I thrust my cock deep inside of her.
The feel of her hand in mine further fueled the fire that had been raging for days.
While I knew the last thing that she needed was another crush of her emotions, neither one of us could resist the need we shared.