Chapter 25
LILIANA
“I’m sorry,” I say as the car pulls away. I’m not sure if Anton hears me. My voice is muffled as he hugs me close. “I’m—”
He helps me up and cups my face. “I’m not.”
I blink, daring to believe my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me after all. When Elena accused me of not drinking because I was pregnant and forced the news out of me, I could’ve sworn Anton looked happy.
Shocked.
Confused.
But that hint of a smile felt like a trick of the light. Like I was willing him to be happy about a baby instead of angry that I hadn’t told him.
“I’m not sorry at all.” He’s definitely smiling now. As he comes close to kiss me, a little voice in the back of my mind gets louder.
“You’re not?” I check, pulling back so he can’t dull my senses with a kiss.
He shakes his head, holding my hand. “No.”
“Why not?”
He furrows his brow. “You want me to be mad?”
I open and close my mouth, unsure what I want or what I can even say. This isn’t how I imagined it happening. I’m still reeling from the panic of being put on the spot.
“I’m not mad that you’re pregnant,” he repeats.
I want to believe it because he shows it. He’s not just saying it. That smile is real.
“Will you try to take this baby from me?” I raise my brows. “Because this child will be your heir, not just your son or daughter but your next in line?”
He frowns, studying me. “What do you want me to say?”
I swallow hard, knowing this is the moment. This is when I’ll get my answer as to how to move forward. Either he affirms that he’ll be a partner, or he admits that he expects to decide everything.
“I want you to persuade me that your attitude at the mansion isn’t reflective of how you’ll see our child. That you will value this baby as a new, precious life. Not a person to mold and train into someone who can rule and—”
He sighs, shaking his head. “Liliana…”
“No.” I pull back again. “You’re going to let me finish.
You’ve made it so clear that you call the shots.
You’re the boss. You’re in charge. You always get what you want.
But that’s not fair anymore. If we’re having a child, I get a say.
You won’t dictate my life or our baby’s.
” I tip my chin up, better for having made my stance clear.
“I’ve seen how it turned out with Roman. Elena has warped him into being a whiny, entitled, lazy asshole. You let that happen. My child will be raised with real love. With goodness. With—”
“With a mother and father who want the best for him or her. No matter what,” he finishes for me.
“Yes.”
“Liliana, I was talking about Roman at the mansion. You had the misfortune of learning exactly what kind of person he is. He’s a disappointment to me.
In business terms, it’s a flaw to see him as my heir.
That doesn’t mean this baby will replace him.
Or that any child I ever have has to be the one to follow in my footsteps. ”
“But—”
He places his fingertips on my mouth. “But nothing. It’s a tradition. It’s a wish that I could pass on the Sokolov legacy to my son or daughter. It’s a wish, but it’s not a mandate.”
I give in as he urges me closer for a kiss. It’s tender, and I want to accept it fully.
“I will provide for you and our child. There is nothing that will keep me from doing that, but I will not ever want to dim your spirit. Or walk all over you. I am in charge of my businesses, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be in charge with me, especially with this baby.”
I let his vows sink in, but it’s so much to have faith in.
“I understand why you didn’t tell me. You’re not wrong to have kept this from me.
” He frowns a little. “I am annoyed that you did, but I understand why you tried to figure it out on your own.” He presses his lips to my forehead, and I smile at the feel of them curving into one too.
“I look forward to learning everything about you, but I can already tell you’re independent.
” He kisses my cheek. “Determined.” He kisses my other cheek.
“Strong-willed.” He kisses the tip of my nose.
“And the perfect woman to start the rest of my life with.” He kisses my lips, lingering long enough that I sigh against him and curl into his embrace.
We arrive at his building, and this time, when he brings me inside, it’s not only lust that’s enticing me to hurry inside and be alone with him.
A mutual respect has been forged between us.
A simple understanding and willingness to compromise.
Maybe even the start of love.
“How can you be so sure you can meet me in the middle?” I ask as we ride up in the elevator again.
It’s like déjà vu, him walking me toward the wall until my back hits the hard surface.
Mere hours ago, he had me right here. Intimately private and alone.
We’re not devouring each other now, kissing with ravenous hunger and greedy hands.
This ride up to his penthouse feels more symbolic, a mark in time of us truly being a couple.
Partners. Not just two people having a quick fuck.
“Because I need you.” He kisses me reverently as the doors slide open to his home.
This elegant, state-of-the-art apartment I could only have dreamed of being in.
“Because I want you.” He picks me up and carries me, his smoldering gaze not straying from me for a second.
“Because I look forward to all the goodness you will give me.”
I smile as he brings me to his bedroom again. “I’m giving you a child,” I whisper back.
He shakes his head slowly as he lowers me to the bed.
I sit on the edge as he steps back, lowering to his knees.
This man, this powerful Bratva boss, on his knees for me.
I suck in a deep breath as he rests his hands on my thighs, then slides his arms around behind me so he’s wrapped loosely around my hips.
“You’re giving me a chance to be happy, to have something other than work to live for.”
I smooth my hand over his face, adoring how he can truly lower his guard like this.
“You’re giving me a source of hope, to count on you making me want to be a better man, a stronger father.”
Dipping in close, I kiss him.
“You aren’t waiting and expecting anything to be handed to you. You are a giver, not a taker. It’s a rarity in my life, and you are not someone I can ever bear losing.”
I smile at that, knowing that’s the most important difference between him and Roman.
At the thought of Roman, I almost wince, sinking into the dread that this will mean seeing more of him. If I surrender to letting Anton into my life, to letting him have a role with this baby, it means so much more. Like the mess of navigating a life with Elena and Roman in the background.
“I love you, Liliana.” He frames my face and kisses me, yanking me out of all the negative thoughts. Hearing that promise soothes me. And I can’t help but feel the same. I can finally give in and label this warmth in my heart that excites me when I think of him.
“I love you, too,” I whisper, letting myself be exposed and vulnerable to him.
He leans in, kissing me as he slides his hands over my back. The dress is cut so low that his big, warm hands are a teasing caress on my bare skin. And it’s all I need to remember that he neglected to get a bra or any lingerie for me with this gown.
A gown that I’m suddenly desperate to get out of.
I pull back from kissing him, already breathing hard and fast with arousal.
As I move to stand, he backs up, staying on his knees.
His stare doesn’t stray from me, as I get to my feet and unclasp the single clip that’s holding the top of the dress together.
Silver petals of fabric fall forward, and the freedom of my breasts bared to him sends shivers over my skin.
I put my hands at my hips and push, letting the rest of the gossamer dress slip down and puddle at my feet.
I frame his face, standing before him without anything to hide behind. As he gazes up at me, I imagine how beautiful it would be if this could really be my life.
With a sexy man like him ready to worship me, no matter what.
With a home like this to fill with love, for good.
“You’re sure you’re not angry?” I ask lightly.
He shakes his head and kisses my stomach. The symbolism is sweet, but I’m too turned on to let my emotions get the best of me.
“Not at you.” He gently urges me to sit, staying between my legs as he kneels closer, draping my thighs over his shoulders. “Never at you.”
I tremble at him spreading my legs open wide, his gaze brightening with desire and hunger as he eyes my pussy. Bare for him. Within his reach. The warmth of his breath against my slick flesh torments me.
Without another word, he brings his mouth to me and licks me. His tongue swipes all the way over my entrance, a hot, velvety caress that makes me moan. I lean back, letting the desire heat my blood.
He’s determined to please me, to prove there’s no anger in his heart for me hiding this pregnancy from him.
I’m already too close to coming on his tongue so heavy and hot on me, lapping up my juices.
Then his lips pull at my clit before he flicks the tip of his tongue against that sensitive bud.
He barely has time to push his long fingers into me and curl them against that spot inside.
On a loud cry, I come, tensing up and nearly clamping his head between my legs.
Incoherent gibberish trails from my mouth as I lie back, but I can’t close my eyes. I’m too eager to watch him strip. I scoot back, addicted to the reveal of his hard, tatted, scarred body. His skin is taut, all those muscles flexing and bulging as he crawls onto the mattress to join me.
I kiss him, pulling him down to hover over me.
He angles his cockhead to spread me wide, and with one full push in, he fills me. He stretches me, and I moan as the delicious burn of being so full turns into exquisite pressure, driving me toward another climax
“I love you,” I whisper as he draws back to pound into me. We’re both panting, riding the rush to our climaxes. It’s too soon, too fast, but with the adoration in his eyes focused on me, I have faith that this is only the beginning.