CHAPTER 16 #2
The way he looks at me as if I’m all that matters makes my heartbeat speed up and a kaleidoscope of butterflies takes flight in my stomach.
Clearing my throat again, I eat while glancing at the buildings and lights of the city I never got to see before tonight.
“Do you like living in Moscow?” I ask out of pure interest.
“Yes. I love traveling, but there’s nothing like the feeling of coming home.”
“Did you grow up in the mansion?”
He shakes his head. “My father had a landscape business that didn’t bring in much money. When he lost everything, we went to live with his brother. I took over as underboss when my uncle passed away and moved my family to the estate.”
“Your uncle was Artem’s father?” I ask to make sure I understand their family dynamics.
He nods, then chuckles. “I look like my uncle, whereas Artem takes after my father.” Picking up the bottle of wine, he pours some into both glasses, and as he sets it back in the ice bucket, he mentions, “You seem to get along well with Artem.”
“He’s so sweet.” I try a sip of wine but scrunch my nose and shake my head. “Wow, how can something wet be so dry?”
Rodian lets out a burst of laughter, making him look even more attractive.
As we continue to take our time eating and talking, the same spell that he wove around me at the theater weaves around me tonight.
Getting up from his seat, he takes hold of my hand and helps me to stand before leading me to the front of the yacht. The second I shiver from the cold air, he removes his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders.
We lean against the railing as I stare at the magical view.
Rodian softly brushes his knuckles over my cheek, then murmurs, “How is it possible for someone to be as beautiful as you?”
A shy grin tugs at my mouth, and when I look up at him, his hand slips behind my neck.
Recognizing the predatory look on his face, because it’s one I will never forget, my stomach begins to spin with anticipation.
Rodian steps into me, and as his arm locks around me, hauling me against his chest before he bends his head. The air whooshes from my lungs just as his mouth claims mine.
The kiss is nothing like I remember. There’s no starting out slow.
My feet leave the floor, and as I grab hold of his bulging biceps, his lips and tongue conquer mine with hungry strokes.
Dear God.
I’m hit with such a huge wave of tingles that it makes me slightly lightheaded. I clutch Rodian’s shirt as my fingers curl into fists, getting utterly lost in him.
His arm tightens even more, keeping me locked to his body, and I feel the moment his manhood hardens. It’s a first for me and makes me experience a new array of emotions, everything from curiosity to desire.
When his teeth tug at my bottom lip, shivers race over my skin, then his head dips lower, and he peppers kisses along my jaw and down my throat before I’m hugged so tight it borders on being painful.
“Iisus Khristos, ty moyo vsyo.” I only understand the beginning of the sentence, and too busy catching my breath, it takes a moment before I can ask, “What did you say?”
“You are my everything.” His expression turns poignant, and his tone carries a note of grief as he lifts his hands to frame my face.
“My Anastasia.” Shaking his head, he struggles through his emotions.
“I know it sounds insane, but I fell so hard for you, and when you slipped through my fingers, it broke my heart. I can’t lose you again. ”
I’ve been so consumed by my own struggles, I didn’t see his pain. Remembering the tattoo on his chest and how it reflects exactly how I felt, it doesn’t sound insane at all.
Gripping my hand, he presses kisses to my palm while giving me a pleading look. “Don’t make me force you to marry me. I want you to choose to be my wife.”
He’s the pakhan. He doesn’t need to beg, because he’s entitled to take whatever he wants. His orders are never disobeyed for fear of death.
Still, Rodian is begging me to be his wife.
My fingers stir, my nails moving through the rough bristles of his beard.
“When things got really bad, I would daydream that you’d come walking across the backyard, or bursting into the kitchen, or kicking down the door to save me.
Those fantasies became my safe space.” My voice cracks, and I struggle to keep the tears back.
“I was trying to prepare myself for death, wondering how much it would hurt, but then you appeared out of thin air when I needed you most.”
A tear escapes, and Rodian brushes it away with his thumb.
“I hate the Bratva,” I say. “With every fiber of my being.” Just as his features tighten with worry, I add, “But…”
His eyebrow lifts. “But?”
It takes a lot to gather courage, so I can be vulnerable enough to admit, “I have spent thousands of days dreaming about you, and I can’t do that any longer.
Not when I have you standing in front of me.
” I begin to tremble from nerves and overwhelming emotions.
“I’m just worried that I’ve lost too much of the woman you fell in love with, and you’ll grow tired of who I am now. ”
Leaning down, his blue eyes bore deep into mine.
“You are even more incredible than I initially thought you were. You’re fucking strong and have more endurance than any other person I’ve ever met.
” Looking at me with reverence, he adds, “And instead of letting the pain harden you, you’re still so sweet and caring.
” His expression turns harsh until I can feel all of his power radiating from him.
“You are so extraordinary, I’m falling even harder for you the second time around. ”
With parted lips, I hang onto every word, and just like earlier, he seals more cracks in my self-esteem.
Others might have broken me, but Rodian has the ability to put me back together.
“Yes.”
Not understanding, he tilts his head and gives me a questioning look.
“I choose to be your wife.”