Button by button, he started to open his shirt, revealing his muscular and heavily inked chest. The only time I’d seen him up close was out of the corner of my eye in the shower, but I’d not faced him. Not as he washed himself. I’d kept my back to him, trying to keep my body covered, from my husband. It wasn’t how I imagined a marriage to be.
The shirt fell to the floor.
“You can’t see it, but you can still feel.” He reached for my hand, pulled me close, and put my hand on his arm. “This is where he slashed me for breaking his fucking vodka bottle. I nearly died because of it.” Next, my hand went to his stomach. “He beat me so hard, I was pissing blood. Here is where the buckle of his belt slashed me.”
He ran my hands over his body, which was covered in scars, most of them from his father. Tears filled my eyes as I imagined Andrei as a scared little boy.
“So, when the opportunity came to kill him, I took it.” He held his arms open wide. “I am the only surviving Belov, Adelaide. The only one of my line and I’m loyal to Ivan Volkov. The bastard son of the previous Pakhan. You want the rules to survive. You’re loyal to him. You swear your life to him, and to me. You don’t see or hear anything. You see me covered in blood, you help wash it off. You bear my children. You belong to me, and in return, you will have a life you only ever dreamed of.” He dropped his hands. “That is what your father wanted. To have our wealth and power, and to do it, he gave us you. Betray us, and you will long for death before I grant it.”
I’d never seen him like this. “Is this to scare me?”
“Not to scare, to make you aware. I’ve got many enemies. Ivan has many enemies. There are plenty of people in this world who will want us dead, and they would have no qualms about using you to get what they want.”
This was the reality. He was giving me exactly what I wanted to know and yet right at that moment, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. My husband was warning me. Telling me that if I didn’t learn to accept this life, then I was dead. There was no way out. I was to stay by his side, be loyal to him and to Ivan, until I either died or was killed. There were no cops to save me.
Andrei would kill me if I betrayed them.
My parents had done this because they couldn’t stand to be penniless. They handed me over without a bat of the eye. None of them thought I could handle this. Anger filled me.
“Do you keep your word?” I asked.
“What?”
“When you make deals or promises, do you keep them?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation.
“Then I promise you, Andrei Belov, that I will never turn my back on you. I will never seek out anyone to hurt you or to hurt Ivan Volkov.” I take a step toward him, knowing that my words don’t matter, not really. Andrei doesn’t trust. Loyalty to him must be shown and earned.
Even as every single sense within my body repelled and told me to run, to get as far away from this man and this life as physically possible, a part of me, a small, tiny sliver, didn’t want to.
Andrei intrigued me.
He terrified me in equal measure, but there was no doubt in my mind that I also liked him. This was stupid of me to even think that. He’d shown no inclination to like me or care for me. I was not the woman for him.
And yet, sleeping beside him, night after night, feeling his arms wrapped around me, was comforting. Even down to the fact he locked me up in this penthouse suite to protect me, I wasn’t sure. There was a lot I didn’t know or understand.
I was within touching distance now. All I had to do was reach up, put my hands on his chest, and feel him, but I didn’t do that. I simply held myself completely still.
His naked chest was so tempting. Why did I hold myself back?
I lifted my hands and moved to touch him, but he grabbed my wrists and stopped me.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
To tell him I was going to kiss him seemed a little lame to me, and totally out of place. Nibbling my lip, I glance over his shoulder, trying to think of the right thing to say. Instead, I step toward him so he has no choice but to move our hands, or have them against his skin. Did he hate me touching him, or just touch in general?
“I’m here to give you payment,” I said.
We were going to be in a constant vicious cycle if one of us didn’t give in, and I was not ashamed to need my space. Kissing Andrei would mean something to him, but I imagined he’d been with plenty of women whose kisses didn’t matter. Just a physical action to him he’d done thousands of times, if not more. I had to learn to keep my emotions in check. This kiss wouldn’t mean a thing. I hoped.
“You’re not a whore,” he said.
I flinched. I couldn’t help it. “You were the one who said I had to kiss you to get out of this damn apartment. I don’t have to be insulted by you. I’m not a whore. How dare you!” If he didn’t hold my wrists, I’d have slapped him right across his smug, arrogant face. As it was, he had my wrists and as I tried to tug them free, it was pointless. He was the one who held all the power.
Growling, I was about to raise my knee when suddenly my hands were released, but I didn’t have time to react because within the next seconds, his lips were on mine. The kiss started out soft, a simple brush of our lips, and I expected it to be over. It certainly would have been a lot easier if it had, but Andrei had other ideas.
His hands sank into my hair, holding me close, gripping me tightly as his tongue traced across my bottom lip. A whimper escaped me and that was all he needed to gain entry. He plunged inside, making me moan as he deepened the kiss.
This was a real kiss.
Not sweet or gentle, but an all-consuming passion that stole my breath and made me hate and crave him just a little bit more.
Who was this man, this husband of mine? I had no idea, but with kisses like that, I knew I would happily follow him into hell.
Andrei
Cinnamon buns, purchased at a fucking vegan deli, no less. Strong coffee with plant milk, at the same place, and before me lay Adelaide’s cell phone, laptop, and the credit card I’d acquired with my name.
All I waited for was Adelaide to make an appearance.
I’d already told Leo that he wasn’t needed today. Terrance was on guard duty, where he needed to be. There would always be guards nearby waiting to protect.
I sat enjoying my coffee, and sure enough, I didn’t have to wait long before Adelaide stumbled out of our bedroom, still dressed in shorts and a tank top. Her long brown hair was a mess. She looked like she’d been fucked long and hard into the night. All I’d done was kiss her and send her to bed. By the time I joined her, she’d been fast asleep.
Keeping Adelaide in the dark wasn’t bright. I knew that. Last night, the anniversary of my father’s death, I always went to dark places. There was no controlling it. That day was the best of my life-where I could finally release the chains he had on me and become my own man.
I was a man who prided myself that I feared nothing, and yet, when it came to my father, my biggest fear of all was that I’d turn out to be exactly like him. It’s why I wasn’t in a rush to father children. Like always, I’d make sure to do my duty for Ivan, but that didn’t mean I was in a rush.