Edwina grimaced.“I have a family lunch tomorrow.”
“Excellent.I look forward to meeting your grandmother.”
“She doesn’t know about you,” Edwina said.
“Yet,” Mikhail said with a grin.
Edwina grabbed her facecloth and squirted a blob of citrus body gel onto it.She rubbed it over Mikhail’s chest, admiring his muscles, despite his dropped weight.“Were you able to avoid more doses of the drug?”
“Yeah, the drugs were in the headache tablets they gave me.Bridget and I decided it was best to pretend I was taking them, which is what I did.I was careful about what I ate and drank.It helped that Bridget understood I’d walk if anything went wrong.She wanted control so badly she ensured my safety.It was easier once Pavel wasn’t part of the equation.”
Edwina gestured for him to turn and cleansed his back.“She arranged her brother’s death.That’s cold.”
“In the end, she shot him herself,” Mikhail said.“Although he didn’t say much, I think Bridget went up in Konstantine’s estimation.He still doubted her ability to run the business, and I taught her in private.”
“Will she stick to her end of the deal?”Edwina asked.“I’m not her fan.”
“I might disagree with her decisions, but she’s honorable in her own way.Bridget won’t interfere with my business or allow her people to upset you.She admired the way you stepped back and allowed me to help her.She wouldn’t have done the same.”
He smiled down at her.“I’ve looked forward to this day.I don’t know what it is about you, Edwina.You crept into my heart and disarmed me with your mental strength and bravery.I missed you, more so once the drug wore off properly, and I remembered everything.”
Edwina kissed him lightly on the lips and exited the shower.Mikhail turned off the water, and she handed him a towel.
“I love you, Edwina.”
Heat and gladness fused in her body.“Yeah?”
“Yeah.I can’t believe my blind luck in finding you.When I think what might’ve happened—if I’d allowed Clarice to sway me.I would’ve lost the greatest treasure I possess.”
“We’re together now.”
“We are.”It sounded like a solemn pledge.
“Are you hungry?”
“I’d prefer to make love to my wife and claim you, so no one will make the mistake of believing they can steal you away.”
“That wouldn’t happen.”
“I refuse to give any man a chance.”Mikhail rubbed the towel over his chest and back, his gaze not leaving hers.Then he dropped the towel and stalked closer.He swung her into his arms and headed toward the bedroom.
30
EdwinacuddledclosertoMikhail, her feline as deliriously happy as her.She loved him and had tumbled into this state early in their relationship.She’d worried about becoming a mere wife with no power, and while change would occur, Mikhail would compromise.Of this, she was confident.They’d discuss their path together.
Their naked bodies rubbed in delicious friction, and Mikhail cupped her buttocks and drew her nearer until she pressed against his hot, hard arousal.Edwina’s pulse thundered as she nipped his bottom lip and savored his scent, his closeness.
His growl made her laugh.This was how sex should be—full of fun and satisfaction.A shudder worked through her body as he explored her mouth.Their tongues danced together, and they climbed a path to deeper arousal and pleasure.His fingers traced her jaw before drifting lower to rub the fleshy part where her neck and shoulder met.Another shudder, laden with joy and anticipation, stole through her.
“Edwina,” he whispered.
“Mikhail.”
His rumbly laugh brought a smile to her lips.She rolled, pushing him into the mattress and letting him take her full weight.She laughed, which held triumph until he lifted her and took one nipple into his mouth.The first draw sent pressure rampaging through her, and she gasped, aware of the emptiness between her thighs.He held her in place with effortless strength, teasing her until she moaned.
“Ah, Edwina.I need to taste you.”Before she could reply, he had her on her back and her legs splayed.Seconds later, his mouth was on her sex, licking and sucking and making her tremble with awareness.It wouldn’t take much for her to topple into climax.
“Need you inside me,” she whispered.“I’ve been waiting for over three months.I crave your hard cock pushing inside me, filling me.”
