Katarina
As usual,I fall asleep on Win, but this time, I don’t wake up until we’re about to land. My clothes have been righted. I have no idea how he managed it, but I’m grateful when our friendly flight attendant appears and I’m not half naked.
It seriously diminishes my credibility as his retributioner if he comes in and finds me half naked and content post coitus.
As we exit the plane, a veritable army awaits our arrival. “Your brother sent all these people?” I ask, looking over at Win.
“Do you know how much security it takes to staff fifteen casinos? He’s got an army at his fingertips.”
“Good to know,” I mumble as we’re ushered into the back of an executive sedan.
The medical team gets in its own car. Apparently, they will be tending our wounds through our stay in America.
Being a duchess is going to take some adjustment, that’s for sure.
As the line of cars rolls out of the airport toward the suburbs, Win leans over to whisper in my ear, “We need to discuss Sver after we’re settled.”
I frown, looking at him. “What’s left to discuss? He’s off the Christmas list.”
“Do you wish to speak with him?”
I nip at my lip, considering. Sver was a figure who was always in the background of my life.
He was at my father’s house often. And I suppose he watched me a fair bit more than the other men who worked for my father. I thought it was creepy.
But we barely spoke.
At this point, I don’t see why we need to change that. I’m just glad to know that the man who tortured me wasn’t actually my father. It feels right. “Not particularly.”
“No?”
“Sasha says that my father used his favorite trick. He made Sver kill, threatening to kill us if Sver didn’t do as my father asked. It’s the same manipulation he used with Dimitri.”
Win’s face spasms. “I see.”
“Does that upset you?”
“It makes me feel…” Win’s chin drops. “He killed Rebecca to save you. I don’t know how to feel about that.”
Blood roars in my ears. That’s horrible and I wish I hadn’t told him. “I’m sorry, Win.”
“It isn’t your fault.”
I look down at my hands, pain radiating through me. “If it changes your offer?—”
“It doesn’t.”
“Are you sure?” I pick up my head again, afraid to hope.
He reaches out and touches my cheek. “Katarina, you and I understand the shadows. I can’t go back to a relationship wheresome of that burden isn’t shared. There is no one else for me but you.”
My heart hammers in my chest. “I feel the same.”
“I…” He leans close whispering in my ear, “I never told my brothers about your father or how Rebecca really died. The world thought it was a break-in, an accidental death during a robbery. Understand, what we have is already deeper than any other relationship, and it’s because we are so strong, I can trust you to understand the truth.”
I lean my forehead against his. “That’s odd, because I let myself soften with you in ways I’ve never allowed myself before.”
He kisses my mouth, slow and sweet. “That’s because I’ve got enough strength that you can allow yourself to let go when you need. We’re perfect for each other.”
