"You could try," she grins devilishly.
"I'd rather live."
"Smart man."
The car stops.
The hotel is neither luxurious nor downtrodden. Middle class. Perfect for us to hide out.
"I booked the honeymoon suite," she fills me in.
"In this dump, I can only imagine what it will look like."
She elbows me. "Snob."
"Not my fault, I was born with a silver spoon." I grin.
The elevator takes us up to the top floor, and as soon as we exit, I pull her into my arms to carry her bridal style over the threshold.
"I didn't know you were such a romantic," she melts into me.
"For you, I'll be anything you want me to be," I admit. It's the truth, too. This woman has not just completely turned my world upside down; there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her.
The room is everything I had expected. Gaudy, garish, overdone. The bottle of champagne, swimming in melted ice in a silver bucket, is cheap, and the glasses are plastic.
"Nice," I remark sarcastically.
She slaps my arm. "Pretend."
"Fine," I sigh, but when we're back in NewYo?—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you'll take me to the most expensive, most luxurious hotel, with the most outrageous food, where the servants wear silk and carry our things on diamond trays."
"Exactly," I nod. Happy she got my point.
"And I'll let you, too…"
"If?"
"If you stop talking and take me to bed."
Now that is an ultimatum I can get on board with. I carry her towards the large, yes, heart-shaped bed, and put her carefully down, remembering this time. "Your stitches?"
"Are fine and can be redone if need be. I don't want you to be careful or take it easy on me, Marito," she warns.
"Oksana," I pull her chin up so she has to look into my eyes to see how serious I am, "I'll do a lot of things for you. I'll kill anybody you ask me to, but I'm not going to hurt you. Until you're fully healed, I will be careful with you."
"Like that stopped you before."
"Before, you weren't officially my wife."
"Oh, you're such a bore," she pouts.
Bore? I'll show her.
"Bore?"he growls, wrenching my legs apart as he tears my pants down, then presses his mouth to the soft hollow of my thigh. A tremor jolts through me, fierce enough that I almost lash out. He pins me flat with one iron arm while the other rips my panties away, sharp, savage, tearing the air with its sound.
He settles between my thighs, hoisting them over his shoulders, splitting me wide open for his perusal.
