Grigori groaned long and hard and then shouted her name against her neck, slamming into her jerkily. She gripped his ass, digging her black fingernails in as they both went over the edge, their bodies quaking.
Thank you, Lord. I rotated my ankles. They were seriously sore. And I would hardly have time to finish packing once they both got the hell out of here. Glancing around, I didn’t see any clothes, so Ember wouldn’t—hopefully—open these doors.
And then…they lay there for like ten more minutes.
Are they fucking serious?Get up, people!
Post bliss, and all that, I understood, but I needed to get out of there.
I was really getting dizzy.
I unlocked my legs, wiggling them. Passing out in here wasn’t an option.
Ember ran her hands through Grigori’s hair, turning her head and kissing his temple. He groaned a contented sound and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as she ran her fingers lightly up and down his bare muscled back. She asked slowly, “Did you seriously just give me a hickey on my neck?”
Grigori twitched, and then raised his head to stare down at her neck. “Um…yes. It’s big, too.” He flipped his hair so it wasn’t hanging in his face, tilting his head and staring at her. And I could clearly see his face that way. His cheeks were flushed and his lips were swollen—I firmly ignored any familial resemblance—and his lips twitched. He smiled full out, something I never saw him do unless he was with her or her kids. But this one was a bit different. It was a little devilish. “You’re mine. I don’t want anyone else coming near you.”
Ember tapped her nails on his back, eyeing him. It took her a bit to comment since her gaze seemed stuck on his mouth. “So were going public with this? We’ve never done that before.”
Grigori sucked in a breath, and then shrugged casually. “Just about everyone knew we were having sex before. It seems pointless to hide it again. They’re all fucking peeping toms, anyway. Half of them have actually seen us together.”You can add me to those numbers.He kissed her when she gasped at this info, but his face had hardened when he lifted it back. “Especially, now.”
“You mean because Brent and Cole are back,” Ember clarified. “You want everyone to know because of them.”
Grigori stared her down, his cheeks turning even pinker as he became upset. “I hate worrying or being jealous… Can you blame me?”
Ember studied him and lifted her hand, running a finger over his pinched lips. “No. I can’t blame you. And I understand. I’m good with it. Plus you took care of anyone who would come after us in Moscow. We won’t have that to worry about.”
His eyebrows snapped together. “You never know about that. You’ll still need to be careful.”
Tilting her head more, she kissed his lips. “We’re public then.”
He nodded against her lips, licking her bottom lip, his tongue ring glistening in the bathroom light. “Yeah. We’re public.”
I hurried down the hallways with my luggage over my arm—my hair was a damn mess since I was never able to use the mousse when my hair was wet—and I glanced at my watch. I was seriously running behind. Daniil had called the room to check on me when I finally made my way back into after Grigori left and Ember jumped into the shower. I praised God she had done that. Otherwise, I’d probably still be in there where I had heard her opening and closing drawers, packing her stuff.
I hit the lobby. The group was waiting in the back like normal. There had been only a few minutes before our ride was supposed to be here, so I quickly checked out, giving my rental keys to the guy behind the counter. The same guy as the time before, and the time before that. I smirked at him, saying, “Still out of alcohol?”
He glanced at—yep—my hair, and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Boy, that just sucks,” I said cheerfully. Walking over to the group, I sat down next to Daniil, unsure of how we were supposed to behave in public. I didn’t lean into him, but I did turn my head and whisper, “You’re going to see some fireworks shortly.”
He tilted his head down, his hair hiding his expression from everyone else and his eyebrows rose. “What do you know that I don’t?”
My lips twitched, and I jerked my head softly to where Grigori was entering the lobby. “Just watch.”
His eyes darted all over my face, and then his attention snapped to his son, his gaze assessing. Grigori didn’t look any different, so it wasn’t obvious. But Daniil took my word for it and kept his attention on his son, who sat down on the arm of a chair that Artur was sitting in, starting a conversation with him.
Ember entered. She was dressed like normal. She wore her usual drab colors of gray cargo pants, a gray thermal with a tight black t-shirt over it with boots. Her socks were her only color and they were bright yellow, only showing over her boots about an inch. Her hair was down, and when she made her way over to us, Grigori stood and walked straight toward her.
She stalled, her eyes widening. Grigori stalked like he was ready to consume her, his gaze intense. I, on the other hand, picked my camera up—I had it out ready for this—and put it to my eye. They were going public and my editor would kill me if I didn’t get this. I had to take the shot.
I heard Daniil suck in a breath as Grigori stopped right in front of her and said something softly. Though she still appeared somewhat frightened, her eyes were huge, she softly smiled at him and said something back. Grigori’s hands lifted and he touched her cheeks. He ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it back.
Vividly putting her hickey on display for everyone.
The group stilled when he moved, but they were blatantly staring now.
And…Grigori…bent down and kissed her. Right in front of everyone.
