“Little kitty. Always spitting fire at me.” There’s a fondness in his tone, even though his eyes haven’t lost the intense expression.
I grind a fist into my right eye before a migraine can attack me. “Why in the world did you go back that day? You killed him and left. I saw you put the knife into the bag, and then you left.” So David had been killed earlier than I thought.
Alexei sighs. “It was a normal practice for me to leave and then meet Blythe for lunch, and if I had refused, it would have been suspicious. I figured I’d get there after the maid discovered the body, but she was late that day.”
I can’t believe this. “Did you kill him because of jealousy?” My lungs trap my breath.
“No. He was a bad guy, who messed around with other women, girls really. Some very young ones. He also beat the crap out of Blythe, and I did want to protect her. But I didn’t love her and had no plans for a future with her.”
I wish those words didn’t mean so much to me, but they do. I’ve seen him kill before, but the idea still gives me pause. He’s so dangerous. To the world. Not to me.
His gaze darkens. “Do you trust me?”
It’s a real question. A primal one. I look into his eyes, as I sit on his warm body. Do I? I glance around my room, searching for answers.
My grandmother’s mirror catches the image of the two of us, and I swear, it appears as if a force, barely discernable, surrounds us. Dark and light, male and female ... we look right. As if we belong to each other.
I stare back at him. “Yes.” It’s the truth. Even if all evidence points to a different answer, I feel him inside me. Deep. As if he’s a part of me. “I do trust you.” Sometimes instinct is all we have, and upon admitting the truth, my body relaxes. A pit releases and a coil unfolds inside me with a sense of peace.
“Good.” He runs his hands down my arms, grasping my wrists. Then he flips us around, flattening his large body over mine, my wrists now held in one of his above my head. “I like this lingerie.” He rolls to the side and tears the teddy off.
“Then you shouldn’t have ripped it,” I say breathlessly, captured in place. I want him but not his world. Right or wrong, I like that he wants to keep me out of most of it.
He lowers his head and nuzzles my breasts, taking an obscene amount of time lavishing each one. I’m gyrating with need before he even snaps the sides of my panties.
“You have to stop doing that,” I gasp, my body tingling with need. “I’m running out.”
“New rule. No panties for you.” He releases my wrists and wanders his body down mine, reaching my clit. “This is my favorite place.” He bites my thigh and then goes at me, not taking his time, finally. Forcing me up fast, he hums in pleasure as I cry out with a violent orgasm against his mouth.
Then he’s up me again, his mouth on mine, taking what he wants.
I lean down and help him yank off his boxers, and then he’s against me, throbbing and ready. He pushes inside slowly, torturing us both. I dig my nails into his biceps, marveling at the cut muscle.
The panther on his neck gleams purple eyes at me.
Then he’s inside me. All of him. Full and deep. I catch sight of us in that mirror again, and we look complete somehow.
Pausing, he leans down and kisses me, making me feel surrounded by him. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Emotion swamps me and I nod, one tear leaking from my eye. He licks it away and then plants his hand over my breast—right over my heart. “Always, Rosalie,” he whispers, before he starts to move. Fast and wild, he pounds into me, driving me up again. I climax with a desperate shudder, once and then again. Yet he keeps hammering.
I blink, trying to keep up, getting sore.
He reaches down and flicks my clit, arcing flames through me. I cry out, holding on, shutting my eyes. I’m reaching the pinnacle again. So close. Holding my breath, I fall over, biting his chest to keep from screaming. The waves undulate through me with brutal strength, expanding when he jerks hard against me, grunting my name.
We both quiet. My mind is spinning, and my body is done. Alexei tosses the covers over us both and cuddles me close. “I wasn’t kidding about the panties,” he murmurs.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Rosalie
My body is deliciously sore as I work at my computer on Tuesday morning, having called into work for a sick day. Alexei hadn’t given me much of a choice, so I decided to work from home. I awakened early to hear him softly strumming his guitar, which he must’ve brought to my house at some point, and my heart truly warmed. The song was beautiful, and I’m thrilled he’s turned back to music.
He’s currently attending a meeting with mob members, no doubt dangerous people, and I can’t help but worry about him. Garik insisted on accompanying him, so I have two new guys watching the front door of my place.
I’m not on board with being okay with murder. The fact that he did kill David Fairfax still throws me. I love Alexei, and I married him with my eyes mostly open. I do wonder if there’s a way to run his mob with rules. Law abiding ones. I’ll stick with him no matter what, but I think I can do some good with his organization.
Alexei had also promised to keep Ella safe. I’m sure he’ll confiscate her computer and try to erase the video, and I hope she works with him. He won’t hurt her, but I don’t have any guarantee that she won’t hurt him. She can’t physically, but with a computer, she’s a menace. I also had to tell him of her ability to infect gemstones with a virus that can transfer to a person trying to charge them.
