"Easy," Vadim says, pressing the bottle back down. He doesn't take it, but he slows me from downing the whole thing at once.
A whimper is my only response, though I don't lift it to my lips again. I'm trapped. There's no way out. Staring blankly at the wall again, I try to imagine what life will be like for me in whatever bleak future I have, and all I see is bondage and desperation. "I'm a slave… no matter what happens."
"You're not enslaved to me." Vadim crouches in front of me and gently removes the bottle from my hand now. He sets iton the table and cradles my hands in his so gently, but I'm too distraught to notice how he's acting.
"Aren't I?" I turn to look him in the eyes as I feel tears well up, but nothing moistens my cheeks. It's like my eyes burn to shed them, but my soul is bone dry now. "You saved my life, Vadim. But whatever you thought you owed me for marrying you—it's nothing compared to this. The balance has tipped so far in your favor, I'll never crawl out from under it."
"That's not how I see it,Rodnaya…" He speaks softly, but I grimace at the words. I don't know why he's saying that, and why would he say it with those words? I'm not his dear.
"You're an idiot." I reach for the bottle and bring it to my lips to drink again, deeper this time, feeling the warmth spread through my chest. "Or a liar," I gasp as I take a breath and use the back of my hand to wipe my mouth.
Vadim pushes some hair out of my face, then dusts my knees off. They're covered in dirt and tiny shards of glass from my broken dishes on the floor.
"Why won't you just leave me alone?" The words burst out of me and finally, a sob erupts, and more tears emerge. And now I can't stop them again. "You got me out. You saved me. Why are you still here?"
"Because I blame myself." Vadim grabs the bottle and won't let me tip it up again. "I asked you for that information so I could pay your brother's debt off, but I never pressed when you didn't deliver. I let it slide. And that bastard came hunting you because of it."
"That's not—" I shake my head as the alcohol buzz starts to warm my neck and shoulders. "It's not your fault. I never wanted yourmoney. I could've left Serbia when Marko came after me the first time and I?—"
"Stop."
"Should've. I should've run away, or I don't know, maybe just let Marko kill me the first time he asked and saved everyone the trouble?—"
"Danica—"
"Because now you're stuck with me and I'm stuck owing you and Dusan's gone and everything is just so completely fucked?—"
Vadim rises up on his knees and takes both of my cheeks in his hands in a hard embrace and presses his lips to mine. It's enough of a shock to make me stop protesting and babbling, and when he doesn't back away, I open my mouth to him and let him consume me as the tears continue to flow.
I grab the front of his jacket with both hands and pull him closer, kissing him with all the desperate, chaotic energy that's been building inside me for hours. His hands move to my waist, anchoring me to something solid when everything else feels like it's dissolving around me, and this is just what I need. This tangible thing that snaps me out of the emotion and forces me to be present with him.
I pull him down onto the bed, and he comes willingly, his weight pressing me backward into the mattress. His mouth moves to my jaw, my throat, and I gasp, my fingers tangling in his hair.
"Vadim—"
"Stop talking," he murmurs against my skin, and I do, because for once, I don't want to think. I don't want to feel anythingexcept his hands and his mouth, the solid reality of him against me.
Vadim's weight presses me into the mattress, and I arch up to meet him, desperate for the contact. His mouth moves from lips to my jaw, trailing heat down my throat as I tip my head back to give him better access. His teeth graze my pulse point, and I shudder.
"You're shaking," he says against my skin.
"I know," I mutter, "but I need this."
He growls and his hand slides up my side, pushing my shirt higher, and I help him pull it over my head. The cool air hits my skin, but Vadim's palms are warm as they map the newly exposed territory. He touches me like he's memorizing every curve, every angle, and it makes my breathing grow ragged.
I reach for his shirt, tugging at the hem until he leans back and strips it off in one fluid motion. The scars I've glimpsed before are more visible now, pale lines crisscrossing his torso, and I trace one with my fingertips. He watches me do it, his jaw tight, and then he catches my wrist and pins it above my head as his eyes lock with mine.
This man saved my life today without even hesitating. He could've ignored the call and left me to Marko's mercy, but he came for me. Vadim ran right into the fire to save me and I don't even really belong to him. What does that say about him? And what does it say about what he thinks of me?"
"Danica," he growls as his lips crash into mine again.
His free hand slides down my stomach, fingers dipping beneath the waistband of my jeans, and I groan when his fingers danceover my mound. He pauses, giving me a chance to stop this, but I lift my hips in silent permission. He makes quick work of the button and zipper, sliding the fabric down my legs until I can kick it off entirely.
"I thought he was going to kill you," he growls against my mouth, and I can only whimper. I thought the same thing, but never once did it occur to me that I'd miss this—the chemistry and the connection I have with this man. I was too afraid to think straight. But now I wonder why Vadim ran headfirst into danger to save me.
Why would he do that for me?
He pulls away but I immediately reach for him, pulling him back down. Our mouths crash together, and his hand slides between my thighs. I moan into his mouth when his fingers find me and stroke me, building the tension until I'm writhing beneath him.
