“You’re scaring me.” Her voice was barely audible.
“Good.” The word came out savage. “Maybe you should be scared. Maybe then you’ll understand how serious this is.”
She tried to push me away, her hands against my chest. “Let me go.”
“No.”
“Alexei—”
“Tell me the truth.” I caught her wrists, pinning them gently but firmly. “Tell me who called you. Tell me what they said. Tell me what has you so terrified that you’re crying in the garden alone rather than coming to me for help.”
“I can’t!” She was sobbing now, her whole body shaking. “Don’t you understand? If I tell you, everything falls apart. Everything.”
“Then let it fall apart.” I released one of her wrists to cup her face, forcing her to look at me. “Let it all burn. I’ll build you something better from the ashes.”
“You can’t fix this with money or power or violence.” Her eyes met mine, filled with a grief so deep it made my chest ache. “Some things are just broken, Alexei. Some things can’t be fixed.”
“You’re not broken.” The words came out fierce, certain. “Whatever this is, whoever is trying to hurt you, we’ll handle it together. But you have to trust me. You have to let me in.”
“I want to.” Her voice cracked. “God, I want to tell you everything. But I’m so afraid of what you’ll do.”
“Then be afraid.” I pulled her against me, one hand tangling in her hair, the other splayed across her back. “Be terrified. But tell me anyway. Because this?” I gestured between us. “This distance, these secrets—this is what will destroy us. Not whatever threat is out there.”
“You’re lying to me,” I said quietly. “You’re keeping secrets that can put you in danger. And you’re asking me to just… what? Trust that you know what you’re doing? Trust that whoever called you has your best interests at heart?”
“No,” she negated, shaking her head as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Then she moved out of my hold, running a hand through her hair. “Ugh… “ she groaned, rolling her head back. “This is an impossible situation.”
“Tell me about it,” I remarked, my voice devoid of humor.
“You’re making things difficult. Just let me be. I’m not putting myself at any risk, okay?!” she lashed out.
“I’ll believe that when I know who’s been contacting you,” I dropped.
“Gosh! You don’t own me, Alexei. Yes, you’re my husband and—”
“Your husband... “ I interrupted. “I’ve never heard you call me that.”
She froze, eyes going wide a fraction like she hadn’t meant to say it. “I—”
“Say it again.”
“Alexei—”
“Say it.” I gripped her shoulders, something desperate and raw clawing its way up my throat. “You’ve never said it before. Say it again.”
“You’re my husband.” She sighed, then rolled her eyes like she wasn’t the woman who was close to cursing me out just a minute ago. “And it hasn’t been as bad as I had feared. Even when you’re being impossible, controlling, and terrifying, I still see your care and concern. And that’s why all this is crazy. That’s why I can’t tell you everything yet. Because I know what you’ll do, and I can’t bear the thought of—”
“You’re rambling,” I muttered before claiming those soft lips with mine.
She chuckled against my lips and started kissing me back. I kissed her with all the pent-up rage and desperate need that had been building since I’d discovered someone was reaching her. She made a sound against my lips—protest or surrender, I couldn’t tell—and then her hands were in my hair, pulling me closer even as she trembled.
The kiss turned violent, teeth and tongue, and the taste of her tears mixed with desperation. I backed her against the window, the cold glass at her back, my body pressed against herfront. My hands roamed her curves—the swell of her breasts, the gentle roundness of her belly where our child grew, the dip of her waist.
Mine. All mine. And I’d kill anyone who tried to take her from me.
“Tell me,” I growled against her mouth. “Tell me who’s threatening you.”
“I can’t.” She arched against me, her body betraying her even as she denied me.
