??????
I cursed him under my breath when I had to grip the banister to make it down the stairs. Three days of non-stop sex. He had mapped my cycle with the dedication of a man running a military operation and deployed it accordingly.
I paused on the landing and closed my eyes when I felt his come seep into my underwear.
“Do you need assistance, Mrs Dragunov?”
Radovan’s voice made it worse.
I took a slow breath and opened my eyes.
He was a few years younger than Vadim—dark hair slicked back with a side parting, eyes that managed to be simultaneously blank and smug. The distinct expression of a man who knew exactly what had been happening for three days and had filed it professionally while enjoying it personally.
“I hope someone shoots you in the ass one day,” I hissed, then straightened my back and forced myself down the remaining stairs.
The chafing, the bruises, the carpet burns—all of it pushed to the back of my mind. Irrelevant. Manageable.
“And I hope it’s a woman who does it,” I said as I walked past him.
“Of course, Mrs Dragunov.”
I made it to the kitchen.
“Did you sleep well?” Olya asked, looking up from the stove with a small frown.“You look a little tired, dear.”
Radovan cleared his throat behind me.
I pulled my phone out of my cardigan pocket.
Me:I don’t want Radovan anywhere near me.
I stuffed the phone back and stared at the table. My ring glinted in the morning light coming through the kitchen window. It bothered me more than it should that he wore his now—the gold appearing on his hand seemed suspect. Mine was to remain on at all times. I had left my rings in the bathroom once and I genuinely thought the vein in his temple was going to burst.
My phone buzzed.
Vadim:No.
Argh.
Me:Fine. When my blood pressure gets too high it will pose a health risk to your heir.
The message bubbles appeared.
Paused.
Nothing.
The bubbles appeared again.
Vadim:I can increase his radius.
Me:Far enough for me not to see his ugly fat face?
Vadim:I’ll ask him to face away from you at home.
I put the phone down and reached for my tea.
A small concession. But I didn’t have to look at Radovan’s smug face, which was worth more than it should have been on a morning like this.
