“My hero.” The words are nothing more than a whimper as my body burns up, and he sets me on fire. The orgasm tearing through me steals my ability to breathe and forces my lips to part in a silent O.
I tremble as he pounds into me until ecstasy washes over his face. Entering me with a final powerful thrust, his body tenses and he lets out a throaty groan.
For the first time, a man comes inside me because it’s what I wanted, and knowing he’s the one I’m falling deeply in love with gives me such a sense of being loved, it leaves me in awe.
I lift my hand and brush my fingers over his cheek before tracking along his eyes and over his forehead.
As he comes down from his high and his features soften, he stares deep into my eyes and vows, “I’m going to love the hell out of you, Nina.”
My chin quivers, and tears threaten to fall. “You are such a miracle to me.” With my voice growing hoarse, I squeeze the words out, “I started falling for you when I saw you sitting at that table. Watching you fight so hard, I saw how strong you were. Then, in that chamber, with you somehow still holding on to your sense of humor, I realized you weren’t like the others. And the moment I fell off the bucket and you just reacted, trying to catch me, I knew you cared about me.”
I pause to suck in a trembling breath, and he presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
A tear escapes as I whisper, “I fell in love with you in the middle of hell, and then again in this heaven you’ve shown me.Between those extremes, you’ve gathered every broken piece of me and put me back together.”
“Christ, Nina.” The same emotions filling my chest show on his face. “You are the miracle.”
Georgi pulls out of me and lies down beside me. Propping his head on his palm, he trails patterns over my breasts, stomach, and abdomen with his other hand.
We stare at each other for a long moment, and I find myself utterly lost and in love with Georgi. It feels like he hung the moon, created the stars, and set fire to the sun.
He takes a deep breath, then murmurs, “I’d go through that hell a million times for you.”
Gripping hold of his shoulder, I pull myself up so I can wrap my arms around his neck, and I kiss him with all my heart.
Suddenly, a phone rings and Georgi breaks our kiss. He reaches over me and grabs his cellphone, looks at the screen, then swipes over it.
Putting the device to his ear, his tone is dark with worry as he asks, “What’s wrong?” He listens for a moment, then a cruel smile I haven’t seen since the chamber forms on his face. “Thanks, Rosie. Send me all the information. I owe you.”
He ends the call, then moves off the bed and walks to the bathroom. I get up, and grabbing my nightgown, I put it on while waiting for him to come out.
“I have good news,” he calls out before he enters the room again. In all his naked glory, he stops in front of me and frames my face with his hands. “Rosie found Boris and Anton. They’re in Spain.”
A frown instantly forms on my forehead. “How’s that good news?”
“I’m going to go get them so they can pay for what they’ve done.”
My eyes widen, and I shake my head wildly. “It will be too dangerous.”
“Danger is my middle name, baby.” He winks at me, then walks into his closet and begins to pull clothes off hangers.
“Georgi.” I cover my racing heart with my hand. “Don’t go. Please. Stay here where it’s safe.”
He drags on a pair of boxers and cargo pants, then locks eyes with me. “I’m a capo, Nina. I can’t let them go.”
I rush closer. “I’m begging you.”
Georgi places his hands on my shoulders and bends at the waist while I tilt my head back, then he uses a tone I haven’t heard before. It’s all power and darkness. “You’ve seen me fight, and that was when I was caught off guard and outnumbered. I’m taking my men with me. I need you to have faith in my abilities as a head of the Cosa Nostra. I’ll be gone four days at the most.”
His word is final, and I realize no amount of begging will change his mind.
Georgi has been gentle and patient with me, and it’s made me forget who he is outside of this penthouse.
“I have faith in you, and I know you can fight.” I let out a shaky breath as I admit the truth to him. “I just want to selfishly keep you here with me because I’m scared our happy bubble will pop.”
He wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me against his abs and stomach. “I get it, but nothing is going to change just because I have to work. I promise. If anything, the few days apart will make us miss each other.” He draws back and nudges my chin up so I’ll look at him. “Take the time to process what’s happened between us, and when I return, we can talk about it.”
“I don’t need to process it. I meant everything I said, and I don’t have any regrets about sleeping with you.”
