He has a gentleness to him that’s only reserved for me. I don’t see it in him anytime he communicates with his friends or even our family. It’s something I’ve come to cherish because I know it bleeds his truth.
He really does love me, and I’ve fallen so hard for him a second time that I don’t think those feelings ever went away. They were buried, but I’ve always been that hopeless girl at my core who fell in love with Kaden and never let go of him. Even when things were tough…
“I love you,” I whisper from my heart.
His eyes screw shut as he savors the words. “I love you too, Sunny.”
Something twinges deep in my gut. It stunts my breath, making sound dull around me with an intense sense of dread. Our shared moment turns to something I feel I’m observing from the outside looking in.
Not right.
It’s a deep instinct—one I haven’t felt in years. I don’t know if Kaden can sense it, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he leans across the center console and kisses me sweetly. Even the taste of his lips feels chaste and almost like a goodbye.
Which is strange because he isn’t privy to my mood shift as he talks about cooking dinner tonight for us. His words become muddled to my ears as my expression drags downward.
What’s going on with me?
“Are you okay?” Kaden asks, frowning at me.
I clear my throat, blinking away the tension that’s lining me. “Um, yeah.”
I can tell he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t push the matter as we continue to enjoy our lunch. When we’re done, I still can’t shake the feeling as he grabs my cheeks before smashing his lips to mine fiercely.
“Fuck, I love you so much,” he growls.
I force a smile to my face, ignoring the stabbing at the back of my mind. “I love you too.”
He tilts his head as he brushes my hair away from my face. “I don’t want to leave…”
I stop breathing. Maybe he feels it too, somewhere deep inside of him. Maybe this is his subconscious’s way of telling him not to go…
I curl my fingers around his, holding him tightly. “Then don’t. Stay here with me.”
His face falls as he looks away from me. His jaw ticks as he swallows. “I wish I could, pretty girl.”
Is it possible for my heart to sink any lower? I feel as if it’s fallen into the depths of hell. I suck in a ragged breath, offering a wavering smile. “What time will you be home?”
His gaze finally shifts back to me. “Six.”
“Okay…” I say quietly before pressing forward and kissing him. I grab the collar of his shirt in a fist. “Six. If you aren’t home, I’m sending an army.”
He cracks a small smile. “I expect a legion, wife.”
I wave him off as I stand in front of my shop. For the rest of the day, nerves bite at my stomach, making my lunch turn to nausea. That feeling remains for the rest of the day, eating away at my sanity.
It’s six.
I got home two hours ago and have been texting Kaden since then. He read my first set of messages before the rest of them were marked as delivered. I’m in the process of calling Sergey as I pace the foyer of our home.
“Solnyshko! What is the meaning—” The Russian guard begins joyously before I cut him off.
“Where the fuck is my husband?” I snarl into the speaker, only feeling a little guilty for my reaction. Sergey hadn’t done anything wrong, but I’m freaking out.
There’s rustling from the other end, as if he’s sitting up from a sofa. “Has he not made it home?”
“No,” I rub the hem of my shirt between my fingers, the bridge of my nose beginning to sting with my quickly falling tears. I’m not normally so emotional, but today had me all messed up. I’m cramping, my hormones are out of whack, mercury is in retrograde, and my fucking husband is missing.
Sergey moves, the sounds of joints popping as he rises. “I’ll check with the Pahkan. Do you haveSmerti’slocation?”
