Page 86 of Forced By an Obsessive Bratva Stalker

My lips curled into a smile. “You better not.”

I learned tonight just how absolute my husband’s protection had become. This man would cross anything if it meant keeping the baby and me safe. And that alone was enough to change everything I thought I knew about him.

Chapter 26 – Rodion

Following the incident that had almost claimed the life of my wife and unborn child, I moved her from the compound to a secure location upstate. It was a penthouse designed for maximum protection and isolation from external threats.

The bastards responsible for the attack on my mansion had been killed, and everyone involved in it was tracked down by my most efficient men. It was an inside job, and the traitors had been fished out and executed publicly for all to see.

Although the chaos had ended and the mansion was safe again, I thought it was better to keep my wife here with me for the time being. She’d seen too much death and destruction already, and all I wanted was for her to get away from all that madness.

She needed time to rest.

I’d called my personal doctor to come over and examine her so I’d be sure she and the baby were truly okay. It turned out they were in good shape. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.

I was standing on the balcony that night, watching the cold and distant stars, when she joined me silently.

“Hey,” she called softly.

“Hey.” I glanced back at her, a small grin tugging at my lips. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

“Apparently, I can’t do that without you by my side.” She placed her hands on my shoulders, her fingers massaging my flesh.

“Oh, my God, that feels so good.” I rolled my head, letting out a quiet, satisfied groan.

“I’m glad you like it,” she whispered in my ear, still working her magic on my shoulders.

“Where’d you learn to massage like that?” I asked her, basking in the feeling coursing through me.

“Let’s just say I have a husband who happens to be my personal masseur.”

I turned around, drinking in the sight of her in that see-through nightgown. “You referred to me as your husband?”

She threw her arms around my neck, her smile broadening. “You are my husband, are you not?”

I paused, remembering the words she’d spoken to me on the rooftop months ago. “One you’ve vowed never to love.”

“Well, technically, I didn’t explicitly say that.”

“It was implied.”

“That was months ago, Rodion,” she cut me off, staring into my eyes. “Things have changed… My feelings have changed.”

My heart skipped a beat, my brows knitting together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

She swallowed. “I don’t hate you anymore—if I’m being honest, I never did.” A pause. “I didn’t mean what I said on that rooftop. I was hurting, and I wanted you to feel even a fraction of the pain I felt.”

“Oh, I felt it, all right.”

She laughed, and her eyes sparkled with mirth. “It sucked, didn’t it?”

“It sure did.” I chuckled.

A moment of silence.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice dripping with sincerity.

“For what?”