Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“I welcomed and embraced the darkness and my demons. It made me who and what I was. It made others fear me because they knew I’d destroy anything that got in my way. I didn’t think I’d feel… anything but loyalty and love for my brother and sister. But then something changed.”
I tipped my head back and stared at his profile. My heart was racing as he turned to look at me.
“And that something was you, Claudia. I didn’t know my demons could be soothed.” He slid his hand to cup my cheek. “They like the sound of your voice and the sight of you. They calm at your sweet scent and the light that surrounds you.”
“Dmitry—”
“Shhh. I love you. You’re mine, and nothing else matters in this world to me.” He moved his hand to my belly, his palm flat as he encompassed the entire thing. “I will forever be faithful to you. I’ll make sure you never want for anything in life, not monetary or materialistic, and sure as fuck, not emotionally or physically.” He kept stroking my belly. “And I can’t wait until you’re filled with our first baby.” He dipped his head to steal a kiss. “My malehnkaya ptichka.”
He wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head on his chest, hearing his heart beating steadily, and fell asleep to that sound.
Chapter 41
Claudia
I hadn’t been able to get back to sleep after Dmitry told me about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. I knew he’d left out so much, but he’d opened up to me regardless, and I felt even closer to him.
I slipped out of bed, mindful not to wake him. I grabbed one of the plush hotel robes and wrapped it around my body, looking over at him.
He was lying on his stomach, one arm underneath his pillow, the sheet pooled low on his hips. His chest rose and fell gently as he slept deeply.
I took in the sight of his tattooed back, no spot of unblemished skin visible. I could see more scars hidden underneath that dark ink and my throat tightened. I thought back to a young Dmitry fighting for his life with his father, having to take the abuse to protect his siblings.
I felt my eyes water, wanting nothing more than to curl up next to him and wrap him in my arms. I wanted to protect my husband, even though he was three times my size and could crush a man with his bare hands.
I forced myself to leave the bedroom and walk out to the small kitchenette to get a glass of water and down it. After setting the glass in the sink, I leaned against the counter and stared across the living room area of the suite and out the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The city was still plunged in darkness, but with so many lights twinkling, every dark and dangerous space was illuminated.
I glanced at the double doors that led into the bedroom, my throat tight as I couldn’t stop thinking about how hard and painful that must’ve been. I wanted to kill his father all over again to exact vengeance for the man I was in love with.
I walked over to the windows and stared outside. There was a massive silver and onyx building across the street, lights dotting the windows, whereas others were as black as the night. I wrapped my arms around my body, suddenly so cold.
I reached down and grabbed his jacket that was slung over the back of the chair beside me, and wrapped myself up in it. I rested my forehead on the glass and closed my eyes, inhaling deeply.
His scent was everywhere.
I wanted to bottle it up and use it as perfume, to have it with me everywhere. I couldn’t describe how it made me feel, how it aroused me and made me have this sense of safety all in the same breath.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, but it was when fatigue set in that I went to slip the jacket off and go back to bed with my husband.
I set his jacket over the back of the chair and a rolled-up stack of paperwork fell out, landing beside my feet.
A part of me knew I should’ve put the papers back into his jacket pocket, but curiosity had me opening them up. It looked like a contract of sorts. I wasn’t an expert on the legalities. But as I skimmed the paper, I got the gist of what this was, even if all the legal jargon blurred together.
It was some kind of contract for fighting. It would’ve been humorous, given the fact I knew their underground fighting circuit wasn’t exactly legal.
I was confused why they would need any kind of legal paperwork when the fighting circuit wasn’t even legal. But maybe this wasn’t something that they planned on upholding in court. Maybe it was something that went far deeper than what the judicial system could uphold? I knew enough through my father’s dealings that contracts within the mob weren’t unusual.