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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Harper
“Where are we going?”I’m trying to pretend I’m all casual sitting next to him in the SUV, but I’m still as warm and pliable as softened caramel. I wonder if he knows that sex does that to me. It’s healing, in its own way, to lose control to him. To let him actually pleasure me.
I don’t have many recollections of the night I was assaulted, but the few that I do have fade every time Aleksandr touches me.
“We were supposed to take you to the shooting range this morning. That was my original plan.”
“Oooh.” My eyes go wide and my heart races a bit faster. “I’m going to learn to shoot?”
“Learn to shoot?” The familiar darkness shadows his face and his grip on the steering wheel tightens. “Fuck yeah, you’re gonna learn to shoot. And not just shoot. I’m going to train you in hand-to-hand combat and self-defense. Therewillbe justice served, and you’ll have your hand in it.”
Imagine being empowered. Feeling like I’ll be able to defend myself if anyone ever tries to assault me again. Because while I love the thought of Aleks seeking vengeance as well, I don’t like having to depend on a man to do it for me.
“Don’t get any ideas,” he says with a warning cut of his eyes. “You’ll never be able to overpower me, Princess.”
My heart thumps in my chest.
That’s what he thinks.
I mean, I could have fun trying, anyway.
“Aleks, what’s the plan here? I mean, we go in and tell them that she’ll be coming home with us?”
“Yes. We’re stopping first at the police station. Got a friend there who does car seat safety.”
Oh my God. Our first stop is to get the baby’s car seat installed. I almost laugh out loud.
“What?” he says, as he flicks the directional. “You don’t fuck around with that shit, Harper. Needs to be installed safely.”
The police station looms ahead.
“You’re amobster,that’s what.”
He curls his lip. “In your world you call those fucking menmobsters.”He lifts his chest, his accent thickening. “I’mBratva.” Another cut of his eyes. “We’ll have a talk about that later. You’ll have to practice saying it correctly.”
Another heart somersault. I keep it together. “I don’t think we’ll have time. We’re bringing home achild.”
“A child who will have a nanny and the endless attention of her Auntie Polina. We’ll have plenty of time.”
I frown at him. “Not sure I want a nanny.”
“You can spend as much time with her as you like, but the nanny’s not optional. As my wife, you’ll be expected to attend events with me, and we have hours of practice ahead of us.”
It’s a lot to take in all at once. “What if I want to be the one to soothe her when she cries?”
Why does my voice sound all shaky? Why is it that the only thing I can think of is the way my mother used to send me to bed and lock the door and I would cry myself to sleep?
Am I crying?
I turn my head away so he doesn’t see.
“Harper.” His voice is the slightest bit softer now. “No one is saying you won’t get a chance to mother your child.” We pull to a stop outside the police station. The weight of his hand is heavy on my knee, but I don’t look around yet. “I wouldn’t have planned on bringing her home to you only to deny you that. But devoting every minute of your time to her won’t work in our world.”
There are many things that won’t work in our world.
He parks the car and taps a text out on his phone.
