AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The familiar sound of his deep voice sends a wave of immense relief through my body, chasing away the paralyzing fear. And though I know I’m supposed to be mad at him, I desperately want to see Mishka.
“It’s okay, Boris,” I assure him, trying to compose myself and calm my racing heart.
Sliding off my bed, I pad quietly toward the balcony door and twist the deadbolt open. Boris stops growling as soon as I open the door to reveal Mishka in his towering glory. He steps inside, his signature brooding scowl darkening his features.
“You scared the hell out of me,” I hiss, closing the door quietly behind him.
“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, looking adequately contrite. “I didn’t intend to, but I had to see you.”
Standing close to me, he reaches tentatively for my hands, but now that he’s here, in my bedroom, that anger from before comes rushing back to me. I jerk my hands away, stepping back from his intoxicating, masculine scent to clear my head.
“What, are you already done with my brother’s whore for the evening and thought you’d come to me for a second helping?” I ask scathingly, though I keep my voice low so I won’t disturb the rest of the household.
Frustration flickers across Mishka’s face, his blue eyes a thunderstorm of emotion. “Alina, I didn’t sleep with any whores,” he insists. “I would hope you'd know me better than that by now.”
“After everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, I would say I’m fairly confident I don’t know you at all,” I counter, crossing my arms over my chest.
Sighing, Mishka closes his eyes—which elicits a ridiculous wave of envy in me because he doesn’t seem to have a monster haunting him. He pinches the bridge of his nose, like this conversation will require every ounce of his patience.
But when he meets my eyes again, I only see apologetic concern. “Yes, Viktor paid a prostitute to spend time with me last night. It’s not like I couldn’t refuse his offer without raising questions, and considering I didn’t want to give him the truth, I let her take me to a room. But I just let Viktor think I slept with the prostitute.”
“You went into a room with a whore and didn’t sleep with her?” The question comes out stunned, on the border of disbelief.
“No,” Mishka insists, his eyebrows pressing together in a pleading expression. “If you want to know all the dirty details, we pretty much sat around in awkward silence until the hour was up—not that it mattered in the end, because after today, Viktor seems perfectly suspicious regardless. I have no doubt that’s why he said what he did in front of you.”
Though his lack of trustworthy behavior does make my reaction more legitimate, I feel bad for doubting Mishka when his explanation is so reasonable. Of course he couldn’t just flat-out refuse my brother. Not when I’m the one putting him in danger by being in a relationship with him.
“I believe you,” I murmur. “I get why you had to do what you did.” Then I frown as the weight of his words hits me with more urgency. “But what are you doing here? Sneaking into my room is ridiculously dangerous if we’re talking about not wanting to get caught.”
Now that my anger is gone, I take a step forward, my body closing the distance between us before I’ve made up my mind to do so.
Mishka shakes his head, his stormy eyes soft in the moonlight. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I had to make sure you were okay after everything that’s happened.” He reaches tentatively for my hands again, and this time, I let him collect them in his strong fingers.
The walls I built up around my heart and mind to protect myself start to crumble at his gentle concern, and fresh tears sting my eyes. But I don’t want to keep crying. It feels like that’s all I’ve done since I got home, and I want to be strong. I can’t let my abductors win, and buckling to my emotions is doing just that.
Still, I have to face the facts. “I can’t sleep,” I admit, my eyes dropping to the floor between us. “Every time I close my eyes, I see that man, the one who threatened me.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, Mishka pulls me into his arms, tucking my head beneath his chin as he enfolds me in a strong embrace. “You’re safe, Alina. I won’t let anything happen to you again.”
I shiver with the weight of his promise, relishing in the comfort he brings me, and I nod because I believe him. I trust Mishka with my life. Even after everything that’s happened, he’s been here for me, protecting me, caring for me. My heart swells with gratitude when I think about just how much he’s done for me, the risks he’s taken, the things he’s given up.
And though I still haven’t sorted out how I want to handle everything, I’m beyond grateful that he’s here with me right now. Lifting my chin, I rest it on his sternum as I peer up at his handsome, chiseled features.
“Will you stay tonight? Until I fall asleep?” I breathe.
Leaning in, he presses a kiss to my forehead, sending heat washing through my body. “Of course,” he agrees.
Relief lightens the weight on my shoulders, and I smile. Releasing him, I climb onto the bed, scooting to the far side so he has room to join me. He does, kicking off his shoes before settling on top of the blankets. I snuggle close, and Mishka opens his arms to pull me against his chest.
The sound of his heart thrums in my ear.
Slow and steady, it brings a calm peace that no other comfort my family has offered me could bring. As the icy ball in the pit of my stomach finally starts to release, I look up at Mishka’s handsome face.
There’s a hint of color along his right jawline, and the soft purple that surrounds his left eye makes the blue of his iris that much darker. Reaching up, I gently run my fingers over the bruised flesh.
“So, you got into another fight?” I prompt, my lips twitching into a grin.
Mishka chuckles, the rumbling sound soothing in my ear. “I bet you can guess who started that one.”
