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The trip home was anything but pleasant with Sofia drunkenly calling me every name she could think of in three different languages. She got more creative with her Italian than her Russian, but it was what she called me in English that
had Tavia turning pink and keeping her face hidden behind her hair as I ignored my sister’s tirade of inventive curse words from the back seat.
Our parents were out for the evening, which was probably for the best. I slung Sofia over my shoulder and carried her up to her room after texting Yury and telling him I needed him to stand guard at my sister’s bedroom door to make sure she didn’t try to sneak out again that night.
When she was settled, I went to Tavia’s room, where she’d said she was going once we walked through the front door. She had already changed into pajama pants and a baggy T-shirt, her hair up in a messy knot on top of her head and her face washed clean of makeup.
She’d looked good earlier in her club clothes and makeup, but fuck, I loved her all-natural more. Her face was so much more beautiful without all that shit.
Almost shyly, she looked up at me through her lashes. “Everything okay?” she asked softly as she shifted to the middle of the bed to make room for me, the remote already in one hand.
“She’s drunk and feisty, so a typical Friday night for Sofia. Only, it’s Thursday.” Kicking off my shoes, I tossed my suit jacket on the chair near the window and then climbed in beside Tavia.
But when I took the remote she offered, I placed it on the nightstand and reached for her instead. I wrapped my hand around her neck, my thumb tilting up her chin so I could kiss her at the perfect angle. A soft sigh escaped her, and she opened her mouth, letting me inside without a fight.
At the first taste of her on my tongue, my cock began to throb, but I kept the kiss slow, not deepening it at all even when she squirmed against me, silently asking for more. My hands didn’t explore her amazing body like I wanted to. It was just me and Tavia and this kiss.
When I finally released her mouth, she was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly as if she’d just run five miles. Her lips were swollen and damp, and I fucking ached to have them wrapped around my cock.
“You don’t go anywhere without me,” I told her in a voice thick with all the hunger gnawing at my insides. “I ever see another guy that close to you, and I’ll put a bullet in his head. Understand?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she snapped, that dazed and dreamy look in her eyes darkening to anger. “You act like I was cheating on you or something. Even if I was all over that guy, there’s not a damn thing you can say about it. We aren’t together, Theo.”
“No?” I asked in a deceptively low voice, my own anger rising.
“No, we are not. I’m not your woman, or anything else that possessive, overly aggressive, alpha inner beast of yours seems to think. You don’t own me. If anything, we’re just friends. You’d made that clear as day until you pulled that shit at the club, growling at AJ like some Neanderthal.” She made a grunting noise in the back of her throat that was sexy as fuck. “Mm. My woman. Mm. No touch.”
Despite how pissed I was, I couldn’t help tossing back my head and laughing at her imitation. Fuck, but she was adorable.
A ghost of a grin teased at her lips before she pouted out her kiss-swollen bottom lip and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m being serious, Theo. You had no right to hit AJ.”
“Stop fucking saying his name.” I moved so fast, she squealed in surprise when I grabbed her legs and dragged her down the bed. I then straddled her legs, locking her in place without putting my full weight on her. “Deny it if it makes you feel better, Tavia. Punish me all you want by insisting you don’t belong to me, but we both know the truth. You are mine. You have been from the first day I set eyes on you downstairs in the library. From that day on, I saw no one, wanted no one else but you. For three fucking years, I sat back and waited for you to finish growing up so I could claim what is rightfully mine.”
“Wh-what?” she breathed, her eyes widening in wonder. “Y-you did?”
“From the day I saw you, krasotka. You claimed me—and my heart. I know I haven’t shown you that, and I’m so damn sorry. I got so used to holding myself back over the years in order to protect you that I didn’t know how to stop.” Cupping the side of her face, I stroked my thumb over her baby-soft skin. “I love you, baby. I love you so goddamn much, but it has never scared me. The only thing I fear in this world is losing you.”
Tears filled her eyes and quickly spilled over. Seeing them was like acid poured directly onto my heart, and I kissed them away. “Don’t cry. Please, krasotka. I will do anything to stop your tears. Don’t cry, because I love you. I can’t stand it.”
“I…I’m sorry,” she whispered emotionally. “I’m just… It’s hard to stop the tears when I never thought I would ever be this happy.”
Relief that maybe I was finally doing something right where she was concerned washed over me. “Really?”
“I think I fell for you that first day, too,” she confessed, her tears falling even faster now. “You walked into the room, and I couldn’t make myself look away. I tried—hard. But no matter how many times I told myself I was acting like a stupid little girl with a crush, I couldn’t not look at you. Because when I did, I felt this weird peace fill me, and I hadn’t ever experienced that before.”
A few strands of hair had fallen from her topknot, and I pushed them back from her face as I looked down at her. “Tell me you love me.”
“I-I love you, Theo. I always have. Even when I hated you, I loved you.” Her chin trembled. “Please… Please don’t break my heart, though. I-I really don’t think I could survive that again.”
“Ah, baby. I’m sorry. So fucking sorry. I won’t ever hurt you again.” Pressing my forehead to hers, I breathed in deeply. “I swear I didn’t mean to make your heart hurt. When we made love that first night, I was a weak man. I knew better than to touch you before I could give you everything you deserved, but I couldn’t resist. I left you the next morning because I didn’t want Petrov to find out about us and use you against me. All I wanted was to protect you from the darkness for a little while longer.”
“So you really didn’t know I was his daughter?”
Lifting my head, I met her gaze. “You were his best-kept secret.”
“But…why did you hate him so much?” she murmured, a frown pinching her brows together.
Grimacing, I moved so I was lying on my side and pulled her head onto my shoulder. “You know I’m adopted?” She nodded. “Pops is my uncle, but his name is actually on my birth certificate. My real dad, his brother, died while Pops was in prison. Petrov gave the order to take him out. As soon as I knew who was behind his death, I started plotting my revenge.”
