I force myself to relax, and he slides deeper until he's buried to the hilt. We both groan, and then he's moving, setting a rhythm that has me clinging to his shoulders.
His hands grip my hips, holding me in place as he thrusts deeper, harder. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer, and he growls, the sound vibrating through his chest.
"Mine," he says against my ear. "You're mine now, Mariya."
I want to argue, want to tell him I'll never be his, despite my desire for him. And despite my inner voice calling me a liar. But then his hand slides between us, his thumb finding my clit, and I shatter. The orgasm crashes through me, so intense I see stars, and I hear myself crying out his name.
He follows seconds later, his body going rigid as he comes inside me. He collapses on top of me, both of us breathing hard, our bodies slick with sweat.
For a long moment, we just lie there, tangled together. Then he rolls off me, pulling me against his side. I should move away and put distance between us, but I'm too exhausted, too overwhelmed by everything that's happened.
I close my eyes, and despite everything, I feel myself drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, I'm jolted awake by someone banging on the bedroom door. I sit up, disoriented, and see Andrey already on his feet, pulling on his pants.
The door flies open, and two people burst into the room. A man in his sixties with gray hair and a younger woman with long black hair.
Bogdan and Sophia Belyaev.
20
ANDREY
The bedroom door slams open with enough force to rattle the hinges, and I'm moving before my brain fully processes what's happening. My hand shoots to the nightstand drawer, fingers wrapping around cold metal, and in one fluid motion, I have my Glock aimed at the intruders.
Bogdan Belyaev stands in my doorway like he owns the fucking place, his gray eyes blazing with fury. Behind him, Sophia hovers, her face pale and her hands clasped in front of her like she's praying. And beside me, Mariya gasps, scrambling to pull the sheet up over her naked body.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I growl, my finger resting on the trigger.
Bogdan doesn't flinch, though I catch the slight tightening around his eyes. He's wary, but not scared enough. "I could ask you the same question, Melnikov."
"You barged intomybedroom." I keep the gun trained on him, my body positioned between him and Mariya. "Inmyhouse.Withoutpermission. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your skull right now."
"Because we need to talk." His voice is tight with barely controlled rage. "About your betrayal."
"Mywhat?"
"Don't play stupid with me." He takes a step forward, and I cock the gun. He stops. "You were supposed to marry my daughter. We had an understanding."
"We had nothing." I'm acutely aware of Mariya beside me, can feel her eyes boring into the side of my head. "I told you I'd think about it. That's not a promise. That's not a contract."
"You led us on for years!" Bogdan's face is turning red now, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "And then you go and marry some traitor's daughter without even having the decency to tell us?"
Before I can respond, Mariya moves. She lunges across the bed and punches me square in the jaw. The impact makes my head snap to the side, and I nearly drop the gun. Pain explodes through my face, and I taste blood.
"You son of a bitch!" she screams. "You were engaged? You were supposed to marry someone else, and you didn't think to mention that before you forced me to marry you?"
I lower the gun, not wanting any accidents while she's this pissed. "Mariya?—"
"Don't you 'Mariya' me!" She hits me again, this time in the chest. "You kidnapped me, locked me up, and made me marry you, all while you had a fiancée waiting for you? What kind of sick game are you playing?"
"I wasn't engaged," I say through gritted teeth, catching her wrists before she can hit me again. "There was no agreement. No contract. Nothing."
"That's not what he says!" She jerks her head toward Bogdan, her green eyes blazing with fury and hurt.
I look at Bogdan, then at Sophia, who's still standing in the doorway looking like she wants to disappear into the floor. Her face is bright red, and she's deliberately looking anywhere but at me.
"Everyone out," I say, releasing Mariya's wrists. "Meet me in the library in ten minutes."
