Page 147 of Taken By My Grumpy Pakhan

Kazimir probably got to that point with me because his thrusts deepened. No fast thrusts, just steady, deep penetration that I felt all the way to my chest.

“I love you, Genevieve,” he whispered out of the blue, flooding my body with a new type of emotion.

“And I’m sorry it took me this much to see it.”

His next thrust knocked the response out of me, and I clung to his shoulders, the only sounds coming from me were unintelligible moans that blended into a sinful melody with the wet sound of skin against skin and Kazimir’s deep groans till the ceiling above completely darkened and my body froze before soaring off into nothingness.

“Kazimir!” The scream sounded like a distant cry as I rode through my high. Kazimir knocked me to a new height with every thrust till I felt him stiffen and warmth filled me.

My body felt weightless in space as I rode my orgasm till I fell back to my almost liquid limbs.

I don’t know how much time we spent tangled up, but for the first time in the longest time, everything suddenly felt right, and I wasn’t worried about the next moment.

EPILOGUE

Kazimir

I never imagined I would be nervous on my wedding day.

Heck, I never imagined my wedding day. The awareness of a day when I would walk down some aisle to repeat a bunch of words I didn’t mean was something I’d always known, but other than that, I never thought about it.

Yet here I was, fiddling with a fucking wristwatch two weeks after launching an attack that cost two lives on our part and fifteen on the opponent's.

“Fucking piece of metal,” I cursed when the clasp fell off again.

Lev walked up to me, wordlessly fastening the clasp with ease before giving my shoulder a pat.

Nikolai had gone to deliver my last gift to Genevieve because some fucking idiot decided seeing my wife the morning before the wedding was bad luck.

How did people ever believe that? You couldn’t convince me that seeing her at any point in time was bad luck; hell, I’d cut off a person’s lips if they mildly suggested that. But somehow, every idiot before me had adapted to it, and now I had to go along with it because Anna had decided to upgrade her role from best friend to personal bodyguard.

Our relationship wasn’t the best, but at least she didn’t stare at me like she wanted to gouge my eyes out with a fork anymore, so I guess that counts as a win.

“She hated it,” Nikolai announced the moment he entered the room. “Her entire face scrunched up and she looked like she would throw up when she opened the box.”

“That’s not possible,” I countered, my tie suddenly feeling a little too tight. “She spoke about the jewelry nonstop, she can’t possibly—”

I lifted my head in time to find Nikolai grinning hard.

“Fuck you.”

“Ew. I’ll tell Gen you’re hitting on me.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Lev smiling, but he didn’t join the conversation.

“Go fuck yourself,” I cussed, catching my reflection in the mirror.

A year ago, I would have laughed if someone suggested I would spend an afternoon debating the shade of ivory roses that should decorate my wedding.

A year ago, I believed marriages were contracts. Necessary and strategic at best.

I had been born into a world where vows were measured in territory instead of devotion.

Where wedding rings represented alliances and affection was a weakness clever men exploited.

Love had never been part of the equation.

Then one stubborn receptionist wandered into my elevator.