Page 76 of Forced & Owned By the Bratva Boss

“You did not kill him.” Igor’s voice is firm, but it does nothing to lighten the guilt I feel.

The words rip out of me louder than I intended. “I brought Serrano into all of our lives.” Fresh tears blur my vision. “I thought I was hurting you. I thought if I helped the FBI expose you, I’d finally get justice for what happened between us. I was so stupid. So dumb.”

I sink lower on the mattress, unable to meet his eyes anymore. The only sound in the room is that of my sobs. Igor doesn’t stop me; he lets me cry until I don’t have any more tears.

When he finally speaks, he doesn’t blame me for anything. His tone is gentle. “Tell me everything you know about Emiliano, from the start.”

Nodding and sniffling, I tell Igor how Serrano contacted me a year ago, pretending to be FBI. How I eventually found out he was part of a crime organization and kept working for him, how I found out he was behind the attack, and how he was Emiliano. Then finally, I tell him why I went out to meet Emiliano that day and why I lied to him when I got back.

By the time I finish, I expect him to explode with rage. Instead, he pulls me to his chest and wraps his arms around me. “I’m so sorry for not hearing you out. You got hurt because I didn’t trust you.”

I shake my head. “I should have told you the truth from the start.”

“You had your reasons, and I had mine.” He pauses, and I hear his heartbeat quicken in his chest. “I should’ve told you I was in love with you. I love you, Audrey. And I’m so sorry it took this long for me to realize that.”

The words don’t sink in immediately. They just float around inside my head, refusing to settle, refusing to become real.

Did he just…

No, I don’t believe it. There’s no way he just said he loves me.

I tilt my head to look at him, my chest heaving as the pounding against my ribs makes breathing even harder.

A sudden, mirthless laugh rips from my throat. It sounds almost manic and mixes with yet another sob. I put a hand to my mouth. “You...” I choke on my words. “You love me?”

His thumb wipes away another tear streaming down my face. “I should’ve told you sooner. I’m sorry it took me this long to realize it.”

The ache inside my chest shifts into something so overwhelming I don’t know what to do with it. For weeks, I convinced myself everything between us was one-sided. That I’d fallen in love with a man who would never feel the same way.

And all this time, he actually did love me.

Fresh tears flow down my cheeks, but these feel different from before. These don’t sting. They loosen something twisted inside of me.

“I love you too,” I say, letting the words tumble out before the fear has a chance to silence me. “God, I love you so much, Igor. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you. I tried to hate you, but I just couldn’t stop myself from falling for you again.”

“I know.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head before pressing his forehead against mine. “I’m so sorry for hurting you so much.”

“It’s fine,” I whisper with a smile, brushing my tears away with my fingertips. “I have you now, and that matters more than anything else.”

His palm covers my cheek with a gentleness that takes me by surprise. This time there’s no frantic desire or desperation between us. No anger or misunderstanding threatening to rip us apart the moment we separate.

And when he presses his lips against mine, his kiss is gentle enough for me to feel every heartbeat pounding between us.

It’s excruciatingly soft, a slow-burning flame that allows me to feel every single vibration of our heartbeats thrumming against each other.

It feels sacred.

Like a silent vow written in the space between our breaths.

His thumb traces a slow, soothing circle along my jawline, anchoring me to him while his other hand slides into the hair at the nape of my neck.

I part my lips with a quiet sigh and kiss him back with everything I have, pouring all my quiet devotion into the intoxicating slide of our lips against each other.

His hands find my face, slide down to the curve of my neck, and move slowly to my shoulders before tracing the line of my spine.

The warmth of his palms through my shirt sends a shiver straight down my back. I cling to him, my fingers sliding into his hair and pulling him closer until there’s no space between our chests.

“Igor,” I breathe against his mouth. “I love you.”