Page 33 of The Breath Before Forever

“Yes, but do you know how much that would cost? You visit Hannah too much for that. Spend a few weeks getting comfortable with the Hummer; it’s good for these winter roads, too. Besides, I like to drive, and be driven. What else are we doing with our time, yeah?”

He even arched a brow to challenge Vera in to denying his statement. She didn’t. Other than hiding within the warmth of their home, the two didn’t make much time for anything else other than her two- or three-day trips to the city for a night or two with Hannah.

“Well, he makes good points,” Claire said, bringing Vera back to the conversation at hand which was more important than the fact Vaslav was now glancing her way with less patience than before. “What else did you get for Christmas?”

Lord, help me, Vera thought.

Vaslav had already finished tying off those ties to the bedposts he’d grabbed from the closet just as her mother was picking up the phone. The deal was simple.

Vera could make the call she promised to her mother, but he wouldn’t guarantee how long it would actually last. Maybe she had mentioned something about never being fucked on mink before, and had done so before she made that call to her mother.

Time differences were a bitch.

And her husband was insatiable.

Lucky me.

“You didn’t hang up on me, did you?” Claire asked.

Vaslav tossed Vera a sinful wink as he turned away from the bed and headed out the open doorway to the sitting room just outside. His figure blackened into a shadow as he walked across the flickering flames crackling in the fireplace.

“Soft and warm things, and some shiny things, too,” Vera said, cheekily.

Would her mother figure it out?

Claire, always quick on her feet, quipped, “Let me guess—furs and diamonds.”

“It’s only a little cliché.”

“And you loved every second of it,” her mother returned.

Vera didn’t have to say a thing.

Yes, she did love it. From the furs and diamonds of every color to the imported fragrances and lush bath products that had been packaged in woven baskets she planned to use to plant in next spring. Spoiled with luxury; adored every moment in between. Who wouldn’t bask in that? Her childhood, speckled with memories of when Claire and Demyan were still in the honeymoon stages of their romance and marriage, certainly taught Vera how she wanted to be treated by the man she agreed to love until death parted them.

“He gave me something new every night leading up to tonight,” Vera said, not doing well to suppress her giggle at the silliness of it all. “I think he just likes dragging it on.”

“As long as he’s keeping you busy.”

At the remark from Claire, one Vera didn’t plan on replying to, Vaslav chose that moment to step back inside the bedroom. Black velvet mink fur hung draped over his right arm while he used his left to close the door between their bedroom and the rest of the master suite. At least, if Mira accidentally thought she was okay to enter the initial space, she knew to absolutely stay out of their bedroom when the door was closed.

“I’ll send you pictures of everything tomorrow?” Vera offered.

Claire sighed, already hearing the way her daughter edged them toward ending the call with that question. “You better.”

By the time Vera did get her mother off the phone, Vaslav had already thrown her mink coat wide over the end of the bed. He’d waited—as patient as he could while he eyed her like a starving man staring at his last meal—with his hands planted side by side on the curve of the mattress.

Maybe—just maybe, Vera had strung on the phone call a few extra seconds so she could continue to admire the way his tense, expectant position made her feel like prey. The view of his tattooed chest, the colors faded and bleeding over his defined and muscular lines peppered with dark hair, was always a treat for her.

Vera liked being under him best. When he loomed with his substantial size, all rough and heavy against her, she couldn’t control herself.

The very second the sleek black phone fell to the bed, signaling the end of her call officially, Vaslav ended any pretenses he had about waiting. His hands found her ankles and yanked hard enough to make her yelp from the bite of his grip.

But his goading grin only had her laughing, breathless with anticipation, when he swung both her legs toward the right bedpost.

“When did I say I was letting you tie me up?” Vera asked.

Not that she tried to kick him away as he worked to secure her leg at the ankle with the silk tie. Just the way he opened her up when he pulled her left leg wide to the other post made her pussy throb with what was to come. Even if she still wore her cotton thong that provided some coverage, she could already feel the slick heat pooling against the fabric as her hips squirmed.