Page 23 of Savage Little War

I want to tell him the truth so badly, but this is not the right time in front of all these people! I should’ve already told him, but now I can’t help but wonder if he would still want to marry me if he found out the truth.

Would a child change his mind? Or the fact that I’ve kept something so huge from him again?

Dmitri looks over at me, and I make myself smile because this is supposed to be a happy moment for both of us. And I am happy. I’m so glad to be engaged to him.

I just wish that things were simpler.

Now, I don’t have to worry about my boyfriend dying in the midst of this war with Ferro. I have to worry about my fiancé dying. My entire future.

I retreat to where I feel safest and wrap my arms around Dmitri, careful not to spill the champagne. I press my face into his chest as he holds me close, hoping that I never lose him in any way.

7

Dmitri

The party turned out to be a great time, but I’m relieved when everyone finally leaves and it’s just me and Cara.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while now,” I say as I walk into the living room where Cara is tidying up.

She adjusts the throw pillows on the sofa and glances over at me. “Throwing a party or choosing to spend the rest of your life with me?”

A light chuckle escapes me as I close the distance between us, my hands coming up to cup her face. I press a soft, lingering kiss against her lips before resting my forehead against hers. “The second one.”

Cara smiles and wraps her fingers around my wrists, her body gravitating closer to mine. “You caught me completely off guard.”

My smile wilts a little. “You didn’t think I loved you enough to ask you to be my wife?”

She chews on her bottom lip in thought for a moment before speaking. “After the night that you rescued me, it felt like you got distant. I thought you were still mad at me. We haven’t…been together in weeks. Not since the last time before you told me to leave.”

Guilt seeps into my soul as I pull back to look at her, seeing the nervousness written all over her face. She’s probably been sitting on these feelings for weeks now, too afraid to bring them up to me. I had no idea that’s what she thought was happening.

“I’m so sorry, milaya,” I tell her as I shake my head at myself. “I got so swept up in finding Ferro, finding all the people who did this to you. I didn’t realize that I had made you feel that way.”

“I appreciate your dedication to finding those men,” Cara assures me as she drifts her hands over my upper arms and shoulders. “But I miss you.”

“I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere,” I say as I wrap my arms around her, pulling her body flush against mine. “When I put that ring on your finger, I meant forever.”

“I believe you,” Cara replies before the corners of her mouth curl up. “But there’s something else that I miss.”

I raise an eyebrow in interest as one of her hands trails down my chest. “The only reason I haven’t touched you how I’ve been dying to yet is because I’ve been letting you heal, physically and emotionally. After what you went through, I didn’t want to rush you.”

“I need to feel close to you again,” Cara says before lifting up on her toes to press her lips against mine.

I help her out by grabbing the back of her thighs and lifting her, making her legs wrap around my waist. With ease, I carry her to my bedroom, our bedroom, and gently lay her down on the dark sheets, heat already coursing under my skin.

Cara smiles up at me as she pulls the thin straps of her dress off her shoulders.

I crawl over her and slip my hand under her back, tugging the zipper of her dress down until the fabric is loose around her body. I don’t hesitate to tear it off her, along with her strapless bra.

Cara drops back onto the bed, white lace panties hugging her hips. Does she understand how hard it’s been to resist her?

“You’re so fucking beautiful, milaya,” I tell her as my fingertips brush her soft skin, tracing the curve of her breast.

A pink hue adorns her cheeks as she gazes up at me with a shy smile. She then glances down at herself, the light in her eyes fading as she sees all the new scars littered across her body.

Of course, it’s hard for me to see them all. They’re a brutal reminder of what she went through, what she endured for weeks. But the scars don’t make her any less beautiful to me. They show how damn strong she is. How brave.

I lower my head, brushing my lips over a scar on her right rib. I feel Cara tense beneath my touch, but as I move to another scar closer to her hip, she gradually relaxes and exhales slowly.