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“You’ll be able to walk again. And I can already walk.”
“With a cane,” she says flatly.
“But I can still walk.”
Her eyes flick down to my waist. “You never did tell me how you got stabbed. Who did it?”
“Just one of the men who kidnapped me.” It’s better that Polina doesn’t know it was my father. The less she knows, the less she can be questioned by the police. And the mafia. It’s safer for her.
“Why were you even kidnapped in the first place? I mean… a kidnapping? I thought that only happened in movies.”
“Someone who knew my family is rich. They wanted a ransom paid. Everything worked out.”
“It’s wild that it wasn’t on the news. I kept searching every channel this hospital has, which by the way, isn’t that many.” She sighs and opens the book I brought her. “I’m just glad you’re not dead. I’m glad I’m not dead.”
“Me too.”
“And next semester, I am going to beat you in every class we take.”
“It’s not a competition, Polina. We can both get good grades.”
She throws me a sneaky smile. “It’s always a competition with me. Who else is going to keep me on my toes?”
I settle into the chair. I know Polina is going to want to talk for a while. My new friend who once was my enemy. How things have changed.
I work up the courage to look at my stomach in the mirror. The ugly scar across my lower abdomen is still prominent. It’s going to take a long time for it to fade and even then, it won’t fully go away. This is the thing my father left me with. A constant reminder that he tried to kill me to save himself.
Maxim finds me in the bathroom. “Are you ok?”
I quickly lower my shirt. “I’m fine.”
He grips my chin and makes me look him in the eye. “No more hiding, remember?”
“It’s just… the scar. It’s so ugly. I hate it.”
He lifts my shirt up and wraps his arms around me from behind. His long fingers trace over my scar. “I don’t think it’s ugly. I think it’s beautiful. You fought hard and you survived. That’s something to be proud of.”
“My father gave me this scar. I’ll never be able to forget what he did to me. How he cut me, both literally and figuratively.”
“Literally and figuratively. You’re such a nerd sometimes.” He kisses my temple. “But I like that about you. Once you’re better, I can take your body again. I’ll make you love your scar when my mouth is all over it. And lower… when my mouth is on your pussy.”
A flare of arousal hits me. “Maxim.”
“You’re blushing. We’ve already fucked, baby. You don’t have to be shy about it.”
“I’ll always be shy. It’s who I am.”
“It’s who your father made you to be. But you can be your new self. I’ll help you.”
I lean into his strong, steady chest. “I want that.”
“Then you can have it. In fact… why don’t you lie down on the bed? You’re well enough for me to put my mouth on your pussy.”
I gasp. “We can’t have sex. Not yet.”
“I never said sex. I said I want to put my mouth on your pussy.” He picks me up in his arms and carries me to the bedroom. I let out a sigh as he lays me on the bed and grabs the waistband of my loungewear pants and gently pulls them down.
He makes quick work of my underwear next. “I think your pretty pussy needs some attention.” He props my legs into my chest and kneels on the ground. I gasp when his lips find my nub. His entire face is planted right between my legs. Despite everything we’ve done together, he can still make me feel like it’s my first time all over again.
