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Tears flood my vision, turning the whole world watery. I try to blink them away, but a few escape down my cheeks. When I look back up at Kirill, he’s watching me with obvious concern.
“Come on.” He tips his head towards the front doors. “Follow me.”
The lobby is modest but nice. Potted trees grow near the windows and warm wooden floors lead the way to the shiny elevator bank at the back of the room. Kirill presses the button with his elbow and directs me which button to press inside.
“Penthouse,” he says.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised.” I press the button and the doors closed.
I can see his reflection in the gold-plated doors. He’s looking at me, a small smile on his lips. “Only the best for my girls.”
Another rush of tenderness whispers over me like a finger down my spine. I remember him knelt between my legs with a damp washcloth, cleaning me.
Our entire relationship has been warfare. A constant tangling of horns. But the moment I fall flat on my ass, Kirill is there to scoop me up.
I can’t begin to figure out what to make of it.
Kirill’s room is actually a suite of rooms. There’s an entryway with a round table and the largest bouquet of white roses I’ve ever seen. Off to the right is a kitchenette with marble counters and a mini fridge. A living room with a view of Main Street and the town’s water tower is straight ahead. A small hallway splits off to the left with two bedrooms and what I suspect is a bathroom.
“I’ll lay Yuliana down in the smaller room,” Kirill says. “Make yourself at home.”
I stand in the entryway and watch him disappear through one of the dark doorways to the left. He must take Yuliana’s shoes off and toss them to the floor because I see a flash of purple against the base of the doorway.
My mom could never pick me up and carry me into the house when I fell asleep in the car. By the time I was Yuliana’s age, I was getting too big for her to lift. I always thought,If only Dad was here, he’d be able to carry me.
The emotion I barely fought back earlier returns, but my walls are too badly damaged to hold back the deluge.
Silent tears stream down my face, taking whatever remains of my mascara with them. And that is how Kirill finds me.
I don’t see him come out of Yuliana’s room or cross the suite to stand in front of me. I just feel his warm palms on my cheeks, his thumbs brushing away tears.
He leans down and kisses the tear tracks on each of my cheeks, first the right, then the left.
“Let me take care of you, Rayne,” he whispers against my skin.
I drop my bags on the floor and fling my arms around his neck. Without hesitation, Kirill scoops me into his arms and carries me into the other room.
Just like a little kid, he lays me down in the bed and takes off my shoes. This mattress is a million times more comfortable than the one at the motel, and I sink into it with a bone-deep sigh.
Kirill reaches to turn off the lamp, and I shoot my hand out and grab his wrist. “Don’t leave me.”
It’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, but I don’t care. I need him to be with me right now. I need him close.
He pulls away to turn off the light, plunging the room into darkness.
In the shadows, I see him walk around the bed. Then I feel his weight shift behind me. Finally, his body aligns with mine. His legs curl around my backside and his chest presses to my spine. I can feel his every breath and the beat of his heart.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispers, his lips lost in the tangle of my hair. “Go to sleep.”
Even with the mess of thoughts tangled up in my mind, I do exactly as he says.
42
KIRILL
Rayne’s breathing is steady and deep. Her chest rises and falls under my forearm. I can feel the warm breath of her exhale against my wrist.
I’ve never held someone like this. Not with clothes on, at least. But when Rayne reached for me and asked for me to stay, there was nowhere else in the world I could imagine being.
