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And no matter what version she chose to call forth, there would be no escape fromme.I could be her captor or her liberator. The warrior king who could give her the world, or the vicious dragon who could burn it at her feet. But in the end, it was justme.Alexie Petrov. Her husband.
I held her tight, made hushing noises while nuzzling her hair, and rocked her back and forth until she calmed into hiccups.
“Why do you do this to me?” she whispered.
“Why do you always fight us?” I countered.
“I…I have to,” she replied. “I have to protect my heart.”
Silly girl. Did she not know what I could not express? Could she not see for herself?
“Have my actions not proved what you mean to me,malishka?”
She snorted, laughing vacantly. “They proved you are a psychopath.”
“Fair enough.” I smiled into her hair. She did make me crazy.
I pulled her head up so I could hold her face and look deep into her eyes. It was hard for her to understand how men like me did things. She was young. She was not from my world. And it was hard to trust my motivations when everyone else had let her down.
I kissed the new tears spilling from her eyes. “Malishka,I…I just need you to believe in me.”
“Alexie, I don’t even know what that means.”
“I got you.”
She pulled back from my hold. “I know, Alexie. You often remind me of that fact. You even make me repeat it. You got me. You own me. I’m yours. Whatever.”
“No. I meanI got you.Your American slang. I got your back. I got your best interests in mind.”
“I don’t believe you,” she stated flatly.
Rather than fight with her, I took her left hand and kissed her knuckles. “Do you like the wedding set?”
The wedding band, that matched my own, was thin and basic so as not to distract from the star of the set, which was the engagement ring. Her breath caught in her throat as she really looked at it, turning her hand this way and that way so the light could reflect in the polished gem.
“Wow, it’s beautiful.” Her eyes shimmered with more tears, but not from fear or frustration. “It’s…um, too pretty.”
I stopped her hand before she could remove it. “If you take it off, I will bend you over this desk, bare your ass, and whip you with a lamp cord.”
Her mouth made an oh in shock. “I don’t deserve this, Alexie.—I mean, this expensive of a gift. It’s too much. It’s all too much.”
“Let me be the judge of what you deserve.”
On that pronouncement, I lifted her up and carried her to the dining area. The staff had been at it all day, preparing this special meal for us.
“Put me down,” Sloane mumbled.
“No can do,malishka.I quite like you in my arms.” I kissed her lips even though her mouth was pressed in a firm line.
I think she just enjoyed denying me.
I entered the dining room and stopped right at the entrance. Laid before us was a spread where I had no words. The tablecloth was colored on one side with the American flag and on the other the Russian national flag.
Whoever thought of that deserved a raise.
On one side of the table sat what I would think would be called soul food. Fried meats, poultry, and fish. Thick breads, gravies, various greens and beans, and potatoes in both salad and casserole forms. There were pies for dessert.
The Russian side had my favorite foods, the traditional dishes I couldn’t wait to get my hands on as they were usually only prepared during special occasions, likeKurnik.The wedding pirogi were beautifully made and decorated.
