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“Look, you’re a strong-ass woman, all right?” she told me. “If you want something bad enough, you gotta reach out and grab it by the throat.”
I laughed for what felt like the first time in three weeks. It was nice to hear her voice again.
“I mean it, Elia. Don’t hesitate to go after what you want.”
We spent the rest of the morning catching up. She told me about another batch of criminals that were getting fast-tracked from arrest to prison in New York. I was glad that at least one of us seemed to be moving forward in our lives. But above all else, I was glad to have someone on my side who would listen.
The elevator dinged behind me and I saw Aleksey emerge, his phone pressed to his ear. “I have to go,” I told her quickly and hung up before she could answer.
But Lana’s voice echoed in my head as my gaze followed after my husband.Don’t hesitate to go after what you want.
The only trouble is, Lana…I thought to myself.WhatdoI really want?
Chapter Sixteen
Elia
Aleksey’s eyes met mine, and my heart leaped to my throat. My entire body tingled in anticipation at his gaze, and there was a part of me that wanted to rip the suit off his body and work my way down until he was panting under my touch.
I wanted to own my husband’s body just as much as he owned me.
Don’t hesitate to go after what you want.
Things were going to change, starting now.
Aleksey hung up his phone and dropped it into his suit’s inner pocket.
“Wife,” he said flatly.
“Husband,” I answered. “Back so soon?”
“Does that displease you?” he asked slowly, his hard eyes roving over the wrap dress I had put on after he had left.
His words didn’t even bother me. I was used to this by now. “No, it’s just surprising,” I finished, turning back to the island. “If I’d known, I would’ve made lunch.”
His hand found its way to my hip, and I sucked in a breath.Focus, Elia. Don’t just give in.
“I had something else in mind that I wanted to eat,” he murmured into my ear, his warm breath causing my skin to shiver in response.
I pressed my body against his strong form, feeling the heat searing me as it rose insistently against my ass. The thin fabric separating us might as well not be there. It would be easy for him to lift my dress and have his way with me right where we stood. In fact, I had a feeling that was exactly what he wanted.
But it wasn’t what I wanted. I craved something else.
I spun in his arms and met his gaze head on.
“No,” I started, searching his eyes. “I want you to look at me, Aleksey. I want you to kiss me. I don’t want my face to be buried in a pillow next time. I don’t want you to use me like you’d use a whore. Impersonal and cold. I am your wife, and I want to feelwantedby my husband.”
Aleksey’s eyes grew darker as I pressed my hand against his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart. “Prove that to me, Aleksey.”
His hand took hold of my jaw. “Do not toy with me, Elia.”
A bubble of laughter escaped me as my heart thundered against my chest. This show of defiance, however small, was enough to goad me into doing something more. A new boldness seemed to have taken hold of me, and I pressed on.
“I haven’t toyed with you,” I said, refusing to divert my gaze from his. “I’ve been honest with you from day one. I swore I would never love you, and yet you left me begging for you on our wedding night. You leave me wanting you every night when you hold me in your arms. I want more than that.”
I searched his eyes for the monster that I imagined him to be and felt my frustration rise when that monster never looked back. It would have been so much easier if it had. It would have made it easier for me to hate him. Instead, as I stared into his blank, handsome face, all I felt was an impossible hunger for him.
“I want to know.” Clutching his shirt in my hand that he still held, I felt the heat rolling off his body. “Am I your wife? Or am I your whore?”
