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There was surprise that flared in his eyes before they narrowed. “Perhaps,” he said.
I chewed on my lower lip. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but at least the two of us were talking and not yelling at each other. It was an improvement, but not much of one.
Someone wanted us to be apart, to be at odds with each other. And this Bogatyr…this Bogatyr must be behind it all. But if Aleksey didn’t know much about him, then there was no point in me asking.
“Tell me what else your father said,” Aleksey said.
“He knows I’m pregnant, obviously,” I rushed on. “He guessed it quickly. He thinks that it’s a blessing.”
“Of course he would,” Aleksey muttered.
“He wanted me to believe that he never received the pin.” I continued. “He let me search his desk. He never let me anywhere near that desk when I was a little girl.”
I still wasn’t 100 percent sure that Aleksey was telling me the truth, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I had to let him see my own logic here. Otherwise, we would tear ourselves apart.
“I don’t know what I can do to prove to you that I’m telling the truth,” he said. His voice was heavy. “All I have is my word.”
His word. All we had between ourselves were words.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Aleksey inclined his head. “Always.”
I twisted my hands in the comforter. “Did you miss me?”
He planted a soft kiss on my temple. “Every second that you were away. I never thought I could miss anyone as much as I missed you.”
Reaching up, I pressed my finger to his lips. “I want to believe you,” I admitted. “Truly, I do.”
Aleksey pressed his lips against my finger. “Then tell me what it will take,” he said. “Tell me what I need to do, Elia. And I will do it.”
My breath caught. He was willing to do anything? Removing my finger, I decided to throw caution to the wind.
“Kiss me,” I answered. “Kiss me and show me that you are serious. That you would never lie to me. That you will always be truthful.”
A light smile crossed his face and my heart skipped a beat. His hand came up to caress my uninjured cheek, his thumb brushing over the tracks of tears that had left lines on my skin earlier. Gingerly, he pulled me close and I reciprocated.
His soft, warm breath hovered over my lips momentarily. My eyes fluttered closed. His lips moved from my temple to my eyelids, pressing soft kisses there. When he kissed the tip of my nose, my heart shook in response.
His lips moved to my jawline, everywhere but the one place I wanted him to kiss.
He traced the column of my neck and I bit back a moan, opening my eyes so that I could find a place to put my hands on his body. But still, I longed for the kiss. For the proof.
As if he could read my mind, his lips finally settled over mine and I gasped into his mouth, eager to devour him as much as he wanted to devour me. My hand slipped into his hair and I pulled him closer, whimpering as he nibbled on my lower lip. His kiss was gentle, far gentler than any other kiss we shared.
This wasn’t a bruising kiss of lust, but one that assured me of who he was. He pressed his mouth to the corners of mine, sighing as he deepened the kiss.
His hand moved back up to my cheek and he pulled away, staring into my eyes. “I’m going to show you how serious I am,” he stated softly, brushing his thumb over my reddened lips. “I’m going to show you until you admit that I will never lie to you. That I will always be truthful with you.”
“Then do it,” I breathed, my voice shaking with need.
Aleksey’s smile sent shivers through my body, and suddenly I couldn’t get close enough to him. He pressed his lips to mine again, and the kiss turned possessive. His tongue slipped into my open mouth as he tangled himself with me. Somehow, I ended up underneath him, his mouth never leaving mine, and the familiar feeling sang in my veins.
I wanted Aleksey. I didn’t care about my father, about his uncle, the Bogatyr, or that stupid pin right now.
I wanted to feel him. I wanted to forget everything else, for us to be in our little cocoon for a while.
The world could wait.
