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“By my hand,” he confesses. His fingers rub together at his sides, like this is uncomfortable for him. “Do you want to know how?”
“No,” I answer immediately. “I don’t need to know that.”
He nods in silence. “He got caught fucking Enzo De Luca’s girlfriend. Abram was going to kill them both, but Stepan told him I had the information he wanted, so he agreed to turn me over to him in order to save her life—and his.” He slides his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and shifts his weight to his left side.
“What information did Enzo think you had?” I ask casually. The door between our worlds is opening, but I don’t want to rush in and get the door slammed in my face.
“Enzo thought he could start selling the same product as the Romanovs do here. But he wants the exact product, so Stepan convinced him that I knew who was in charge of making it.”
“You’re talking about drugs,” I clarify. “The Romanovs sell drugs?”
“Ecstasy.” He nods. “It’s the only one they sell, and they have the majority of the market here.”
“So, Stepan told Enzo that you could get him the drugs—or whatever he needed so he could make it—in order to keep his girlfriend—who’s actually Enzo’s girlfriend—from being killed?”
“Yes.” He nods. “That’s it.”
I stare at him for a long moment, digesting all of it. “That’s a bit dramatic.”
He huffs a laugh. “Yeah. It is.”
“And you… you talked to Stepan?” I’m not sure how much of this I want to know, but he’s being so honest, so open with me, I don’t want to let the opportunity to ask whatever I want pass me by.
“I did.” He takes a deep breath. “That’s why I left that night at the safe house. His life had a ticking clock on it, and I needed to come back to the city to get my answers before the family dealt with his betrayal. I asked Maxim not to tell you about that though. I wanted to keep the horrible parts of my world away from you.” He closes the gap between us. “I never kept things from you because I didn’t want you, Pchelka. I just didn’t want you to be tarnished. Not like me.”
“You live in a dangerous world, Luka. You won’t be able to hide it all from me forever.” My hands ache to touch him. He steps even closer; the scent of his leather jacket fills the narrow space between us.
He presses his forehead against mine, inhaling sharply. “I will always protect you, Pchelka.”
“You left, Luka. You promised you wouldn’t, and you did.” I press my hands flat against his chest, inside his jacket, so I can feel his heart beating. I need that connection to him, to feel his strength.
“I had to, Pchelka. Arman’s father needed to return to Russia, and Arman requested I accompany him in person to protect him. They are having… family issues… and while I could not have refused the order, I know I should have gone back to you before I left. I was…” He sighs. “A coward.”
“I can’t imagine you being afraid of anything.”
“I will always do anything to protect you, and in that moment I was trying to protect you from me. From what I had to do that night. I didn’t want to face you and explain it… or have this conversation.”
“Because you don’t think I can handle what you are?”
“Because I didn’t want to see the way you look at me change, and you shouldn’t have to handle any of this. I never wanted you to be exposed to it.” He captures my face between his hands. “I’m sorry, Pchelka. I returned to you as soon as I could.”
“I thought you weren’t coming back.”
Luka’s brows pull down, his face darkening. “Maxim assured me he spoke with you—”
“I didn’t believe him, Luka, and I didn’t want to call you in Russia and have you lie to me… it was hard enough being here without you.”
“Sleeping away from you was a nightmare every night, Pchelka, and I know you deserve more than me, but I’m greedy. I didn’t lie when I said I wanted you forever, and if you’ll have me, I will give you anything else.” He leans closer, his accent caressing his next words and my name. “You deserve the world, Avery.”
I fist my hands into his shirt. “When I have you, Luka, I have the world.”
The words barely make it out before his mouth crashes down over mine. His lips press hard against mine. As soon as I part my lips, his tongue sweeps in and overpowers me. The electricity zipping up and down my spine powers my soul again. My heart swells for him. I have never been so thoroughly wrapped up in one moment in my life.
“I fucking love you, Avery,” he announces when he breaks the kiss.
“I fucking love you too, Luka.”
He growls. “The swearing.”
