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“Whenever you’re ready.”
I suck in a deep breath. Ready? I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for what’s coming next, but there’s no point in putting it off.
Chapter 38
Mikhail
“You’ll find everything you need here,” Nicolai says as he shows us into the apartment. “My father owns the entire block. Your family will have free reign of this building. Should you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I shake his hand. “You’re a good man, Nicolai. I can’t thank you enough.”
“No thanks needed.” He glances in Aurora’s direction as she explores the living room area of the apartment. “I have little ones of my own,” he says quietly under his breath. “If you hadn’t spared me from Konstantin…”
“Wewilltake him down. Now that all the pieces are in place, we stand a better chance together.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I’ll let the two of you rest. We’ll reconvene once we have more information about Konstantin’s whereabouts.”
Aurora turns, her brows arching. “You mean you don’t know where he is?”
“My contacts within the police department say his body wasn’t found amongst the carnage.”
“Which means we assume he’s alive and gone into hiding,” I say. “We’re going to have to smoke him out, but that’s a problem for tomorrow,kisa.”
“Right, right,” she says tiredly.
With one final nod from Nicolai, he turns and leaves. My brothers and mother have their own private apartments just down the hall. The complex itself is run-of-the-mill, but at this point, I’m so weary I’d happily sleep in a cardboard box if it was offered to me.
I go to her, a moth to a flame. I gingerly take her hand and kiss her fingers, press a kiss to her palm, the inside of her wrist. “Tell me what you’re thinking, my love.”
She sighs. “I… want to take a bath.”
I chuckle lightly. “I can draw you one.”
“Join me?”
How could I possibly say no?
We enter the bathroom together. The room itself is small, but the bathtub is generously large, probably big enough for the two of us. I plug the drain and let the water run—piping hot—before giving Aurora all my attention.
I undress her with the utmost care, slowly allowing my hands to roam over her body. I help her out of her shirt first, lifting it over her head. When the tip of her nose pokes out beneath the hem, I give her a kiss. I move onto her pants next, gleefully grazing the small bump of her belly with the tips of my fingers. The fabric pools at her feet. Now all that’s left is her underwear.
She stops me from proceeding, instead choosing to guide me to the edge of the tub to take a seat. Aurora steps into my space, standing between my legs as she dips down to press a gentle kiss to my forehead. She undoes the buttons of my shirt one and a time, not at all deterred by the dirt and dried blood staining my chest and collar. Once my shirt is open, she helps me slip it off. I’m frankly grateful for the help; my muscles are too sore, my joints too stiff to do it on my own.
Her lips press into a thin line when she sees my body. Bruises mar every inch of my skin. Some are a light pink and hardly serious. Others are a deep, anguished purple, the skin too tender to touch.
“We should have asked Nicolai for some ice packs,” she says. “Or some ibuprofen.”
“I’ll be fine, my love.”
Her smile is tired, but very much real. The corners of her eyes crinkle as it grows wider. “Say that again.”
“My love,” I repeat slowly, reaching up to caress her cheek.
“Again.”
I reflect her smile, the warmth in my chest mixing with the warmth of the steam now filling the bathroom. “Hello, my love.”
“And how do you say that in Russian?”
