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“You need to beat your aunt to the punch. She wants to tell your mother, so you need to tell your mother before she does. Then she has no power over you. She has nothing to use, nothing that can give her any bit of leverage. I understand the situation is sensitive, but this is the way to take the power your aunt thinks she has away.”
“God, I need a drink,” I mutter as I run my hand over my face exasperatedly.
Lom rises from the couch and goes over to his bar, and I watch very closely as he grabs a bottle of bourbon, a mixer, a lemon, simple syrup, and a jar of cherries. If I’m not mistaken, he might be making me a whiskey sour right now.
Sure enough, as he continues making the drink, I know exactly what it is. He pours it out for me and then walks it over, handing me my drink. I lick my lips before I take a sip of the liquid, and I can hardly believe how delicious this is. I end up letting out a pent-up breath as I finish my second sip and place the drink on the coffee table in front of me.
Lom’s already back at the bar making his own drink, but I rise from the couch and walk over to him. I slide my hands around his waist and press my forehead against his back. I needsomething from him so badly now, anything to take away my frustration. I need a stress reliever, really.
Lom turns around slowly, and I don’t allow him to wriggle my grip away. I want to feel his body against mine. I want to feel every bit of pleasure this man can give me, and I need it more than I need air.
“Lom.” The tone of my voice tells him exactly what I need, and he scoops me up into his arms, carrying me through the suite until we’re in his bedroom. Lom tosses me on the bed so hard I start laughing, and then he pounces on me like he’s a bobcat.
“Hearing you laugh is something I always wish for,” he murmurs against my neck, then presses chaste kisses from my neck down to the center of my chest. I inhale slowly, anxiously awaiting what he’s about to do next.
Lom skirts his fingertips under my top, and together we rid me of my shirt, then his hands go behind my back to unclasp my bra. My tits are out in the open, and Lom brings his mouth over one of my nipples. I release a pent-up breath and arch my hips as he swirls his tongue around my hardening nub.
“Mmm, Lom, I can’t handle the teasing right now. I need you, please.” He looks up at me with hunger-filled eyes, and we both begin taking off my pants and then my thong underneath them. I’m quick with Lom’s dress shirt, practically becoming a professional by unbuttoning it swiftly.
“I plan on taking as much time as I need with you, my sweet girl. You’re worth every bit of my attention, and you’ve had a very, very hard day.” Lom’s attentiveness is one of the many things I love about him. He’s a total catch, and the more time I spend with him, the more I’m unsure if I could ever let him go.
I don’t think I can, and I don’t want to ever have to.
Chapter Eight
Lom
We’re finally in Grozny for Amelia and Ruslan’s upcoming nuptials. The trip here took longer than expected. There was an issue with the jet, so we were forced to stop in Lisbon, Portugal. Because of this unexpected issue, it took us twice as long to actually arrive in Grozny, and I’m more than exhausted due to the length of the trip. They told me that the issue on the jet was a small mechanical one, and it would be fixed within a couple of hours. Now, I don’t know about most people… but if you have the ability to fly on a private jet in the first place, it usually means you have a good amount of money.
If my family hadn’t been through such a tedious and difficult time here recently, I would’ve likely waited for the jet to be repaired, and then we would’ve taken off. However, things haven’t gone very well for my family. We’ve had people betray us, lies come up from the cracks, and allies make us aware of truths we never even knew in the first place. With all of that considered, I felt it was best to have my brother’s jet come pick us up in Lisbon, but of course, his plane had to be going through some sort of renovation. So we were forced to wait an extra eight hours for another jet to arrive. Once it did, we were more than ready to get back in the air and finally arrive in Grozny safely.
I’ve learned over the past few months how I shouldn’t be too trusting, and it’s something I don’t want to be. Being too trusting gets you in sticky situations. When I think about Ruslan and how Artos betrayed him, it boils my blood. He trusted Artos to be a good man, a trusted ally, and instead, he went against my family, but more importantly, my brother. Since things have gone down with my stepfather, I’ve had the cruel reality of seeing things in a much different light. I wasn’t the type of man who held ontoeveryone’s word before, but I’ve turned into a man where people have to prove their trust to me. If they can’t prove that they can be trustworthy, then I don’t trust them. Not one bit.
I drive Emily and me from the private airport to Ruslan and Amelia’s new condo. My brother and Amelia know I’m coming today, but Emily wanted to surprise her cousin. Amelia knew that Emily had landed a new job in Atlanta, and she wasn’t sure if her boss was going to give her time off for the wedding. Emily and I both knew she’d never miss Amelia’s big day, but I don’t think she extended the same news to Amelia. In fact, I think Emily’s trying to surprise her cousin. Not only is she going to be here for the wedding, but she’s here a few days early so she can spend some time with her.
Emily and I make it to the condominium complex where Ruslan and Amelia live with baby Karim, and I park our vehicle. Once we’re parked, the two of us get out of the car and head for the elevators. The ride up to their floor is seamless, and when we get to the top, we’re let out at a small foyer sort of area. There isn’t much here, but the space is about ten feet by ten feet, and their doorway is centered in the middle of it. I head up to their door and fish out the key Ruslan gave me from my pocket. Once I unlock it, we both head inside, and Emily’s smiling from ear to ear.
I know how excited she’s been to see Amelia again, and I’m tickled to death that she’s so excited. I love seeing Emily happy. It gives me a sense of pride that warms my chest, especially when I have a direct hand in her happiness.
We head inside down one of the hallways, and I find my brother. He turns around, and a smile immediately spreads across his lips, but the moment his eyes land on Emily, he cocks his brows.
“Don’t tell Amelia. I want this to be a surprise,” Emily tells Ruslan as she comes over and scoops his son out of Ruslan’sarms. The bottle warmer dings, and she fetches the bottle like she knows exactly what she’s doing and proceeds to feed Karim. “Gosh, you’ve gotten so big in these short few weeks, little one,” she tells him, and I’m caught staring at Emily ever so intently. She looks good with a baby, and she knows exactly what she needs to be doing too.
“Are you all right with Karim?” Ruslan asks Emily, and she almost looks annoyed at my brother’s question.
“Obviously, go do whatever you two need to.” She waves us off and walks into the living room with Karim. Meanwhile, Ruslan’s taking me into his office.
Ruslan and I both take a seat once we’re inside, and I lean back against the leather couch. “How are things in Atlanta?”
“They’re going great. I actually wanted to speak to you about coming back home. Atlanta’s nice, but I’m growing bored of the view.” I swallow hard as I tell my brother because I’m not sure what his reaction is going to be.
“Bored of the view or bored of Emily?” Ruslan’s question is something out of the blue, something I really never expected from him. I debate what the hell I should say to that, but what am I supposed to say? Fuck. What he said is pissing me off, though. I know he thinks I’m a man whore, but I actually give a flying fuck about Emily.
“Emily is of no concern to you,” I finally tell him, or rather, I hiss at him. I even glare at my brother. A silent warning that I’m not playing around. “I want to come back to Grozny because it’s where I belong. Our business with the Steele family has gone on without a hitch, and it’s time for me to come back, brother. It’s been longer than we needed, actually.”
“Noted about Emily,” Ruslan can’t hide the shit-eating grin pulling at his lips. “In another retrospect, I think it’s about time you come home as well. Everything with the Steele family has been flawless, and I don’t expect there to be any hiccups comingup soon. If there ever is, we can make a personal trip out to Atlanta to rectify the situation.”
I nod, happy with my brother’s decision. “Perfect. When do you want me back in Grozny permanently?”
