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“I don’t feel safe here,” I finally say. “I don’t feel safe around you.”
“After all I’ve done for you?” Andrei moves toward me, and I stumble backward to get away from him.
I lift my hands quickly in front of my face, as if that gesture could keep him away. Andrei stops in front of me, his breathing heavy as he resists his violent nature. I lower my hands, and his concerned expression seems sincere, but the faith I had in him is waning.
“Forme?” My head shakes back and forth as I fight to repress the shudder threatening to overwhelm me. “You meantome.”
“Paige.” Andrei’s hands find their way to my shoulder, and I let out a gasp at his touch. “I didn’t shoot Kenney.”
“You might not have pulled the trigger,” I reply. “But you’re the reason why he’s dead.”
“You know as well as I do that Kenney is responsible for his own death.” Andrei lets me go, and I stand there, unsure if I should move. “He got involved with people he thought he could control. No one controls the Bratva without knowing our rules.”
He’s right. I recall my phone conversation with Kenney as he bragged about Talia.“I’ve got her under my control.”
He’s always been right.
But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Teetering on my low heels, I don’t know what to do. Andrei watches me closely, waiting for my decision. Maybe I can believe him, and maybe he didn’t pull the trigger. But I refuse to accept that he’s faultless.
I saw the SUV driving on my tail. It was a setup, and it could have easily ended differently for me and my baby.
No matter what he says, he’s put a target on my back.
I go back into the closet and grab another handful of clothes. But this time, Andrei grabs them out of my hands and throws them on the floor. He breathes heavily like a gray wolf, ready to pounce, and his gaze falls to the pile at our feet. Andrei sways as he stares at it, and then slowly, he lifts his eyes until he’s staring at me.
The darkness in his gaze is overwhelming, and I see his demons peeking out. It’s drawing me in so fast that I can’t pull back. I hurry to take a step back, shocked by what I see.
I can’t control it. I can’t control him.
But I’ve also never seen Andrei look desperate before.
“Paige, I won’t stop you, but please listen to me,” his voice tight with emotion. “If you leave, I can’t protect you. That thought will drive me mad. When I say you mean everything to me, those aren’t empty words. I’m not trying to romance you or please you or buy you. This marriage is real. Forget that I’m a pakhan. I’m begging you as your husband. Please,” he says. “Stay with me.”
My tears taste salty on my lips as I slowly sink down on the bed. I feel like a fool sitting among lumpy piles of my clothes, but I don’t feel foolish when Andrei sits beside me. My gaze meets his, and the terrifying desperation is gone. In its place is something new: hope.
And suddenly I’m ashamed to realize that Icanhurt him with my actions.
He’s right. He’s my husband. Not just a pakhan.
“We’re in it until the end, aren’t we?” I whisper. “There’s no other choice.”
“Until the seas dry and the sky falls,” he speaks softly. “Please be patient with me, and I promise we’ll survive this together.”
I wrap my arms around myself again. “You can’t make that promise. You can’t tell me that you know you’ll live.”
“I’ll live because I know you want me to.” His lips gently touch my cheek. “I’ll do it to please you.”
With his powerful arms, Andrei grabs me around the waist and pulls me close to his chest, holding me tightly against him. His mouth clamps down on mine, and his kiss reassures me as it lures me back in. With all my might, my mind tries to resist. But it’s impossible for my heart to turn him away. That kiss says he needs me.
Gradually, I become aware of the gentle pressure of his hand against my belly and of the tiny heartbeats that throb underneath my skin. His kisses are fierce, bruising my lips until they swell.
For an electric moment, I remember Andrei from the first day we met—his confident gaze on a handsome face, his tall figure in a perfectly fitted tuxedo, and his seductive offer for me to slip away with him.
My hands uncurl and I start to breathe faster. The apprehension loses hold of my thoughts, and in its place are all his strength and his passion. The desire from that first day comes back. And I cling to him for dear life.
“So you’ll stay,” he whispers.
