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She threw back her head and bit her lip hard to keep from screaming again, and I marveled at her once again as I came inside her. My beautiful Sunshine.
We slowed down, and I eased her back onto the loveseat as I gave her everything I had, never wanting to leave her body. Forbidden words were on my lips, but I choked them back. She didn’t want to hear them, and I couldn’t handle another bout of her regret.
I kissed her forehead, nose, lips, and chin, then pulled back to find her smiling, sated and sleepy. There was time to savor her, but only a few minutes more. Safety was my top priority.
I rolled off and found my jeans, watching her as I dressed. Giving her another quick kiss, I ran upstairs and found her pajamas and robe and brought them down to her. She lay where I left her with her head tilted to the side, almost completely out.
“Sorry,” I said. “But we have to go.”
With a groan and a dirty look, she sat up, pulled her pajamas on, and then frowned. “I don’t want to go out in these.”
“It’s just to my sister’s, and they’re not even home.”
I’d send her a message as soon as I got a few spare minutes, and I was certain she’d cut her trip to Moscow short so we could put our heads together to end this nightmare once and for all.
She gave me a mock pout, spoiled by the smile that burst through. This was so much better than hearing about what a mistake we had just made. “I’m not supposed to have any stress,” she reminded me.
“Too late. Much too late,” I told Samantha, scooping her up and carrying her out to the waiting car.
Chapter 24 - Samantha
Still glowing from Leo’s expert touch, I let him carry me to the car. I expected to get panicky again when he said we had to leave, but one place was as good as another. I had enjoyed the secluded mansion, but it wasn’t my home and would never be my home. It would have been silly to get attached to a house of all things.
With Burya snoring in the backseat and the long road sprawling out ahead of us, I soon fell asleep in the car. I didn’t wake up until we arrived at Leo’s twin sister’s house in Miami. I was still half out when Leo gathered me up and carried me in, grateful they were out of town, or I would have used my own two feet.
I didn’t think I’d be impressed after what we’d just come from, but Evelina and Mikhail’s mansion was just as lavish. Maybe even more so, with a wide, sweeping staircase like something out of an old movie being the first thing I saw when Leo carried me through the front door and snapped on a light.
A huge chandelier twinkled from high above, making the curving, white marble banister gleam. It was far more classically decorated than the tropical flair of Reina and Ivan’s vacation home, all black and white, shiny marble, and glossy dark wood.
Up the stairs and down a thickly carpeted hallway, Leo pushed open a door and brought me into a beautiful guest room with an elegant cream bedspread and oil paintings of ballet dancers in ebony frames on the walls. A nightgown was laid out on the bed as if waiting for me to arrive, and I squirmed until Leo put me down.
“You said no one was here,” I accused, looking down at my pajama shorts and top rumpled from the drive. “How can I meet your sister looking like such a ragamuffin?”
He raised an eyebrow. “So, you want to impress my sister?”
“I don’t want to offend her,” I returned with a scowl, embarrassed to be caught worrying about what his family might think of me.
“I called her from the car while you were snoring along with Burya. She must have told the housekeeper to get the room set up. I’m sure there’s everything you need in the bathroom, too.”
I smothered a yawn as he pulled me toward the bathroom. “Shower or bath?” he asked. “You’ll sleep better if you wash away this crappy day.”
I eyed the big, clawfoot tub with interest but was losing steam fast and opted for the shower. There were three shower heads, and he turned them all on full blast and then set to unbuttoning my top like I was a toddler. And I let him, so exhausted I was swaying on my feet.
Once I was undressed, the way he eyed me gave me a fresh burst of energy. “You can join me,” I said, stepping under the stinging spray and beckoning at him. “Soap up my back?”
He looked like he had a mild internal battle but finally shook his head and resolutely turned around. “You’re practically dead on your feet. Get clean, and then I’ll tuck you in.”
I tried to argue, but another huge yawn cut it off. “Fine,” I agreed.
The French milled soap smelled divine, and the water felt great, but I really was falling asleep where I stood. I sudsed up quickly, and Leo was waiting to wrap me in a thick towel when I stepped out. He hurried out to grab the nightgown and helped me pull it over my head.
I should have felt ridiculous, but I needed some tender loving care after everything. It was hard to believe the hospital visit was just that morning. After he pulled back the covers, I got in bed, and he pulled them back up to my chin.
“Is your shoulder okay?” I asked, half because I felt guilty he was showering me with attention when he’d been shot just a few hours ago and half because I didn’t want him to leave. I tried to sit up. “Let me look at it.”
He pressed me back into the fluffy pillows. “It’s fine. It’s not even bad enough to waste a bandaid on. Go to sleep.” He softened his stern tone with a kiss on the forehead.
Having him near made it easy to close my eyes, and I expected sleep to claim me as soon as he turned out the light and closed the door behind him. But as soon as he was gone, I was wide awake, my mind going a mile a minute.
