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Are the kids really mine? After all this time, I finally get them all to myself without the burden of having to deal with Ben?
It feels surreal. It feels too good to be true.
I sneak a glance at Ruslan as we drive back to the estate. He hasn’t said a word. But… all that back there—it has to mean he believes me now, right?
Somehow, I can’t bring myself to ask.
Because every time I feel like I’m on solid ground with Ruslan, something happens that reminds me that it’s all just shifting quicksand that’s just pretending to be concrete. It’s only real for a moment—then reality drags me further down.
The moment we get back to the house, I run upstairs to check on the kids. All three are tucked in their beds, sleeping peacefully. I back out of Josh’s room and collide with Ruslan. His hands shoot out and grab me, twisting me around to face him.
“You okay?”
He asks the question softly, like he truly cares about the answer.
I open my mouth but only a sob comes out. “Sorry,” I croak before I turn tail and run into my bedroom.
He follows me in there. The moonlight coming through the window casts everything in a fake-looking silvery glow. If this ends up being nothing but a very realistic dream, I’m gonna bepissedtomorrow.
But even when I blink, even when I pinch myself, it doesn’t go away.
It stays.
I stay.
Hestays.
I drop to a seat at the edge of my bed and try to breathe deeply. I need to trust what just happened. I saw Ben sign those papers with my own two eyes.
“Emma.”
I look up and Ruslan is standing in front of me. Before I can think of something to say, he’s kneeling down.
“I made a mistake, Emma,” he says gently. “I should never have believed that you were capable of betraying me. I should have trusted my instincts.”
I feel strangely numb.How long have I waited for him to say these exact words?
“Then why didn’t you?”
Those amber eyes are burning with intensity. “Because you always felt too good to be true. I was terrified from the beginning that I would lose you. I suppose, when Kirill came to me with the news that Remmy had gotten his hands on our contract, it was like a self-fulfilling prophecy coming to life. I was so scared of losing you that I told myself it was easier if I was the one who pushed you away first.” He clears his throat, eyes falling down for a moment. Then he drags them back up to meet mine. “I can’t change the past, Emma. All I can do now is make it up to you.”
My breath is pinned in my throat. “How do you plan on doing that?”
“By giving you my time and attention, to start with. By showing you with time and patience just how important you are to me. And, for right now, with an orgasm or five. For as long as you want it.”
My heart flutters and suddenly, I’m not numb anymore. In fact, there’s a whole lot going on right now and it’s emanating from my nether regions.
Focus, Emma. Don’t let your vagina think she’s in charge.
I meet his scorching gaze. “I don’t want this to be just sex anymore, Ruslan.”
He doesn’t flinch away from those words. “It’s so, so much more than that.” He takes my hand and pulls it to his lips. He kisses my knuckles gently and looks at me with a smile that makes my insides turn to putty. “Let me prove it.”
How can I say no to that?
33
EMMA
