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“You’re thinking about him.”
“Am not.”
“You can talk about him, you know?”
And that’s too much for me.
I jump to my feet and yank at the blanket. “You know better than to say anything like that to me. You of all people.”
“Hey,” she says, tumbling off the blanket. She rolls onto her knees, snatches hold of a corner and tugs it toward her. “Sheesh. Okay, okay, relax.”
I keep pulling. This tug of war over a ratty old blanket is ridiculous but the band around my chest cinches tighter and tighter. I should abandon the dumb blanket.
I drop it, ready to turn away, when Crina grabs my hand and attempts to drag me down. I stand stock-still, resisting her. My heart is pounding its way out of my chest. My throat feels scratchy and the muscles at my temples pulse like a ticking time bomb.
On her knees, she looks up at me with pleading eyes, and says, “I’m sorry, okay? Stay.”
I scowl and growl under my breath. She tightens her grasp on my hand, petting the top gently. Her touch soothes me. It always has, and knowing this, she’s taking advantage of the effect she has on me and keeps up her caresses.
And she keeps talking. “Come on, Marku, come down here. Stop being such an ass. You know I can’t stop running my mouth. I don’t mean anything by it. And I was upset. She upset me—”
“Who?” I knew the answer before I asked the question, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Mama.”
This isn’t the first time Crina has met me since our fallout, and every time has been in retaliation to her mother. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s Crina’s way of taking back control. Of course, it hadn’t occurred to me that she’d never forgive me for the locker room incident. Even if it had, it wouldn’t have stopped me from meeting her. From making her choke on my cock. From touching her pussy and sucking her juices into my mouth.
Speaking of juices…she’s evaded me for over a year and I’m determined to taste her today.
Now.
Except, I can’t help but want to soothe her, so I ask, “What happened?”
She gives an irritated little shrug. “What always happens. She overreacts and then she refuses to apologize or even admit that she’s wrong. Obviously, this is about the wedding. She keeps insisting it’s for the best, but that’s a bald-faced lie, and it infuriates me the more she doubles down. I’m sure there was another option, but she wanted to marry me off and took the first opportunity that fell into her lap. It’s no secret she’s wanted us to get married our entire lives, and with our falling out, she thought she’d lost her chance. Until now.” Her face draws tight with anger.
She makes a derisive noise in the back of her throat and then sniffs. “And Tata is the biggest disappointment. He’s always had my back. Until it matters. But he’s parroting her 100 percent. And I can’t do anything to upset him. His seizures are getting worse and I don’t want to be the reason the next one kills him.”
She fists her hand and brings it to her pinched mouth, stifling a cry. That sound brings me to my knees. Literally. I drop the blanket and sink down beside her. “Oh, baby. Hasn’t it occurred to you that they might be right?”
Her head snaps up, suspicion clouding her eyes. “Why would you say that? What did they tell you?”
I take her hand in mine, savoring the feel of it, savoring the fact that she’s innocently left it there instead of brusquely shoving me away. It’s a rare moment, these days, when Crina allows me to touch her outside of the non-con games we play. “Not a thing. I didn’t ask questions.”
She tosses her head. “Why the hell not?”
Why would I?
A part of me has wanted Crina my entire life. The chance of a lifetime fell in my lap, and an undeserved one at that. I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. And when they told me that it was for her security, that if it wasn’t me, it would be someone else, anyone else at this point—well, let’s just say I didn’t need to hear more.
I may have fucked up our relationship. I may have tried to set her free. But the instant Cristo told me she was in danger, the protective feelings I’d stifled for years came roaring to the forefront. There was no way I’d let anyone take my rightful place. Now she’s mine to protect. If I screw this up, I’ll never forgive myself… I haven’t forgiven myself about a lot of things. If I mess up with her, I won’t be able to go on. I’ll have to end it, right then and there.
“I don’t know anything other than that Cristo was on board with this, along with yoursef. There’s no way they’d be so quick to agree to a rush marriage unless it was serious.”
Her eyes sharpen. “What do you know exactly?”
“Cristo called me in the day before yesterday. Alex and your father were there. Cristo explained the course of action and that was it.”
He told me it had to do with the Bratva but refused to get into the details for now. He did make it clear that things were in flux and I wasn’t to speak about this to anyone.
