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"Talking to mybabushka."
She blinked, awareness slowly penetrating through her sleepy gaze. "I think that's a good first step. You miss her. I could tell that just in the short time I've known you."
Andrei's brow furrowed, and he peered down at our girl. "First step?Kroshka, it will be the only step. I will not speak with the man who kidnapped my girlfriend just to tell me he wants to speak with me." He growled, his words harsh. Cold. Unfeeling. This was not the Andrei that we knew and loved.
This was the Andrei who left Russia a broken man.
Lottie drew her bottom lip into her mouth as she slowly untangled herself from Andrei. Pain reflected in her gaze, and she kept her eyes dropped.
"Christ, Lottie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out so harshly." Andrei turned away from her and swung his feet off the bed. His head fell into his hands. He muttered something in Russian and rose to disappear into the bathroom.
"Fucking hell, Andrei." Kaleb sank into the opposite side of the bed and drew Lottie into his arms. "Please, baby girl. Don't give up on him. Seeing Viktor has brought back a lot of very painful memories for him. He's not thinking clearly right now."
Her shoulders shook with silent sobs, and it felt as if my heart was crumbling to pieces. I climbed up on the bed and embraced her from behind. Kaleb and I tried to give her the comfort that we could, but this was uncharted territory for us.
Before, we'd never gotten close enough to women to comfort them while they cried. We had superficial relationships. It fucking killed me, but we had never found the one that made us want more.
Now, we had found Lottie, and Andrei was going to fuck it up if he didn't get his head out of his ass.
CHAPTER 6
Andrei
Ileaned over the counter and splashed cold water over my face. What the fuck was wrong with me? Snapping at Lottie like that? That wasn't me.
Fucking hell, I don't know what came over me.
I couldn't let Viktor do this to me. I couldn't let my emotions overwhelm me. It wasn't worth it. Lottie had just come into our lives. I couldn't be the cause of her leaving. Not by pushing her away.
Shame swept through my body, bleeding through my pores, and I turned away from my reflection in disgust. I didn't deserve that beautiful, kind, trusting woman out there. I'd only cause her pain so far.
I may have fucked it up for myself, but I wouldn't let my actions reflect on Kaleb and Colby. They still deserved a chance with her.
My hand hovered on the doorknob as the sounds of her sobs reached my ears. I cracked open the door, allowing me to peer out and observe Lottie firmly secured in Kaleb and Colby's arms.
"Shh, baby girl. He didn't mean it." Kaleb brushed his fingers through her hair, soothing her with his voice and gentle touch.
"I'm sorry," Lottie murmured, the words muffled by the fabric of Kaleb's shirt.
I couldn’t stand here anymore. Despite the shame lingering in my veins, I needed Lottie to know how much I loved her.
Because despite only knowing her for such a short amount of time, I loved her with every ounce of my being.
Slowly, I stepped out of the bathroom and approached the bed.
Colby caught sight of me, and he nodded. Respect and admiration reflected in his eyes as he let me kneel before our girl.
“Kroshka,” I managed to croak out as I took her face between my hands.
“I’m sorry, Andrei.” Lottie sniffled as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
Fuck me, she was killing me.
I shook my head, the shame intensifying within me. “I’m the one that needs to apologize. You did nothing wrong,kroshka. Nothing.”
My thumbs swept over her cheeks, wiping away the tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but I shook my head again. "No, Charlotte. This was all on me. I apologize for snapping and the way I behaved." I let out a deep sigh and swallowed the emotions thickening my throat. "I need to tell you about my past, but I'm afraid you'll look at me differently. I was not a good person."
My voice was hoarse, the words drawn out from my very soul. I knew I needed to tell her the horrible things in my past, but I couldn't handle it if she looked at me differently.
