AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“At that time, no. But after I’d earned my life back from the mob, I did. Instead of putting this old life behind me and finding a job at some supermarket or going to college, I made a life for my sister and me. One of incredible wealth. One that would set us up financially for life. And yet, here I am. Running like a dog. What good is all my money now? I’d give every cent of it to be free again.”
“Freedom...” I mumbled. “What I would give for that as well...”
He held his soda and shook his head, looking at me in deep sadness.
“What a pair we make,” he said.
I grinned at him and felt a knot in my chest. Andrei and me. It truly wasn’t a love story out of a fairy tale. But up until I met him, I used to think it was impossible that any man could make me feel anything again. Marcello had worked hard at that. And now here I was. On the run with an assassin and happier than I’d been in years. Maybe Marcello was right and I was worthless and crazy. But then, what did it matter?
I spread more butter on another slice of bread, thinking.
“Besides your sister, is there anybody else special in your life?”
He shook his head and took a sip of soda. “There never was room for that in my life. I am not the sort of man who deserves to be loved.”
My eyes darted to his face. “Everybody deserves to be loved.”
“Not a monster like me.” His voice got softer as he looked out the window. It hurt to see him this way.
“You know...” I said, staring at the hard bread in my hand. “After Marcello, I wondered if I could ever feel anything ever again. Sometimes I even thought it was all my fault or that I deserved the way he treated me. But ever since I met you, it’s like—”
My voice broke off as I avoided his gaze. I took in a deep breath to steady myself. “It’s like I can feel something again. I don’t know much about your past, but for what it’s worth, I really don’t care.”
Finally, I dared to look at him. His eyes were fixated on me like that of a predator watching its prey.
“I don’t care about your past, Andrei. You saved me when nobody else would even dare come near me. If you meant what you said earlier, that I am now yours, then I’ll gladly accept that with all my broken heart.”
With shaking hands, I smiled at him. I hadn't done that before, not as an adult anyway. Telling a man how I wanted to be only his no matter what. How the very thought of him made me hot. How I wasn’t able to picture my life without him any longer. Yeah, I hadn’t done that before, and it was as beautiful as it was scary.
He watched me, in silence. I set the rest of the bread down and stared at the wall of the cabin.
Suddenly, he gently put his hand under my chin and turned my face to look at him.
“I did mean it,” he said in a manly tone that sounded possessive and strong. “You are mine now, Elise.”
God damn, this man was hot. I loved this! Every bit of it!
He let go and focused on his sandwich again.
“What about you?” he asked. “Is there nobody else in your life? What about your parents?”
“My mom passed away, and I haven’t talked to my dad in a long time. My parents were very religious. They objected to my marriage to Marcello because he wasn’t Mormon. When I married him anyway, they cut me off. I thought they would come around, but they didn’t.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It's okay,” I said, tracing my fingers along the table as if I were drawing an imaginary object. “It is what it is. Life. You know how it can be. I’m fine.”
But I was not fine. It was horrible when I received the news from old friends that my mom had passed away. My father didn’t even call me to tell me himself. Needless to say, I wasn't invited to the funeral.
It hurt like hell to be treated like trash by the people who swore to love you the most.
I shook my head and my hair fell back over my shoulders. I didn’t like to talk about her. It always reminded me of how much I missed my parents no matter what.
Andrei extended his hand across the table and covered my hand with it.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “It’s been five years... but sometimes it still feels like yesterday. I love life, but life hates me, I guess.”
