AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Katya
Ittakesmeafew minutes after Lachlan leaves the room to realize I can drop the blanket again. My heart was pounding, and I felt every thumping beat when his fingers fondled my nipples. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. I found it incredibly sexy thatmy husbandis the first to touch me there, and it excited me.
Lachlan’s reaction, however, confused me. He said at the church, our kiss was his first. My brain is wrapping around everything, and it’s hard to keep it all straight. Lachlan O’Rourke isn’t who I expected him to be.
He’s…gentle. And thoughtful. To me, anyway.
I close the bedroom door he left open. The room is very basic, a rustic yet elegant design with a simple double bed and a crisp-white down comforter. The blue and cream quilt with matching pillow shams look untouched.
An open door across from the bed leads to a bathroom. In there, I get a gander at myself in the mirror. Nadia’s attempt to cover my bruises failed miserably. Most of the eye shadow and foundation are gone. I look like a boxer after several rounds with a heavy-weight.
If anyone doesn’t care what my face looks like, I bet it’s Lachlan with that gigantic scar across his cheek. Now that we’re married, I can ask him how he got it. All kinds of crazy rumors float around Astoria. From a knife fight with ten men, to stupid theories like one of his brothers did it when they were kids.
I won’t ask him tonight, though.
I run the hot water and wipe the blood splatter from my skin with a warm washcloth, as Lachlan told me to do. Finally, I remove what’s left of the pathetic makeup job. Bruises always look worse a day later. I’m not surprised by the purple blemish across my right eye, and the blue and yellow splotch staining my cheek. My upper lip is just one big scab. These bruises, poorly hidden under makeup, ignited Lachlan’s kill switch and set this day in motion. How will he react to seeing them fully exposed?
Releasing the matronly bun that held my veil, I brush out all the disgusting hairspray and drape my hair across my shoulders. Because of that bun, and the veil being so thick, there’s no blood in my hair, thankfully.
Nadia had packed a tote with clothes for me to change into for the plane ride. From that bag, I remove and put on my velour tracksuit. I skip the bra and pull a tank top over my head. My knuckles hitting my lip remind me of what I look like on the outside.
When I open the bedroom door, the smell of something cooking on the stove grabs me and my mouth waters. I turn the corner and, in the kitchen, Lachlan sets up plates with food. Looking up at me, his face tightens, but he doesn’t mention my bruises.
He’s removed the blood-covered suit jacket and moves about the kitchen in an unbuttoned white dress shirt. It dangles in front of his trousers, both speckled with Rahil’s crimson sins.
“Grilled cheese?” he says, ignoring my face. “I don’t know how to cook much else. I don’t really care about food. It’s fuel, and I eat whatever, wherever. I work nights and usually end up in the diner at some point to just fill my stomach.”
I remember seeing him there a few weeks ago and how it made me feel. Now here I am, married to a man who seemed so far away at one time.
Climbing up on a stool, I say, “That’s okay. I know how to cook. Yulia,” I choke back a sob. “Papa’s housekeeper, who was kind to me for so many years, taught me to cook and bake.”
He pushes the plate toward me. “Give me a list of what you want, and I’ll have it added to my grocery list.”
“I can’t shop for us?” I exhale and wait for the sandwich to cool down.
“Not alone.”
“Papa said I only needed a driver because no one wanted to hurt me.”
Lachlan snorts. “Either your father is stupid, or…”
“Or I am?” I fold my arms. “You can say it.”
“Naïve. Not stupid. There’s a big difference.” He studies me, his eyes gently creeping across my face.
“I guess it was naïve of me to think I could stop myself from being taken to Russia.”
“Your father obviously kept you sheltered. I don’t think less of you, having to be rescued.”
“You could have started a war.”
“An all-out war between your father’s Bratva and my family benefits no one. My father, Isabella’s late father, and your father forged a workable truce years ago. The real enemies are people who steal and try to hurt us. We all have them. That’s my job. To enforce the rules of doing business with the O’Rourkes.”
“You sound much saner and more put together than Maksim. The guy foams at the mouth half the time when he talks.”
“Because he’s a fucking tool.” Lachlan lifts his sandwich to take a bite but stops to stare at me. “Sorry.”
I shake my head. “Don’t censor yourself around me.”
