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She’s wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt but I can still see the bandages under her cuffs. Not to mention the scrapes and bruises on her face. My instant reaction is rage. Someone is gonna fucking die for this.
I look him right in the eye, my voice low and menacing. “Those are my kids up there. Those are my kids you’re after.”
Kirill turns to me with an expression that seems to read, Why the fuck are you putting me in the middle?
“Some friendly advice? Go to him. It’s easier that way.” “Pussy.” Kirill rears back with a hand over his heart. “My goodness! The lady has the mouth of a sailor.”
Work’s piling up as we speak.” “You know, Emma has experience with—” “Get out.” Giggling like a schoolgirl, he walks the resumes out of my office. I hadn’t counted on Kirill doing a full one-eighty on me. He is the one person who always has my back. I have no doubt he still does—in the important ways, at least—but I can sense that he’s questioning my choices.
Success breeds envy and envy breeds action. You should know that better than anyone.”
“You can talk to me.” “So you can go give Ruslan a full report? C’mon. I’m not stupid, Kirill.” “You two belong together,” he mumbles. “You’re as paranoid as he is.”
“H-he made me sign an NDA. I believe the words ‘silence on pain of death’ were also used.”
Breathe, motherfucker, I coach myself. She needs your patience now. As hard-to-find as that may be.
“For fuck’s sake, Emma: you are the best mother I have ever seen. You have everything stacked against you but you make those kids think the world was made for them and them alone. You struggle so they don’t and you’d jump off a bridge before you let them see you quit or show fear. You give them so much love, so much hope, so much reason to believe that the future holds nothing but happiness for them.”
“It bothered me for a split second yesterday, when you called me your whore.” She palms my cock and starts rubbing slowly. “But I realized today: you can call me anything you want—as long as you also call me yours.”
“Taking on the responsibility of a family is what has made me proud. You are never so focused as when you have something to protect. Trust me, son: there is no greater reward, no greater blessing than creating a family.”
Kirill gives me a satisfied nod. “‘After what he did to Emma,’ huh? That’s the cardinal sin? You know, that’s something she might like to hear.” I take a deep breath. “After everything I said to her, after how I’ve treated her, it will take a lot more than that to fix things between us.” I crack my knuckles and sigh. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes.” Kirill smiles with palpable relief. “Fucking finally.”
“I knew exactly what you would be to me from the moment I heard that accidental voicemail you left me.” I’m so lost in desire that I don’t even blush. “I heard your hungry moans, your desperate little gasps, and I knew from that moment on exactly what you were.” “Ahh… W-what… what was I?” “Mine,” he growls. “All. Fucking. Mine.”
“I’m happy to tease you, Emma.” His tone is so serious that I have no choice but to pay attention. “I’m happy for you to be my whore and my slut in bed. But that’s where it ends.” Goosebumps erupt over my skin. Where is this going? “Outside of this bed, outside of my cock in your cunt, you are my woman. My queen. And I’m going to take care of you as such. I’m going to spoil you and I’m going to protect you. That goes for the kids, too. You, them—you all belong to me now, Emma Carson. And if you ever leave, I will just drag you back here. I will drag you back into my house and my bed because
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“You are mine,” he says again, hands hard on my hips. “You’re not going anywhere. And neither am I.”
I am completely, madly, desperately in love with Ruslan Oryolov and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
“I wasn’t as confident when I was younger. I certainly wasn’t charismatic. And I never had a reason to be protective.” “I don’t believe you. But even if I did, I’d say it sounds like you became the person you admired most. That’s beautiful, you know. He’s still alive in you. You’re a memorial to him.”
There’s a time for kissing the woman you love and there’s a time for gutting any motherfucker who thinks he can take her away from you. This is the latter.
“I want to be able to help you carry all this weight you’re toting around. You don’t have to do anything on your own anymore. We’re a team, Ruslan. We’re in this together. I want you to know that I’ve always got your back.”
Shit goes boom. The world shakes. No points will be awarded for subtlety today.
“Please come out. Mama’s tired.” “And terrifying.” “What was that?” I snap. “I said you look so beautiful right now.”
