Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
“I don’t have to get out yet,” I mumbled dreamily. “I can be ready in ten minutes.” I let myself sink a little lower in the tub until my lips were brushing the surface. “Maybe five bububub.”
Gennadiy smiled indulgently—he was smiling more, these days—and perched on the edge of the tub. “Five minutes might be pushing it. Not even you could get ready in five.”
That sounded like a challenge. “Wanna bet?”
He cocked his head. Are you kidding?
“Five minutes,” I insisted.
“And if you lose the bet?” he asked. He was trying to sound casual, but I could hear the lust in his voice.
“You get to tie me up,” I said immediately. And flushed.
“And if I lose the bet?”
I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I get to tie you up. And ride your face like a horse.”
Gennadiy threw back his head and laughed, then nodded. We grinned at each other. The rivalry was still there, and it bound us together even tighter.
Ten minutes later, I erupted out of the tub, sending Gennadiy ducking for cover. I whipped a towel over my body, pulled on a bra, and then rolled on my back on the bed, pulling hold-ups up my legs. I jumped up, grabbed a dress, and pulled it over my head while my feet felt their way into my heels. I leaned forward over the mirror, grabbed some lipstick, and carefully applied it, then brushed a touch of blusher on my cheeks. “Done,” I said breathlessly.
“Four minutes and fifty-eight seconds,” Gennadiy said doubtfully. “But it doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not wearing panties.”
“A choice,” I said breezily. “Not an oversight.”
His eyes locked on my groin, and he cursed under his breath. “You do this deliberately,” he growled. “You know I want you so much, I’ll let you get away with anything.”
I smirked and offered him my arm. He sighed good-naturedly, and we walked arm in arm to the door.
Every time I stepped out into the hallway and saw the line of polished wood doors and the long, scarlet carpet stretching the length of the east wing, I still had a wobbly second where I felt like I was in a movie. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to living like this. I still got flummoxed every time Melina, the maid, curtsied to me, and I still kept asking, unsuccessfully, if she wanted help making the beds. But…honestly? Throwing my clothes in a laundry basket and then finding them back in my closet, washed and pressed, and hanging on hangers? Kind of magical.
As we walked downstairs, Gennadiy was rubbing my ass through the thin fabric of my dress, delighting in my lack of underwear. I hope it’s a short meeting. Wearing dresses still felt new and strange. I still mostly wore jeans in public, but I was gradually building up my confidence and showing my legs more.
Downstairs, the Aristovs were gathering. We ran into Mikhail and his dogs first, and we spent a happy few minutes giving ear scratches and being batted by fluffy, excited tails. Then Valentin appeared. Like Gennadiy, he seemed a little lighter since the two of them had talked. I looked at the necklace he wore, the silver bird catching the light. Who was Ruslana? And was he ever going to be able to let go of her and heal that broken heart?
Bronwyn and Radimir arrived just as we were moving through to the dining room. I was still coming to terms with how Caroline had betrayed me, but just as I’d lost one friend, I’d made a new one. Bronwyn and I were getting to be close: both of us were new to all this, and she was helping me to navigate both the Bratva and the lifestyle that went with it. She’d made me an appointment with her personal stylist to help me dress the part but, just as importantly, we’d had some deep conversations over coffee at her bookstore. As Radimir and Gennadiy marched ahead, I pulled her aside. “How’d it go? Did you have the talk?”
Bronwyn nodded. “I told him I wasn’t ready, after the poisoning. I told him I’m just not sure it’s safe to bring a child into our world.”
“How’d he take it?” I asked.
She smiled. “He said, Krasavitsa, take all the time you need. I’ll wait forever.” Her smile became sad. “I just hope I can get past this. I want to make him happy.”
“You already do,” I told her firmly, and gave her a hug.
We took our seats in the dining room. Radimir was with Bronwyn at the head of the table, the king and queen. Gennadiy and I were at the far end, Mikhail on one side with his dogs, and Valentin on the other. I felt a big, warm swell of emotion. After years of searching, I’d finally found the family I’d always wanted.