Til Death Do Us Part (Kornilov Bratva Duet #2) - Nicole Fox Page 0,34
myself against his muscular chest. I want Viktor to smooth his large hands down my spine to help me fall asleep, and I want him to press himself inside of me to wake me up.
Knowing what I know about him, I still want him with me. Now and later. Always.
The thought splits something open inside my chest, and I gasp. Viktor takes the sound as a sign of my pleasure and thrusts into me with more urgency. Our bodies slap together, rattling the table, until I’m clawing at him with my hands and pulling him closer with my legs. I roll my body against him with every connection, losing control with every passing second, and Viktor buries his face in my neck. His warm breath washes over my skin, coming faster and faster until he moans with release.
I fall with him.
We cling to one another as the waves of pleasure ebb and then flow away. As our hearts slow and return to normal. As the fog in my mind dissipates, leaving me with a clear picture once again.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper, pushing gently on his chest and untangling my legs from him.
Viktor frowns. “It’s already done. Twice for you.”
I slide off the table, and my jelly legs prove his point. I pull on my panties and my jeans and then gesture between our bodies quickly. “We’ve always been able to do that, but I mean … the other parts of it. You say I’m safe with you, but I don’t feel safe.”
It’s a lie, but it feels like a necessary one.
Viktor’s eyes widen in shock from the blow, but he rearranges his face into a neutral mask as quickly as possible.
“Too much has happened, and I have to focus on Theo and the baby. I can’t spend all of my energy worrying about you and what’s going to happen next.”
“Then don’t,” he snaps. “Don’t worry about me and what happens next. Let me take care of you now.”
“I can’t depend on you.” My voice is higher than I expected, and I clear my throat and lower my voice. “Your life is dangerous, and if I depend on you, I’ll be lost when you are gone. So, I can’t.”
Viktor’s hands clench, his knuckles going white. He winces and glances down at the bandage I put on his arm in the car, and then pulls on his clothes angrily. I’m not sure where we go from here. I’m not sure what decision we’ve just come to. Just as I’m about to ask, Viktor runs a hand through his hair to smooth it down and turns to me.
“Stay with me until this is over,” he says softly. “Until Fedor isn’t a threat anymore. Then, do whatever you want.” He pauses for a long time, like he wants to speak but can’t find the words. When he does, his voice is so quiet I can barely hear it. “Leave if you want. Take Theo and the baby and go. I won’t stop you.”
I blink at him, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth.
Leave?
I must have spoken out loud because Viktor nods. “If that’s what you want.”
“What about what you want?” I ask. For weeks, I’ve just wanted permission to leave. I wanted Viktor to tell me I was free to go. Now that he has, the victory tastes bitter in my mouth. If I go, who will be here with Viktor?
He shrugs. “All I want is to take care of my family.”
I want to ask whether he is talking about me or the Bratva, but I’m not sure I want to know.
Viktor glances up at me one more time. Just a quick flick of his eyes over my face. And then he turns and leaves.
Hannah has been quiet all afternoon and evening. While we were playing with Theo, she’d talk to him, but she barely looked at me. I wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but again, I was afraid of the truth. The same way I am with Viktor. It feels easier to not know how she feels.
By the time we are halfway through a mostly silent dinner, however, Hannah is fidgeting with her glass of wine. Finally, she folds her hands in her lap and looks up at me.
“What happened today?”
I blink, trying to decide if it’s possible I could play dumb. Pretend I have no idea what she is talking about. “What?”