Series: Series by Ker Dukey
Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Everything she does is so second nature to her. Alyona is a far cry from the woman who left us so long ago. She’s a mom, and apparently, a good one. A pang of pride shoots through me, much to my irritation.
“Is Roza a nickname for anything?” I ask, my eyes watching the sweet girl finish her weird looking cookie that appears to melt as soon as it gets wet. It wasn’t lost on me when I saw her name written above her crib that it’s a combination of Rodion’s and my name.
“I wanted her to carry a piece of her daddies with her always,” Alyona replies, sipping a mug of coffee, eyes twinkling wistfully.
I suppress the sharp retort that rises on my tongue, aware that my frustration over her decision to keep Roza from us will only lead us in endless circles.
“I need you to make me a promise, Alyona,” I say firmly, making a conscious effort to stop staring at her bare legs and hard nipples poking through the thin fabric or her shirt that she put on when giving me mine back. Now I have her scent all over me and it’s intoxicating. Incredibly distracting.
“What?” She puts her mug down and faces me fully.
“You can never disappear again. Especially now that we have her.” There’s a fear building in my gut, low and unsettling. I can’t fucking lose them. I need to get them somewhere safe and take out the people here to spy before they report back to Yuri.
My mind races with all the things I must do.
“Alyona,” I growl, when she doesn’t answer me. I rise to my feet and close the distance between us. I take her chin between my forefinger and thumb, tilting her head up to meet mine. The turmoil in her eyes matches the intensity in my own. “Promise me.”
I need to trust her. I need her to convince me, or I might just find a remote island, fly us all there, and keep her as a fucking prisoner.
Rodion would love to do that.
After a few silent beats, that have me counting far too many Mississippis in my head, she bobs her head. “I promise.”
Do I believe her? Why the hesitation?
She takes my hand, removes it from her chin, and cradles my face. “I promise.” This time it’s fierce and steady. Again, she whispers, “I promise.”
This time I believe her. Her words wrap around me, calming the raging storm inside me.
“I’m sorry, Z.” She sniffles and before she can pull away, I grasp her face and bring her lips to mine. I steal what I need from her. Contact, warmth, proof she’s okay after finding her like we did. It’s fast and firm and I pull away a second later, leaving the room to get my head on straight.
With Rodion, I’ve never felt a shred of insecurity about who we are to each other. We’re a cohesive unit, perfectly in sync, and we understand each other on a level no one else has matched. But with Alyona, I feel fragile, like I’m walking a tight rope toward her that can snap at any second. She still owns a part of me, and how I feel hasn’t wavered with time. Everything within me aches to reclaim her as truly ours again, to bridge the distance that separates us. But I’m still so fucking angry and paralyzed by the fear that she will run again. I’m holding my breath, suspended in uncertainty, waiting to exhale. I hate it and want to put my fist through a wall, or someone’s face. I need a release.
“Rodion’s back,” Alyona calls out when the front door opens.
Good, I’m famished, and Alyona only stocks baby crap. There wasn’t anything fit for adult consumption in her fridge, and when I called her out, she shrugged and said she orders in.
Rodion took her car to go get food and has been gone ages.
When I leave the kitchen, my feet stall. It’s not Rodion. It’s the big fucker that Adam brought here with him, just strutting in like he owns the place.
“Levi? How did you get in here?” Alyona squeals, picking up Roza and balancing her on her hip, wincing at the effort it takes.
“Adam has a key. He wants me to keep an eye on you. He doesn’t fucking trust you,” Levi replies, directing his words at Alyona before he notices me. His expression shifts into a frown. “Who the fuck are you?” He points a meaty finger in my direction, and I grin.
“Your worst nightmare, asshole.” I wanted to hit something, and his coming here uninvited is him volunteering to be that something. Then, to Alyona, I say, “Take Roza into her room and pack her a bag.”
She doesn’t ask questions and her bare feet slap against the tiles as she hurries by us.