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)
He’s already gone, completely captivated by her. She possesses a power over him that she doesn’t even realize she wields. Normally, Z possesses a will of steel. Yet, in her presence, he becomes like an addict, lost in the haze of his obsession, with no desire to get clean.
“You're being a jerk, Rodion,” she exclaims, her frustration evident as she huffs and slams the fridge door shut with a loud thud. Turning on her heel, she storms into the other room.
Z looks up at me, his lower lip protruding in a pout, eyes filled with disappointment. I rub my brow, feeling the tension building in my temples as I try to steady my thoughts.
“Fine,” I say, throwing my hands up in defeat. “I’ll go make her come. Happy?”
“Can I help?” he asks.
“No.”
“Then no, I’m not happy.”
Marching after her, I plan to strip her bare and make her so weak from orgasms she has no choice but to not run because she fucking can’t.
When I reach the living room, she is wearing a hole in the rug with her pacing.
I open my mouth as she does and we both pause.
“You go,” I grunt, placing my hands on my hips as I watch her.
“Listen. Things got a little crazy this morning and of course there’s going to be this.” She flaps her hand between us. “Tension, chemistry, between us all. It’s normal, natural.” She shakes her head vigorously as she walks back and forth, her thoughts clearly racing. “But you’re right,” she finally says, stopping in front of me, her eyes locked onto mine with a mix of determination and uncertainty. “We shouldn’t blur the lines just for gratification.” She nods as though mentally proving the case to herself. “Things are different now.” She glances thoughtfully at the dining room behind me. “We have Roza, and considering our complicated history, it might become confusing.”
“Confusing?” I echo, incredulous at her words. “What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting that we might start believing you actually care about us and not want to just use us for fucking before you fuck off again?”
The weight of the past hangs around my feet like a cement block dragging me to the bottom of the ocean. My chest throbs with the uncomfortable reminder of the twisted emotions I still need to work through.
She blanches, her eyes widening in shock as if I’ve just struck her. “Is that what you truly believe?” Her voice trembles, revealing I'm not the only one mixed up in my emotions.
I take a deep breath, the air heavy, and run a trembling hand down my face. My fingers brushing against stubble that has grown in over the past couple of days.
“I’m not sure, Alyona, since that is exactly what you did,” I reply, my voice strained and low as I draw my gaze away from her. A simmering tension bristles through the room, wrapping around me, suffocating. I feel like a caged animal, my heart pounding in my chest. I have to fight the urge to escape. I don’t want her to see just how raw I still am.
“Look at me,” she barks, her fingers clasping my wrist.
I dip my face to hers, shocked at her closeness. I hadn’t even heard her move.
“We can’t go on like this. I need you to hear me, both of you.” Her eyes move to the figure standing at my back. I knew he wouldn’t leave us alone for long. He senses my discomfort even from a room away.
“Alyona,” he growls her name in warning, afraid of what she might say.
“No, I need to say this.” She swallows hard and trembles. “When I left, I was so deeply in love with both of you that it felt like a physical wound to my chest to walk away.” She places a hand to her ribcage. “I’m not referring to fleeting lust or the giddy feeling of being infatuated. I’m talking about a profound, bone-deep love that saturated every aspect of my being.” Tears spring in her eyes and her words brush against me like a caress. “You both transformed me during our time together, and those years apart only solidified my feelings rather than lessened them.”
She implores us with an earnest gaze, darting back and forth between us like we’re holding her life in the palm of our hands.
“This love is not something that can fade or weaken over time, it is enduring,” she continues, voice raw and filled with pain. “Real love isn’t something you can see or touch. It exists in the moments between breaths. Weaving itself into the fabric of your being without your consent. Burrowing into the essence of your soul without restraint. It’s uncontrollable and harsh, like a fire sweeping across the landscape of your world and consuming it. It takes hold of you, reshapes you, owns you. You owned me.” Her eyes move between us, a tear escaping down her cheek. My lungs have seized. “And I knew that if anything were to happen to either of you, it wouldn’t just hurt, it would shatter me completely, destroy the very core of me. I couldn’t fucking bear it.” Her voice breaks. “So don’t ever assume I only wanted to fuck the Madmen of Moscow, because if you’re being truthful with yourself, Ro, you know I could have done that anytime.”