Page 89 (2/2)

“You’re not fired”

He utters a nervous laugh

I end the call

Taking a few long breaths, I process the news The file is ina fortune per h I have a feeling I’ to like what I’ll find

I switch off the light and go back to bed The et in next to Katerina

Frowning, she blinks her eyes open “Alex?”

My name on her lips warms my chest and hardens my dick I wrap my arms around her and kiss her forehead “Go back to sleep, kiska”

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes”

The lie comes easily If the price for her tranquility is an untruth, I’ll gladly carry the burden of that sin

Her voice is croaky with sleep “Where did you go?”

“I just went to the bathroom for a sip of water”

“There are bottles in the fridge” She snuggles closer to et you one?”

The offer warms me in a different way, a way I seldom, if ever, experience No one else tries to take care ofin return

“No, kiska,” I say in a soft voice, tightening ood”

She settles with a sigh, resting her cheek on my chest She’s cute when she’s like this—half asleep and not yet rery with ative feelings will soon be a thing of the past I’ll tie her to et away, but I’ll make her so happy she’ll be too delirious to realize how effectively I’ my web around her And even if she does, she’ll be too ecstatic toa s are that important to her Sure, she likes pretty dresses and shoes and even the jewelry she says is too expensive But what she really wants are the sis—a job she enjoys, a happy home, friends, a family

I’ll give her a family

Soon

As soon as I’ve eliminated the threat on our lives

The thought alone makes me hard My semi-erection turns into a full-blown hard-on that tentsthe curve of her spine, I push up the silk ca her thigh over mine

The non-verbal permission is all I need There’s a sudden fire in e to plant my seed deep inside her It’s different than the desire I always feel for her or the compulsive necessity to show her constant affection It’s more primal and, at the same time, more of a conscious decision This isn’t an impulse At the back ofAnd now that my mind and body have taken notice of oal

I slip a hand under the elastic of her shorts and trace the crease of her ass before cupping a cheek She arches her hips, rubbing the sweet spot between her legs against h the fabric of my pajama botto all that cream and honey for me, satisfies a primitive side of me I didn’t even know I possessed