Page 102 of Cruel Knots

“She didn’t even want to go to a restaurant when we were in town,” Mikhail continues. “She wanted to eat at that filthy diner by the road.”

“You went to Ashville?” I ask as a familiar anxiety clutches my throat. “That was dangerous. What if you were spotted?”

“We were just a couple having fun,” Mikhail says with a shrug. “No one looked at us twice. Besides, I was alert the whole time. Why do you think I didn’t reply to your texts? I was busy keeping a lookout so Lucia could breathe a little.”

“Don’t do this again,” I say in a grim, commanding tone.

“I’m not going to sit around and watch her suffer,” Mikhail says in a loud, fiery voice. “We agreed on maligning her and handing her over to that asshole brother of hers. It was supposed to be over in a matter of a day. Things have changed since then. Lucia’s living with us now.”

“We’re keeping her here to protect her.”

“Then, make her feel protected. Don’t control her the same way that asshole did. Give her choices. Let her breathe here. If you want her to stay, you’ve got to make this place a home for her.”

I scoff. “She’ll never want to be a part of our world.”

“You don’t know that,” he says. “Lucia cares about her dad but that’s the only string that’s chaining her to her old life. She’d rather be here than go back to Callum.”

I’m scared to even let myself hope. Can she truly accept living in Volkov Manor for the rest of her life? Can she accept me?

“She still loves us, you know?” Mikhail says in a low, pain-filled voice. “She didn’t forget us for a day these past seven years. If she truly hated us, she’d have abhorred us after the way we’ve been treating her.”

“You’ve learned all this in a matter of a day?”

“It’s enough,” says Mikhail. “We were victims of Callum Baldwin’s cruelty, and so is she. Let her see what she can have with us. Don’t throttle something that still beats in all of us.” He gets to his feet and meets my gaze. “Make her a home here. Test her if you must. It’s the only way to know how she truly feels.”

He walks away, leaving me with a hopeful dream but also a sliver of fear. Can Lucia ever accept a man like me who is difficult to even look at?

29

Lucia

For the first time, I enjoyed a restful night. Nothing disturbed me, allowing me to sleep deeply. Even my nightmares left me alone.

No wonder it’s so late, I think, climbing out of bed and moving toward the window.

There’s no clock in the bare room but the sun is shining brightly over the vast grounds of Volkov Manor. With nothing else to do, I freshen up and wait for someone to bring me some food.

My gaze falls on the skirt I’m still wearing. A smile lifts the corner of my lips as I caress the light fabric and the silken embroideries that embellish it.

I look toward the tall boots by the door and my grin widens. Mikhail bought me everything my heart desired. Even though I ruined some of the evening by talking about Dad, we still made it up behind the diner’s dumpster.

My mind drowns me in the memories of the dimly lit corner and the shady man who drank and jerked off to us. A familiar throb starts deep in my core, taking me by surprise.

I need to go back to that diner with Mikhail. There’s a part of me that needs to know whether it was having sex in a public place or being watched that made me come so explosively. Or was it a combination of both?

These past days seem to have opened a floodgate to a different kind of self-exploration. The Volkov brothers tested both my limits and endurance. Each time I faltered, they took the reins, bringing me to heights of unimaginable pleasure.

The sound of the lock being opened reaches my ears. I whirl away from the window and wait for the door to open with bated breath.

“Hey,” Lilja greets, stepping inside.

“Hi,” I say, a smile blossoming on my lips at the sight of my friend.

Lilja’s long, pink-streaked hair is pulled into a high ponytail this morning. She’s wearing black stretchy shorts paired with a denim jacket. Her long legs are encased in knee-high black boots.

“And you hungry yet?” she asks.

“Yep, I’m starving.”

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