Page 82 of Bound By Hate (Born in Blood)

Being back in that building brought up a lot of terrible memories, and Mila could have easily become me in that situation.

But thanks to Aleksander, she’s safe.

He drives us to our house and sets Mila up in the guest bedroom.

“Do you need me to stay with you?” I ask. Normally, I wouldn’t offer, but I know how scared I was after everything I went through, and Mila isn’t as tough as me.

“I just want to sleep,” she responds, going into the room and shutting the door behind her.

I turn to Aleksander. “You impressed me today, too. Not too shabby for a kid from the slums.”

“I guess we both surprised each other tonight,” he says, heading into our bedroom. I follow.

I sit on the bed, my body aching from how much I pushed it tonight. My rib is sore and screaming at me.

Aleksander sits beside me, so close I can see the flecks of different shades of blue in his eyes.

I don’t like him. He knows how to get under my skin.

But I’m starting to trust him. He saved Mila when he didn’t have to. He saved me when he didn’t have to either.

I decide to be honest. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he responds in his warm tone.

I don’t know what overcomes me as I lean closer to him. He matches the distance between us and plants his lips on mine.

The kiss starts soft but quickly becomes passionate. I’ve never kissed a man like this before. It’s like I’m falling and floating at the same time.

Aleksander growls low in his throat and gently grabs my waist, pulling me onto his lap. I should pull away. I should slap him for thinking he has the right to kiss me.

But I don’t want this to stop.

I gasp when he lowers me onto the bed and hovers over me. We pull apart from the kiss, and our eyes meet. I can’t care about him. I can’t let myself. My entire life has been ballet and nothing else. That’s what I need to focus on.

Not … whatever I’m feeling right now.

He smirks, like he can read my mind, and kisses me again, consuming my mouth and mind with one single action. I wince when he touches my rib.

He doesn’t apologize for it as he kisses down my throat. I think a part of him is punishing me for my actions tonight. I could have been hurt.

But the only thing I could think about was saving Mila. Nothing else mattered.

I’ve never been selfless before. Why is this change happening now?

When Aleksander rips my pants down my legs, his eyes land right on my underwear. Good thing I’m wearing a cute pair. I have my cute underwear and my period underwear. The period underwear is meant to be ugly in case it gets stained.

I’m just grateful I’m not on my period right now.

He catches my gaze. “I’ve been thinking about what you look like down here for a long time. Are you bare, or do you have a bush?”

I swat his arm. “You’re disgusting. Get off me. I don’t want this.”

“Maybe not, but I think you need it right now.” He rips my panties down. “Ah. Bare.”

“I wax,” I say, trying to keep the blush off my face. No man has ever seen this part of me before. Normally, I’m so confident, but I can’t be confident when dealing with something new to me.

“I’m glad. This way, I can do this.” He grabs my thighs and pushes my legs to my waist. His face hovers right over my vulva. He doesn’t look away from me.

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