Page 77 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“He said that he couldn’t deal with being near me and not being able to be with me.”

Alex’s frown deepened, but he said nothing.

“I told him he was breaking his promise to you by leaving, but he said he had to go.”

“He wouldn’t go without a reason, Schatzi,” he said softly, seeming to contemplate his own words. “Trust him.”

Anna winced at a sharp pain in her head and the room spun.

Alex stood and came to kneel next to her. “You need to go, Schatzi.”

“I don’t want to,” she whispered, holding her head and gasping at the pain. “I just got here.”

“Please, Anna. I don’t want you to hurt. You’ll come again.” He reached out to caress her face, and she felt the faintest touch before the room dissolved from her vision and she awoke.

Anna sat up in bed, panting. Her head ached and she rubbed her eyes. The room was still dark.

“Are you okay?” Peter sat up and put his hand on her back.

“I dreamed of Alex,” she whispered. She stared into the darkness. “I told him Aaron was leaving.”

“How did he respond?”

“He told me I should trust Aaron. That he wouldn’t leave without a good reason.” Anna shook her head, tears filling her eyes. She didn’t know which was worse: dreaming of Alex again or Aaron leaving.

Peter pulled Anna to him. He lay back down in bed and wrapped his arms around her. “Your dreams are wise, Anna,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I got angry. I shouldn’t have begrudged you saying goodbye to Aaron.”

Anna snuggled closer to Peter. “I should have asked. I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I was jealous.” He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes, back to sleep within minutes in his warm embrace.

Peter left the next morning to go to St. Petersburg. “I will see you Saturday,” he said, kissing her goodbye at the airport. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She waved as he walked into the airport, waited until he was out of sight, and then drove back into the city to Devin’s house, as he’d instructed her to do.

When she arrived, she parked Alex’s car out front and went to ring the doorbell. Devin wouldn’t be home until evening, but he’d told her he wanted her there as soon as she’d dropped Peter off.

Tyler opened the door and she gasped. He had a condo downtown where he and his wife lived. “What are you doing here?”

He grinned. “April’s job hunting today. Dad suggested I come over and make sure you settled in okay.” He stepped aside to let her in, then slid his hands around her waist, biting her neck. He pressed his hips against her ass. “God, I need a woman who knows what she’s doing.” He reached under her shirt and tweaked her nipples hard.

Anna yelped. It would be a long day.

By the time Devin arrived home, Anna could barely move. She was bruised from Tyler hitting her, and her ass was stretched to the limit from his fist. Before he left, he’d tied her to Devin’s bed. Devin wasn’t sympathetic. They ate dinner and then he used her until she passed out.

She slept the entire next day until Devin came home in the evening and did much the same as the day before. The entire week passed similarly. When Anna met Peter at the airport Saturday afternoon, after leaving the Manor, every movement made her groan or gasp in pain.

Peter held her for a long time when they got home. She wanted to stay awake and enjoy Peter’s return, but she fell asleep far too soon. She slept all day Sunday, too.

Chapter 43

“Alex?”

Alex turned at the unfamiliar voice behind him in Vitaly’s library and frowned. He had precious little time in the vast room to find a book or two to keep him occupied in the tower for the next week. “Peter.”

The younger man nodded and spoke in Russian. “How are you?”

Alex arched a brow and pursed his lips.

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