Page 130 of Crave

She looks behind, her face flushed, and a smile spreads across her lips.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice husky, and that makes me hard again.

“Why waste it? It belongs inside you. You are mine, Lara Volkov.” I stand and lift her spent body into my arms and sit her upright on the bike, facing me.

“Now you’re going to have me spilling out of you all over my seat as I ride us home. You’re full of me, and that makes you all mine.”

CHAPTER 63

ALEXEI

I’m pacingaround the bedroom like a caged bear.

I don’t want to leave her. I don’t even want to utter the words. But Tatiana's threats are loud in my head.

If I don’t do this, Lara isn’t safe. In reality, this is the worst of the evils I am protecting her from.

A billow of steam comes from the ensuite as Lara dries her hair. She stops when she spots me.

“What’s up? I could hear you stomping around even with the water going.”

She tosses the towel in the laundry basket and tightens the one around her breasts.

“Words, Alexei. I’m a grown woman, I can handle it.” She frowns and looks at me.

“Unless you’ve cheated. Then we have a serious problem and Mikhail will have to hide your body.”

I shake my head.

Is this worse? No. I don’t think so.

“God, no. Can you umm, sit down?”

“You’re worrying me. Spill.”

Oh no. Her hand is on her hip. She’s getting mad.

“I have to go away for a little while. I promise, once I’m home, we tell the truth and we have our forever. Together.”

She sighs, sitting on the bed, I take a spot next to her, placing my hand on her knee.

“Tell me you’re not going to Russia.”

She won’t look at me.

“I vowed to keep you safe, pchelka. That never stops, I can’t stop until the ones who took you are buried. The threat against you has to die. No matter what it takes. This is the only way.”

“You aren’t going on your own.”

“Mikhail will come with me. Now in the meantime, I need you to stay with Niki. Take Sheila and Bruce.”

I don’t need to add more worry by telling her that Mikhail is simply dropping me off.

“How long?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t have the answer to that.”

I hear her sniffle and wrap my arm around her, tugging her into my side.

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