Page 76 of Mafia King's Bride

I start to walk again, but his voice follows, laced with desperation. “Dmitri, I owe you for helping me with the deal. I couldn’t have done it without you. I owe you.”

I pause, turning slightly, just enough to let him see the cruel smile tugging at my lips. “Oh, you owe me more than you think, Pavlov.”

He doesn’t know yet, but his time is coming. His parting words are nothing but a weak attempt to pledge loyalty, to put himself in my good graces before I decide to turn my sights on him. But I’m not interested in false loyalty. I don’t need someone who hides behind words when their actions say otherwise.

He thinks gratitude will save him. But in my world, pretending to be loyal while you wait for an opportunity to betray only earns you one thing—a bullet. Or worse.

As I get into the car, my fingers drum on the wheel, my thoughts already moving from Pavlov’s pathetic attempt at survival to the only thing that matters.

Ana.

She’s different from all of this, different from the fire and the blood. She makes me feel things I’ve long buried—feelings that threaten the icy walls I’ve built around myself. She’s the onlyperson who can make me question whether the monster I’ve become is worth it.

But I know better than to think love makes you weak. It makes you sharper, hungrier, more dangerous. If anyone dares touch her again, I won’t just burn them.

I’ll tear them apart with my bare hands.

When I get home,Janet tells me Ana’s resting. My pulse quickens, the need to see her pushing away the rest of the day’s chaos. I take the stairs two at a time, eager to feel her in my arms, to bury everything else in the warmth of her skin.

But when I step into the room, it’s empty. The faint sound of water catches my attention, and I turn toward the bathroom. The door is slightly ajar, steam curling out in tendrils, and I push it open, stepping inside.

There she is. My wife. Naked. Gorgeous. Partially concealed by the misty heat, her body glistens in the low light. She’s humming softly to herself, completely unaware of my presence.

I let myself savor the moment. The curve of her back, the delicate slope of her neck as she leans into the spray. She’s a vision, something I could never have imagined would belong to me.Me—a man who’s built a life on blood, betrayal, and fire.

I slip in quietly, the sound of the shower masking my footsteps. I place my hand gently on her shoulder. She jumps, gasping, her wide eyes locking onto mine as she shakes her head.

“You scared me to death, you brute.”

“I would’ve brought you back to life,” I murmur, my voice low, possessive, as my fingers trail up to cup her chin. I tilt her head back, making her meet my gaze, my mouth hovering just inches from hers.

Her lips part slightly, and my tongue flicks out to trace the seam of her mouth, teasing, a soft, needy sigh escaping her.

There’s nothing gentle in the way I look at her—nothing soft. I’ve been cold, ruthless, dangerous all my life. But with Ana, there’s something else. Something more.

My control frays at the edges every time she’s close, and tonight, I don’t intend to hold back.

I deepen the kiss, cradling her face with a hand and pulling her close with the other. Her body is soft, as usual, and warm from the water cascading down.

“You’ll get wet,” Ana whispers.

“Mm,” I murmur against her lips, running my hand over her back and caressing her spine with my finger. I feel her shiver. “It’s too late for that,kotyonok.Besides, I don’t mind.”

My hand on her back inches lower, grabbing her ass and kneading lightly. She moans, and her tongue slips into my mouth when I kiss her again, setting off a spark that travels through my body and turns into a wildfire along the way.

Her breasts spill out as I try to cup them with one hand, and she arches her back, pushing them against my chest.

“How has your day been?” I ask as I lower my head, licking the water droplets off one nipple. “Mine’s getting better by the minute.”

Ana’s hands dive into my hair, panting softly when my mouth closes around her peaked bead, sucking on it. I scrape my teeth against it, making her gasp, and then I move to the other one, flicking with my tongue before sucking. With my head nestled against her chest, my other hand parts her thighs, and teasingly, knowing where she wants me to touch, I trail my fingers up her thighs.

She makes a sound of protest, reaching for my hand, but I pull back, biting her nipple as a small warning. It only makes hermore aroused, and when my thumb flicks against her slit, she’swet.

Hell.

“Kotyonok,”I growl. “You must have been thinking about me while you were showering, craving my finger inside you,” I slide it in, “wanting me to fuck you, pounding hard as you come apart on my dick.”

Ana whimpers when I curl my finger and rub the pad against her most sensitive spot. Her legs jerk, and her arms reach around my neck, holding on tight. My dick twitches too, eager to replace my fingers.

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