Page 149 of Cruel Promise

“Do you think Nik would hurt me? Answer honestly.”

“No,” she says after a long beat. “No, I don’t think he’ll hurt you.”

“I have to go see him. I have to tell him how I feel. It hurts being away from him.”

“So, then, go. I’ll be here whenever you need me. You know that.”

“Oh, Mom.” I move around the table to give her a hug. She squeezes me back like she’s never going to see me again, which we both know isn’t true. We’ll always be close. It’s just time for me to live my own life.

She lets me go.

I leave the apartment, my heart beating so fast it hurts, and take the subway to Nikolai’s house. I guess, technically, it’s my house as well since we’re still married. But does Nik think of it as my house? Will I be welcomed back?

I ring the doorbell.

Edmund answers, his eyes widening when he sees me. “Ava?”

“Is Nik home?”

“He’s in his office.”

“Can I see him?”

He lets out an awkward laugh. “You don’t need my permission.”

I offer Edmund a kind smile, paying him back for all the kind smiles he offered me. Then I go to Nik’s office and knock on the door.

“What is it, Mrs. Brown?” he asks.

I crack the door open. “It’s not Mrs. Brown.”

His head snaps up to meet my gaze. “Ava, what are you doing here?”

There are so many things I could say. I could pour my heart out to him. I could tell him everything that’s been on my mind for weeks.

But there’s only one thing that comes to me.

“I don’t want a divorce.”

He’s on his feet and standing before me within seconds. I don’t take a step back. In fact, I take a step closer to him.

And then we’re kissing.

It’s rough and passionate and wild and tender and everything in between. Neither of us stops kissing, even as Nikolai lifts me from the waist and carries me to his bedroom.

Not mine. His.

Even when he tries to set me down, I cling to him harder. Nikolai complies and kisses me deeper while lowering me to the bed. Our bodies are squished together, and honestly, it’s perfect.

Our hands are frantic on each other’s bodies as we tug at each other’s clothes. His hands brush against my thighs as he pushes my dress up, making me shiver in the best way possible. My hands undo the buttons on his shirt, and then I shove it off his shoulders. Nikolai’s chest, with all its scars, is perfect to me.

He brings my dress over my head, taking my bra off with it. Our bare skin touches as we lie back down. Chest to chest. His heartbeat to mine.

Nik’s strong hands cup my breasts then my waist then my hips. I never want him to stop touching me.

I gasp against his lips as he bucks his hips against mine. Arousal flares through me. I’ve been missing his touch for weeks now. I need it. I need it so badly.

He rips my panties off me without a word and brings his fingers between my legs. I moan when he brushes my clit. A jolt of pleasure shoots through me. It’s electrifying. It’s thrilling. It’s everything I’ve missed in Nikolai.

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