Page 91 of The Game

“Medved?”

Teddy shifts behind me, stalking silently around the couch as my eyes follow. There is another couch facing the opposite wall, and he leans over the back, speaking in low tones to this little girl. Oksana laughs softly, and my eyes fall to her gentle smile as she watches the exchange.

“Alina calls him her Teddy bear. I’m thankful for all he’s done to keep us safe…” she trails off, letting the end of her sentence hang before she speaks even softer. “I am sorry to hear what your sister endured. She was always kind to me, to my daughter.”

A smile forms on my lips no matter how hard I try to fight it.

“Alice has a big heart.”

Oksana’s eyes spark with intrigue, but she knows me well enough not to push for answers, and I am grateful. Teddy rises with a tiny little thing perched in his arms, her chubby fist rubbing at her piercing blue eyes before she rests her head on his shoulder and asks for sweets. The sight—seeing him be so gentle, so caring—it is natural for him, and it hurts me more deeply than I care to admit.

He would have been a good father to Alice’s child, and the thought pains me as much as it calms me.

“No sweets for grumpy little bears,” he teases the girl, her eyes finding mine and widening before she turns her face away, burying it in Teddy’s neck and clinging to him in fright. He chuckles, smoothing his palm over her back, eyes finding mine. It is easy to see how frail the girl is, how sickly, exhausted, and the need to do something washes over me.

“Where are you staying?” I ask, dropping my eyes down to Oksana, who’s staring lovingly at the pair. With a sigh, she turns back to me and shrugs.

“Here.”

“Niet,” I growl. “I’ll put you up in a hotel and arrange for our doctor to visit with you first thing tomorrow.”

Oksana’s eyes widen, brimming with tears. She looks…more confused than anything, searching my face as I shift on my feet, feeling scrutinized.

“You’ve…changed…” she whispers. Raking a hand through my hair, I snort with a shake of my head.

“As have you.”

Smiling softly, she drops her eyes and nods. “Yes, life has a way of doing that to us, does it not?”

With a heavy sigh, I nod. Eyes flicking back to Teddy’s, I see my answer written there, plain as day. What I am doing is the right thing, and Alice will not be angered by it. Everything has changed drastically, and adjusting to this new aspect is a lot like lifting weights; it’s fucking hard, will leave you sore and breathless, but afterwards, you are stronger for it.

“Let’s get you out of here, Oksie,” I say, her cheeks flushing at my old nickname for her. Teddy bends, careful not to jostle the little girl as his long fingers grip the handles of a duffel bag. We follow his lithe form through the darkness, my heart beating for nothing more or less than the woman waiting for me at home, one who I know needs me just as badly.

* * *

After paying for a private suite in a discreet hotel and arranging plans for the following days with Teddy, it is well past midnight. I am as quiet as can be when I enter our home, bluish, flickering light from the living room my only indication that someone is awake. Tossing my keys aside, I rub at my face, my eyes landing on the back of Tristan’s head.

“Where were you?” he grunts in Russian. Pressing the tips of my fingers to my exhausted eyes, I answer.

“Not right now, Tristan. Let me sleep.”

He snorts, and when I open my eyes, he’s raised a beer to his lips.

“Good luck.”

Brows furrowing, I cross my arms and lean my hip against the counter, glaring at the back of his head.

“Where is Alice?”

“Thought you wanted to go to bed?”

Pushing myself off the counter with an annoyed growl, I stalk to my room, in no mood for his games. I’m already peeling off my shirt as I nudge my door open with my knee, ready for a fucking shower and a moment of peace to just let everything sink in. The bluish lights undulating from behind my bed give off a familiar glow, but when my eyes skim over my black silk sheets and land on thick, golden hair, my heart jumps into my throat.

She’s fast asleep, covered only by a silk sheet, no pillows left on my bed, and my mouth dries as my cock rises. Anger surges soon after, because I know Tristan has something to do with this, which also cements the notion that they’ve already fucked most likely, and she’s not supposed to.

Stepping closer as I toss my shirt aside and palm my growing cock, I see her face more clearly, her entire body outlined with precision by that one sheet. The subtle curve of her breasts as they rise and fall with every deep, peaceful breath lures me in, makes me forget the bomb Teddy dropped on me tonight. Her pink lips are parted, her eyes swishing quickly back and forth beneath her lids as she dreams in serenity for once.

“Fuck,” I hiss, tearing my eyes away and training them on the ceiling as I clench my jaw. I could leave now, go shower and sleep alone in the guest room, but I know what they’re doing—what she’s silently crying out for. Tristan’s words from the night in the woods resonate with me in that moment, about needing to follow her now or risk losing her forever. She’s once again offering herself up, but not for our own edification; she seeks her own connection, and on her terms now.

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