Page 88 of Claimed By Desire

“I already ordered three.”

“Bullshit.”

“I can show you my Amazon account if you want.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “No, that’s okay. I believe you.” She pulls away and starts wandering again. I watch her, unable to look away. I track her like a missile. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Please do.”

“I’m a little scared.”

“For childbirth? You’ll be okay. It’s going to be hard, but you can do hard things.”

She tilts her head side to side. “For that, but also all the stuff that comes after. You heard Valentin earlier. IT’s not easy.”

“I’ll be there. And that’s not an empty promise. Diaper changes, late night feedings, everything. You won’t be alone.”

She seems surprised. “You’re going to do late night feedings?”

“Absolutely I will. I told you, we’re going to do better.”

I stare at her and she stares back. It’s strange, standing here in the middle of our past, in this store that defined so much of what we are. The store that helped to build her family’s fortune, and the store where I learned to be the man I am today. It’s a ruin, a smoking husk. But there are also signs that it’s coming back to life.

Something old turning into something new. That’s how I feel with her.

Our relationship is ancient, but it’s also just getting started.

“We can actually do this,” she says and sounds like it’s the first time she really believes.

“Yeah, we really can,” I say, grinning at her. I laugh lightly, unable to help myself. “We really are.”

“No, but I mean—“ Her cheeks turn lightly red. God, she’s so pretty when she blushes. I can’t look away. “Iwantto do this with you. I want to co-parent. I mean, I want to be?—“

“You want to be married,” I say for her.

But bites her lip and nods.

“I want to be married too.” I push off the pillar and walk to her. “Iwantto do this with you.”

“You really mean that?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“I know, but it’s a big deal. We never agreed to long term.”

“Then we can agree to it now.” I catch her and pull her into me. “Wife.”

She tilts up her chin and I kiss her.

My lips linger. Her taste is like flowers and a lazy summer afternoon. I don’t want to let her go.

But someone clears their throat and I’m forced to glance up.

Lev’s standing in the partial doorway that leads to the back door. He’s got a strange look on his face.

Natalya jumps away from me. I can tell she’s flustered, but I’m not ashamed of my relationship with her. Lev knows we’re married, and maybe he doesn’t realize the way things have progressed between us, but he’s not a stupid man. He must know how I’ve felt about her all these years.

“Hey, sorry, I didn’t know you were there,” she stammers, looking wildly uncomfortable. “We were just taking a look around.”

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