Page 53 of Corrupted Guilt

“Where’s Yuri, who is this?”

“Yuri is not at his phone now. Can I take a message?” I said stupidly.

“If you wanted a message, you would have let it go to voicemail. Is this Katya?”

My senses went on alert, I straightened, “Who is this?”

“Maxim, Yuri’s right hand man. Our call broke off in the middle of a conversation. Is everything all right? Is Yuri indisposed with you?” He asked, amusement in his voice.

I took a deep breath. “Yuri was in a car crash; he’s breathing but unconscious in my bed. He won’t let me take him to the hospital, and I was calling my father when I heard your call on his phone. I’d rather leave him out of this for now.”

“Yes, leave Viktor out for now. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Are you bringing a doctor or a nurse or someone who can help?”

“I’ll do my best to help,” was all he promised before he hung up.

I pressed the phone to my forehead and tried to collect myself. Having an unconscious Yuri in my bed wasn’t all bad. If he didn’t die, he’d be weak as a kitten for at least a week or so, under my care, under my authority.

But someone just tried to kill me, and Yuri saved my life.

I was the cheese for the mousetrap, so he had to save me.

“Why so pale, kiska? I’m not dead yet,” Yuri coughed from my bed.

“Yuri!” I leaned over to give him a big hug, and he winced in pain. “Sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? What can I do for you? Maxim is on his way over right now. Should I call my father, too?”

“No, not Viktor.” He coughed out. “Maxim, good. Good.” Yuri’s words were a soft rasp, and I could hear the concern in them before he slowly lay back down.

“He called you, and I didn’t know what else to do. He said he was coming by to make sure you were okay.”

“Don’t sound so worried, Kat. Maxim is good, I trust him with my life. And yours,” he added, looking at the ceiling again as he lay down.

I felt tears spring to my eyes, I wiped them away, a weakness, “Yuri, I thought you might die, that I would never see you again.”

He turned his head to gaze at me, “Not today, but one day, maybe. People like me don’t stick around people like you for very long.”

I strained to listen to his breathing. It was deep and steady.

I looked down at him and my anger washed away, instead I felt tender protectiveness. As terrible as he could be, bringing me to tears with his cold-hearted cruelty in one second, and nowwith tender protectiveness at his weakened, sleeping form the next. I tried to forget how he could do this to me, make my emotions swing from one extreme to the next and just watched him peacefully sleep.

His mouth was relaxed, slightly parted, and his eyes shut, the lashes were long and as black as ink. A lock of his hair swung down over his forehead in a disheveled way he would never tolerate under normal circumstances. I tried to let it be, but couldn’t, knowing how much one hair out of place would anger him, so I swept the wayward lock gently back.

Yuri’s breathing shallowed, and his slight grip on sleep was gone, his eyes flickered open, drowsy with exhaustion.

“Kat,” His voice was low and raw.

“Sorry. Is there anything you need? Water?”

“Just you,” he rasped, catching my free hand and pulling me closer, his lips pressed against my fingers, so I didn’t want to pull back from him. “Here, lie with me. Talk with me.”

My breath stopped, my pulse echoed in my head and throbbed in my belly. “You… you should sleep, rest,” I said, trying to laugh it off, failing. “You’re delirious, shouldn’t tell me anything you’ll regret later …”

“Lie down with me, warm me.”

My stomach tightened with desire yearning to do exactly as he asked, “I can’t,” I whispered.

He held my hand tighter, and began to reel me towards him, towards the bed.

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