Page 73 of Sinful Promise

“For all we know, he’s behind the kill order on your dad,” Alex tells him.

“If that’s the case, it’s an all-out war, and we win by cutting the head off the snake,” Irina says. “I’ve wanted his head on a platter for years. We can do this together.”

“Yes, we can,” Roman says.

I hear the clink of glasses as they make a toast. The meeting is about to adjourn. I need to be back in bed, and if Roman arrives, I have to pretend to be asleep.

27

ROMAN

The afternoon of sun, swimming, and sex has taken its toll. I’m buzzed on the incredible evening, the food, wine, and friendships. Exhausted, I stumble into my cabin and drag my ass to the edge of the bed. I barely have the energy to kick off my shoes and unbutton my shirt. I drop it with my pants, belt, and boxers to the floor.

The room has a soft glow from the low lights I left on earlier. I crawl under the sheet and lean over, checking on Dasha. She’s breathing comfortably. I feel bad for letting her get drunk on my watch. The glow of the moon illuminates her long eyelashes resting against her cheek. Something shiny on the nightstand catches my eye. It’s her new earrings. I guess she woke up at some point and took them off.

I roll onto my back and stare out the skylight.

Fuck me.

Leave it to Irina to call me out on my bullshit. I do love Dasha. I didn’t think I was capable of loving another person. I built a wall around my heart. No one has ever been able to get past my defenses. But Dasha.

Alex is my compass, and if he believes I’m in love, I’m in trouble. Alex has been pushing me to call Andrian. Because I’ve been dragging my feet, he must think I don’t want to give Dasha up. There’s some truth to that, but honestly, the idea of vacationing on the yacht and fucking Dasha appeals to me. Why would I want it to end?

Love is supposed to be a huge distraction, but I’ve never been so focused. I’ve had time to think, and now that we have Francesca on board, we can pull off the ultimate showdown. For this mission, I’m not relying on my brothers. They are far away, and this is what I do for the family. If they come, great, but I will be fine with a few well-trained men strategically positioned in France.

I’m counting on Pavel and Albert to provide the intel necessary to locate Andrian and take him out. How many others meet the same fate remains to be determined.

There is the question of why Dasha was in my closet. My gut tells me Dasha still wants her freedom and she needs the passport. It’s the only thing she needs to start over. Am I guilty of trying to buy her love? Are the clothes and earrings bait to lure her into my gilded cage?

Why else would she stay with me? I’m a killer who could be killed at any time. Dad was taken out, and we have yet to avenge his death. We may be getting closer to the truth, thanks to my incredible friends. They are putting their lives on the line to help me against a formidable foe.

What would a future with Dasha look like? I don’t know what she wants other than to escape her past. If I can help Albert get out safely, will that be enough? It’s hard to know what she’s thinking. Sometimes, she looks content. Sometimes, her thoughts are far away.

Dasha has no guarantee I’ll hold up my end of the deal, so of course she’s looking for a backup plan. If I were in her position, I wouldn’t be trusting of me, either. She’s had nothing but bad experiences with the men in her life. She’s told me how her home life was less than ideal. How can I convince her I will not give her to Andrian?

Dasha is in a precarious position; now I’m in one as well. I smile in the dark. Oh, the webs we weave. In my defense, I only lie to those who betray me.

For a mission to be successful, we must trust one another, all of us. Can I trust her brother Albert? Can we trust her friend Katsia? Or is Andrian using them to manipulate whoever has Dasha?

For now, he doesn’t know that someone is me. Otherwise, Andrian would have trackedSevernoye Siyaniyeand had men waiting on the island. There is no evidence our cover has been blown, so time is on our side.

Andrian has been watching us in Russia for some time and knows what he’ll be up against, but we’ve also been doing our homework. Dmitry has been feeding me information, and I’m making sure we have the intel we need.

We will head back to Monaco tomorrow. We’ll have two days on the water, but we’ll need a few days to obtain supplies, coordinate our plan, and prepare for what I hope will be a successful mission.

For now, I’m going to focus on enjoying Dasha’s softness against me and accept that I am indeed in love with her. I can’t imagine a day without her in it. She is a survivor, spontaneous and adventurous. I enjoy watching her blossom with each new experience. She picks up on things quickly and will have no problem fitting into our world.

She is the opposite of me in many ways, and I find it refreshing. But if she’s to remain in my world, she’ll have to accept the limitations that come with it. She might resist exchanging one cage for another. The freedom she experienced on this remote island and growing up in anonymity is over.

Once we’re on French soil, her life will change, and she may not be as compliant. Will she sign up for a lifetime of the gilded cage I can give her? Does she want children? Would she knowingly bring them into our world?

My mind drifts. My body is warm with alcohol, but I prefer that my body be warmed by Dasha. I roll onto my side and pull her to me. She stirs briefly. I bury my face in her hair and breathe in her essence. My cock twitches, but the rest of me only wants sleep.

* * *

I smellcoffee and hear liquid being poured. The mattress dips as someone sits on the edge. I open my eyes.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Dasha greets me.

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