Page 23 of Loved By the Hacker

“I like you, Oleg. I mean… I more than like you.” My heartrate started to pick up speed, and I would be damned if she said what I thought she was about to say before me.

“That’s good,babochka, because I love you,” I laid out for her, unsure of how she would take the words I’d never said to another woman I wasn’t related to.

“Yeah?” Her eyes turned wistful and hopeful as she stared at me. I leaned in closer, breathing in her sweet feminine scent.

“I do, butterfly,” I rumbled, pressing my lips to hers before pulling away. “I love you, Coral. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Whether you like it or not.” I winked, trying to lighten the mood. “I know it’s fast, and some people would think I’m full of shit saying this, but I’ve never felt this way before. Not even close.”

“Oleg.”

“I figure I’ve been waiting forty-two years for you. I’m not going to waste time playing games or going by some dumbass’ timeline. You might not know this about me, but I’m not much of the play-by-the-rules kinda guy. I’d rather make my own rules as I go along so I can win.”

“And I’m a prize?”

“You’re the dream. The reason. Shit, that’s not right. You’re more than I could have ever imagined or dreamt of, Coral. I just hope that doesn’t scare you.”

“Is it weird if I tell you it doesn’t?” she whispered, making my heart soar with glee.

“Not at all,” I rasped.

“Oleg?”

“I’m right here, baby.”

“I love you, too.” My eyes shut for a moment, taking in her words, basking in the light of them.

“Say it again,” I roughly demanded, opening my eyes, my attention locked on my sweetbabochkain front of me. Delicate yet strong. Resilient, witty, and so damn smart.

“I love you, Oleg Sokolov. I don’t know how it happened or when, but I do. I’ve never…” Emotion hitched in her voice. “I’ve never felt this way. You feel like home to me.”

“Fuck,” I cursed and reached for her, settling her curvy body on my lap. “I love you, too, Coral Trejo. I love you so fucking much, I didn’t know it was humanly possible to feel this.”To be so damn obsessed about another person you will break each and every law of reason.The words clung to my tongue, but I didn’t say them out loud. It wasn’t the time. One day, I would come clean.

Instead, I stood and picked her up like the groom would his bride. Like I would one day, and soon. Any thoughts of matrimony in the past would have made me break out in hives or laugh because there was no way I could have ever pictured myself ever wanting a domestic kind of lifestyle.

But now? With Coral in my life, that was all I wanted. To have her wear my ring on her finger and carry my last name.

Coral

Iplace my hand on my abdomen as I wait the five minutes in the bathroom.

Five minutes.

It feels like a long time and not enough all at the same time.

In less than five minutes, I’d know if my life, Oleg and my life, would be changing faster than either of us could have imagined.Liar,a little voice whispered in my head. I was a grown woman. I knew exactly what I was doing by not suggesting putting on a condom or taking a Plan B and starting the pill again. I’d stopped taking it after Jack and I broke up. I’d wanted to give my body a break from the hormones. Especially after going to my OB/GYN after finding out that Jack had been screwing around on me. I’d taken every test possible to make sure he hadn’t given me anything. Thankfully, we’d never had unprotected sex, and I’d been safe.

But I’d gone and had unprotected sex with Oleg from the first night with him. Jesus, I didn’t even know his name that night! Now I might be expecting. Oleg and I talked about a lot of things. Work, our businesses, places we would want to travel one day. But the subject of kids and a family had never come up. Not once. What if he didn’t want kids? Would I have to do this alone? Be a single mom? My fingers ran through my hair as I tried to breathe and calm my rapid heartbeat so it wouldn’t rival a hummingbird’s. I would do it if I had to. It would suck but… I shook my head. I was getting ahead of myself. I wasn’t sure. The test wasn’t done yet.

What have I been thinking?I chastised myself.

After being so careful for so long with the only other man I had been with, only to have unprotected sex time and time again with the very next guy who entered my life? We had only been together for a month, but I couldn’t tell you how many times we’d made love. Because, regardless of how rough or sweet Oleg could be, each and every time was making love. Sex with Oleg was a religious experience.

But it was new.

We were still getting to know one another! He’d just met my siblings the week before. My parents didn’t even know him! Now we might be having a baby together? Oh god, my parents were going to be grandparents!

You already know the answer,that same little voice in my head whispered. I hadn’t had a period for the last six weeks. Somehow, between work and Oleg, I’d forgotten all about my period. I was almost certain what the test results were going to say.

A knock on the bathroom door made me jump.

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