Page 74 of Viripotent

Letting Inessa live in her delusional bubble of false reality, I don’t point out the obvious ego in front of me. It’s not strange showering beside her. Little jokes or jibes leave her lips, but it’s comforting. Shutting off the water before we both age, I pick her up with one arm and grab a towel for her hair. I push it over her face and it muffles her argument coming through. I prefer it and leave it there as I wrap another around her body.

Drying myself off, I pick her up again, liking her weight in my arms and she pulls the towel off her face to look at the bloody sheets with her nose scrunching up. Walking out of the room, Itake the one across the hall and lay her down on the side furthest from the door without turning on the lights. There’s a thin strip coming through the door from the hallway as I take the other and she freezes. Her voice is softer as speaks slowly with an accusation.

“You never sleep with me.”

Laying on my back with my hand under my head, I close my eyes and hum.

I fucked up once and let myself fall asleep, the next day she had bruises to show for it. I’ll stay awake tonight and go back to my usual routine of sleeping in my private office or Viktor’s room in our wing. I can feel her staring at me, and the sheets move as she shuffles closer without touching me. She should be exhausted given the events of the day, but her mouth opens.

“Is it because there’s blood on the other bed? You always hate things being untidy and it’s kind of weird when you’re, well, you.”

If I buried my dick down her throat, she would still find a way to run her mouth. Opening my eyes since there’s no reason to fake sleep anymore, her eyes suck me in and the truth leaves.

“We moved from Moscow to Sankt Peterburg into this shithole place. I won’t live like that again.”

She moves closer into the thin strip of light that has both of her dark eyes in view and she gently places her hand on my sternum.

“Why did you move? I thought Moscow is the place to be, closer to the Pakhan, so no one misses the opportunity to kiss his ass.”

I turn my head fully as she continues to inch closer. Does she realize she’s doing it?

Her observation isn’t wrong, and my tongue moves, nearly spilling out the full truth, my only weakness.

“A new baby, it was after Vitali was born.”

Not picking up on my lie, she keeps getting closer and rests her head on my bicep. Closing her eyes but not her mouth, the order has no heat, and I let her drift.

“Go to sleep, old man.”

It doesn’t take long for Inessa to fall asleep, and I lay there tracing her features with my finger. I’ve never gotten close to admitting shit to anyone, even my brothers are ignorant. Dima has his suspicions, but that’s down to rumors, not fact or my admittance. One part of the truth is buried in Russia and the other will be buried with me.

The moon moves through the sky, the clouds parting as I watch it illuminate the room. It was a habit I had the first ten years after I no longer had Vanya to talk to. I’d tell her my secrets and lie to myself that she was on that piece of rock. She always loved the moon. She’d lay awake staring out the window at it while I stared at her.

Fuck, I can’t breathe.

The familiar tightness settles in my chest again. My eyes close as water builds behinds them and I concentrate on bringing up the memory of her giggling when I’d blow raspberries on her cheeks. Everything settles at the faint echo. I can breathe for one more day.

Stroking down Inessa’s back, I pull the sheets up to fully cover her. She doesn’t twitch or stir. She does something worse and makes noises in her sleep. It’s halfway between a snore and talking. Even unconscious she refuses to be quiet like she’s allergic to undisturbed air. I have to turn my head to hide my laugh. I’m surprised she doesn’t sleep talk and only limits herself to little snores.

My laugh dies hearing my phone ring from the other room, and I carefully extract myself from under her. It’s not a call but a message congratulating our nuptials and extending an invitation that isn’t to be ignored to return to Moscow. The sun has juststarted to come up and I read through it again, looking for a way to keep Inessa home. I don’t trust any of those fuckers around her and the walls of Dmitri’s home hold too many secrets.

I won’t be able to keep my promise not to leave her with Vanya only being a few hours away. Another message comes through while I’m searching for a loophole and Maximoff kills the idea, giving his confirmation that Inessa will be there. She can drain my account when we return or bitch the entire flight, but I won’t lose the extra minutes when I can have peace.

TWENTY-NINE

Inessa

Spending two nights away from the Vartanov home has made me homesick. I missed hearing Vitali arguing with Viktor over whatever food he was trying to steal and Valentin’s whingeing. Even Dima’s miserable face makes me smile as we walk back in. It’s early, and no one is awake yet with Vlad needing to go through whatever brutal business he has.

Walking carefully to hide the soreness between my legs, I collapse in the breakfast nook, wincing as I sit with too much force. The handsome devil is dressed in another perfect suit and traces his bottom lip with his thumb, noticing my movements. There’s no smirk, he looks concerned, and he has been uncharacteristically lost in thought since I woke up.He walks over to me and strokes my hair back, freaking me out as he speaks quietly.

“Do you want ice?”

The question brings back the memory of his office and I shake my head, feigning normalcy as my cheeks heat.

He steps back and goes to the fridge, taking out random items before he sets down bowls of fruit in front of me. It’s my usual breakfast, but he’s never been here on a morning while weeat. I’ve never even seen him eat, even at the wedding banquet he didn’t touch anything. I pause and try to go through my memories spanning years of dinners grandfather held, so I could get used to Vlad’s presence. He’s never eaten in front of me. He has to eat though, he’s tall and muscular, he wouldn’t survive.

A cool plate touches my hand, pulling me away from my mind. I hold it confused like I’ve never used dishwater before. He gestures to the table, and foreboding settles in my gut at the weird tone.

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