Page 119 of Thorns of Love
I chuckled. “I’ll be sure to fill the house with roses tomorrow,” I teased.
The truth was that for the past month, he had brought me flowers every single day. Red roses. And I gushed over them every single time.
“None of the flowers compare to you though.” With his biceps on each side of me, his forehead came to rest against mine. He thrust inside of me, deep and slow, with the intimacy that brought tears to my eyes. “Your body's my temple, moya luna,” he rasped thickly, his Russian accent lacing every word. “Butyou… youare my home.”
“And you’re mine,” I whispered, emotions thick in my voice. I put a palm to his cheek and he leaned into it, making my chest expand with so much love I thought it’d explode. “Just keep our babies safe, Illias. Use all your resources. Omertà, Kingpins, Cassio and his gang, Yakuza. Use them all. It’s not only our battle. Sofia Volkov is a threat to all of us - all of our children and all of our families.”
Was it ridiculous to have this conversation while he was buried deep inside me? Maybe. I didn’t care. This was our family we were talking about. This was our future.
I knew he needed a release after the torture and ultimate death of his aunt. And I’d give it to him, in any way - my body, my heart, my soul. Even my advice, regardless if he asked for it or not. He felt more relaxed now than when he first came upstairs. His muscles weren’t as tense and the lines of his face were full of tenderness.
“You don’t mind the Omertà?” he questioned. “Marchetti?”
“The hot daddy?” I mused, unable to hide my grin as his eyes turned stormy. “Why would I mind the hot daddy?”
He pulled out almost completely only to thrust back in. Rough. Hard. Savage. I gasped, my back arching off the bed and ready for another round of pleasure. Needing him to own my body.
“The only hot daddy you’re allowed to think about is me,” he growled with a dangerous tilt to his voice. “I’m your hot daddy, your god, your husband, your partner. Your fuckingeverything.” His hot, dark whisper brushed my ear. He thrust deep inside me again, this time each ram harsher. “I’m the only right man for you. Is that understood?”
“Yes, daddy,” I breathed, attempting to joke but it came out all wrong. Needy. Hoarse.
He let out an animalistic groan, then started fucking me with deep, long thrusts.
“Now, let me show you how rightyouare for me, moya luna.”
And oh my God. Did he ever!
FORTY
KONSTANTIN
“Who thought a Christmas wedding was a good idea?”
Of course, it was my favorite brother-in-law. Sasha Nikolaev would drive me fucking bananas. I was too old for his shit. Fuck, he was too old for this shit.
“Shut up, Sasha,” Alexei said, his voice flat. He might as well be telling his brother to get a drink of water. “Nobody whined when you had a Halloween wedding.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that he's marrying your baby sister?” Sasha asked nobody in particular. “First he knocked her up, then he kidnapped her, married her on the fly.” His eyes darted around the room only to land on me and slitted to a glare. “Literally on the fly. He took her to Russia and my baby sister doesn’t like Russia in the winter. And now, here we are.”
Massaging my temple, I let out a tired sigh. Our airplane wedding was so much better. Easier. Quieter.
But I wanted this for Tatiana. For her memories. For the stories we’d tell our children.
St. Patrick’s Church was filled to capacity. Family. Friends. Members of the Omertà. Kingpins. Billionaire Kings. Liam Brennan with his family. Cassio King and his gang. My wife was right. We were stronger together than fighting this battle on our own.
Sofia Volkov was an enemy to us all.
She had disappeared. We didn’t know where she was, but we knew she was alive. The frustration clawed at my chest. It pissed me off to no end that I couldn’t find her. Nico Morrelli and I built a facial recognition app that we’d attached to every known database. The fact that the program hadn’t spotted her anywhere in the whole fucking world had me on edge. The crazy bitch knew how to hide though. She had been doing it for so long, it was probably part of her DNA. Just like Alexei always strategically placed himself by the nearest exit, Sofia Catalano Volkov’s instinct was to always hide.
But I refused to let that ruin my day. My wife’s day.
The sound of “Canon in D” began and without prompting Sasha and Alexei took their spot behind me. The first bridesmaid came out. Isla. My baby sister. She avoided looking in my direction and I gritted my teeth. It turns out, my sweet baby sister was as stubborn as me.
Isabella Nikolaev followed behind Isla and my eyes drifted to the back of the church, waiting to see my bride. I waited, holding my breath until I caught a glimpse of her. Our eyes connected and Tatiana’s lips curved into a wide smile. The light shone through the church windows, making her hair glow like spun gold. At this very moment, she looked like an angel coming to meet her devil.
The white Valentino dress hugged her curves, her little baby bump visible. I fucking loved that she didn’t hide it. She wore it proudly, like a badge of honor. And she’d slay anyone who threatened our babies. Just as I would.
My chest grew warm, watching her take every step closer to me. Willingly.
