Page 45 of Hostage of the Russian
“But you did use me.” There was no accusation in her voice, just tired acceptance. “You married me to hurt him.”
“Yes.” He wouldn’t lie to her, not about this. “I thought you were in on it. I thought he’d sent you to spy on me, to get close to my family. That’s why I arranged for you to see him at the party. I wanted to watch your reaction, to see if you’d try to pass information to him.”
Understanding dawned in her eyes. “You were testing me.”
“I was. And the moment I saw how you reacted to him, I knew I’d been wrong about everything.” His thumb traced the curve of her bottom lip. “You weren’t working with him. You were afraid of him.”
“I was.” She caught his hand, pressing a soft kiss to his palm. “I still am, a little. Not of him hurting me physically anymore, but of him pulling me back into that life. Of him finding a way to use me again.”
“He won’t.” The words came out harder than he’d intended, edged with a promise that was as much threat as vow. “He’ll never touch you again, Azriel. I’ll make sure of that.”
“How? He’s still your business partner, isn’t he? Still part of your operation?”
“Not for long.” Kostya’s smile was cold, predatory. “Danny Hartford has been skimming money and sabotaging deals. That’s a death sentence in our world. The only reason he’s still breathing is because I wanted to make him suffer first, wanted him to know exactly what he was losing when I took you from him.”
“And now?”
“Now I know that losing you isn’t punishment enough for what he did. Now I know he deserves something much worse.”
Azriel was quiet for a long moment, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest. “What will you do to him?”
“Do you want to know?”
She considered this, her gray eyes thoughtful. “No,” she said finally. “I don’t think I do. I just want him gone from my life completely.”
“Then that’s what you’ll have.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. “I promise you, he’ll never be able to hurt you again.”
“Thank you.” The words were soft, heartfelt, and they did something to his chest that he wasn’t prepared for.
“You don’t have to thank me for protecting you. That’s what husbands do.”
“Is that what you are now? My husband?”
The question caught him off guard. “What do you mean?”
“Before tonight, you were the man who kidnapped me and forced me into marriage. The man who threatened my friends and family to make me sign those papers. But now...” She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. “Now you feel like something else.”
“What do I feel like?”
“Like someone who cares about me. Like someone who would actually protect me instead of just using me.”
Kostya’s heart did something strange in his chest, a flutter of emotion he wasn’t used to feeling. “I do care about you. More than I should, probably. More than I ever intended to.”
“When did that happen?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was gradual, or maybe it was all at once. Maybe it was the moment I saw you in that lecture hall, so focused and determined. Or maybe it was when you stood up to me in my own house, refusing to be intimidated. Or maybe it was when you got hurt because of me, and I realized I’d rather die than see you in pain.”
“Kostya...” His name was a sigh on her lips.
“I know this is complicated. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, let alone your affection. But I need you to know that what happened tonight, what’s happening between us, it’s real for me. You’re not just payment for your father’s debts anymore. You’re not just a wife on paper. You’re...”
“What?”
“Everything.” The word came out rough, honest. “You’re everything I never knew I wanted.”
Tears gathered in her eyes, and for a moment, he thought he’d said the wrong thing. But then she was kissing him, soft and sweet and full of emotion that made his chest tight.
“I’m scared,” she whispered against his lips.
