Page 56 of Sold to the Bratva
“You said you wanted to watch,” I remind him, so breathless I’m amazed any sound escapes.
His eyes open slowly, and I see how fiercely he clings to control.
“Let go, baby,” I whisper. “Come for me.”
I ride him hard and fast, watching his composure fracture piece by piece. Even so, he holds back. When one hand reaches up to grab and fondle my breast and the other finds my clit, I understand why. He wants me to come first. He commands it without a word. I’m a bowstring pulled tight, ready to snap, and then he whispers, “I love you, Katya.” That is the final cut. My walls seize around him as a powerful orgasm crashes through me in wave after wave.
I hear him moan my name as he empties inside me, but it’s distant like a shout tossed over crashing surf. I’m barely in my body anymore, floating somewhere else where the only sensation is pleasure knocking me off my feet.
I drift back to earth by degrees, and when I do I’m wrapped in his arms, our chests pressed tight. He strokes my hair and murmurs nonsense against my skin. Somehow I understand every word, another language I’ve learned without realizing, and I feel them burn through me.
Later, after we’ve cleaned up and he’s cradling me in his arms, a weight settles in my chest. If I don’t speak now, it will steal every breath from my lungs.
“Isaac,” I whisper, sitting up in bed and staring down at him.
He blinks sleepily, but the instant he registers my expression he bolts upright.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his hands immediately moving to my abdomen. “Is it the baby? Are you okay?”
His concern is so tender, so genuine, that tears prick my eyes. That reaction, of course, does nothing to calm him. His expression turns grave, the wheels in his mind spinning as he decides what to do next.
I cup his face and press a gentle kiss to his lips, hoping to soothe him even a little.
“I’m fine,” I assure him. “I’m more than fine. I’m perfect. I just…” I falter, tripping on the words I desperately need to say.
“You’re scaring me,” he whispers as he tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
“I’m in love with you,” I blurt. “I didn’t say it before, and it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I just never expected to love you… not at all. The fact that I love you so much, so fast, it’s…”
“I know.” He nods, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “It’s a lot.”
“It is,” I agree. “But it also feels exactly right. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m exactly where I belong. I can’t wait to raise this baby with you, Isaac. I can’t wait to spend every stupid, ordinary moment of the rest of my life with you.”
He doesn’t answer, but the way he kisses me tells the story. He loves me, too. He’s excited to raise this baby with me and to spend his life with me.
22
KATYA
Seven months later
Istare into a narrow mirror, amazed by the sheer size of my belly. I just had my thirty-six-week appointment, and the doctor says our baby is thriving. It’s still hard to believe my body can grow another human. I cup the top of my bump and study my reflection, as though I could will our little one to arrive today.
Evie lifts a tiny bear onesie and turns in a slow circle.
“Okay, this one or the one with the stars on the feet?”
I lean against a display shelf, one hand cradling my round stomach, the other fanning my flushed face.
“You’re cruel, making me choose between baby bear and cosmic cuteness.”
Evie grins and shrugs. “Then we get both,” she says, draping them over her arm. “They’re gender-neutral, so they’ll work whether you have a boy or a girl!”
“That’s how you end up with a closet full of baby clothes they’ll outgrow in a week,” I tease.
Truthfully, we’ve gotten so many clothes from Isaac’s soldiers’ wives and his extended family that our kid is probably dressed through kindergarten.
“It’s totally worth it to see your baby looking that stylish!” She sighs, still clutching both outfits. “Although I wish you’d have found out the sex so I can decide between tiny dresses and miniature suits.”
