Page 33 of Forgotten Vows
Shaking my head, I stood and began smoothing down my hair and clothes. I bet I looked normal, but deep inside, I felt anything but. Having Ivan pummel me like that, making me come so hard and fast, left me feeling raw and used, but somehow, in a good way. Not like scratching an itch but…
Coming home?
I barked out a single sound of laughter at that ridiculous notion. Ivan wasn’t my home. This mansion wasn’t my residence. But I wasn’t sure what to consider this “visit” at the Dubinins’ head house.
Now that I was here, there would be no leaving. Luka didn’t run a hotel here. He couldn’t welcome very many to his house. While it might have seemed appropriate to feel special to have been let inside, I knew what else it meant.
Luka Dubinin wouldn’t let me or Lev leave until he had all his answers. He was a strict boss, but not like my father had been. I doubted anyone could be as horrible as my father was, rigid, oddly puritanical in terms of his own rules and guidelines, and harsh in getting what he deemed was right or fit.
Now that I was here, I’d be stuck here. I wasn’t planning on wasting a single second of daydreaming about escaping or taking Lev out of here. Besides, I had nowhere else to go.
Bothered with this sensation of feeling trapped, I rubbed the back of my neck and tried to guess what my next step would be.
Luka and Ivan won’t let me go anywhere until they have the answers they want.
I’d told Ivan a crude summary of all I’d faced since the day he walked out of my life the first time. But that wasn’t everything. I hadn’t provided him any explanation about why, precisely, I was herenow. Why I was here to seek help and protection despite hating the fact that I had to. My reluctance wasn’t going to simmer down anytime soon, but I’d be a fool to bite the proverbial hand that fed.
If I plan on getting them to promise security for Lev, I’ve got to mind my temper.
And keep my panties on.
Sleeping with Lev again felt like a fantasy and nightmare mixed into one. I lacked the mental energy to know how to navigate my way past him if he made me feel so good and free with another impulsive orgasm like that again.
I checked my appearance in a narrow mirror, hating how the glow and rosiness of my cheeks had to be a dead giveaway that I’d been blushing. Or that I’d gotten up to something blush-worthy.
Whatever. Nothing I can do about this now.
It is what it is.
I wasn’t proud of how weak I was to succumb to Ivan, but I knew better than to mope and whine to myself about wishing it hadn’t happened.
Reaching for the doorknob, I set out to find Lev. He’d be desperate for answers. Even though he was with that other boy and that woman, we were still on Dubinin turf, in their boss’s home. This wasn’t a sanctuary—not for us. Not yet. But I clung to the hope that Ivan would be able to convince the mighty andfearsome ruler that his uncle was that Lev deserved security as a half heir.
Before I could touch the doorknob, the door creaked and started to open.
I stepped back, defensive and tense. Perhaps it was Ivan coming back to have the last word, again.
It wasn’t, though.
“Mama!” Lev launched at me, wrapping his arms around me. The feel of his skinny little arms circling my waist calmed me. Knowing he was here and with me was all that I needed to reset my heart and head.
Behind him was the brunette. The boy wasn’t with her anymore, and I wasn’t sure how to proceed. She didn’t look like a member of the house staff, but with her tanned looks and long, luxurious, and wavy hair, she sure didn’t look like a member of the Bratva family either.
“Mama, Misha is almost as old as me.” Lev looked up at me, his happiness dimming as he noticed the worry on my face. “The other boy. He had some cookies with me.”
“I hope that doesn’t spoil his appetite,” the woman said, offering me a slight smile.
“Appetite for what?” I asked, not really caring how testy I sounded. “It’s almost midnight. Dinner would’ve been hours ago.”
She nodded, not quite narrowing her eyes but watching me carefully. “Yes. If you’d like something to eat, I can have the cooks prepare you something before showing you to your guest room.”
“Guest room?” I laughed, holding Lev close to me. Fatigue hit me harder now. With the chaotic day I’d experienced, at work, walking in the heat, fighting those men and enduring the panic attacks, all the way to the flight here and the accidental fall into bed with my ex, I was beat. Leaning on my son, I shook my head.“I’m noguest. I don’t know who you are, but it’s obvious Luka hasn’t welcomed us here.”
She tipped her chin up, surprising me with her defiance. “Fine. Then I’ll welcome you in his place.” Crossing her arms, she gave the sign that she wasn’t going to let me think I had any authority here.
“You?” I rolled my eyes. It hardly mattered who she was. Luka ruled. He ruled Ivan, and he would condition how Ivan would react to my request for protection. “Whoever you are, I know I’m not welcome here.”
She shrugged. “I have no clue who the hell you are either,” she replied, almost sassy, “but if my husband says you can be in our home, you must pass some degree of welcome.”
