Page 63 of In Her Blood
He pushed that thought aside for a later reflection and forced himself to recall the words he’d wanted to say—the point he needed to make. And a voice in the back of his head whispered he was rushing things, that he should stick to his earlier plan of letting her set their pace. But that had been before Sunday. The day from Hell.
Sunday had been shit, for both of them but definitely more for her. Betrayal and loss heaped on top of loss, layered with disappointment and frustration. He hadn’t been surprised to find her falling apart in the shower.
Otto took an easier breath and kept his tone gentle. “I know today was a shitshow. I know any good points it may’ve had were well overshadowed by the dark ones, and as much as I’d like to, I can’t take those away.”
Her visible confusion settled into something more somber and her arms slid up, curling around his neck. “I wouldn’t expect you to. None of that’s on you.”
He gave a short shake of his head. “I know. I just mean, I wantyouto know that I would, in a damn heartbeat, if I had that ability.”
She smiled. “That’s not the big thing you wanted to tell me.”
He grinned. It was not. It just felt better than jumping in without a segue, as sloppy as his choice may have been. “‘You’re mine’ remember?” He paused long enough for her partially faded flush to redouble. “And I’ll admit, I’d thought, with everything goin’ on, it might be easier on you if we didn’t rush into worryin’ about labels. If I held back on making clear exactly what you mean to me.” His fingers flexed over the smooth skin of her back as if to pull her somehow closer.
Her eyes widened again, but she did nothing more than draw a deep breath. A deep breath which faintly shifted the center of her weight in his lap and sent a fresh jolt of searing pleasure through him. Her tits moved against his chest with the motion. Her fingers curled over the back of his neck.
Otto ignored his body’s plea to respond to the assault of sensation and kept talking. “But that was Friday. That was beforeeverything elsehit. So, I need you to know two more things, right now, because the absolute last thing I’m gonna do to you is give you even a speck of reason to doubt me—or us.” He couldn’t stop the hand in her hair from sliding forward, until he was able to stroke his thumb over her cheek.
She dipped her chin as he did, as if to let him know she was listening. The vulnerability in her blue-gray eyes was raw, and startlingly reassuring.
He still took a beat, feeling the weight of the words he was about to say. But he’d come too far to chicken out. More than that, though, he couldn’t stand even the possibility of the notion that Lina might come to question him. And after all the betrayal that had slapped her in the face, he could only think of one way to hopefully prevent that. So, he reminded himself firmly that anything she gave in response was fine, fucking miraculous, and he spoke again.
“I love you, Lina. And I can understand why trust might be a difficult thing right now, but that doesn’t change one fact.” He swallowed hard, fighting to say it right and not get distracted by the tears building in her eyes. “You will always have me. Even if you decide to let go ofus.” Even though that would crush a part of him, he couldn’t say he didn’t also expect it would happen eventually.
It was a small miracle her father hadn’t married her off years earlier just to get her out of his hair or make some allegiance. Now, she was striving to be the next Nikolaev pakhan. More than likely, she would end up choosing a Russian man for such a reason regardless. To strengthen, unify, or maybe rebuild the clan.
He didn’t know how he’d survive that, but then, any half-intelligent husband wouldn’t keep him breathing at that point, either.
He dragged in a hard breath, needing to not forget the other part he’d wanted to say. The thing that had prompted himto start this speech to begin with. “And until you make that choice, I do not give a flying fuck who figures out about us. In fact, I’d prefer it. The fewer assholes I have to chase away from you, the better.”
Lina blinked rapidly, clearing the tears away from her eyes. Another deep breath slid her nipples a bit more across his skin. “I can’t decide if I should smack you or kiss you.”
Otto arched a brow, and the hand at her back angled up oh-so-slightly to span more of her spine. “Kind of an odd response…” Was she mad because she felt like he’d put her on the spot after declaring his feelings? Had he not made it clear she didn’t need to?
She poked a finger sharply into the side of his jaw as he started to open his mouth again. “You talk like you assume I’ll kick you aside sooner rather than later. You say you love me, but you make it sound like I’m just using you for sex!” Emotion sharpened her voice.
Fuck.“Lina, I didn’t mean—”
“We belong to each other now, don’t we?”
He snapped his mouth shut as her words slammed into his chest.
She threaded her hands into his hair and pulled herself somehow closer, her breath cascading across his skin. “I’ve been in love with you for an embarrassingly long time, okay? So go ahead, chase away all the assholes. Be the possessive caveman barbarian you want to be in front of others. Just don’t”—her breath hitched—“you dare assume I ever have eyes for anyone else.”
It was those words, in that choked, sweet voice, that did him in.
His control snapped. Otto crushed her to him, claiming her pouty lips in a rough kiss and dropping his hand back to her perfect ass. He sucked on her tongue and growled low in his throat as her nails raked along his scalp. Then pulled his hand from her hair and pushed to his feet, adjusting his grip again as he moved to keep her wrapped around him.
He’d lay her down on the bed when he was ready to go slower, be a bit more gentle. What he needed first was to pin her against the nearest wall and fuck her until his knees were too weak to hold him upright.
So that was what he did. He made sure to rain bruising kisses the length of her throat while he drove repeatedly into her soaked, pulsating pussy, until her entire body arched into his and she let out an orgasmic scream that outclassed any porn star he’d lusted over as a teen. He followed her eagerly over the edge into a blinding release of his own.
Chapter twenty-one
Mikey
Mikey lifted his headfrom the headrest of his chair when he heard the tell-tale sound of a heavy mug being set down on his desk. He blinked his eyes open, only belatedly realizing they’d fallen shut, and winced at the sight of his wife’s frown.
Brandi straightened enough to plant one hand on her hip. “Please tell me you didn’t stay up the entire night doingthis research.”
