Page 261 of Gilded Cage (Kovalyov Bratva 1)

She whimpers, still half-asleep, and nods.

I lay there propped up on my elbow to stay at her. My eyes adjust to the darkness. I can make out the soft slop of her cheeks, the curve of her lips.

“You’re beautiful,” I whisper. I didn’t realize I said it out loud until I heard my own voice.

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she murmurs back.

I know she’s teasing, so I don’t know why I sense a hint of disappointment in her tone.

You’re reading too much into things.

Those fuckers burst the protective bubble you’ve created here.

You’re just feeling a little off-kilter.

“There’s only you,” I tell her honestly.

I can sense her smile even though I can’t see much of her face. Her hands fall to her stomach and she sighs deeply. My heart throbs with emotion.

Had it ever been like this with Marisha?

I honestly don’t remember.

Out of nowhere, my stomach rumbles. Loud enough for Esme to crack an eye open warily.

“Sorry,” I chuckle.

“Hungry?” she asks. “You missed dinner.”

“A little,” I agree. “Hungry for you.”

I grab her and roll her on her back to look up at me. She giggles sleepily. The smile breaks through the sad lines of her forehead.

“Sorry,” she says. “I’m not on the menu tonight.”

“Don’t care,” I retort. “I’m not accustomed to following rules anyway. I take what I want.”

Her brow furrows just a little bit, but her expression recovers almost immediately. “Artem…”

“You talking to me?”

My hands slide down between her bare thighs, while my eyes dip down to the tops of her breasts. It feels like they’ve gotten bigger in the last two days alone.

She opens her mouth as if to say something and then snaps it shut again.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she replies. “It’s not important.”

“What you wantisimportant,” I tell her.

“Yeah?”

“Definitely,” I nod. “I just want you to be happy, Esme.”

I like this. Can’t see much in the darkness. Can only hear, and touch, and whisper. It feels like we can be more honest now than we can when the sun is illuminating things.

She traces her fingers over the underside of my wrist where it’s trapped between her legs.

---