Page 53 of Shattered Altar (Makarova Bratva Duet)

He stops maybe an inch from me. If I dared to lift my eyes, I’d be staring at his chest. He’s so big that I feel breakable in comparison.

In some ways, it feels like he’s already broken me. The small, fragile part of me that felt like I was good enough when he deigned to look my way in the airport has crumbled into dust.

Of course he had an ulterior motive. I should have seen it from the beginning. But I was lost in the fairytale of it all.

“You’re scared your brother will find out about us, aren’t you?” he asks.

I pretend not to know what he’s talking about. “There’s nothing to discover.”

“How about the way you came on my cock?”

I cringe, angry tears jumping to my eyes. “You lied to me. You manipulated me,” I say, defending myself. “I didn’t know who you were then.”

He shakes his head, leaning towards me so that his breath kisses my nose. “That’s not what I’m talking about,” he whispers. “I’m talking about the fact that, despite everything you know now, despite everything I’ve done… you still want me.”

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