Page 36 of Unwillingly Yours

“It’s because I am,” he said confidently. “I’ve been doing this since I was a young boy, Elia. You are safe with me.”

“I’m not worried about my safety,” I laughed, knowing full well that he could either protect me or throw me over the side of the boat at a whim. Which one he would choose to do was still up in the air, if I were being totally honest.

We still kept so much hidden from each other. Even after all these weeks of being married, this was the first time that I had learned he enjoyed something like sailing. Our conversations were still limited to the necessities, such as what we were doing that day or if we had been successful in our day.

Now the sex, on the other hand, was as hot as ever. After our discussion—more like demands—Aleksey no longer took me from behind without emotion. Now, we explored a variety of different positions together.

And we were no longer satisfied with limiting our activities to the bedroom either.

But it wasn’t the variety that I reveled in. It was his kisses. The man could kiss, each one curling my toes without much effort. And it was when we kissed that I finally felt like a newlywed who couldn’t get enough of her husband.

Today was one of those days, and I planned to take full advantage of it. When Aleksey had suggested we go sailing this morning, I had been surprised. He was always so busy with work that I rarely saw him.

And he’d never asked me to join him anywhere.

It was a request that had come out of the blue, that was for sure. And given the palpable mutual suspicion between us, I immediately thought that there must have been an underlying plan he had. But so far, he seemed content in sailing.

His actions were confusing me.

“Something to drink?”

I looked up to find him standing before me. “Just some water, thanks,” I answered as he handed me a bottle while he took a beer for himself.

He sat down next to me, stretching his long legs out before him.

“Why did you leave Chicago?” I asked. “You seem to really like it here. Why would you leave?”

He took several swallows of his beer, dangling the bottle between his fingers as the boat bobbed with the small waves.

“My father,” he finally said, his eyes on the water. “He wanted me to go to New York to oversee operations there.”

Oh. So he had been following orders. I knew that all too well.

“We all follow orders from our fathers,” I said slowly, feeling a small kinship to my husband. “The pawn reached her level of worth, and I was taken off the board.”

“Is that what you think?” He arched a brow. “That you were put on Earth just for this, Elia?”

God, the way he said my name it immediately made my insides quiver. Just last night he had whispered it into my ear as he drilled into me. I wasn’t sure how I felt, but it was a different feeling than the usual ones I had for him. My feelings were starting to be all jumbled up.

I could no longer sustain myself with a cool indifference for him. Not anymore. Intrigue slowly made its way into the way I looked at him. And now all I wanted was to know more about him.

“Of course not,” I replied, sighing. “It’s hard to put into words.” I had done exactly what my father wanted, not that I had much of a choice, but I had my own hopes and dreams. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to lose myself in something other than my family’s criminal organizations. I wanted to make the world a better place. Not just tear it all down like my father would.

I wanted to find someone who could fulfill all the requirements of a husband and not just be at my side because he was forced to do so.

I looked away, saying nothing. But somehow, I felt that Aleksey understood me without any words.

Finally, he broke the silence. “You’re tired of being controlled.”

His words surprised me. “How did you know?”

“Because that was what my father did by sending me to New York,” he answered. “It was his way of controlling me. You and I aren’t that different, Elia. We’ve always craved control in our lives, having lived with so little of it.” His dark eyes stared back at me. “You know, for what it’s worth, I didn’t intentionally set out to kill your brother.”

It was the first time he had brought Luca up to me, and my heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, I found myself filled with shame for being at his side. I was ashamed that I had craved—practically begged—for him to kiss me.

Damn it all! And damn him!I thought bitterly. With a single statement so carelessly thrown out, he had ripped open a wound that I nearly fooled myself into thinking was closed. I was rudely brought back to my cruel reality.

This man had butchered Luca. Left him dead in the streets… and yet I now allowed him to put his hands on me. I had allowed him to open me. To claim me.

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