Page 24 of Brutal Loyalty

Panting, a sheen of sweat on their bodies, both Elena and Roman remained in their embrace. Only when they came back down to Earth and their breathing slowed did he carefully withdraw from her. He padded to the bathroom and returned with a towel, which he used to clean her up before tossing it back toward the bathroom. He then climbed back into the bed and pulled her to his chest.

Bliss. For a moment, Elena closed her eyes and just listened to the beating of Roman’s heart. The rhythm was a comfort, as was the firmness of his body.

No matter what happened, she was sure that Roman would be there for her. Even in this uncertain time, she had someone she could count on. That in itself was a blessing beyond words.

But as the afterglow of sex wore off, Elena’s mind returned to her mother.

She imagined a reunion. Walking into the nursing home, hugging her mother with tears in her eyes. They would laugh and talk for hours, catching up on one another’s lives and telling stories from the past nine years.

She would bring her mother coffee—a soy mocha, of course—and they would sip their drinks and look over photographs and magazines. She would hear her mother’s stories of the family back in Russia, would get to hear about her grandparents again. Most of all, she would know that she finally had her mother back.

How many years had she spent veering back and forth between hating her mother for leaving her and grieving over her loss? How many nights had she spent as a teenager, walking around their family’s home after the move, staring at the photographs on the walls and wondering why her mother had had to have such severe MS?

Old memories and old feelings came flooding back. Elena had thought she was over it all, but now that she knew her mother was alive, the pain felt fresh again. All this time, she could have been visiting her in the nursing home. All this time, her father had been lying to her.

Roman shifted his weight on the bed, drawing her out of her thoughts. She looked over at him, and he gazed back at her. One of his hands gently played along her jawline as he stared at her with soft adoration.

“Roman?” Elena asked quietly.

“Mm-hmm?”

“Do you remember what you said yesterday—that you would help me when I decided what I wanted to do about my mother?”

“Mm-hmm. I remember.”

She sat up and propped her head in her hand, looking down at him.

“I…I’m thinking about going to see her.”

Roman looked thoughtful for a moment. His eyes danced across her face, and she sensed him gathering his thoughts.

“I have the address. Whenever you’re ready, let me know,” he said, and then he dropped his head down to kiss her. She could feel where the scab was forming on his lip, and she couldn’t resist licking it.

He stroked her body with long, heavy strokes as if he were smoothing her out, and Elena felt her body grow heavy with relaxation at his touch. She wrapped her arms around him, cuddled into him, and sighed contentedly.

“Thank you for being here for me,” Elena whispered, nearly purring. He pulled her closer into his arms and held her tight.

“Any time,” he said, and then paused. “But we do have one small problem.”

Elena looked up at him. “Huh? What?”

“I had hoped to distract you, but it seems I’ve failed at that. I’ll have to try again.” His hands played along her flesh, raising goosebumps of pleasure wherever they went. Elena’s heart skipped a beat, and even though the initial excitement was over, she felt her arousal growing again.

She looked up at him, drowning in the intensity of his gaze, before he claimed her lips once more and rolled them over to pin her to the bed again. The weight of his body was a silent statement:Everything will be all right. For a little while, Elena let herself believe that it was true. Despite her concerns, with Roman beside her, she found a modicum of peace. It was as startling as it was refreshing.

She gave herself to him, returning his kiss with fervor. Roman took control once more, and Elena forgot about the rest of the world. They made love long into the night.

CHAPTER19

Roman

Roman couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so well. Instead of restless dreams about his time in the Russian Army, slumber had offered blissful darkness. When he roused himself the next morning, he felt rested and at peace in a way he hadn’t known in a long time.

Then he remembered Elena. A sideways glance showed she was still sleeping. Her long, light brown hair was fanned out on the pillow, sensual and wild. Her lips had parted slightly in sleep. The color in her cheeks from the night before had faded, leaving her creamy skin beautifully pale. Roman drank her in.

How could someone with such a sharp tongue and strong will also be so vulnerable? Last night, when he had held her trembling body, and now this morning, as she slept with the grace of an angel, Roman felt as though he was permitted a rare peek behind the curtain at the softer side of this feisty woman. The more he saw, the more he wanted to see, and somewhere deep inside of himself, he knew he was starting to have real feelings for her.

As though sensing his gaze or hearing his thoughts, Elena squirmed a bit in her sleep and opened her eyes. She rubbed her face in an adorable way that reminded him of a kitten and looked up at him with a soft smile.

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