Page 25 of Brutal Loyalty

“Morning, chaufferone.”

“Morning.”

Roman couldn’t help but grin. He leaned down and swept the hair out of her face to bring their lips together for a kiss. Her fingers toyed along the back of his neck, sending goosebumps prickling along his flesh.

“Sleep well?” she asked. A playful gleam twinkled behind her bright blue eyes.

“Oh yes, very. We had quite the workout last night.” Roman’s mouth trailed away from hers to trace along the delicate flesh of her ear.

Elena’s lips parted as though she wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she melted into him as he peppered her neck with a series of light kisses. His mouth continued its slow trail downward toward her full breasts. A tiny moan escaped her when he reached the sensitive nub of her nipple. He sucked at her breast with increasing pressure until she was breathless.

This beautiful, fierce and yet delicate creature left Roman breathless in turn. He moved to work her other breast while his hands explored every inch of her body. Soft skin. Full hips. Long legs.

When his hand slipped beneath the blankets to circle the naked outer lips of her pussy, her fingers rooted in his hair.

It surprised Roman when she tugged him away to look at him with reluctance.

“Are…are you okay?” he asked uncertainly.

“I just can’t stop thinking about my mom.” Elena bit her lower lip and averted her eyes from him. Roman’s heart sank. He flopped down into the bed next to her and pulled her to his chest to plant a tender kiss at the top of her head.

It pained him to see her hurting. Perhaps that was both the charm and the danger of opening up to her, caring for her. A broken family and a broken heart weren’t half as easy to fix as the cars in the garage, but comforting her now seemed to be a step in the right direction.

“I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now,” he said softly as he rested his head against hers.

“It’s been almost ten years. Is she still the same person? Does she still like listening to Stravinsky, like she did when I was little? It hurts not to know.” Elena turned to Roman with tears in her eyes. “Now that I know she’s alive, I also know what I’m missing. Each minute that passes is a minute where I know she is out there, without me, alone and forgotten. I have to go see her, Roman. Today.”

“You’re sure…today?” He didn’t want to insult her by asking if she was truly calm and collected enough to go so soon, but he couldn’t help wondering.

“Yes, today. But…there’s one more thing.” Elena twisted in his arms to regard him with something akin to apology. “I need to go alone.”

Protectiveness surged through Roman. Her going alone meant he couldn’t help ease her pain, should she need him, but more importantly, it meant that he wouldn’t be there to protect her if something bad happened while she was inside.

She needed protection emotionally, yes, but also the very real threat of something physical happening. While she tried to hide it, the last couple days, her vulnerability had shone through. So much so that Roman was finding it increasingly difficult to question whether her claims of needing protection from her father were true or false. Either way, though, allowing her off the mansion’s grounds without protection would be unwise, and he was sure that Viktor and Alexandra would agree.

If shewaslying about her defector status, and she had ulterior motives, then letting her go alone would mean letting her out of sight to potentially do something nefarious that could threaten Viktor.

If she wasn’t lying, however, and had truly defected, then there was the very real threat of her father or his henchmen trying to abduct or even kill her. If that happened, he didn’t want to think about the consequences of her betraying the Svodnik, let alone how that would impact Alexandra.

And yet, the way they were connected now…letting her go alone still seemed like the only option. For a situation as delicate as this, there was no other way for Elena to reunite with her mother. His presence would only hamper her reconnection and potentially cause problems for her mother.

Besides, Viktor had made it clear that she wasn’t a prisoner in the mansion. If she wanted to go anywhere, so long as it didn’t impact the pakhan, that was her choice. He nodded, then pressed another kiss to her head.

“I said it before, and I meant it—whatever help you need with your mom, I’m there for you.”

Elena hugged him tight and exhaled in relief.

“Thank you, Roman.”

“I’ll drive you to Croft Estates, though. You can go in alone, but…in case something happens, I want to be there. And I’ll be there for you when you decide it’s time to leave.” He shifted his weight on the bed and pursed his lips, looking down at her. Uneasiness still nagged at him, but deep down he knew he was doing the right thing. “When do you want to leave?”

“Right away. I can’t bear to wait another minute.” Elena’s voice was thick with pain. She gave him one final squeeze, then rose from the bed and gathered her nightgown and robe from the floor, where she’d tossed them last night.

“You go get ready,” he told her. “I’ll call the kitchen and have them make a breakfast to go. I’ll meet you downstairs in the foyer in…let’s say, thirty minutes?” Roman suggested.

Elena nodded with a soft, forced smile. “That sounds perfect. Thank you, Roman. Just…thank you.”

After she pulled her robe back on and padded down the hall, Roman stood and stretched.

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