Page 37 of Brutal Loyalty

Or how far they’d come together.

“This is all about you,” Elena whispered. Her voice hitched with pleasure as she sank down onto him, ever careful of his injury, then rose up again and let him feel her all over again. Roman moaned anew, and he lifted his arms to support her by the hips. “All of this is for you. I love you, Roman. I hope you know it.”

“And I love you.” Roman had never believed it possible, but here he was, in love with her deeply enough that he would give his own life to keep her safe, even had she been the enemy. Had he been told several months ago that he would do something so foolish, he would have laughed and moved on. Now? Elena was the one for him, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her. “I love you so goddamn much.”

There was a change in the way she moved—a subtle shift that increased the intensity of her movements, but that didn’t disturb his body. A bolt of pleasure shot down the length of Roman’s cock and came to nest in his balls, and he knew that there was no way he could hold back from coming.

“I’m not going to last much longer,” he warned her. “You need to pull back before that happens. We’re not…”

Elena’s eyes darkened with lust. She rocked forward, and he almost lost it right then. “I don’t care. I want you to.”

Roman couldn’t hold back. Invited to come inside of her, his body already stretched to incredible lengths as it healed, he let go. His orgasm tore through him and tightened every one of his muscles for a moment of pain and pleasure before everything went slack, and relief took over. Atop him, he felt Elena tighten, as well. She sucked in a tiny, greedy breath, then pulled away and shifted to his side on the bed.

“Did you come?” he asked, unsure what had happened. She’d been so quiet, and he’d done so little.

“I came.” She pressed a kiss to his neck. Her breathing was heavier than it had been before, and he got the impression she was being truthful. After what had happened in Viktor’s room, he figured that lying would no longer be an issue. “God, did I come. Not every end is fireworks. Some of the best ones are slow burns, and they sizzle. You drive me there, chaufferone…and you know what?”

Roman grinned. He couldn’t help it—the love brimming behind his ribs expanded and rose until it stretched his lips. “What?’

“I don’t think this is a ride I’m ever going to want to get off of.” She snuggled up to his side and released a contented sigh. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now. You took on this job thinking you’d only have to watch me for a while…and now you’ve got to watch me for a hell of a lot longer than that.”

“There are worse jobs,” Roman said, his smile never-ending. “There are far, far worse jobs. In fact, if I had to do it for the rest of my life, I don’t think I’d mind.”

“Mmm, I’ll hold you to that, you know.” She laughed, then nestled against him. “As long as you continue to hold yourself against me. Often. Like, probably every night until the end of time…as long as I haven’t stabbed you lately.”

“Well, once I feel better, there are ways to ensure your compliance when you are in brat mode. And I think even you will have to admit that you are frequently in dire need of a spanking.”

Elena lifted her head to kiss his shoulder. “You’ll definitely have to be feeling much better before that happens—and we might need to soundproof the room too because I have no intentions of being quiet.”

Roman choked back a laugh that irritated the hell out of his injury. It was worth it. What he’d found with Elena wasn’t just the start of something new—it was the start of something permanent. He’d found in her a new way to live, and through that, a new way to love. And no matter the pain he suffered, and no matter the obstacles along the way, he’d never let her go again.

Not for his career. Not for Viktor. Not even for death itself.

Elena was his, and she would be forever more. He’d make sure of it.

Elena

EPILOGUE

Two months later

Roman took step after careful step, supporting Elena’s mother, Raisa, toward the front door of the Sokolov mansion. Elena stood nearby, holding the door open for them both. Tears brimmed in her eyes as her mother turned her head in Roman’s direction and smiled. There was life in her eyes again, and although nothing could reverse all the damage that had been done to her, she was improving each and every day.

While she’d been worrying about Roman, Viktor had stepped up to make sure that her mother was safe. It turned out that the woman in pink scrubs had been on her father’s payroll, tasked with making sure that her mother only received the barest of care—scarcely enough to survive. She was also supposed to notify Mikhail if anyone came to visit her. Alexandra and her mother, Darya, found Raisa the best neurologist in Boston and the doctor had been shocked at her mother’s condition.

Thankfully, her mother was doing a lot better, and with therapy, the doctor was confident that she would regain some of what she lost. The horrible treatment she’d received had taken its toll on her body and mind, but she was already so improved that today, they were moving her permanently into the Sokolov mansion. From now on, she would be given her own private nurse and would be assured the best medical attention possible for as long as she needed it. Elena was over the moon, she was so happy. She’d tried to reach her sister Maya to tell her what was going on, but the phone number she had for her went straight to a voicemail so generic and nondescript that she wasn’t even sure if it was still her sister’s phone number. She’d asked Niko if he could get a better number for her, but he hadn’t gotten back to her yet.

They still didn’t know where her father was hiding. In the background check Niko had put together, some of her father’s holdings weren’t listed and she’d been able to supply information about those along with the addresses, but when they’d checked the properties, they were all clear—he hadn’t been to any of them in months.

Over the last two months, a couple of the warehouses her father owned had mysteriously burned to the ground with their contents still inside. The insurance company had been informed that it was arson, and they were quick to deny coverage for the losses, which she knew would piss her father off. As far as Elena was concerned, everything could burn. On top of that, Niko had managed to figure out that her father had kept her mother alive in order to maintain control over her inheritance—which Maya and Elena were supposed to inherit—which was why he’d never had her legally declared dead. Viktor was gracious enough to insist that money be placed in an account for her mother to use as she wanted while he would take care of all her health needs.

Roman winked at her as he passed, guiding her mother into the house. Elena’s heart skipped a beat, and she winked back. She was about to follow him in and take up position on her mother’s free side when someone burst through the doors in a hurry, almost crashing directly into Elena.

“H-hey!” Elena uttered. The person continued to speed away, heading for one of the cars parked along the drop-off point in front of the house. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? That’s so rude!”

“I don’t have time,” the individual snarled back. It wasn’t until Elena heard his voice that she clued in to who the figure was—Kostya, Viktor’s middle brother and his chief enforcer.

“Um?” Elena followed him forward, not wanting to give up on him just yet. “Kostya? I’m serious. That was really rude of you. What’s going on?”

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