Page 121 of The Payback

“I can’t,” I admit. My body feels spent and undone, boneless as I pant above Dimitri, feeling the flickers of a new orgasm building, but they’re merely an echo of the earlier one.

And I will no longer settle for anything less than the complete devastation these two can wring from my body.

Dimitri nods and slides his hands up my ribs until he’s holding my breasts as they bounce. Three thrusts later, he comes with a groan, pinching my nipples and arching his back beneath me. I rake my fingers down his chest as he fills me with his cum.

He pulls me towards him, laying me on top of him as Nik carefully slips out of me. “Back in a second,” he says, padding across the suite towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later, he returns, finding Dimitri between my legs, shoving his cum back inside me with careful fingers. I’m sore as hell, and I’ll be unsteady in my heels for the gala, but that was so fucking worth it.

“Breeding kink, huh?” Nik asks as he joins me on the bed, lying at my side and watching Dimitri.

“Never had that before. Not until Eleanor.”

A question bubbles up in me, and I know it’s not my business—or maybe it is now that we’ve said we want a future together.

“Can I ask—?” I don’t know how to form the words sensitively. I don’t want to offend him, especially if it’s a touchy subject.

“I had a vasectomy when I was twenty.” His words are low and regretful. “I always knew I didn’t want to bring a child into this life, and there would always be people looking to take advantage of my position. One girl tried faking a pregnancy when I was nineteen. She was lying but wanted me for what I could provide. I removed that option to claw one’s way into my life. No child deserves this.”

My heart breaks for this man. Now that he’s getting out, he could have any future he wants, a child included, if that’s his wish, but it’s not in the cards.

“After the surgery, there was an infection. The doctor warned me reversal would likely not be successful, especially if I waited.” Dimitri gives a shrug and a sad smile while I do the maths. It’s been eight years.

“And it’s been too long?” I ask, unsure if I even want more kids, but I feel for Dimitri. That was a monumental decision he made when he was younger, and to have the reversal option ripped away because of things beyond his control breaks my heart.

“Did they freeze any sperm?” Nik asks.

Dimitri nods. “The lab that was housing it caught fire about four years ago. They lost half their storage.” A single tear tracks down his cheek, the loss hitting anew. He buries his face against my stomach.

“Dimitri...” Nik says, resting a hand on Dimitri’s shaking shoulder. “There’s still hope, though, right? There has to be. Besides, can’t they just... extract from your balls?”

I shudder at the same moment Dimitri does. That doesn’t sound pleasant, but Nik is offering hope right now, and Dimitri needs to hear it.

“Possibly.” He doesn’t offer more than that, and I wonder how serious that infection was to have him doubting everything modern medicine has come up with since his procedure.

My eyes overflow as I wrap my legs around Dimitri, pulling him close and comforting him the only way I know how. He hugs me tight, his other hand landing on Nik’s as we grieve the loss of what could never be together as a unit.

Nik is the first to fall asleep, his hand still on Dimitri as he snores softly in my ear.

“Are you okay?” I ask my husband.

He snuggles against me. His voice is hoarse and yet still determined. “Yes.”

“We’ll all be okay, Dimitri. You have us.”

“You’re both more than I could have ever asked for.”

“I was going to say the same thing,” I reply.

CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR

Eleanor

“You ready for this?”Dimitri asks, running a hand along my bare arm.

“Ready,” I confirm. My voice is determined and unwavering, reminding me of how prepared I felt before those church doors opened and I tied my life to the man beside me. Little did I know he would turn my entire world upside down.

As I put my necklace on, I meet my husband’s gaze in the mirror. Despite wearing the same tux, he looks even more dashing than he did at the opera. Tonight, his hair is carefully styled back, gel holding the longer locks in place on top, and his face is cleanly shaven, showing off that perfect jawline. He smells incredible, and all I want to do is wrap myself up in his arms and forget about the rest of the night, but that’s simply impossible.

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