Page 74 of Savage Beauty

“So these two jokers wanted to bring you presents,” he says to Morgana, “but they got a bit carried away.”

Avel tries arranging the bouquet in a cardboard bedpan, which makes Morgana laugh. “Nothing to do with me,” he says. “Lili was the one who went overboard. Not my fault if Arman can’t refuse her a damn thing.”

I take in the smiling faces, and I’m hit by boundless gratitude. I love all these people so much. They accepted my decision to step away from the bratva, and they did so with grace and understanding.

I finally believe in my value, and my incredible wife is the reason. She made me confront the lies I used to tell myself, the bullshit that kept my walls up and my heart protected. Faced with her warm heart and patient, gentle soul, my resistance was futile. She taught me more than she’ll ever know, and I’m grateful every day.

Morgana yawns. “I need some rest, guys,” she says. “Lili. Aren’t you late to meet Sebastian? I thought the concert was tonight?”

Arman huffs air out of his nostrils, and I catch a flare of annoyance on his face. No one else notices.

“Yep!” Lili trills. “Avel is coming too. He wants to see if I have any attractive classmates. And Arman is gonna drive us.”

I glance at him. “You going on this Juilliard school trip, too?”

“No.” He raises an eyebrow. “But I’m gonna wait outside in the car until they’re done.”

So Arman doesn’t trust Avel not to go off with a girl and leave Lilyana to fend for herself. He’s going too far with his concern for her—she’ll be with friends, after all—but I’m not gonna get into that with him.

Because it’s also Dulcie’s night off. That means Josie and I will be home alone for a few hours.

“Come on,zolotse.” I reach for my wife’s hand and help her to her feet. “Let’s leave the new parents in the nest. I’ve been painting all day, and I’m bushed.”

She ruffles my hair playfully. “So you finally learned which way to hold a paintbrush? That’s good, baby. Now, if you can just master ahairbrush—”

“—and with that, we’re out of here,” I say, interrupting. We get the goodbyes out of the way, and as we close the door behind us, I grab her waist, pulling her to me.

It’s been too long. Josie’s pregnancy nausea is only just easing off, and I’m not enough of a bastard to hassle her for sex when she’s been feeling so ill. An empty house is too good an opportunity to waste, and the thought of filling the place with her screams is enough to make me feral.

“You know exactly what that kind of sass will get you,” I murmur, kissing her neck. Josie pulls back and gives me a wicked grin.

“I sure hope so.”

49

Josie

As soon as we’re inside the house, Sasha is upon me, his hands everywhere. It seems as though he might wrestle me to the floor and fuck me there, but he breaks away and stares into my eyes, breathing heavily.

“Upstairs.” He pushes me ahead of him, swatting my ass as I go. “I don’t wanna wreck you. Not yet, anyway.”

He swoops me into his arms as we enter our suite, tossing me onto the bed. Then he’s straddling me, pinning me with his bulk. He holds my wrists, keeping my hands above me as his eyes roam over my body.

“What to do, what to do.” He leans over so he can whisper in my ear. “I want you too much. I might do a lot, and I’m liable to get freaky with it. I’ve missed your body.”

“You went months without sex before we got together,” I say. He moves to kiss me, and I catch his lip ring in my teeth, tugging it before releasing him. “Are you really suffering so bad?”

Sasha releases my hands and sits back on his heels, his expression so solemn that I can’t help but laugh. “That was before I’d had a taste of you,” he says. “Now that you’re mine forever, you’d think I could deal, but I can’t. Forever isn’t enough time. I could never get enough.”

I’m reminded of those early days when Sasha forced me to marry him, only to find his desire was making a fool of him. So much has happened since then, but I’m gratified to discover that my husband’s sexual interest in me only seems to increase.

Sure, he respects and loves me, supports my dreams, cares for my needs, and protects me with his life. But he also touches me whenever he can, hugs me in passing, kisses me many times a day, and, above all, fucks me like my body is paradise. I always thought I was nothing more than a thing for a man to own, but he treats me like a treasure, a diamond. A priceless jewel worth more than every dollar of his immense wealth.

And because of all that, he can’t deny me anything.

“Hey.” I shift my hips beneath him, and he gives a low growl. “I have an idea. Do you wanna dothatthing?”

Sasha’s eyes widen in shock. “Seriously? Yes. I wanna break in your pretty ass. Is that what my gorgeous wife wants?”

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