Page 121 of Fierce Pursuit

I made a promise to Veronika on her deathbed to protect her sister, but more than that, Marina was important to me. Not just because of the promises I made Veronika, but because Marina was what I wanted. She was the future that I would die for.

I loved her. It was that simple. I’d always loved her.

My path was clear.

I had to do anything in my power to keep her safe, and that meant giving her my name.

In my world, no man would dare kill a mafia rival’s wife.

That wasn’t just a declaration of war, it was a very complicated suicide mission. If someone went after Marina and she carried my name, not only would I have every right to kill them, but so would my brothers, my cousins, and every other man who carried our name or worked for someone who did.

More than that, with Gregor, Damien, and Mikhail also married, we would make an example of that man. His death would be so gruesome, so painful, it would strike fear into the hearts of any man who dared stand against the Ivanov clan.

Veronika was the sole exception to that rule, and only because of her own actions.

Had she been faithful, had she treated our arrangement like a marriage, she would have been safe.

But by openly violating the sanctity of our marriage, she made herself fair game.

She was no longer considered my wife or under my protection.

If anything, she was under Solovyov’s protection.

Veronika had made her choice, and she had died from the consequences.

Marina would not have those same choices.

I would not allow her to sleep in another man’s bed.

I would not allow her to live separately from me.

No, Marina would be my wife in all ways.

It would keep her safe, and in my bed where she belonged.

I sat on the edge of the bed and she rolled to her side, like she was unconsciously making room for me. I slid in next to her under the blankets and held her close to me.

Her lips parted with a soft moan, and she pressed back into my body.

My heart raced, but I felt calm, at peace.

When Veronika died, frustration hit hard. This failure gutted me more than anything that ever went wrong in my marriage.

It was nothing like the fear and fury that tore through me when Marina was dragged out of my hotel room. It couldn’t even graze the raw terror that gripped my chest as I watched the car flip, sparks flying, with her still trapped inside.

And it certainly didn’t compare to the guilt that hardened in my gut at knowing she went through all of this becauseI hadn’t protected her.

That would never happen again.

She was going to be safe and warm in my arms like this every single night.

The way her body melted into mine told me she needed this as much as I did.

She knew at least instinctively that the best way to keep herself safe was to stay in my arms. That was why even in a deep sleep she searched for me, moved to me.

My breath burned in my chest as her delicate, plump lips remained parted and her breathing picked up. Her chest was rising in quick, shallow pants and a blush ofpink glowed across the tops of her cheeks then down her delicate neck, disappearing under her soft sweater.

I moved my hand to the flat of her stomach, slipping under her sweater to the warmth of her soft skin. As my palm rose and fell with her breathing, it settled something inside of me that hadn’t released since she was taken from me.

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