Page 36 of Born into Darkness

“Just a little bit longer,” she agrees and then adds, “and then we have permission to completely fall apart.”

“Deal. I’ll bring the alcohol,” I tell her.

She’s grinning at me when our husbands finally trickle in from downstairs, and I swear I can see the relief on Vasily’s face at the sight of it. I know the guys were worried about the Medvedev family, but I knew I liked them the second they walked in and I saw the way Vasily looked at his wife. You can’t fake that kind of love, and it told me everything I needed to know about these men.

“You doing okay,zolotse?” he asks, walking over to the couch as she stands up to meet him.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine here. You can stop worrying,” she tells him.

“That’ll be the day,” he tells her, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

“Where’s everyone else?” she asks.

Vasily motions towards the stairs. “They’re still down there. They’re checking their equipment, and Bran is trying to figure out where best to set up once we get there.”

Danil motions for me to follow him, but before I walk off, I tell Nina and Vasily, “I’m not sure if Emily told you yet or not, but she set up one of the guest rooms for you. It’s down the hall, last door on the right,” I say, pointing to it. “I doubt any of us will get much sleep tonight, but it’s there if you need it.”

They both say a quick thanks as Danil grabs my hand, leading me in the opposite direction. I’m not surprised when he takes me down the stairs he just came up and right into the bedroom we used to share.

“This room brings back some memories,” he says, looking around at the space we first shared.

“I’d been so scared my first night here, but I knew I was safe with you.” I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly, resting my face on his chest. “I knew I could trust you.”

“I’ll bring him home to you,sladkaya,” he promises me. “I’ll keep them safe and bring them both back.”

“I know you will.”

He reaches down to lift me up, raising me as if I weigh nothing so I can wrap my legs around his waist and our faces are close together. I meet his grey eyes, and after over twenty years of marriage, I feel like I sometimes know him even better than I know myself. I rest my forehead against his and my palm against his cheek.

“Keep yourself safe, too,” I whisper. “I want you all three back. I can’t handle losing any of you.”

“You are the best thing that ever happened to me,” he starts to say, but I press my finger to his lips, silencing his words.

“Don’t you dare,” I tell him.

He raises a brow at me and asks around my finger, “What am I doing?”

“You’re telling me things you want to make sure I know, things that I’ll remember if something happens to you.” My eyes start to fill at the very idea of him not coming home to me. “Don’t,” I whisper. “Please don’t leave me with that.”

“What should I leave you with then?”

I move my finger and press my lips to his. He immediately brings one hand up to cup the back of my head as he moans and deepens the kiss, just as starved for my touch as I am for his. The warmth of his lips on mine, the teasing flick of his tongue, and the soft nip of his teeth leave me breathless and desperate to take this further. I’m still scared to death about Max, still terrified of Niki and Danil having to go to Colombia, and I’m still only inches away from what I swear is my breaking point, but I can’t let my husband leave without feeling him inside me once more. I may not want to think about it, but we both know there’s a chance something could go wrong and he won’t be coming back to me, and if these are our last few moments together, then I’ll never forgive myself if I cheat us both out of this time together.

When I slide my hand down his back and start to tug on his shirt, he groans again and carries me to the bed. Laying me down, he hovers his body over mine and searches my face. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I run my fingers through his hair, memorizing every detail of his face in this moment. “I want to feel close to you. I need this. I think we both need this.”

He grins and quickly pulls his shirt off before ditching the rest of his clothes and then relieving me of my own. When his body is hovering over mine again, he slides his hand under me so he can clasp the back of my neck as he settles himself between my legs.

“I definitely need this,sladkaya. I’ve missed you so goddamn much.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I whisper as he slowly slides into me. I grip his shoulders and bury my face in his neck, moaning his name when he bottoms out and our bodies are locked together. The pads of his fingers press against my pulse point, letting him feel the beat of my heart like he loves before his lips find mine and he kisses me. Rocking his hips, he works his thick length in and out of me in a slow, intoxicating rhythm that chases all the fears and worries right from my head. With every stroke, every soft caress, and every deep kiss, he reminds me that together we can face anything and that everything is going to be okay.

I cling to that hope as strongly as I cling to him, and I’m not at all surprised to feel myself already reaching the point of no return. My body is aching for a release, and Danil knows exactly what to do to bring me to the edge.

“Fuck,” he growls when I start to come and he feels me grip him harder with my release. My heart races against the pad of his thumb as he buries himself as deeply inside me as he can get and lets go with me.

He kisses me hard, trying to get as much of me as he can, like he wants to brand his body with mine before he goes so he can take a part of me with him. I submit completely, letting him get his fill, and even after he’s empty and the last of the aftershocks have thundered through me, he stays inside me, kissing me slowly and savoring the last few minutes that we have.

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