Page 152 of The Last Hope

“Satisfied ? With you ?” He kissed my cheek. “Never. Not even in ten years.” A kiss on my forehead. “Not even in fifty.” A kiss on my nose. “Not even in a century, Solnyshko. I’ll never be satisfied when it comes to you. I’ll never get enough of your voice or your laughter, never enough of your scent or your softness. Never enough of your taste or your warmth,” he murmured, kissing me deeply, his fingers threading through my damp hair from our evening swim.

I moaned against his lips, my hands gliding from his shoulders to his strong neck, into his wet hair. I tugged, and he pulled back with a low growl.

“A cat ?” I repeated against his lips.

He groaned again, trying to reclaim my mouth, but I tightened my grip, lifting an eyebrow beneath his burning gaze.

“For fuck’s sake, ten if you want,” he relented at last, breath hot against my lips.

But I tugged on his hair once more.

“And I’m starting work at the hospital as a nurse when we get back,” I added with a sly smile.

His gaze darkened even more and I yelped as I suddenly found myself on my back, pressed into the warm sand. One of hishands pinned both of mine against my stomach, while his broad shoulders settled between my parted thighs.

“Nikolai,” I whispered.

“Unfortunately for you, I don’t respond to blackmail,Solnyshko—especially not when you’re the prize,” he smiled before disappearing between my thighs, making me shiver and moan more than once through the night.

I woke with a start, a cold shiver running down my spine. Carefully extracting myself from Nikolai’s arms, I stepped out onto the small terrace where the pool shimmered in the dark.

I rubbed my arms as goosebumps covered my skin, my gut twisted, my heart raced, and nausea rose. Another panic attack ? No—it felt different.

I sighed, gently tapping my chest, trying to ease the pain, but it was no use. Grabbing a cardigan from the chair, I left the cabin and headed toward the boys’ cabin next door. Just as I was about to climb the steps, I stopped. Several footprints marked the sand in front of the door. That wasn’t unusual—they’d been running around all day. But these were adult-sized. And the boys had forbidden anyone else from entering their cabin.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I heard an engine roar in the distance. I ran toward the beach, sharp pebbles digging into my bare feet.

A boat was pulling away from the shore.

“No ! No ! Papa ! Mama !” Andrei’s voice carried through the air. I saw Rafael struggling with one of the men, while two others hauled Alexei and Mikhail—unconscious—into a cabin on board.

My heart stopped.

“Andrei! Rafael!” I screamed, pushing myself harder as the boat drifted farther away.

“Mama !” Rafael cried as my feet sank into the water.

“Rafael ! Andrei ! Don’t be afraid, I’m here !” I kept wading deeper, breathless, voices shouting behind me.

“Selina !”

I began to swim, but the boat grew smaller and smaller, a speck on the horizon. My body, drained from running, could no longer keep my head above water. My sons, my babies… no.

Panic seized me. I thrashed against the waves, but the water pulled me under. I tried to reach them—I couldn’t.

Water rushed into my nose and mouth. I fought. I didn’t want to give up. My sons. My husband. My sister. My family—

Cool night air hit my face, and I gasped, choking on the water that had nearly killed me.

“Breathe, Selina. Breathe,” Nikolai’s voice urged, just as breathless as I was. “Come on, Solnyshko, breathe.” He pulled me toward the shore.

Roman appeared beside us. In moments, the three of us were on the beach, gasping for air.

“Andrei ! Alexei !” I cried, trying to stand, but my legs wouldn’t move. I crawled on my knees back toward the water, but an arm wrapped tightly around my waist.

“No ! My sons !” I screamed, thrashing in his hold.

I had to save them—I had to find them.

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