Page 23 of Lethal Devotion
That doesn’t surprise me at all. Valentina isn’t the kind of woman who will take well to being sidelined. I can easily picture her chafing at the restrictions already.
“What’s her name?” Konstantin asks, and I blink. “Your wife,” he clarifies.
“Sienna Monroe. Kutnezsov now, I suppose.” I rub the back of myneck. The entire thing feels strange, awkward. “Although I don’t imagine she’ll be changing her name. Her son is Adam.”
Konstantin nods. “They’re welcome here. Go let her know that, and that I’ll update all the security on her presence and her son, and make sure everyone knows the situation. Let her know to stay on the estate grounds unless arrangements are made otherwise. I can’t guarantee her safety anywhere else unless plans are made ahead of time.”
I nod. “Understood.”
“We’ll talk later.” Konstantin leans back in his chair, clearly exhausted. “I need to think about what to do. I’ll contact Giovanni, make it clear how angry I am about this, how unacceptable it is?—”
“Konstantin—”
He holds up a hand. “I know you and my father were of the same mind. You think we should obliterate them before they can attack us directly, or make the problem worse. I think that trying to make peace is the right way to do things. See if we can cut ties with the Russos and end our partnership here, without further violence. I won’t continue doing business with them after this, but perhaps we can avoid a full-scale war.”
I don’t believe for a second that’s possible, but I can also see that Konstantin’s mind is made up. I nod, rising out of my chair. “I’ll go talk to Sienna, then. If you need me, let me know. I won’t be far.”
The weight of it all feels heavy on my shoulders as I walk to Sienna’s room, hoping I’ll find her there. I don’t believe that the Russos will agree to a peaceful dissolution of the alliance between Giovanni and Konstantin. I think they meant to push with this, to see how far they could go, and only violence will show them that Konstantin is not to be fucked with.
But I’m not thepakhan, and it’s not my decision.
At least Sienna is welcome here. I didn’t doubt that she would be, but it’s a relief to know it for sure. And she’ll have everything she needs here. Still, I can’t help thinking that she’s going to feel confined, knowing she can’t leave the estate. It’s not her home, and she’s used to being able to do as she pleases. She won’t be able to, now.
I’m so caught up in my thoughts that I don’t think to knock. Thedoor isn’t locked, and I open it without thinking, stepping inside just in time to see Sienna standing next to the dresser, in the middle of changing clothes.
She’s holding a pair of jeans, in nothing but another lacy bra—this one lavender—and a pair of matching panties that hug her slender hips in a way that makes my palms itch to be in the same place.She does have freckles all over,is my only thought before my cock surges to life, all the blood in my body shooting straight downward as I get what feels like the stiffest erection of my entire life.
She looks like something out of a fantasy, standing there in her lacy purple underwear, her hair damp from the shower, darker than usual, and clinging to her skin. There are drops of water still on her shoulders and collarbone, and all I can think of is how her skin would taste as I licked them away.
For a moment, as our eyes meet—as mine sweep back up from staring at her body to her eyes—we both freeze, neither of us sure what to do. Her eyes go wide with something that might be embarrassment or fear, and I can see her pulse fluttering rapidly at the base of her throat. She's beautiful—more beautiful than she has any right to be—and I can’t ever recall being so aroused before. It’s almost painful, the blood throbbing through my cock and leaving me dizzy with need.
She’s so close, just on the other side of the room, half-naked. My lust-fogged mind floods with images of backing her against that dresser, turning her around to brace against it, and showing her exactly what she does to me. I could be inside of her in seconds, could claim what’s rightfully mine, take what I’m owed?—
My jaw tightens until my teeth grind together. She doesn’t owe me anything. I offered her protection, and I never meant for it to come with strings. But the thought was there, the urges overwhelming for a moment, and I realize from the look on Sienna’s face that she saw what I was thinking.
She’s terrified. I can see it in her eyes, the way she takes an involuntary step backward. She expects me to take what I want, expectsme to use my size and strength and the power I hold over her situation to get what she's not willing to give freely.
Fuck. I suck in a breath, trying to regain control, ignoring my throbbing cock. “I’m sorry,” I say, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. "I should have knocked."
"It's fine," she says quickly, but she's already stepping into her jeans, yanking them on with one hand as she grabs for a shirt with her other, shaking hand. "I was just... I didn't expect..."
"I don't force women," I tell her bluntly, cutting through whatever apology or explanation she's trying to formulate. "Ever. For any reason."
She blinks up at me, clearly surprised by the vehemence in my voice. "I didn't say you did."
"You didn't have to. I can see it in your eyes." I pause, trying to collect myself, to look indifferent to her even though my body is screaming for me to stride into the room, throw her over my shoulder like a caveman, and fling her onto the bed. “Whatever it is that you’re imagining, Sienna, it’s not going to happen.”
She pauses as she buttons her jeans, a black T-shirt now covering those small breasts and lightly freckled, smooth skin. “You said that last night.”
“And I meant it.” I step fully into the room, although I leave plenty of space between the two of us. "I have no intention of fucking you." I see her eyes go wide at the crude statement, but I said it that way on purpose, to shock her into understanding. "Not tonight, not ever. When this is over—when the threat is eliminated—I'll dissolve our marriage, and you'll be free to go."
The relief that floods her face is so obvious it might as well be a slap across mine. She actually sags against the dresser behind her, like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.
“You mean it,” she whispers, and I nod, even as my cock strains against the front of my pants. I don’t dare reach down and adjust it—she hasn’t looked down yet, and if she does, she might not believe me. Hell, if she sees the size of the ridge pressing against my zipper, shemight flee from that alone. She’s slender and delicate enough that I can’t imagine it would be an easy fit.
No. It would be a tight fit. Tight and hot and wet…
I grit my teeth. “Yes,” I manage. “I mean it. This is to protect you, Sienna. You and your son.” The reminder of her son, of the other half of this responsibility, deflates my arousal somewhat. Protecting her, I feel certain I can handle, but I have no idea what to do to keep a child safe, or what kind of havoc he might wreak. “But there are rules you’ll need to follow, if this is going to work out.”
