Page 41 of Cruel Russian Pakhan
“And then he’ll marry the real Vera…” My voice trailed off and I felt like a ton of bricks had just been dropped on my chest.
I was a Rykov, and Lev still didn’t want me. Even after everything we had been through. Even after the way he looked at me, kissed me…touched me.
Katya, he wasn’t yours to begin with.
But it shouldn't matter which sister he married, should it? It's the same family, the same bloodline…kind of.
When Ninel touched my hand and stared at me, I realized she had asked me a question. I masked my disappointment and focused on her question.
“Have you decided if you want to meet them?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, thinking over her words.
“If you were in my shoes, would you meet them? Knowing your mother had an affair with their father?”
“Yes,” Ninel said without hesitation.
“Why?”
“Because they’re your family,” she said, covering my hand with hers. “Even if they don’t like you at first, which I honestly don’t see happening, they’ll come around eventually. I’m sure it was as big a shock for them as it was for you.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
“And having family means someone will always have your back. You’ll be protected, you’ll have financial security, and you’ll have two more sisters to talk to, since Mariya and I have already added you to our clan no matter what happens.”
“I have a family.” This time, I said it with a little more excitement in my voice.
“You do.” Ninel smiled broadly.
I grinned and tucked my feet under my butt. “Okay, so tell me everything you know about them.”
During breakfast and for the rest of the morning, Ninel told me everything she could about the Rykovs. She confessed that both families had never trusted each other, but she hoped that might change in the future, since having more alliances than enemies was a plus in their world. Or should I say our world, since I was now a part of it?
By the time Ninel left, it was three in the afternoon
For the next three hours, I sat staring at the TV without really watching it. I chewed my fingernails, lost in thought, replaying everything that had happened since I met Lev. Daisy always believed everything happened for a reason, and now I thought I did, too. If Lev hadn’t kidnapped me, I wouldn’t have found my siblings.
But your heart would still be intact. You wouldn’t be head over heels for a man who doesn’t want you. What did he call you? A convenience?
I sighed and closed my eyes.
“Katya…”
Lev’s voice, followed by the light touch on my shoulder, made me jump off the sofa like a spooked cat and spin to face him. I nearly toppled backward on the coffee table trying to get away, but he was fast. He caught me around the waist and pressed me to his chest before I could fall.
I clutched the front of his shirt, my breath frozen in my chest as his eyes dropped to my lips. For a moment, we just stood there, breathing the same air, his hands still around me. Then slowly, his gaze met mine, he let go and stepped back.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I called your name a few times when I came in.”
“Oh,” I said lamely. “It’s been a long day. I have a lot on my mind.”
“Ninel told me you agreed to meet your siblings. I imagine that’s overwhelming.”
What’s overwhelming is how easily you tossed me aside. What's overwhelming is how every time I hear your voice my heart flutters. But what's most overwhelming is how my body responds every time you touch me, like euphoria. And somehow my mind and my heart can't coexist in the same body. My heart kicks out my mind every single time.
I shook my head gently to clear it.
“I’d like to take you to dinner,” he said, with a smile. “I thought it might help ease the nerves before you meet them.”
