Page 64 of Shadows of the Past
The urgency in his tone snaps us back to reality. Maksim and I finally pull apart, the loss of him leaving me aching and exposed.
I’m still drying off with a towel when he reaches out, his pinky hooking around mine. I turn to him, and his eyes search my face, worry etched in every line.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” he asks softly.
My heart stutters at how gentle he is even though I know the scars he carries are so much deeper than mine. At least I have the peace of knowing my monster is gone. He has to face his every single day.
“My thighs are going to be sore from how much they shook, but otherwise, I’m more than fine,” I say, giving him a reassuring smile.
He nods, lingering for a moment as if he wants to close the distance between us and kiss me again, but instead, he lets go and slips out of the bathroom, leaving me with the echo of his touch and the promise of something I never thought I’d find—hope.
I look in the mirror, and it's so obvious I've had sex. My face glows in a special way, my chest is red, and there's a slight burning sensation between my legs, which makes me think of Maksim every second.
"The question is what have you done to me, Max?"
Because I don't know how I could do this with anyone else. My body revolts at the mere thought.
Chapter 22
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Maksim
I can still feel her body pressed against mine when I get out of the shower, and the fact that I want to go back for her confirms that her touch is becoming an addiction.
Akim's waiting for me outside the room, so I take advantage of this moment of peace in my head.
I don't know how things will go from now on, but one thing's for sure. Ever since she stepped back into this house, even though I gave her the freedom to leave, she's chosen her path. Because I know I won't be able to let her go again.
When I come out of the room, Akim's pacing in a circle, and the moment he looks up at me, he stops and laughs.
He takes one look at me and says, “Finally!”
"Not a word, Akim, if you value your tongue."
He’s still laughing, but he raises his hands in resignation.
"Okay, okay! I found out who's behind the attack," he tells me, and all my attention focuses on him.
I motion for him to come into the room, but before I let him in, I make sure Julia's dressed.
If he were to see her wrapped in a towel or naked, I don't know what I'd do to my best friend, but he'd definitely need a new pair of eyes.
When I see her at the laptop, something in my chest warms. Without thinking, I bring my hand to my heart because I sometimes feel like I have a cardiac arrhythmia, but no. The beats are okay.
After he closes the door, Akim asks, "Have you heard of Vlad Cosevici?"
I try to remember if I've ever heard the name, but I haven’t.
"He's a Serbian billionaire. It took me a while to find information about him, especially to make the connection, but you won't believe it."
When he shows Julia and me a picture of him from five years ago, all I hear is Julia's gasp of amazement.
Because, next to him, there's a woman around forty years old and a little girl. A little girl who, when we saw her two years ago, was at most sixteen years old and was being cut by Aleksandr.
She’s the same girl Julia saved from the creep's hands before he could kill her.
"The kid was kidnapped, along with a friend, two years ago from a park near the private school they went to. Apparently, their bodyguards were distracted, and that's when they were snatched."
