Page 62 of The Russian's Kidnapped Bride
“You don’t have to. You’re still you… The ambitious young woman I’ve been falling for more every day.”
As if she doesn’t fully believe me, she lets out a small, almost hesitant laugh, but the corners of her lips manage to pull just enough.
“I mean it,” I murmur, leaning down to press my forehead against hers.
Even if I should hold myself back longer and keep from crowding her space, I can’t help myself.
Her breath hitches faintly, seemingly surprised by the gesture, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans into it.
“Our marriage may have been done out of convenience, but everything is still real to me. From the moment I saw you at the club that night, I knew I couldn’t be without you. And now that you’re pregnant…that fact has skyrocketed,” I reassure her, bringing a grounding hand to her waist. “I know it’s a big ask, but I want you to trust me. Put your faith in me, and know that you are at the forefront of all of my decisions.”
While she holds my gaze, her eyes search mine, as if looking for something specific. “Can I do that? Can I trust you?”
“Yes, you can,” he returns gently, letting our noses touch slightly, barely resisting the urge to cut that space. “I used to only think about myself and my family, but now, you’re a part of that equation. The baby, too.”
Lily’s eyes soften then, and without hesitation, she closes the distance.
Her lips find mine not out of obligation, but with her own desire to. It isn’t forced, and it’s not even desperate to begin with.
Instead, her mouth softly melds with mine, and I know it’s real.
That contact is warm and searching, and fragile in its own way. Somehow, it’s even more powerful than anything we’ve shared before.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her close and feel my heart racing.
“We’ll be okay,” I whisper against her lips, offering her a gentle squeeze.
In return, her breath fans against me before she moves back in, kissing me with more urgency that tells me she’s still scared, but willing to try. Willing to try and trust me.
I know there’s still more to figure out, and more pieces to put into place, but for now, I’m more than willing to get lost in that shared warmth. To soak in everythingherand forget about the rest for a short while.
For now, her acceptance puts me at ease, and the taste of her lips gives me the strength I need to keep going.
Chapter 21 - Lily
Mikhail’s lips on mine ignite that familiar fire in me, and despite my uncertainty, I can’t ignore its call.
I can’t stop moving with him, and I don’t want to. Not while his hands fall to the back of my bare thighs, squeezing them before hoisting me up and moving me through the kitchen.
My mouth melds with his, seeking that addictive feeling I tried so hard to forget but couldn’t. All of my effort is for nothing when I can’t resist him.
What started as a gentle kiss quickly slipped into something breathless and dripping with need, while Mikhail takes me to the living room, lowering me onto the cushions without hesitation. Not leaving me the chance to be without his touch for even a moment, he leans in, hovering over top of me and never breaking the kiss.
My hands go to his waist instinctively while our greed reaches new heights, hands already slipping beneath the fabric of his tee.
He hums against my mouth, wasting no time doing the same. His fingers disappear beneath the shirt, hanging off me before crawling up higher and higher, feeling my skin like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do. His lips never stop caressing as if he’s starving.
I want to pretend like I can contain myself to some capacity, and that if I wanted to, I could pull away.
But the longer his mouth is on mine, the more I know I’m lying to myself.
Since the moment he started talking to me at the club, I knew he would be hard to forget. That has only become truer over time.
And now, knowing he wants to be with me and to have this child together, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop. He has made himself a constant in my mind, and knowing him, I’ll never shake him.
Maybe I should do everything in my power to get him away from me, but at this moment, having his hands on my body and feeling just how badly he wants me, I don’t want it to end.
With his lips spurring as much desire in me as humanly possible, I squirm subtly beneath him, pushing his shirt up until he pulls it off the rest of the way and tosses it.
