Page 192 of Tarnished Tyrant (Zhukova Bratva 1)

“Nikolai,” I pant. “I can’t—”

His cock slides home again, and he holds me to him. I feel his body draw tight.

“Come,” he rasps.

And do I. Oh, God, do I.

* * *

“Where are we going?”

I shift in the passenger seat, wondering whether I can reach my phone and tap out a message without Nikolai noticing. Probably not. He notices everything.

“Why? Nervous?”

That would be an understatement. The last twenty-four hours have been a fever dream of pleasure. The kind of fantasy I used to chastise myself for inventing. Because what’s the point in dwelling on something you can’t ever have?

Except, I did have it. For a day.

Nikolai made love to me on his desk and then carried me to his shower. He washed my hair with tender fingers and wrapped me in a fluffy white towel as big as a comforter. Then while I ate breakfast, he talked me through what he wanted to say to Elise.

“She’s your sister. She should know the truth,” he said. “Or, the basics of it, anyway. I’ll explain to her that I have enemies who might want to hurt the two of you, which is why I killed those men. To protect her.”

When we sat down with her for the worst conversation I could ever imagine, Nikolai was gentle and patient. He fielded her questions, gave me space to chime in. It felt… easy. The way we worked together was almost second nature, and I couldn’t help but imagine the way it would be with our baby. How we would balance each other out.

Then the sun came up this morning, and I woke up to a text from Xena.

XENA:10 this morning while he’s at work. Confirm and I’ll get you what you need.

Since the moment Nikolai showed up outside Tony’s and drove me home, I’ve been planning to get away from him. I’ve been working with his ex-fiancée to escape and start a new life.

But maybe I was wrong the whole time.

Maybe Nikolai is my new life.

Maybe my future is here.

Nikolai keeps glancing at me, his silver eyes sparkling. I try to push all my other thoughts aside and stay in this moment with him.

“No, I’m not nervous,” I say. “It’s just that you’re supposed to be at work right now. And you’re not. Which you always are. But should I be nervous?”

He smiles cryptically. “With me? Always.”

Ten minutes later, we pull into a hospital parking garage. My heart thuds heavily in my chest. “Nikolai?”

He kills the engine and turns to me. “You have to be seen by a doctor, Belle.”

“The last time you surprised me, we went to Iceland. This is slightly less exciting.”

“We need to know what’s going on. If I’m going to make plans to protect you and Elise and the baby, I need to know if there is a baby.”

I bite my lip. I could fight him and refuse to be seen by the doctor. Then I could slip away and meet up with Xena.

But I want to talk to a doctor, too. I want to know if the fantasy I lived in for the past twenty-four hours could become real life.

So I nod. “Okay.”

He jumps out of the car, comes around to my side, and pulls the door open. “Good. Then let’s go see our baby.”

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