Page 127 of Wicked Vows (Suvorov Bratva 2)

But he doesn’t close the lid.

“I’ve been wondering that myself,Lisichka,” he whispers. He takes my hand and places it over his heart. “The last several months have been a nonstop roller coaster of emotions.”

I exhale heavily. With relief. With fear.

But mostly it’s relief. “Yeah, it has been.”

I blink away fresh tears.

“Liya,” he says hesitantly. “Do you…?” He frowns and looks away. When he looks back, he meets my gaze and asks, “Are you ever afraid of being happy with me?”

“All the time.”

He blinks. “I feel the same about you.”

“Why?”

The frown deepens. But it’s more out of concentration and irritation than it is out of sadness. He’s really trying to sort it out. He’s really trying to do his best.

Finally, he sighs, “All emotional states are fleeting.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“If all states are fleeting and happiness is a state of being, then it stands to reason that happiness is fleeting.” He shrugs. “I suspected that something would inevitably snatch my happiness away from me.”

My lower lip trembles. “Pavel…”

“At one point, I thought someone would snatchyouaway from me, too.” He shakes his head. “But I think you’re as addicted to me as I am to you.” He looks deep into my eyes. “Are you,rodnaya?”

“I am.”

My honesty seems both welcome and frightening for him.

But ultimately, he nods. “Because I can’t get enough of you.”

I suck air into my lungs, struggling to keep myself upright. It feels like everything is crashing around us right now. “The good and the bad, right?”

“Yes, in equal amounts.”

“Sometimes, the bad feels really good.”

He raises his eyebrows while playing with my fingers. When he positions my hand to his throat, it’s almost devious, like he’s daring me to apply pressure.

And the way my pussy throbs as a result is terrifying.

“After we escaped Sharp,” I whisper tentatively. I close my eyes and feel his pulse vibrate my palm. “When we had sex, I wanted to fight you. I wanted to deny you.”

“Why didn’t you?”

I shook my head. “Something about you always breaks down my walls.”

The bed shifts. He sits up. He kisses my eyelids.

I shudder violently while continuing, “But it was more than that this time. It washowyou broke my walls in that office.”

His lips trail over my cheek and feather along my jawline.

My head instinctively tilts back.

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