CHAPTER 30
Gavril
I answered the texts in rapid-fire succession as the car sped through the familiar streets of LA toward the mansion. Naomi was silent beside me, and I wondered if she had apprehensions like I did about being back.
What we had in Russia or even in the jet was far different from what we had here, and surely she had to be worried about it.
Hell, I was worried about it, about losing that laughter in her voice, the look in her eyes whenever she looked at me.
Last night, I’d thought she was going to tell me that she loved me. When the words had left her mouth, for a moment I had felt the elation sneak in. It wasn’t because I had finally won; I had taken everything she could give me.
No, it was because I thought she had found a way to love me, to break down my barriers and worm her way into my fucking heart.
Hell, she was already there.
Instead, she had said she loved me pounding into her.
Any other man’s ego would have been blown, but I wanted more. The disappointment had threaded through me to the point that I’d thought I might leave her in the bed, even when I had told her I wouldn’t.
The vodka hadn’t drowned that disappointment as well as I had hoped, and by the time I had woken Naomi, I was itching to get off the jet.
And now here we were, silent once more.
I glanced over at her, finding her staring at the passing scenery with interest. There was something different about her. Maybe it was the happiness she had found with my sisters, but her hair seemed to have more bounce than normal. Her breasts had seemed to feel heavier in my hands last night, and there was a different kind of softness about her.
Happiness looked good on her, and I vowed silently to keep it on her for as long as I could.
Especially if she was going to jump my bones every chance she got.
Grinning inwardly, I turned my attention back to the texts. One was from Anatoly, making sure that I had landed on time. He hadn’t even batted an eye when I told him he would have to fly commercial, since I wanted to spend some time alone with my wife, but I had very little doubt that he would rag me about it next time he saw me.
Another text was from Katarina, wanting to thank me for bringing Sveta with me for them to meet. I read her gushing words and sent back a text to let her know we had gotten back safely. Naomi had really done a number on my sisters as well, but she truly seemed to care about them and that made me happy.
There were also a number of texts about the shipment and how it had been delayed because of bad weather.
Fucking great. Now I would have to wait a few more days to placate the Krasnaya brigadiers.
That wasn’t what I wanted to happen, but it was all that I could do for now.
The car finally pulled in front of the mansion, and I let out a small sigh of relief that we had arrived safely and without incident. Even though I thrived on danger, I sure as hell didn’t want it when Naomi was with me.
“We are home,” she whispered softly in Russian. I had grown so used to her speaking in English while we were alone that it almost sounded unfamiliar to me.
Such a simple little thing. But the mere reminder of our ruse, of our pretend roles, left my stomach churning uncomfortably.
“We are,” I told her instead as the door opened. “Welcome home.”
She gave me a nod and I stepped out, finding Vera waiting for me. “Welcome home, master,” she said. “I trust that your trip went well?”
“It did,” I answered as Naomi came to stand by me. I didn’t reach out to take her hand even though I wanted to.
“Mistress,” Vera stated, inclining her head. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you, Vera,” Naomi replied with a gentle smile on her face. “It’s good to be back.”
Her voice was neutral, but I could see her hands shaking despite how she tried to hide them by gripping her bag. What was she worried about?
Was she worried about the same things I was?
Instead of asking, I turned to Vera. “Sveta is to have full control of the household staff,” I told her. For a moment, disapproval flashed on Vera’s face and disappeared. “She has the right to make any changes she sees fit.”
It was time that she took her position as my wife—a true position with real power. But more than that, I wanted to show her that I trusted her to do so. During our time in Russia, I’d found that she didn’t feel like my wife at all without a share of my power. This would be the first step to show her that I was serious about this marriage—even if it was a dead girl’s name on our certificate.
“Of course,” Vera replied. “I will inform the staff that Sveta Stanislavovna will be in charge from now on.”
“Of course, I will still need you to help me,” Naomi added, shooting me a look. “You know everything about this house. I wouldn’t dare take that away from you, Vera.”
That seemed to mollify Vera a little, and she cleared her throat. “I will get the mistress a list of the staff and their occupations immediately,” she said.
“No exceptions,” I reminded Vera as I placed my hand on Naomi’s lower back. “If she wants to change the color of the mansion, she can do so.”
Vera had worked for me for a long time, but I could easily see her twisting my words to suit her own purposes.
Though I knew she was loyal to me, her loyalty to Naomi was unproven yet. And I suspected that it would take some time for Naomi to take full and total control in our household.
Our household. The words didn’t fill me with dread like I thought they would. Instead, I hoped that this would work, that Naomi would stick with me no matter what happened in the future.
“Of course, master,” Vera bowed. “I will pass along the information.”