Fiery blue eyes scan the surroundings and they don’t stop until they land on Lev, Gregor, and then me. Damn, I love a woman who makes me work for what I want. And she’s beautiful. I never saw myself falling for the enemy but this woman has stolen a part of me I didn't know I had to give. Seeing Lev struggle this morning with his nightmares made me realize I haven't had one in about a week. Why? I can’t say for sure, but if I had an educated guess I would say the reason is sitting right in front of me. The thought of her, knowing I would not live this life in a void helped chase some of the darkness from my soul.
And therein lies the problem. She doesn’t deserve what we want from her, but I am too fucking selfish to let her walk out of our lives. If we don’t get her pregnant someone else will and fuck that shit. I want to see her round and happy with our baby. That’s probably a little fucking alpha chest-thumping for people to hear, but it’s true. Something primal grips my balls and won’t let go until I am releasing my white-hot milk inside her.
Every time she breathes out, hair flutters over her face. I smooth the long strands from her face and cup heated puffing cheeks in my palms.
“Untie her men. Let her run. She’s in Southern territory now. Let’s see how far our little birdie can get before someone spots her.”
“I’m betting half a block in those four-inch heels and that sexy thigh-tight skirt.” Gregor takes out a switchblade from his pocket and slices it through the ropes.
She jumps a little but doesn’t back down from Gregor. He takes her hands in his and kisses the small band of red left by the harsh rope.
“Forgive us,” he murmurs in our native language. “We would never intentionally hurt you.”
“I wish I knew what you were saying.”
Gregor brushes his scarred knuckles over her cheeks and she doesn’t realize it, but his touch calms her breathing.
She eyes the healed gashes over my friend’s hands but doesn’t ask questions. But it won’t take long. She left it for later when we stripped for her in Club Sin. She has other things on her mind, as did we that night. But curiosity is getting the best of her with how she keeps looking and biting at the inside of her cheek.
“We will teach you our language if you give us that chance.”
Lev is at her side. He takes a brush he pulled from some drawer in Gregor’s walk-in closet and sets to taming her wild hair.
“You know I can’t stay. It’s not that I don’t like you—”
“—it’s that you are scared?”
She nods. “I do not want to be the reason you are hurt. So, show me the door, I’ll find a cab before anyone spots me and I’ll be out of your hair.”
There are two problems with that scenario.
She crosses her arms over her chest and those plump breasts of hers push up. I spot the swell of both through the opening of her blouse and the sight is tempting. I always love a good teasing.
We all three back up and come to stand in front of her and mirror her body language. She wants to be hardheaded, and so can we.
“We don’t give up what we’ve claimed.” Lev offers with an arrogance that has her teeth gnashing.
“And you could be carrying our child.”
Gregor backs our friend up with the second reason she’s not leaving this condo and I have a third.
“We are not going to send you out to the street to be harmed. It’s inconceivable.”
“I guess that puts us at an impasse.”
It’s cute she thinks she can gain the upper hand here.
“What did you think was going to happen when you took our semen inside you? When you let all three of us come in that pretty pussy?”
Panic and what I recognize as fear tears across her face.
I pull her into my chest and bury her beneath my chin. Lev and Gregor take her hands and wipe at the tears I feel wetting my shirt.
“Has he threatened you? Tell us, malyshka. Has Harlon or his men hurt you or threatened you in any way?”
Her head tilts back and she looks into my eyes with so much pain my soul cracks. “I know your darkness, sweet thing. I know you have witnessed crimes and deaths. I know of your father. We all have. You’re not alone.”
Embarrassment tinges her cheeks a deep ruby and she tries to duck her head but I push her chin up until her eyes meet mine again.
“We all have dark secrets.”
“Lev said that to me this morning.”
She turns to him and my friend kisses her gently with the same reverence we all feel for the woman in our arms.
“We’ve faced darkness. We’ve survived. And here we stand. Isn’t that proof we should stop running?”
For a moment she stares up at me and then she asks the hard question I know she’s been thinking about since Gregor touched her cheek. “What happened? The scars. I know the tattoos are to cover them. But who caused them?”
“Answer us first.”
She shakes her head. “I’ve seen Harlon kill. He’s the head of the Northern Alliance for God’s sake. He’s been forced into becoming his father. But no. He hasn’t touched me. I didn’t have the balls to tell him about our contract either, so…”
I kiss her with a fiery passion that has my balls in a death grip for her. The movement of her lips as she spoke hypnotized me and I take what I want. I sweep my tongue across her lips and steal the kiss I’ve craved for weeks.
I hitch her up, wrap her legs around my waist, and don’t let either of us breathe until we are in the adjoining bathroom. I place her ass on the counter and step from between her legs.
She’s breathing hard. We both are.
“I’ll make this fair. Take a pregnancy test. It comes out negative, you have the option of leaving; it’s positive you belong to us.”
She says nothing so I take that as acceptance. I point to the four tests I picked up earlier in the day. “We will be right outside.”