Lap of Luxury (Love Don't Cost a Thing)

“What the fuck are you talking about? I never told you any such thing.”

“Don’t you remember what you said to me the day you killed our father? You told me that if someone tries to take away what’s mine, I should come at them with everything I have. I don’t have endless rage and a thirst for blood. That was always your thing, so I chose to put the law on your tail and then go into hiding.”

I do remember. It was the night we started Ravnikar Enterprises. I made him swear it over our father’s corpse while his blood was still pooling at our feet. “I killed our father for you. It was always meant to be just the two of us.”

Mikhail jerks his chin at Bethany. “And her? What about her?”

“What about her?” I bite out.

“She’s here. She’s alive and unhurt, apart from the injuries she got fleeing you. She even defended you a short time ago. I can see how you’re looking at her now. I caught a glimpse of how you looked at her back in London. I thought I was imagining things, but you want her, don’t you? Badly. And she wants you.”

“Just shut up about Bethany.”

“No, I won’t, because it’s the only way to make you understand. The feelings you have for Bethany? I have them for Ciara. You made me choose, and I chose her. I will always choose her.”

I aim the rifle at him. “Then you and she are going to die.”

“That’s enough!” Bethany’s eyes are blazing up at me. Her beautiful green eyes, filled with emotion. “You can have me. I’ll stay. But let them go, or I promise that you’ll lose me forever.”

“Don’t threaten me, Bethany.”

“It’s not a threat, it’s a warning.” She takes a deep breath. “You can have your revenge on them, or you can have me and your child.”

There’s a ringing in my ears. “My what?”

She splays a hand on her belly and looks at me imploringly, and I feel the ground drop away from beneath my feet.

“You child, Damir. I’m pregnant.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bethany

Damir’s face goes slack with shock. The room is utterly still and silent.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” I reply.

His voice is husky and there’s a strange expression in his eyes. “But I gave you the morning after pill like you wanted. You’ve been taking contraceptives.”

I spread my hands and let them fall to my side. “Didn’t work. We weren’t exactly being careful. There were a few times you didn’t pull out, and it only takes once.”

This has to work. This is my only card to play, and I can’t believe I have to play it, and use our child as a way to bargain for Mikhail and Ciara’s lives. I can see love and hope creep into Damir’s expression as he slowly realizes what I’m saying. He wanted us to have a child all along. Damir, despite all his rage and bitterness, is a family man at heart.

“We can start fresh,” I whisper to him. “You and me and our child.”

Mikhail shifts on his feet and he glances at me out of the corner of his eye. I swear to god if he judges me for willingly—more or less—sleeping with his brother I will punch him in the throat.

I glance at Ciara, ready to stare down her judgement, but to my surprise, all I see is sympathy. And something else. She’s gnawing on her lip as if she’s mentally debating something. I don’t need anything from her. If she and Mikhail keep their mouths shut maybe I can talk Damir out of killing them.

Damir goes on staring at me for a full minute. Then his expression closes and he turns back to Mikhail.

It’s not enough for him. His love for me, his child that I’m carrying. I’m not enough for him to put down his weapon. He’s turned away from me as coldly as he did the deaths of his men.

“I warn you,” I say, though my voice is shaky with despair now. “You’ll never see me or your child again if you do this.”

But Damir’s not listening to me. He opens his mouth to speak to Mikhail, but he’s interrupted.