“Yes.”
“That’s the idea.” She smirks, slowly lowers herself onto me, and starts moving.
I reach up to take hold of her hips, to set a pace, but she takes my hands and pushes them away until they’re pinned on the bed. Her message could not be clearer: it’s her turn. And she’ll do whatever it takes to get whatever she wants.
I lie back and admire the beauty and the power she exudes in this moment. Her full breasts are swaying, and her hair bounces with each frenzied motion. A moan emanates from her throat as she fucks me. The moan rises in pitch, and I feel her own control slowly slipping. Her hands keep me pinned the entire time, and she doesn’t stop until both of us are weak and spent—tangled amidst sheets and languid limbs—as our minds empty of everything save the thought of each other.
***
An hour later, still naked but with the pizza half eaten, I ask. “So…about that tour?”
“Mmm.” Liya closes her eyes. “Can’t it wait until morning?”
“It’ll be quick. I promise. You’ll love it,” I say.
“Okay.”
She extends her hand, the ring glinting in the dim light of our bedroom. I help her to her feet and walk her into the room where my surprise is waiting for her.
“Close your eyes,” I say.
She obliges. I push open the door.
“Now you can open them.”
She opens her eyes and sees the crib. For a moment, she stands there in disbelief. Then, her hand flies up to her face again and she looks back, tears in her eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that that look.
She rushes towards me, hugs me tight, and takes a shuddering breath as she blinks her tears away. A storm of emotions flits across her face, until finally, happiness overwhelms them all. She looks up, unable to contain her smile even as tears fall fast from her eyes.
“Pavel,” she asks breathlessly. “When did you build this?”
“I started building it when we were in Coney Island. I wanted to surprise you with it,” I admit. “But you left before I could.”
I want to apologize, but she kisses me before I can say more. Not a kiss that sends my heart racing for her body, but one that leaves my heart beating in time with hers. With a single kiss, she tells me that this is where she belongs. This is what she wants—just as much if not more than me.
Home.
When we break apart, she turns back to the crib and runs her fingers—each movement deliberate—along the smooth polished wooden surface in silence. Her bottom lip moves slightly, as if she’s searching for the right words. But nothing comes out. Eventually, she turns around and locks gazes with me, amber eyes shining.
“I’m sorry for running away,” she finally says.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” I take her in my arms and the two of us gaze down at the crib together.
“You did what any mother would do in your situation,” I say. “You put your child above all else. I’m sorry you had to make that choice, and I’ll spend the rest of our days making that up to you.”
“In that case.” The corner of her lips curves mischievously up as she presses her body close against mine. “How about we start with aproperapology?”
I cup her face as my cock stirs back to life. “And how will I do that,Rodnaya Lisichka?”
“In my opinion.” The mischievousness shifts from her lips to her eyes as she traces a single delicate finger along the edge of my jaw. “A good groveling always begins with you on your knees.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Liya
It’s my wedding day.
Unlike our previous wedding ceremony that filled an entire church, this one is small and intimate. Only our closest friends and family are in attendance: Karina and Stepan for Pavel, and Willow for me. There isn’t a priest, and everything takes place on the terrace of the penthouse in a simplified version of the full ceremony that we had once before.