CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Annika
Happiness bubbling inside me, I waited as Adrik rolled off me and disappeared into the bathroom to discard the condom. I eye-fucked him the entire way, drooling over his muscular torso, strong legs, firm ass. God, he was hot. So sexy.
Once he’d let down his guard, once he’d let me in, holy hell, it had been smoking hot. The sex had beenincredible. Out of this world.
I had to admit we were an unlikely pair: the nerdy concert pianist and the scarred Bratva thug. I didn’t want to think about what my family might do if they found out about us. My uncle and my papa would probably not be happy, but I was pretty sure Efrem would be okay with it. I didn’t want to get Adrik in trouble with them—not that it mattered now since they were taking him off the job—but I wasn’t sorry for what we’d done. I couldn’t change how I felt, and I wasn’t about to try. Adrik was special. Our connection was unique. The more I learned about him, the more I liked him. He was just so likeable.
Adrik was the type of man I could easily see myself falling in love with. How could anyonenotlove him? He was just so genuine. So caring.
Adrik returned a few moments later, his gaze hesitant as he met my stare.
I patted the bed invitingly, smiling at him. “We have a long time before morning comes. Come back to bed.”
He hesitated, dropping his gaze. “Annika, I don’t know how to say this, but I’m not sure if we should have done that. Your family entrusted me to protect you, not fuck you. They’ll think I took advantage of the situation. They’re going tokillme now.”
I sat up. Yes, my family wouldn’t be pleased, but they wouldn’t hurt Adrik. Or, at least, I didn’tthinkthey would. My happiness was more important to them than Adrik’s unwavering loyalty to the brotherhood, wasn’t it?
“No one has to know,” I whispered. “This can stay just between us.”
Uneasiness flickered in his eyes. “They’ve been good to me, and I feel like I just betrayed their trust. I feel like…” He cringed, “…we shouldn’t have done that.”
Pain slithered in to wrap around me like a noose. He regretted it already? How could he regret something so beautiful?
Yanking the covers up, I pulled them over my nakedness, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden. Why was he already pushing me away? Especially after what we’d just shared? Was he really that afraid of my family?
Lifting my chin, I met his stare. “I’ll talk to them. I’ll let them know I instigated the whole thing. You have nothing to worry about.”
He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I can’t let you do that. I’m responsible for my own actions. What kind of man would I be if I let you take the blame?”
“But Iamto blame, Adrik. I came on to you. I seduced you, not the other way around.”
Adrik’s face turned bright red. He dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have let it go that far. But you make me weak, and I couldn’t say no. If your father decides to kill me, I won’t object. I deserve it. In fact, I should be up front with him right now. Let him know what I did so it won’t be a surprise if they find out later.”
“No!” I objected. “Don’t youdaresay anything to anyone! What we shared was special and needs to stay between us.”
His chest rose and fell as he inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled. “My job is toprotectyou, Annika. What I did waswrong. I shouldn’t have touched you.”
How could say that? Had it meantnothingto him? DidImean nothing to him?
“Maybe you should godo your job, then,” I retorted, “and stop spending your last few hours fucking around with the boss’s daughter.” The harsh words flew past my lips before I could stop them, but it was too late to take them back now. He’d hurt me and my instinctive reaction was to lash out at him, make him hurt too.
Adrik stilled, his gaze turning cautious as it searched mine. “Annika…I didn’t mean to hurt you–”
“Thenwhysay it? If you were going to regret it five seconds later, thenwhy do it in the first place?” I raised my voice on those last few words, my hurt evident even to my own ears. God, how pathetic was I?
Silence descended.
He expelled a long breath, slowly shaking his head. “I don’t…regret it. Not even a little bit. I just…” He broke off, hanging his head, a look of utter dejection on his face. “You won’t understand. I owe your family so much, and they’re going to look at this like a betrayal.”
In other words, his loyalty to the Bratva was more important than me. Even though they’d fired him.
“Just go, Adrik. If you want to pretend this never happened, then fine. We’ll pretend. Godo your job. What’s left of it. Go prove your loyalty to the brotherhood. God knows that’s more important than anything else.”
He winced. “Annika, you know that’s not true–”
“Do I?”