“Don’t you dare!” she squeals and then laughs when I give her ass a soft smack.
Her fingers run through my beard, each touch making me fall a little harder for her.
“Thank you for showing me your scars.”
“Thanks for not being horrified by them.”
“Every inch of you is perfection,lisichka. I’ll never let you forget that. I’m sorry about your family. I’m sorry you had to go through it alone.”
She shrugs her shoulders and gives me a small smile. “It’s been really hard, but I know they would want me to be happy. That’s why I’ve tried so hard to stay cheerful and to hold onto the good memories. When things get bad and I start to feel depressed, I just think about how much it would hurt my dad to see me like that. My mom died when I was five, and it was just the two of us for the longest time. Then he met Marie, Shelly’s mom, and it was so good to see him so happy. He taught me that life is meant to be enjoyed, that you have to grab onto every second of it with both hands and never take a moment of it for granted.”
“What happened with Shelly? Was she always like this with you?”
“No, we used to be really close, but my dad was driving the car that day, and she’s never forgiven me for that. It doesn’t matter that the accident wasn’t my dad’s fault. I know she’s just hurting, and I guess I’ve become her punching bag over the last year.”
“Not anymore,” I tell her, pulling her closer so I can kiss her.
She softens into my touch, opening her mouth for me and unknowingly claiming every damn part of myself as hers.
Chapter7
Holly
Iget ready for work in an absolute daze. So many things have changed in my life, but instead of being freaked out, I’m actually happy, and every time I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I put my elf costume back on, I see the ridiculous grin that I can’t seem to stop giving. It’s insane. I know it is. I shouldn’t feel this way about the hitman who forced me into a marriage, but every time I see him, I feel all light and fluttery. He may be a professional killer for a powerful Bratva, but he’s gentle and sweet with me, and I know I’m falling in love with him.
As soon as I step out of the bathroom in my green-and-white tights and red dress, his strong arms are around me, and his mouth is pressed against my neck, kissing a line along my skin and sparking every cell in my body back to life. Last night I’d hoped he would give in and fuck me, but he didn’t. He just held me all night long, making me feel safer than I ever have in my life.
“You’re making me a Christmas lover,” he murmurs, running his hands under my skirt to cup my ass.
I laugh and wrap my arms around him. “Soon it’ll be your favorite holiday, Sasha.”
He pulls back, his eyes softening at my words. I still like to call him Aleksandr, but after he explained to me that Sasha is a more informal nickname, I’ve taken to calling him it when I feel especially close to him.
“We’d better go if I’m going to get there in time.”
He sighs and gives me one more kiss before reluctantly letting me go. He’d looked horrified this morning when I told him I could just take the bus, so when he grabs his truck keys, I just smile and get our jackets. Once we’re both bundled up and on our way, I start to think about facing work again. It feels like a lifetime ago when I walked in on Aleksandr killing my boss, but the reality is that it’s barely been two days, and I can’t show up for work and hear the news about my missing boss with a lovesick, goofy grin on my face. When we’re parked out front in the mall parking lot, I’m surprised when he immediately gets out of the truck and starts walking around to my door.
“You can just drop me off here,” I say, wrapping my scarf even tighter around my neck when a sharp gust of wind hits us.
“I’m not leaving you alone here.”
“I’ll be fine.” I start to say something else, but he stops me with a kiss. The warmth of his mouth is a sharp contrast to the icy cold wind, and I open wider for more, feeling my whole body start to heat up.
Resting his forehead against mine, he says, “You’re mine now, baby, and I’m not leaving you alone.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “You look sexy as hell in that elf costume. I’m going to enjoy watching you all day again.”
I smile, remembering the first time I’d glimpsed the sexy stranger who’d been staring at me. “Okay, but if you get bored, you can leave.”
He gives me a wink. “I’m not leaving, and I’ll never get bored watching you.”
I wrap my arm through his when he offers it and lean into him as we make our way through the snowy parking lot to the main entrance. It’s quiet this early in the morning, most of the shoppers are still at home, warm in their beds, but a few people are walking around, trying to get more gifts crossed off their Christmas lists. We walk past the lit up carousel, already spinning with a few kids on it, their moms waving each time they catch sight of their child spinning past, and walk into Leeman’s. As soon as I see two police officers standing by the door to the employee area, I freeze, my whole body tensing with nerves. Aleksandr feels it and turns me so I’m facing him. His smile is easygoing and sexy as hell.
“Relax,lisichka.” He pulls off my winter hat and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “There’s not a single thing to tie me to this. All they know is that Belsky has gone missing.”
“What if it didn’t get cleaned up well enough?” I think about all the crime shows I’ve seen, and how all it takes is the tiniest detail to be overlooked and you’re fucked.
“Ivan cleaned up,” he says as if that takes care of that. When he can still see how worried I am, he says, “The man never misses anything. All you have to do is act surprised and upset when you hear. Just remember less is more. You’re not trying for an Oscar,” he says with a laugh, making me wonder how in the hell he can remain so calm.
Leaning closer, he kisses me softly. “Do you need me to get you out of here?”