“It’s a good thing my husband knows how to keep me satisfied.”
I can’t resist crawling into his lap and straddling him. Knowing he’s covered in weapons and having this visual reminder of how deadly he is, but also knowing how gentle he is with me is a heady mix that’s downright intoxicating.
He studies my face, reading me so easily before giving me a sexy smirk. “Aren’t you just full of surprises.”
“I can’t help it. Everything about you turns me on.”
“Now you know how I feel,” he says with a laugh.
“God, I’m going to miss you,” I tell him, gripping his shoulders and wishing I could keep him here with me.
“Not near as much as I’m going to miss you.”
He grabs my ass, pulling me closer before pressing his lips to mine. The kiss is sweet and gentle, and there’s so much love in it that it has tears springing to my eyes. I will them away, not wanting to make this any harder for him than it already is. I open my mouth even more for him, deepening the kiss, even though I know it’s going to make it all that much harder to part. He groans when I run my tongue over his and give him a soft suck. His fingers dig into my ass as I feel him grow hard beneath me.
“My God, you make it difficult to say goodbye,lisichka,” he breathes against my lips.
“Good. I’d hate it if it was easy for you to leave me.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up in a smile. “You don’t have to worry about that. Leaving you is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve put it off long enough. You won’t be able to contact me while I’m gone. I’ll drop my phone off at the restaurant, and that’s where it’ll stay until I pick it up on my way back home.”
I nod my head, not trusting myself to speak.
“If you need anything, call the restaurant and ask for Viktor or Ivan, but don’t mention any details, baby.”
I nod again, digging my fingers even harder into his broad shoulders.
“Do you have your inhaler?”
“Yes,” I whisper. “Don’t worry about me, Sasha. I’ll be fine. Just keep yourself safe.”
“I’ll always worry about you. It’s impossible not to.”
He gives me another kiss, this one much quicker and over far too soon, before lifting me up and setting me on my feet. He holds my hand as we walk downstairs, only letting me go so he can put on his black, down jacket. He grabs his gloves and a balaclava, and I can’t help but wonder how long he’s expecting to have to stay out in the cold.
Before he puts his gloves on, he cups my face and pulls me in for another kiss. I try not to think about how much this feels like a last kiss, like anI’m not expecting to see you againkiss, but the fears creep in all the same, and when he pulls back and sees the worry in my eyes, he gives me a smile and kisses the tip of my nose.
“Stop worrying,lisichka. I love you, and Iwillbe back. Try not to eat too much sugar while I’m gone. If I come back and find all the cookies gone and you passed out with icing-coated lips, well, first I’m going to laugh my ass off,” he says with a big grin, “and then I’m going to bend you over my knee.”
“Promises, promises,” I say, pulling him closer and giving him a kiss.
He reaches down and cups my ass in both hands, giving me a firm squeeze before bringing his hand down hard enough to make my gasp at the sharp sting.
“Something to remember me by.”
He gives me a wink and another quick kiss before walking to the garage door.
“I love you,lisichka. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I love you, too, Sasha.”
He gives me one last smile before disappearing into the darkness of the garage and pulling the door shut behind him. I hear the lock click into place as he locks it from the other side and then the mechanical whirring of the garage door seconds before the roar of his engine. I stand frozen in place until the door comes back down, and there’s nothing left of my husband except the memory of him.
Grabbing Nutmeg, I cuddle into the couch and turn the TV on. The silence is like a heavy weight pressing down on me, making me feel like I’m suffocating and making me crave some noise to fill it. I mindlessly flip through the channels, telling myself that I’ll just sit here and watch as many Christmas movies as it takes until he walks right back through that door.
I pet Nutmeg, so grateful that I at least have him with me and grab a blanket to cover us as I sink in deeper into the comfy cushions. He plops his furry body down on my chest while I pet him and let the strong vibrations of his purring calm me down. We stay like that for hours. I’m determined to stay awake until he gets back, but when the third Christmas movie starts, my eyes grow too heavy to keep open.
When I wake, it’s to a brightly lit living room and a very stiff neck. Nutmeg abandoned me at some point during the night in favor of his chair, and when I throw back the cover and look around for Aleksandr, my heart is racing, and I’m jittery from all the adrenaline spiking through me. I race to the garage and pull open the door, sure that it must’ve been the sound of his truck coming in that woke me, but when I’m met with an empty, dark garage, it feels like someone’s just come up and sucker-punched me.