Page 69

She stays still for so long, her muscles locked, that I wonder if I finally pushed too far, if I’ve already lost her.

Until her fingers tangle in my hair so tightly it stings, and she jerks my head back so I have no choice but to look up at her.

“I love you. I have always and will always love you. I was willing to sacrifice my life for you. I sacrificed my dignity and safety for you. Today…that’s it. That’s the last time you disrespect me. Do you understand? I am not that same girl. My heart only has so much left to give, and I won’t freely give that little bit to someone who sees me as the enemy.”

“You’re not the enemy. I know that,” I say, keeping my voice low, soft.

Her fingers tighten even more in my hair until I’m sure a few strands are pulled from the roots. Not a single person on this planet would have the balls to manhandle me the way she is now, not a single person I’ve ever encountered would have the gumption to speak to me the way she is now.

But she’s not simply any person. She’s the queen of my life. She’s the very heart beating in my chest. She’s the only person keeping my soul alive.

“Shut up and listen to me. I want Viktor out. I want to tell Flora the truth myself.”

Fuck. I forgot we contacted her slut friend. I don’t like the thought of the two of them gallivanting around again. Not that I distrust Everest, but Flora has never been overly picky about who she opens her legs for.

“And I’ll decide how and when we announce my reappearance. You want to marry me?” I nod instead of speaking. “Then prove you’ll be a good husband, because I’ve been through enough, K. Too much. More than anyone my age should have to endure, and you won’t be yet another man in my life that I have to survive.”

Why the fuck are the backs of my eyes burning? I haven’t cried since the night we were told Everest killed our baby and ran off to marry someone else. We hadn’t known then it was a lie. All I knew, allweknew, was our life had been stripped down to its barest forms.

Oh, and I committed patricide for no fucking reason.

Not that Christos Antoniou didn’t deserve the bullet I sent through the back of his skull. He deserved it and so much more.

“I’m sorry.” I can’t think of anything more to say. And those two words aren’t even close to enough. “I’ll prove it. I’ll prove to you I deserve you. I’ll prove I’ll be a good husband to you, and a good father to our children.”

She huffs a laugh. “You realize there’s no guarantee I can get pregnant after…” She squeezes her eyes shut and inhales deeply. “Just don’t get your hopes up.”

Everest is putting on a brave face, but I can see the pain in her eyes at the thought of that one night possibly ruining any chance of her being a mother someday, and it sends a fresh wave of rage coursing through my system.

But I said not twenty seconds ago I would prove I deserve her, and I will. That means not lashing out at her like a fucking emotionally stunted asshole.

No. The person who deserves my wrath is Dima fucking Sidorov.

Everest’s grip on my hair loosens and she smooths her hand over my head.

I continue staring up into her face. I’ll stay right here on my knees as long as needed to convince her of how fucking sorry I am for being such a royal asshole. I might be the Don of the region, might lead the Antoniou syndicate… but she is my queen. She owns me, heart, body, and soul.

Chapter 20

Everest

The tears are cooling on my cheeks, but my blood is still simmering. How dare he? How dare Kato try to throw shit in my face that was completely out of my control.

Like I said upstairs, he’s giving me whiplash, understanding and loving one moment – a complete and utter jackass the next.

And now, he’s kneeling at my feet, his arms wrapped around my waist as he stares into my eyes…his own glassy.

Is he…is Kato holding back tears?

I’m not sure I’ve seen him cry since our elementary school years. And even then, it was only if he got hurt or Christos whipped his ass, and I do meanwhipped. Christos always went straight to a belt or switch over swatting his son on the butt when Kato misbehaved.

Running my fingers through the hair on the sides of his head, I tilt his head back a little more and lean forward, pressing my lips to his.

“One chance, K. One. If you get pissed, talk like an adult, but no more punishing me for someone else’s sins.”

He simply nods.

His fingers tangle in the back of my tank, causing it to rise a little up my stomach. His eyes dip to that sliver of skin and he stares at it. Is he focusing on my bare skin, or is he thinking about what happened before? Is he thinking about what I might have looked like had I been able to swell with the life of our child?