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“You told me I wouldn’t see my son again when you found us.”

Shit, that fucking kicks me hard in the gut. But I try to remember what I said. “I was furious, hurt. I was cruel. I know that and I’ve apologized. I apologize again, Erin. I am sorry I hurt you.” I pause. “But I don’t think I ever said you wouldn’t. Just I might not let you and we would see.”

Erin’s eyes narrow and they’re bright, swimming with unshed tears.

What I just said hits hard. “Not my finest moment. Erin… this… all of this is new. I calmed down, I let you out, and we got close. We fell in love.” I stop. “I love you, Erin. I’m in love with you. No one before has come close to you. No one ever will. Okay? And Sasha… he was so unexpected, a perfect littleboy, mine. And it was like something I didn’t know was missing had been gouged out deeper.”

“Demyan …”

The strangled note in her voice undoes me.

“No, Erin, I’m just saying I don’t lie about the important things. I love you. I love him. I love this baby. The timing is shit, but who the fuck cares?”

“Me,” she whispers brokenly. “Me. I care.”

“I’m trying to say that I said stupid things in anger, but I didn’t lie. And have I once said anything along the lines of love to Stefina that you’ve heard? Have I treated her with anything more than annoyance or tightly controlled civility?”

She stares at me, eyes darting, like she’s looking for the secrets I don’t have, for the answers I should. She’s searching for assurances. “No.”

I breathe out. “I don’t like her. I find her annoying and idiotic. I should feel sorry for her because I know the life a lot of the women have in this world. Not Alina because my father doted on her and I protected her. But the thing is I don’t. And I’ll get out of marrying Stefina if it’s the last thing I do.”

“What if you don’t, Demyan?” she asks.

“I will,” I growl. “I fucking love you. I own you, you’re mine, and you should know that by now. I’ll risk my life for you over and over. And if you don’t know this, don’t feel this deep down, then there’s something seriously wrong.”

“I know, but I’m just scared.”

“Don’t ever be scared around me,Lyubimaya.”

I lean in and kiss her softly, claiming her sweet mouth, the salt of an escaped tear, the heat and addictive taste of her. I deepen it and she opens for me, her tongue mine, stroking against me, a delicate dance of fledgling trust, and with it the beat of love.

And as I kiss her, I slide my hand up between her thighs,stroking the velvet of her cunt’s lips, teasing her open and pushing two fingers into her. I swallow down her small cry of need, and I relish the heat and tight stretch of her around my fingers, the way her walls cling, the hardness of her clit as I flick it with my thumb, giving her enough of the bite of roughness I know she likes.

Her hips rock, and she moves, sliding forward to get more, but I let go of her chin and hold her hips in place, wanting to control it, to bring her every last ounce of pleasure. Her cunt’s a butterfly against my fingers, fluttering as she builds toward release.

I know her well enough to know how to make it fast and dirty or slow and blooming. And I want it a little of both, so I keep the rhythm steady, a little faster than I would for the slow buildup, but not fast enough to make it a dirty explosion.

She pants into my mouth and I kiss my way over to her ear, sucking in her lobe, biting soft, and then I kiss and lick my way along her throat, settling over the rushing beat of blood of her artery as my fingers continue to thrust deep within her.

Erin’s getting there, and when she’s close, her moans and whimpers fast now, I slip the hand holding her hips between her legs, dip my finger into her cunt, and then I work it into her ass and start to thrust in tandem.

She moans high and comes hard, and I drop down, move my thumb from her clit to lick and suck and work her holes so she tumbles down into another orgasm.

Erin pulls hard at my hair and she’s babbling my name, crying, and it goes on for a sweet forever, the convulsions of her orgasm hard on my fingers, the throb alive against my tongue on her clit.

When she’s reached peak level pleasure and it gets to the point where she starts to try to twist and turn away, I keepgoing and going, not bringing her another one, keeping her on that knife edge of pleasure and overwhelming her as she shudders and gasps and tries to get away.

It’s only when she begs me that I finally let her go. Reluctantly.

I ease my fingers out of her as I raise my head and come up to her, wiping my mouth deliberately over her tits that are covered by my sweater. And I say, “Promise me.”

Erin gasps. “Promise… promise… you… what?”

“Promise to never keep anything from me again.”

“I promise,” she says, eyes fluttering shut.

Erin’s taking her shower.I had one already, but I opted out of sharing with her. I don’t want to overwhelm her more than I have. I’m not done with her. I’ll never be done. But right now, the need to claim and reclaim her is like she’s my next fix and I’m jonesing.