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“And I’m not surprised that you didn’t trust me to tell me that you were pregnant at first because I didn’t trust you either. You picked up on that.” He lifted our hands and kissed my knuckles. “You’re too smart to be conned like that.”
He got out of the car, urging me to follow after him. When I was on my feet, he kept me trapped between the open door and the car, his body blocking me in as he cupped my face. Feeling the fresh air of the breeze brushing my hair back, I felt like I was stepping into sunshine for the first time in years. Everything felt lighter, every breath filled me with more optimism as I gazed up at him.
“I’m sorry, Sloane, for any and every reason you might hate me.”
I shook my head slightly, setting my hands on his chest. His heart beat so rapidly under my touch. “I don’t hate you.”
“Is there a chance…” He leaned in to kiss my cheek and hug me closer. “That you might love me as much as I love you?”
Closing my eyes with his breath so warm as it teased my cheek, I nodded and smiled. “There’s a very big chance of that, Maxim,” I whispered.
He brushed his lips over mine. “And is there a chance you might forgive me for how I reacted to your keeping a secret like that from me?”
I kissed him back softly. “As long as you forgive me for keeping it from you at all, yes.”
Sighing heavily, he gathered me into his arms then kissed me harder, growling into my mouth.
My heart felt so full that it would burst if we kept this up. Making up with Maxim would be one of the best, most unforgettable moments of my life, and I mentally promised that I’d do all I could to never let any distance come between us again.
But it was an unforgettable moment in more ways than one.
Distracted in this kiss with him, I was slow to register the sound of guns going off.
Then as I was pushed down, with Maxim blocking me, I realized that we’d been so lost in the moment that neither of us had noticed men rushing up close enough to capture Nik and haul him away.
40
MAXIM
“Nik!” I turned at the sight of his being pulled back. One masked man pressed something to his neck, and my brother went limp.
“No!” I darted forward, but as soon as I put any distance between me and Sloane, I stopped short and hurried back to block her.
Fuck!
I got my gun out and fired at the few men who were trying to take Nik away. Aiming away from him so he wouldn’t be caught in the gunfire, I hoped that the other men in the car following us would use just as much accuracy.
The second SUV that was tailing us slammed on their brakes and men filed out of the car. Just like I was, they used the open car doors as a block to fire at the masked men.
“Fuck,” I roared, so fed up with these attacks and incidents aimed at my family. I was sick of the constant barrage of trouble, more than anything we’d ever faced before. It wasn’t reflective of my skills as the interim boss while Father recovered. This shithad been going on for a while. And it was escalating too damn fast for my liking now.
“Get him,” I ordered the Ivanov men falling into file with me. We all fired at the men who were dragging my unconscious brother further away, but they didn’t stop. They weren’t hit as they got him closer to a van waiting on the other side of the parking lot.
The second they got him in the back, it was over. They’d transport him and the hunt for him would become that much more difficult.
“Go!”
Men ran after them in an attempt to stop these assholes from getting Nik in the car. They were almost there. Watching and staying put like this to defend Sloane, I felt shredded in two.
I had to help my brother.
But I had to save my woman. My child.
I couldn’t run away from her and I couldn’t stand by and just watch Nik be knocked out and taken away like this!
“Go,” Sloane urged. She shoved at my back as she crawled into the backset. “Go get him!”
“No!” I shouted back at her, suspended in raw disbelief that she’d urge me to leave her in danger. Was she kidding? How in the hell could she think I’d abandon her with this happening around us?