Page 47 of Arranged with Twins

Sienna

L eo drives us through the quiet streets of Brighton Beach as the city settles into late evening.

The safe house sits in a residential area where Russian grandmothers hang laundry from fire escapes and corner markets stay open past midnight.

It’s the kind of neighborhood where people mind their own business, which makes it perfect for disappearing.

The apartment building looks ordinary from the outside. It’s red brick and eight stories, with a few lights glowing in windows. Leo parks in an alley behind the building and leads me through a reinforced steel door that opens with his thumbprint.

“How many of these places do you have?” I ask as we climb a narrow staircase.

“Enough.” He keeps one hand on my back, steady and reassuring. “This one’s completely off the books. Only Ilya and three trusted men know it exists.”

The apartment on the fourth floor is sleek but minimalist, with hard wood floors, blackout curtains, and furniture that looks expensive but temporary.

I notice the reinforced door frame, the discreet security cameras, and what might be weapons storage built into the walls.

I don’t actually see any indication of that, but my imagination supplies the image of an armory surrounding us, which is comforting after today’s events.

“It’s not much,” Leo says, watching me take in the space, “But it’s safe.”

“It’s perfect.” I walk to the window, though the blackout curtains prevent me from seeing outside. “How long do we stay here?”

“As long as necessary.” He moves behind me, settling his hands on my shoulders. “Until we’re sure there are no more threats, and no loose ends that could put you in danger. The good news is, Adrian wasn’t one to inspire loyalty, so I doubt there’s anyone out there wanting revenge for his death.”

The reality of what happened crashes over me again.

My parents sold me to a man who threatened to cut off my fingers.

Mother provided my location, my security details, and even suggestions for how to break my will.

Father enabled everything through his desperate greed.

“They really did it.” The words come out hollow. “They really traded me for money.”

Leo turns me to face him, his expression fierce and protective. “We’re severing all ties with Vincent and Katherine. Completely. They’ll handle their own debts from now on.”

“That’s it?” Heat flares in my chest. “They hand me over to be tortured, and you’re just going to cut them off financially?”

“What would you have me do?” His voice is careful and controlled. “They’re your parents.”

“They stopped being my parents the moment they decided I was disposable.” I step away from him, pacing toward the kitchen. “Adrian had knives laid out, Leo. He was going to send you pieces of me. Mother knew that when she gave him my information.”

“Sienna—”

“She provided my security detail’s routine. She told him about my emotional vulnerabilities.” My voice rises despite my efforts to stay calm. “She helped him plan how to break me most effectively.”

Leo’s jaw is rigid with contained fury. “What do you want me to do to them?”

The question stops me cold. What do I want? Justice? Revenge? For them to understand the magnitude of their betrayal?

“I want them to face consequences.” I cross my arms, suddenly exhausted. “I want them to pay for what they’ve done.” I just don’t know how I want that to happen yet.

“They will.” Leo’s voice carries lethal certainty. “Vincent’s debts don’t disappear just because Adrian’s dead. Other creditors will come calling, and without my protection, he’ll have to face them alone.”

“And Mother?”

“Katherine’s reputation was the only thing she valued more than money. When news of Vincent’s shady deals and financial ruin gets out—and we’ll ensure it will—she’ll be finished in Manhattan society. No one will trust her again.”

The prospect should satisfy me, but mostly, I just feel empty. These people raised me, shaped me, and claimed to love me. Now, I have to rebuild my entire understanding of family and loyalty. “That might be enough, but… I want them to suffer more.”

“You don’t have to decide tonight.” He crosses the room embraces me. “I won’t let them hurt you again. I promise.”

“I know.” I lean into his touch, drawing strength from his steadiness. “I just need time to work through all of this.”

“You have all the time you need.” He strokes my cheek with his thumb. “First, you should shower.”

The idea of getting Adrian’s touch off my skin is appealing. I can still feel the memory of his hands in my hair, his knife against my throat, and the casual way he discussed cutting me apart. I need to wash away every trace of his presence.

The bathroom is as minimalist as the rest of the apartment but well-appointed.

Hot water cascades from a rainfall shower head, and I stand under the spray until steam fogs the mirrors.

I scrub my skin until it’s pink and wash my hair twice, trying to cleanse away the violation of being handled like merchandise.

When I finally emerge wrapped in a towel, Leo is sitting on the edge of the bed, still fully dressed. He looks up when I enter the bedroom, and something raw and vulnerable flashes across his features. “How do you feel?” His voice is quieter than usual.

“Finally clean.” I sit beside him on the bed. “Thank you for coming for me.”

“You don’t need to thank me for that.” He reaches out to brush a damp strand of hair off my cheek. “I would have torn the city apart to find you.”

“I know.” I turn to face him fully. “Adrian was right about one thing. You do care too much, but that’s not weakness, Leo. That’s what makes you different from men like him.”

His expression doesn’t soften, as though he’s still angry with himself. “It nearly got you killed.”

“No.” I shake my head firmly. “My parents’ greed nearly got me killed. Your caring is what saved me.”

He studies my face for a long second, and I see the exact moment his careful control begins to crack. “When I saw you in that chair, with his gun pressed to your head?—”

“I know. I was scared, of course...” I reach for his hands, intertwining our fingers. “Even when I was terrified, I knew you’d find me. You wouldn’t stop until you brought me home.”

“Home.” He repeats the word like he’s testing its weight. “Is that what this is?” He’s clearly not referencing the safehouse.

“Wherever you are is home,” I say with unrestrained honesty. “I love you, Leo. Not the arrangement, not the security you provide, and not the lifestyle. You.”

Something shifts in his expression as years of carefully maintained walls finally crumble. “I love you more than I thought I was capable of loving anyone.”

When he kisses me, it’s desperate at first, starting out urgent and consuming, as if he’s trying to convince himself I’m really here and really safe. I respond with equal hunger, fisting my hands in his shirt as I pull him closer.

The towel falls away as he lowers me onto the bed, trailing his mouth from my lips to my throat. “I thought I’d lost you,” he whispers against my skin. “I thought I’d never get to touch you again.”

“I’m here.” I arch beneath him, craving the connection that proves we both survived. “I’m right here.”

He strips away his clothes with efficient movements, never breaking contact for more than a few seconds. When he covers my body with his, skin to skin, I feel some of the terror finally begin to fade.

Leo kisses me everywhere, moving from my throat to my shoulders, to the hollow between my breasts. His mouth is warm and careful, as if he’s memorizing the taste of my skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, brushing his lips against my collarbone. “So perfect.”

When he moves lower, trailing kisses down my ribs and across my belly, I thread my fingers through his hair. He takes his time, his tongue exploring with patient thoroughness until I’m trembling beneath him. “Leo, please—” I try to pull him back up, but he resists.

“Let me worship you.” His breath is hot against my inner thigh. “Let me show you how precious you are.”

He licks and kisses my skin, moving slowly inward.

When he finally reaches my pussy, I cry out at the first touch of his tongue.

He works me with skilled precision, alternating between swipes with the flat of his tongue and more precise attention with the tip, lightly tracing my clit until I’m writhing against the sheets.

He sucks on my clit lightly before breathing against my mound.

The sharp contrast in sensations hurtles me toward the edge of an orgasm.

I whimper in protest when he moves downward to dart his tongue into my channel, leaving me frustrated.

I arch demandingly, and he chuckles before moving back to focus on my clit again.

The light rasp of his teeth around the swollen bud shatters me.

I arch off the bed, crying his name as my pussy clenches around nothing while he softens his touch on my clit.

When the last of the aftershocks fade, Leo crawls back up my body, pressing soft kisses to my sensitized skin. When our mouths meet again, I taste my arousal on his tongue while I devour his mouth. We’re both breathless when we finally end the kiss.

“My turn,” I whisper, reaching between us to wrap my hand around his cock.

He groans at the contact, jerking his hips slightly as I stroke from base to tip. He’s hot and velvet-smooth in my palm, and his tip is already slick with arousal.

“Sienna—” He tries to catch my wrist, but I continue my exploration.

“I want to touch you.” I pump my fist slowly, watching his face contort with pleasure. “I want to drive you as crazy as you make me.”

I work him until he’s breathing hard, his control clearly hanging by a thread. When he finally captures my hand, his voice is strained. “I need to be inside you.”

“Then take me.” I pull him down for another kiss. “Make love to me.”

He turns me onto my side, curving his body behind mine. The position feels intimate and protective, with his chest pressed against my back as he lifts my leg and guides his cock to my entrance. The tip penetrates me, and I whimper with need.

He enters me slowly, and we both moan at the sensation. His cock fills me completely, stretching my channel in the most delicious way. This angle lets him go deep while keeping the pressure off my belly, though there’s little more than a slight rounding there at the moment.

He breathes against my neck before nipping me. “You feel perfect.” He sets a gentle rhythm, his movements measured and controlled. One hand splays across my stomach while the other finds my breast, kneading softly as he moves within me.

The pace is unhurried, feeling worshipful rather than frantic.

Each thrust sends pleasure radiating through my pussy, building toward something larger and more profound than simple release.

“I love you,” I whisper, reaching back to touch place my hand on his thigh to hold him closer still. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too. You’re my heart, my life… My everything.” He brushes his lips against my ear with each word. “You and our children are all that matter to me now.”

The emotion in his voice pushes me closer to the edge. My sheath starts to tighten around him, my inner muscles fluttering with another approaching climax. “Come with me,” I whisper, pushing back to meet his thrusts. “Let go with me.”

His rhythm falters slightly as his own control begins to slip. “Sienna?—”

“Now, Leo. Right now.” Just imagining him coming with me breaks the rest of my control. My orgasm crashes over me in waves, deeper and more intense than before. His cock pulses inside me as his own climax crests, and he tightens his arms around my waist as he comes inside me.

We stay connected afterward, both breathing hard and slightly stunned by the intensity of what just passed between us. He presses soft kisses to my shoulder while his heartbeat gradually slows against my back. “Are you all right?” he asks eventually. “The babies?—”

“We’re fine.” I cover his hand with mine, where it still rests on my belly. “All of us.”

He shifts slightly, settling us more comfortably without separating. “Sleep now. You need rest after everything you’ve been through.”

“Don’t leave.” The words come out softly, revealing the depths of my vulnerability, but that feels safe with him. “Stay with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He tightens his arms around me protectively. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Exhaustion pulls at me like an undertow, with the combined effects of trauma, an adrenaline crash, and physical satisfaction making my eyelids heavy. I feel completely safe and don’t try to fight it. “Leo?” I whisper as sleep begins to claim me.

“Hmm?”

“When this is over, and it’s safe to leave here?—”

“We’ll go home to the life we’re going to build together.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” His voice is solid and certain in the darkness. “Nothing will ever separate us again.”

I drift off with his words echoing in my mind and his body warm and protective around mine. I’m lucky enough not to dream.