Page 35 of Captive Vows (The Dubinin Bratva #1)

GAbrIELLA

H e wasn’t here to apologize. With the smell of liquor radiating from him, it didn’t seem like he was all that cognizant of planning to come in here at all. Like he wasn’t even thinking, just following the pull to me.

He wasn’t here to gloat over my tears, either. I only allowed them at night, when I was so lonely and missing that soul-deep closeness I’d felt with him, like when he’d held me all the twilight hours in bed with me.

And he wasn’t here to make demands and rehash another round of any of our arguments. The sadness mixing with desire in his eyes gave the suggestion that he was only staying to reconnect with me.

Even if it was for sex.

Despite how mad I wanted to stay at him, feeling his callused, hot hand on my cheek rejuvenated me.

It sparked the memory of what it had felt like when I dreamed I was his whole world. When he acted like I was the treasure he never wanted to let go of. When he worshiped my body without any pause, taking at the same time he’d give so much.

It wasn’t love.

Yet, as I stared right back at him, I just couldn’t keep up this fight anymore.

I wanted him. I needed to feel again.

“I don’t want to miss you anymore,” I admitted.

It wasn’t an apology either, but I was too powerless to stop myself from telling him that truth. I was caving first. I was throwing in the towel and giving up resisting him. Perhaps we were both too damn prideful for our own good.

I just couldn’t hold out any longer.

“I never wanted to miss you in the first place.” His tender words matched mine, but he sealed it by leaning over to kiss me.

Both of his strong hands were on my face. Delicately framing my cheeks, holding me in place as he slanted and dipped down to kiss me soundly, he gave me the hunch that he was trying to pace himself and savor every single second of reconnecting with me like this.

Because we were. We had to. I never wanted to go back to feeling like a nobody, a reject and unworthy of affection. I couldn’t do that to myself, and I couldn’t stand for that kind of an environment to bring this baby into.

I owed him or her better. I owed both me and Luka more than stubborn fighting.

“I will never miss you again,” he promised after he parted from my mouth. Rubbing his thumb along my lower lip, he watched me closely. His words weren’t slurred, and I bet he wasn’t making this up just to get me naked and willing to help him with that erection pushing up his pants.

“Because I will never let us grow this distant again.”

Music to my ears. It was as close to a sorry as I could count on, and I’d take it.

“Me neither,” I replied, climbing to my knees to kiss him again.

He wrapped his arms around me, clutching me close.

The hint of vodka changed his taste, but the possessive hunger he demonstrated was all the same.

He was desperate for me, as much as I was for him as I rubbed against him.

He was impatient to hold me, as greedy as I wanted to show him as I lowered my hands to unbutton his shirt.

We’d been apart for too long. Within reach but stubborn to fight, he’d been there as a temptation I couldn’t allow myself.

I was feral for him. This wouldn’t be the time to take it slow and explore.

Our reunion would be frantic and hurried, but that was all I was capable of.

I would take faith in his commitment. We were making up, and we could take it slow next time.

I wasn’t going to torture myself with proving a point. Forgiveness was due.

I was also due. In four short weeks, this baby would be here, and it was with happiness that another tear leaked from my eyes. Reconciling with this mighty Mafia boss before the baby came was the miracle I’d been waiting for.

“I will never stay away again,” he vowed, leaning back to help me get his clothes off.

“I dare you to try,” I whispered in a rush, lifting my arms as he dragged my nightgown up over my head before tossing it aside.

“Oh, fuck…” He growled it, low and gritty as he cupped my breasts and gently played with my nipples.

It was too much. I needed him too badly.

“Ah!” I hissed, cringing at the sharp bite of something almost like pain.

“Tender?” he guessed playfully as he lowered to kiss over my breasts.

Moans replaced my hiss, and as he sucked and teased me, giving both of my nipples attention, I held his head close and nearly swayed with need.

“I won’t last,” I warned him gently, not really caring how he wanted to direct this make-up sex.

Because it would be his call. I’d missed his dominance because of how secure it made me feel.

“I won’t either.”

“Fuck me, Luka.”

He stood up all the way as he moved his hand to rub my pussy. Back and forth, he slid his fingers to collect and smear my arousal that leaked so quickly for him.

“No.” He kissed me, drugging me with the hungrier and more brutal press of his mouth on mine. “I’m not going to fuck you.”

I frowned, trying to keep up with this wild ride.

I’d gone from that numbness mixed with sadness to surprise.

Then the euphoric elation of his wanting to make up.

Now this desire. I was a mess of too many emotions and so damn confused.

His words suggested that he was rejecting me, but as he worked on lowering his pants while using his free hand to keep me pressed flush to him as he kissed me again, his actions said he was all for it.

That hard dick that sprang out proved he was in the mood to get busy and deep inside me, too.

“I’m going to make love to you,” he amended.

“Oh… Luka.” I sniffled, framing his face as he guided me to stand. Leaning into him, I let him practically pick me up.

“No more tears.”

“These are happy ones.”

“Hmm.” He turned me, guiding me to crawl up on the bed with him behind me. “No more tears,” he repeated. “Because I don’t want to worry and assume something else.”

Feeling his dick poke and prod at the backs of my thighs was all I needed to shut up and not even think anymore. The touch of his big cock was plenty for me to focus on. As he situated us, with him kneeling and on his haunches as he held me close to him, my back to his front, he explained further.

“I want to fucking make love to you.” He smoothed his hands over my baby bump, his caress reverent and careful. Possessive.

“And I never want to stop.”

I smiled, reaching up to smooth my hand over his face as he nuzzled my neck and kissed me with the perfect hint of suction.

“You might need to give me a few weeks off after the baby comes.”

“Hmm.” He kept thrusting, rubbing his dick between my legs. Lowering his hand toward my pussy, he stopped to tease my clit with torturously good circles of his thumb around that nerve center. “Only four weeks and one day left to wait.”

My lips stretched in a wider smile. He had been counting down to the arrival of our baby. He hadn’t been that distant, still concerned and involved. Just stubborn, like me, to keep up his grudge.

“Does this mean that you’ve changed your mind about marrying me?” I asked.

Holding my breath as he lined his dick up to my entrance, I relished the security of him bracing me like this. Having sex with a big baby bump took some posturing, but he proved to be ready to see to my comfort and pleasure.

“Oh, fuck…” He growled as I slowly sat back down on him. Not until he was seated all the way in did I let myself moan. The long groan was ripped from my lips as I closed my eyes.

“Wait.” He didn’t move.

“Oh, my God. No. Please don’t tease me like this.” I whimpered. “You’ve neglected me for months and now?—”

“No, no.” He turned my head to kiss me. Then he eased back, intending to slide into me again. “But can’t sex cause labor?”

I laughed lightly. “No? Maybe? I don’t know.”

He kissed me again, chuckling. “Never mind.” Another hard kiss nearly pushed me over. That was how on edge I was to reconnect with him, to make love with my one and only. “Just don’t come hard.”

I shook my head, pushing my ass back to him. “No promises.”

“Then I’ll promise,” he whispered as he drove into me steadily. Keeping one hand on my clit, teasing me, and his other cupping my breast as he thumbed my nipple, he seemed to be challenged to talk at the same time he filled me.

“I promise to apologize as many times as you need me to. For anything I’ve done wrong.”

My heart swelled. But I couldn’t manage it racing any faster than it already was. His words were too sweet, too tender. All my fantasies were coming true.

“I’m sorry, Gabriella, for ever making you feel sad enough to cry yourself to sleep.”

“Luka.” I told him I wouldn’t cry, and I was determined not to. Framing his face as he pounded into me, I focused on how good he made me feel to stave off the tears of joy.

“I promise to never be at odds with you this long again.” He pumped faster. “We will fight. But never like this again.”

I might have nodded.

“And I promise I’m going to marry you. Or I promise to convince you to marry me.”

I smiled, biting my lip. All these months he’d stayed away from me and avoided me while keeping me trapped in his house, I wondered if he even remembered that he’d told me that.

His highhandedness didn’t expire. But with him being so mad at me, and me furious with him, I figured he’d taken back that comment.

“We’re going to get married as soon as we can.”

He was drunk. But I only heard genuine vows as we made love.

“You’ll be my wife. And I’m going to keep you pregnant. I’ll knock you up until we have as big of a family as you want. A real one. Because I’ll do whatever it takes for you to understand that I love you.”

There it was. He was really putting it all out there. “I love you, Luka.” My breath hitched as my orgasm came closer to overwhelming me.

“And I’ll never stop loving you. I will love you so fucking much that you’ll never want to think about leaving again.”

I had already given up on that idea. Escaping wasn’t happening. But now, my goal to stay was a decision backed by love.

As I came, crying out loudly and breaking my word about no tears, he held me close and thrust faster until he joined me. I leaned and sagged against him, so spent and fatigued in the efforts we’d put into making up at last.

He had me.

I didn’t suspect he’d ever let me go now.

But as he pulled out, letting the suctioning sounds of our cum be so audible, he chuckled.

“I told you not to come so hard…”

I laughed lightly, seeking out his warmth as he stood and then bent to pick me up. Carrying me to the shower, he kissed my brow, and I tried my best to stay awake. Even if I did fall asleep, it’d be with a lazy smile on my face.