Page 129 of Ruthless Rustanovs

BAIR spent the rest of the weekend, making up for lost time with his siren.

They’d only been apart for six weeks this time as opposed to six years, but his need for her felt just as urgent as their original night in this condo.

It was all he could do to let her enjoy a few hours at her own birthday party, before dragging her back to the space they’d transformed into their new paradise.

The only thing that got in the way of his enjoyment that weekend was his brother’s Russian words, still burning in his ears. “She does not understand, and you still do not know her heart or mind. I do not like this situation, Borya. Remember how you became after the last time she left.”

Alexei had refused to believe when Bair had assured him that wouldn’t happen again. That he had a plan to keep her this time. That he knew and now she knew she belonged to him.

He told his brother this, and he told himself the same all weekend. Relentlessly taking her again and again, until they were both exhausted and shaking from the experience of too many intense orgasms in the row.

“This ain’t natural,” she murmured into his chest as they fell asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. “Sometimes I get scared we’re going to fuck each other to death.”

“I would be happy to die this way, my little siren,” he answered into the top of her head. Solemnly. Without any humor whatsoever.

The truth was she scared him. This scared him. The feelings were so much more intense this time. She’d invited him into her home. Opened not just her legs, but her space to him. Told him her secrets.

And though she winced a little now when he called her Sirena, like she was biting her tongue, she didn’t deny the name. Did not remind him she was supposed to become her cleaning lady alter ego after her last performance.

That wouldn’t be a problem anyway. He already had plans for a few different San Francisco companies she could join.

As a lead soprano of course. The opera world could be clannish with heavy insistence on paid dues.

But he doubted the American companies were much different from the European ones.

And Sirena’s voice was one of a kind. He could easily find a permanent place for his little siren with the right donation.

Which was why he stiffened when she asked about letting Dexter go at the breakfast table on Monday morning.

“You bought me that car,” she pointed out. “It’s not like I need him to drive me back and forth to rehearsal every day anymore, and I can tell he’s dying to get back to Chicago.”

“His wishes are none of your concern.”

She lifted her eyebrows at him. “Actually, they kind of are. I’m the one who has him stuck here, driving me around like Miss Daisy. And I have a doctor’s appointment in about twenty minutes that I really don’t want him driving me to.”

He resisted the urge to glare. She’d complained about being followed into the office by her bodyguard for her annual “lady parts” exam back in Germany, too. But he’d ignored those complaints. It wouldn’t be so easy to do so this time.

“Seriously…” she said. “I just want to start driving myself around. Just be like everybody else until I figure out my next move.”

“You are thinking about next move, so am I,” he told her.

“Okay,” she said, standing up with her purse. “We’ll talk about it when I get back. Until then, can you go downstairs and talk to Dexter about not shadowing me everywhere while I’m gone?”

“Da, I will talk to him,” he sneered, not bothering to disguise his distaste for the idea of his wife walking around unprotected.

But she reacted like he’d given her present better than jewelry. “Thank you, Beast,” she said in that husky sing-song of hers. “See you in an hour or two.”

“I’m already on it,” Dexter responded when Bair called him fifteen minutes later. “I’m about three cars behind her.”

“Nyet, I’m calling to tell you to come back here. She does not wish to be followed and I have decided to grant her wish.” After fifteen agonizing minutes of thinking about it, he admitted silently.

“You sure about that?” Dexter asked, sounding very surprised.

“Da, I’m sure. Though I understand why you would question this decision. It is ‘not like me,’ as you Americans say.”

“No, I ain’t questioning it because it’s out of character,” Dexter answered. “I’m questioning it, because your wife just parked in front of a fertility clinic.”

Bair’s mind blanked. Then froze over. Then came back on line with dark reboot. “WHAT?!?!” he snarled.