Page 33

DIMITRI

It has been a week since I put a bullet between Morozov’s eyes. Seven days since I watched Sandy held at gunpoint by that madman. One agonizing week since I nearly lost everything I didn’t realize I couldn’t live without.

Now, as the morning sun spills through the tall windows of the Avilov estate, I stand in the kitchen with a tray in my hands and a tremor in my chest.

Breakfast in bed. It sounds simple enough. But beneath the folded napkin, beside the sliced fruit and fresh-squeezed juice, isn’t just a dish of strawberry jam. There is a small velvet box. It holds everything I don’t know how to say unless I’m on one knee in front of her.

Alone in the quiet hush of morning, a thread of doubt creeps in. Am I doing the right thing?

Sandy deserves more than a man whose past put a gun to her head. She deserves peace, not the constant shadow of war. Someone who can offer safety instead of bloodstained promises. Someone whose love doesn’t come wrapped in danger.

But I’m too selfish to let her go. Too far gone to pretend I can live without her smile and laughter.

I adjust the items on the tray one more time. Fresh blueberries and strawberries arranged just so. Raspberry jam she’s developed a craving for during her pregnancy. Coffee with extra cream, the way she’s started taking it lately. Two warm croissants and a side of crispy bacon.

Sandy has been healing slowly but surely.

The bruises on her ribs have faded into yellow ghosts.

The split lip has smoothed over, the color returning to her face daily.

But she isn’t just healing physically. There is a light in her again.

A steadiness in the way she moves, the way she laughs with Talia, the way she presses her hand to her round belly when she doesn’t think anyone is looking.

I see it. I see all of her.

The way she talks to our unborn child when she thinks she is alone, her voice soft and musical as she tells stories about the world waiting outside.

The way she looks at me across the dinner table each night, love and trust shining in those blue eyes that first captured my attention in Aleksandr’s office what felt like a lifetime ago.

And I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life protecting every inch of that light.

Even when the darkness came calling. Especially then.

I carry the tray upstairs, the scent of bacon and coffee wafting with every step. I reach the guest suite and nudge the door open with my shoulder.

She is curled beneath the blankets, her hair like fire across the pillow, one hand resting lightly on her belly. The sight damn near undoes me. She is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Her skin has regained its healthy glow, and her breathing is deep and even. Peaceful.

“Room service,” I say softly.

Her eyes flutter open, and when they meet mine, they warm instantly. A smile curves her lips, sleepy and content.

“Are you trying to spoil me?”

“Maybe.” I set the tray down over her lap and lean in to kiss her forehead, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. “You deserve it.”

She smiles sleepily and peeks under the napkin. “Ooh, is that the raspberry jam I like?”

“Only the best.”

Her laughter is soft, but it wraps around my ribs and squeezes. She picks up the juice and takes a sip, then reaches for the croissant, spreading it thick with the jam she's been craving.

“You're going to make me too comfortable here,” she says, taking a bite. “I'll never want to leave.”

“That's the idea,” I mumble.

She looks up at me, her expression shifting as if she can sense the importance of this moment.

“What's this?” she asks, uncovering the napkin entirely.

Her hand freezes. The velvet box sits in the middle of the tray, small and unassuming but radiating with intent.

She looks at me, eyes wide, lips parted. “Dimitri...”

My heart hammers against my ribs as I take the box from the tray. This is it. The moment that will change everything or break me completely. I drop to one knee beside the bed, the air catching in my throat.

“I know this life isn't what you imagined,” I begin, my voice thick. “I know I come with shadows and scars, and a past soaked in blood. But you're the first one that made me think about the future. Not just survival. Not just vengeance. A real future. With you. With our child.”

I open the box, revealing the solitaire diamond ring set in a platinum band.

The jeweler was right about this one. It wasn't the biggest stone in the store, but it was perfect.

Clear and brilliant, it was cut to reflect the light from every angle.

Nothing extravagant, but elegant. Beautiful, like her.

“Sandy Davis,” I breathe, “will you marry me?”

Tears well in her eyes, her hand trembling as it covers her mouth.

For a moment, I see the little girl who survived foster homes and heartbreak and taught herself never to hope too loudly.

The one who'd learned early that good things didn't last, that love was conditional, and that she had to earn every scrap of affection she received.

But hope blooms in her face like a sunrise.

“Yes,” she whispers. Then louder, “Yes, Dimitri. Yes.”

Relief crashes over me like a tidal wave. I slip the ring onto her finger, marveling at how perfectly it fits and how right it looks there. Sandy launches forward, tray be damned, wrapping her arms around my neck. I catch her, hold her, and feel her press against me right where she belongs.

Coffee soaks into the bedsheets. Fruit scatters across the floor. Neither of us cares.

We stay tangled like that for a long time, her breath warm against my neck, her hand resting over mine where it cradles her belly. I feel our child move beneath my palm, a gentle flutter that makes my chest tight with emotion.

“I love you,” she whispers against my skin. “I love you so much it scares me sometimes.”

“You scare me, too,” I admit. “You scare me in the best possible way. You make me want to be better than I am.”

She pulls back to look at me, her eyes bright with tears and joy. “You're already everything I need you to be.”

I kiss her soft and slow, tasting the salt of her tears and the sweetness of raspberry jam. She melts into me, her hands tangling in my hair, her body soft and warm and mine.

“Mrs. Popov,” I murmur against her lips, testing the words.

She shivers. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good. Because I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret saying yes.”

“Impossible,” she insists, her fingers tracing my jaw. “I could never regret you, Dimitri. Never.”

I stand, clear the scattered breakfast items from the bed, and then return to her side. She is watching me with desire and tenderness. The kind of look that makes me forget about everything except her.

“Come here,” she says, reaching for me.

I settle beside her on the bed, pulling her against my chest. She fits perfectly in my arms as if she were made for this spot.

Tilting her head back, I kiss her sweet lips and suck on her sinful tongue.

She clings to me as I grip the edge of her T-shirt and peel it off.

She slides onto her side, and her shorts and panties come off next.

Wrapping her arms around my neck, I bury my face between her breasts. I roll my tongue over her nipples, and she rocks her hips grinding her pussy against my hard cock. She’s wet, hot, and ready before I even take off my clothes. I’m aching for her, my cock threatening to punch through my shorts.

Sandy reaches between her legs, gripping my cock through the cotton fabric. “Off, now,” she demands.

My lips twitch as I pull off my boxers and cup her pussy. She grinds her slick pussy against my hand, begging me to press firmer.

Instead, I lift her legs to my chest, hooking her ankles over my shoulders. Without warning, I slide my cock between her folds. She cries out, arching and writhing to impale herself deeper onto me.

I lean forward to kiss her soft skin, making her legs open up even more. I bottom out in her pussy and groan. Fuck. She feels so fucking good around my cock.

Grabbing her legs, I wrap them around my waist, grinding into her as I do. Slipping my hands beneath her, I lift her ass, fucking her deeper with each thrust. I’m so engrossed in the moment that all I can hear is the wet slapping of my skin against hers as she pants and groans, begging for more.

Slowing my pace slightly, I give her exactly what she wants. Keeping her ass suspended, I shove two thick fingers into it, fucking both her holes at the same time. Sandy shudders and gasps, and I work her until she’s sobbing for me to never stop fucking her.

“Yes…please Dimitri…don’t stop…” she cries out.

“My dirty little kiska ,” I groan, working my cock and fingers at a feverish pace. “You love it when I fuck all your holes.”

“Yes, yes…I love it…” she gasps, her eyes rolling back in her head.

I pull my fingers and cock out of her and quickly flip her onto her stomach. Grabbing her waist, I pull her to the edge of the bed, lifting her ass into the air. I don’t give her a chance to figure out what’s about to happen when I shove my cock into her ass and plunge two fingers into her pussy.

She screams, gripping the sheets with both hands. “Oh…my…God…Dimitri,” she cries, “don’t stop fucking me…don’t you dare…” she cries out, pushing her ass back in sync with every thrust.

I hold onto her waist with my left hand, my fingers digging into her so every stroke hits as deep as my cock will go. I fuck her so hard I’m afraid I might split her in half.

When she comes, I allow my own release to fill up her ass with my hot sticky cum.

Her pussy clamps down on my fingers at the same time, her juices flowing down my hand.

I continue to pump until every drop is released, and my cock goes soft inside her.

Without pulling out, I drape myself over her limp body, kissing her shoulder and the side of her neck.

Finally, I pull my cock out and flip her onto her back. Spreading her legs, I slowly lap up her sweet juices and tease her clit, needing every drop on my tongue. She moans softly, gently running her fingers through my hair. When I’m satisfied, I lay next to her, pulling her back against my chest.

I hold her until her breathing evens out, gently rubbing her breasts. I play with her nipples for a few minutes until her hand finds mine, intertwining our fingers so the ring catches the morning light.

“Tell me about the wedding,” she breathes. “What do you want?”

“You in a white dress. Me in a suit that doesn't have bloodstains. Our child growing safely inside you. That's all I need.”

She laughs. “You make it sound so simple.”

“It is simple. Everything else is just details.”

I kiss her deeply, my fingers threading through the silk of her hair as if I can anchor us both with this one touch.

When we finally pull apart, I hold her close, my gaze falling to the ring on her finger, shimmering in the light and scattering a faint rainbow across the sheets. A quiet promise of forever.