Page 81 of His to Own

“By Aleksander Baranov. Me and Nikolai went to him to discuss making a deal but then he shot at us. No code of conduct. No honor. Nikolai and I made it out but I ended up getting shot. Nikolai’s doctor looked over my wound. It’s all good.”

“That’s good,” she whispers.

The tension between us is unbearable. I think I’m losing my fucking mind.

“For god sake,” I mutter before storming over to her. Elena gets to her feet, looking worried. I grab her face and bring my lips to hers.

Finally kissing her like I’ve wanted since I first married her.

Chapter Eleven

Elena

The feeling of Maxim’s lips on mine is unlike anything I have felt before. Electric. Passionate. Tingly. Exciting.

The way his hand grips the back of my neck. The way he smells so good like cinnamon and vanilla. The way he presses his body closer to mine. Even though Maxim has touched me between my legs, there’s something different about him kissing me. Somehow even more intimate.

Because he’s finally showing me some vulnerability of his own.

There’s a desperation in this kiss. An aching and a longing. He needs this.

I needed it.

My hands rest on his chest. For a moment, I’m not sure if I want to push him away but I don’t. My complicated feelings for Maxim are still here. That doesn’t just go away overnight. But in this moment, I’m reminded of why I felt excitement for him in the first place.

He pulls me in closer and I gasp when his other hand cups my backside. It’s so different from the time he spanked me. Much more gentle. I find myself kissing him back harder.

Maxim lets out a low growl as he walks me backwards until my spine hits the wall. The smell of the books permeates the air. This library is my safest place in Maxim’s entire house. And now Maxim is here, kissing me, taking away my safe place. And yet, I still don’t push him away.

I gasp as he kisses down my throat. The tingling sensation intensifies and I arch into him. I want him to touch me again. I want him to help me forget everything that’s been going on between us. I wish I could go back in time and not see him torture that man. Everything was easier.

But I remind myself that if I’m going to fully be in this marriage, I need to know who my husband is. Truly and completely.

“I want you,” he says in my ear. My body clenches with arousal. “I’m sick and fucking tired of this coldness between us. I hate it.”

“I saw you torture someone. I’ve seen you kill a person. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”

He pulls back and stares down at me. The passion in his eyes makes me tremble. I’m not sure if he’s going to consume all of me or kill me. “I would never hurt you, Elena. I have made that very clear. I think my actions speak for themselves.”

“I know.” My eyes flick to the blood on his shoulder. “You were hurt. You could have been killed.”

“I could have been. But thankfully I wasn’t. How does that make you feel? Knowing you could have lost me?”

I open my mouth to speak but once again, no words come out.

“Speak,” he urges. “Please. Don’t hide from me again.”

“I don’t know how to feel. That’s the truth.”

Disappointment flickers in his eyes and it makes the pang in my chest grow. “Do you want me dead, Elena?”

“I don’t know.” If Maxim were dead, my life would be easier in so many ways. But if he were dead, would my father come for me again? Would he force me to marry someone else? Or would I be left alone as a widow?

“You don’t know,” he says flatly. “That stings, not going to lie.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, trying to step back but I can’t go anywhere. It’s Maxim who takes the step back, putting more distance between us. “You forced me into this marriage.”

“Your father was also forcing you into a marriage. A marriage to a man who had a reputation of beating women. A reputation I don’t have.”