Possess Me by Michelle Heard
Chapter 34
Everleigh
Realizing there’s no getting through to Alek, I say, “You’re sleeping on the couch.”
The corner of his mouth lifts in a hot smirk. “That I can do.”
I shake my head at him. “And don’t get any ideas during the night.”
“Like?” he teases me.
“You know what I’m talking about,” I mutter.
When I walk toward the hallway, I change direction and check that the front door is locked.
“What are you doing?” He asks.
“Getting ready for bed.”
He shakes his head. “We’re not done talking.”
At the rate we’re going, we’ll never be done talking.
“I’m tired, Alek. It’s been a crazy day. Let’s continue the conversation tomorrow when we’ve had some rest.”
Agitation flashes over his features. “You asked me to place myself in your shoes, and I’m trying. Can you do the same for me?”
I suck in a deep breath of air, then give in and nod.
“Thank you.” He walks back to the couch and sits down, his eyes following me. When I pass him, his hand shoots out to grab mine, and he pulls me back onto his lap.
Instantly my stomach erupts with nerves. It’s not that I’m scared of Alek. I’d like to believe he won’t hurt me.
But I meant it when I said he feels like a different man. He’s more attractive. He’s stronger. The intensity coming off him in waves has me trembling.
The man is unnerving and too dominant for me to handle.
If I set all the bratva business aside, I’d love to get to know Alek again. Deep down, I know I’ll fall in love with him again.
Because when all is said and done, he’s still the only man I’ll give my heart to.
Instead of forcing me to straddle him, which almost gave me a damn-near heart attack earlier, he cradles me against his chest.
It’s twice as broad and hard as I remember.
His voice is tender as he whispers, “The last four years were the longest of my life, but holding you like this, it feels as if no time has passed.”
I place myself in his shoes and think again about what he must’ve been through. He believed he lost his brother and me. He watched Vincent and me die.
He mourned my death, and then I appeared out of the blue.
Pushing all my reservations aside, I lift my head and make eye contact with him. I try to think of him as the Alek I knew, then admit, “I used to dream about us finding each other again. I never dated, Alek. I told people I was a widow and that I’d always love my husband. I could never love another man the way I loved you.”
“Loved?” His eyebrows draw together, then he begs, “Love me, Everleigh. Don’t leave me in your past. I want to be more than a memory.”
My heart.
I stare into his eyes until I see the man I fell in love with – the man I formed an unbreakable bond with.
“I’ll try,” I promise.
What Alexei said about Vincent not being safe unless the family protects him makes me feel restricted. Admitting the truth to Alek, I say, “I didn’t want to cross paths with the bratva again. I barely survived the first time.”
He lifts a hand and brushes my hair away from my face. “I couldn’t protect you back then, but I can now. Give me a chance to show you that I can keep you safe.”
I don’t have a choice in the matter. Not really.
Accepting defeat because there’s no way I’ll be able to keep Alek and Vincent apart, I say, “I don’t care about myself. Just make sure nothing happens to Vincent.”
“I promise, moya malen'kaya lyubov'.” His fingers brush over my jaw to grip my chin. “I’ll protect you and Vincent.”
“I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself, but in return, I ask that you give me time to process everything. I’m not just going to jump into a romantic relationship with you.”
He leans closer until I feel his breath on my lips, and the butterflies go crazy in my stomach. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I want to go out on dates.”
His mouth curves into a devasting smile. “Done.”
“I want to be swept off my feet.”
“Done.”
“I want you to respect my wishes and take things slow.”
He takes a deep breath, then mutters, “I’ll try.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Fine, I’ll take things slow.” His eyes narrow. “How slow are we talking?”
Letting out a chuckle, I shake my head at him. “Super slow. No kissing until the third date. Definitely, no sex until I’m comfortable with you.”
“Blyadʹ,” he mutters as he slumps back against the couch.
A smile curves my lips. “Vincent doesn’t know any Russian. I didn’t want to risk it.”
“I’ll teach him.”
Moving off his lap, I get comfortable next to him. “How was your training? Tell me what you’ve been up to the past four years.”
“Training was good.” I can see he wants to reach for me, but he holds himself back. “Misha got married, and Armani married Tiana.”
“Who’s Armani? I don’t remember you mentioning him.”
Alek hesitates before he says, “Armani is an enforcer for the Italian mafia. We became good friends during training.”
Italian mafia. Bratva. God, what have I gotten myself into?
Alek sees my anxious expression, then murmurs, “Not everyone in my world is bad.” His features soften. “Misha and Armani will drop everything to help us if there’s ever a problem. The Vetrovs and Koslovs will kill for us, Everleigh. They protect their own.” Anger flashes over his features again. “We’re not like my father and Prodi.”
Only time will reveal whether that’s the truth.
Turning his body toward me, he leans against the couch. “Tell me everything I missed.”
It takes me a moment to realize how close we’re sitting and how intimate it feels.
“After returning home, I sold my parents' house in Ohio. I packed up everything and moved to LA because I remembered you said that’s where you wanted to go.”
A smile spreads over his face.
“I took the money I made from the sale and bought this house. I opened a bookstore and called it Fiction Anonymous. After that, I got everything ready for Vincent’s arrival.”
Alek hangs off of every word I say. “How are you doing financially? Do you need anything?”
I shake my head. “You don’t need to worry about my finances.”
He places his arm on the back of the couch, and his fingers play with my hair. “I want to take care of my family.”
“We can talk about it at a later stage.”
Reluctantly he drops the subject. “What happened after you had Vincent?”
A smile curves my lips. “He’s such an easy child. He started walking at eleven months, and I cried my eyes out when he called me Mommy for the first time.” My body relaxes more. “I always told him about you.”
“Thank you,” Alek murmurs, totally captivated by our conversation.
“His best friend’s name is Jonas. I take Vincent to the playground once a week so he can interact with other children.” I begin to feel sleepy. “Your son has an unhealthy addiction to ice cream.”
Alek chuckles, and when he pulls me closer so I can lean against him, I don’t fight him.
He holds me tenderly and sighs with satisfaction. “You’re an amazing mother, moya malen'kaya lyubov'. Thank you for taking such good care of our son.”
I never got to ask Alek what the words meant and take the chance while I have it. “What does the Russian words mean?”
“My little love.”
Be still my heart.
“And the other one. Blat…or something like that?”
“It means fuck,” he chuckles, the rumble deep from his chest vibrating against my cheek.
“You’ll need to teach me the language as well.”
“Okay.”
Silence falls between us, and Alek begins to trail his fingers up and down my back. The comforting sensation makes my eyes drift closed.
“I’m sleepy,” I murmur. He presses a kiss to my head. “Sleep, moya malen'kaya lyubov'. You’re safe with me.”
My mind wants to argue that this is inappropriate, but it loses the battle against my exhaustion.
