Page 64 of Savage Pakhan

I love being at the end of his appreciative stare. I’ve never had anyone look at me with such raw emotion before.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice gruff and tired, his eyes shining with worry.

I nod fast, leaning my face against his palm, needing his touch more than ever right now.

“Words, Mia. Tell me.”

“I’m okay, Alek. I’m safe. You made sure of that.”

“You aren’t disgusted or afraid of me? I’d understand,” he says, his lips forming a tight line as they are pressed together. “You have seen plenty of violence from the Bykovs. I would understand why if you wanted nothing to do with us.”

“I want nothing to do with Ivan, but I want everything to do with you.”

He presses his forehead against mine, his hand sliding across my jaw to cup the back of my neck. He loves to touch me, loves to keep me close, and I can’t hide how he makes me smile even during a time like this.

“What is it?” He asks, his warm breath ghosting across my lips.

“Just thinking about how much you must love me,” I whisper. “It’s hard to fathom.”

“Loving you is the easiest thing I’ll ever do. Don’t forget that. If a day comes where something happens to me⁠—”

“No. Stop. I don’t want you to finish that sentence. Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing can happen to you. You can’t speak that way. You⁠—”

“I’m making a point. One day, something will happen to me, Mia. I am twenty years older than you. Realistically, I’m the one who will die first. And I want you to remember that there wasn’t a day that I didn’t love you, okay? But we don’t have to worry about that now. We’ll have a long life together, Da?”

“Da.” I blush, replying to him in Russian.

He chuckles and takes my hands in his, holding them between us. “I will teach you Russian. You sound so cute when you speak it. I want more.” He walks backwards out of the panic room, and I follow, our hands still connected.

The floor is messy with clothes that fell from the hanger.

“What happened in here?”

“I needed the clothes out of my way to get to you. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” He scratches the back of his head while he stares at the mess on the floor. “I could have just slid them to the side, but it didn’t feel as fast and I needed to get to you.”

Love unlike anything I’ve ever known floods through me, a massive warm wave cloaking like warm clothes out of the dryer.

“Nikolai is on his way. Why don’t you shower? Go back to bed, Lyubimaya. I’ll join you when we are done.”

“Done with what?”

“Clean up.”

My breath hitches and my gaze drifts to the open bedroom door. Alek steps in front of me to block my vision, bringing my hand to his mouth to kiss.

“Mia, look at me.” He bends down to catch my still attention, locking eyes with me. “You will not go downstairs. You will not walk outside of this room. You’ll stay here. You’ll allow Nikolai and I to take care of the mess downstairs. You will climb back into bed after the hot shower you take and fall asleep. Okay? I don’t want you to worry about anything. I don’t want you to see what’s down there.”

“Okay,” I agree, not having a problem with following that order.

“You are to never see that side of the job. I know you saw what happened on the screens and I hate that. I can’t change that, but you will never see it up close.”

And I don’t want to. “I’m more than okay with that. I don’t want to see it.”

“Good girl. Come on. Let me draw you a bath. Relax. I’ll get you some wine too.”

I tilt my head in confusion. “You want me to take a nice, hot, relaxing bubble bath, drink wine, and watch TV while you move dead bodies?” I repeat the question in disbelief, needing to make sure I heard him correctly.

A mischievous glint sparkles in his eyes. “Da. You understand me perfectly.” The smile on his face is big and genuine, showing the crow’s feet on either side of his eyes.