28
DIMITRIJE’S BODY SLUMPED to the floor with a tremendous crash.
Luka nearly fell when I wilted against him. Holy God. Vasilije had just murdered his father in front of Luka and me. Would we be next? Luka must have had a similar thought because instantly he was moving, positioning himself between me and the threat of his brother.
“Fuck. He killed her. He took her away from us!” Vasilije’s breath came and went in sharp bursts, and his voice shook. “Why, Luka? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I couldn’t see beyond Luka since I cowered behind his back, but I could tell his arms were out, raised in surrender. “Because I thought I could do it. I tried and tried, but . . . I didn’t want you to have to. It was supposed to be my responsibility.”
“Fuck,” Vasilije repeated.
There was a long, heavy pause.
Rustling announced the gun had been put away, and Luka’s arms lowered. I gripped onto the broad shoulders before me, wanting to pull him to the stairs. I wasn’t sure I could stay in this basement another second, but I wouldn’t leave him either. Instead, he lifted his arm over my head and dropped it around my shoulders, tucking me in beside him and bringing me into his brother's view.
Vasilije pitched forward, placed his hands on his knees, and looked like he might be sick. He was struggling with what he’d just done. “You should have told me.”
“I know,” Luka said to him on a low voice.
“What the fuck am I gonna do?” It was clear Vasilije was worried about how Goran was going to react to this.
“I’ll take care of it. Ivan got the jump on Dad and killed him, and you had to finish Ivan off.” Luka’s tone was strong and direct. “If what he said is true and the Russians are escalating, Goran’s going to need all the help he can get. This is your time now. You’re not finishing your degree. The role you’ve always wanted in this family is yours.”
“What? You’re just going to hand that over?”
“Yes. You know I don’t want it.”
Vasilije sighed. “And what do you want?”
“Out.”
My hands squeezed tighter. It was what Luka and I both wanted.
“Protect us until Addison graduates, and then we’re gone. Forever.”
Vasilije appeared to consider the statement carefully, evaluating the downside to this offer. Was there one? I held my breath. He looked reluctant to give his perfect brother anything he wanted, but this was a win-win. Luka wouldn’t challenge Vasilije for the position he was desperate for, and Luka and I could flee.
Luka’s voice was soft and yet firm. “I don’t want this life for Addison. She’s already paid too much, and I can’t live without her.”
My heart thudded along, twisting at hearing him say it out loud. Did he know I felt the same?
“You’re my brother.” Vasilije’s statement was tinged with disappointment.
“And I’ll always be.”
Vasilije’s gaze scanned over the two bodies, staring at them with finality. As if the decision he’d make right now about our future could never be undone. I was going to suffocate from the tension. The waiting was agony.
“After she graduates,” Vasilije agreed.
A weight lifted from my chest, just enough so I could find new air. It contained a trace of hope and freedom.
“But,” Vasilije added, “I’ll need your help until then.” He gestured toward the floor. “Starting with them.”
π
Goran Markovic was eating a late breakfast when we appeared unannounced at his house. He listened with cold indifference as Luka recounted the story of the basement. It was perfectly crafted fiction we’d gone over with Vasilije a half dozen times before arriving here.
I said nothing during it, but my shell-shocked look, which wasn’t an act, helped sell Luka’s performance.
You’d think Goran would be upset about his brother’s death, but no. It wasn’t family that was the most important to the Markovics—it was the family business.
“I’m going to need you,” Goran said to Luka. “Things are changing.”
“It’s all-out war with the Russians,” Luka said. “I don’t want any part of it.”
Goran scowled. “Put the family above your selfish wants.”
“You’re not going to want me, either. I hesitated, Vasilije didn’t. I don’t have the taste for it.” Luka took a deep breath. “He’s young, but he wants this.”
His uncle pushed his plate away and sat back, giving Luka a critical look. “And what about you?”
Luka’s hand curled around mine. “This war? They killed my father. They already used Addison once, I’m not going to let that happen again.” My heartrate skyrocketed as he closed in on asking for what we were desperate for. “I’ll go with her when she goes to school. Get her far away from here.”
“Wait just a minute—”
“I’ll still be able to handle your finances. I can do that from anywhere.”
Goran’s expression was callous and his voice rose with each word. “You’re going to run like a fucking coward? You’re choosing this girl over your own family?”
There wasn’t a shred of hesitation. “Yes.”
Real emotion finally appeared on his uncle’s face. He looked confused, and angry, and perhaps even a little hurt. How would he react to this?
There was a gun hidden in Luka’s jacket. Goran’s security guard hadn’t searched him, and even if he had, it was doubtful he’d have taken it. Luka was family. He was supposed to be loyal, and the gun would be viewed as protection. But if Goran wouldn’t let us go, would Luka have to use it? And could he?
I prayed we wouldn’t have to find out.
“I guess that’s the kind of man you are.” A sneer flitted across Goran’s face. “Quits when things get tough. You’re nothing like your father.”
Luka tightened his grip on my hand. Was it an attempt to stay quiet, or was he thrilled with Goran’s comment he wasn’t like Dimitrije?
“Fine,” Goran said, when Luka remained quiet. “Get the hell out of my sight.”
I’d never been happier to follow a Markovic order.
π
It was hot for May and I worried I was going to sweat before the ceremony started. The black cap and gown for graduation were thick and heavy, and layered on top of the white eyelet dress Luka had picked out for me. Since I was graduating with a science degree, the hood draped over my neck was gold, casting a sallow glow onto my face.
I ran my fingers down the length of my honor cords. Two cords, instead of the three I’d wanted. The perfect summa cum laude had fallen just out of my reach.
When I finished getting ready, I descended the stairs, my gown swishing, and went to the office where I knew Luka was waiting.
I’d spent most of my life working toward this moment, expecting my family to be ready to celebrate with me. Instead, it’d be with this man who had changed my life both for the better and the worse. But I loved him, and he loved me, and I had to believe that was enough.
His head lifted when I appeared in the doorway and his shoulders rose as if he’d taken a deep breath. Luka didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. A smile spread slowly across his lips, widening until it enveloped his entire expression. It sucked the air from my lungs. He was devastating when he smiled, and it’d been so infrequent during the tense six weeks since we’d left Goran’s house.
The smile subsided as he stood from the desk. “I know what you’re doing.” His gaze fell to my fingers still tinkering with the cords. “Stop it. All the shit you went through this year—” He stiffened. “Graduating magna cum laude is impressive for anyone. I didn’t graduate magna cum laude.”
The way he’d begrudgingly admitted it made me want to smile, but it was hard. I missed my family.
“Don’t worry,” Luka added. “I have a third string to hang around your neck.”
I froze. “What?”
He picked up his suit jacket from the back of the chair and slipped a hand inside the interior pocket. And then there was a long, blue velvet box in his hand. My throat closed up as he extended it to me.
I took it and opened the necklace box with a soft click. Dangling from the delicate silver chain were three shining circles, each with a number engraved inside. It took me a moment to recognize the meaning. Not pi, but dates.
My family’s birth dates.
“Congratulations,” Luka said, his voice hushed. “They were already, but I’m sure they would have been very proud of you today.”
I clasped a shaky hand over my mouth, overcome and unsure what to say. The necklace was elegant and beautiful, and tears sprang into my eyes. He took the box from me, freed the necklace, and motioned he’d put it on me if I wanted him to.
I nodded, making my tassel sway, still unable to speak.
He did the clasp and the necklace clinked quietly as it settled on my neck. I wasn’t overly emotional, but this . . . it got to me. Wearing these simple numbers around my neck made my family a part of the day.
“Thank you,” I said, breaking a little inside.
Concern streaked across his face. “Don’t cry.” He’d probably meant for it to sound like an order, but his voice faltered. “I asked Vasilije to take pictures.”
I drew in a cleansing breath, forcing the tears to drain back as his hands slipped behind my head, tilting me up to meet his gaze.
“Tomorrow,” he said on a low voice, his lips a breath away from mine, “we start new.”
Because we were leaving Chicago first thing in the morning and making the eleven-hour drive to Maryland. His mouth claimed mine, filling me with heat and love.
When the kiss ended, he pulled back. “Repeat it,” he whispered.
I gave a soft smile. “Tomorrow we start new.”
Luka looked pleased as he led me out into the living room where morning sunlight streamed through the windows, chasing away all the shadows.
FOUR MONTHS LATER
“Addison.”
I lifted my head, snapping back into focus. “I’m awake.”
Morning light filtered through the blinds of our bedroom. Luka’s eyebrow climbed and he glared at me from between my legs. “I enjoy what I’m doing, but it’s better when you’re not asleep.” His lips grazed me, teasing my clit, and drew a sigh from me. Damn, what he could do with his mouth.
I smiled, bashful. “I’m sorry. Please, continue.”
He blinked, and annoyance flared. It made me grin widely. Luka wasn’t a fan of me telling him what to do, especially when it came to the bedroom, but sometimes it was fun to get a rise out of him. In the blink of an eye, I was flipped over onto my stomach on the bed, and his hand crashed down against my ass. The warm sting washed over me, and I bit my lip to hold back the moan.
“Awake now?” he growled. “Or do you need more?”
My voice choked with excitement. “More.”
We didn’t get as much time to play once I’d started school. I was spending sixty hours a week studying, and he’d found a job at an accounting firm in Baltimore that was just as demanding, plus he had his obligations to Goran. But at least our cozy two-bedroom apartment was walking distance from the campus, and we had our weekends together.
His second spanking was right at the edge of what I could handle, and my skin burned and ached in the aftermath. This time the moan slipped from my lips and I lifted up on my knees and elbows, readying for more. For whatever he’d give me.
“So fucking perfect,” he whispered, shifting on the bed to kneel beside me. His praise was practically purred, and hearing him pleased turned me on more than anything else.
He rained down the blows against me, leaving my skin inflamed, and then he moved behind and pressed himself deep inside. I arched my back, stretching into his hand that coursed up my spine, loving the feeling when he possessed me.
We’d left Chicago and the Markovics behind. Luka had acclimated to his life without a family better than I had, but held onto his hard edge, and I was grateful. It was what had forced me to fall in love with him, and I was glad the morning in the basement hadn’t stolen him from me.
Vasilije had only called twice since we’d moved. Once to check in, and once to explain that an uneasy truce had been struck with the Russians. It was fragile, and Vasilije wasn’t sure how long it would last, but it allowed Luka to breathe easier. He didn’t want that dangerous life for his brother, but he wasn’t going to stand in the way, either.
The day I graduated, Luka smiled, so I began to count the moments between us in his rare but beautiful smiles. I’d gotten another when I’d asked him to pull over during our drive to Maryland, wanting my hands and mouth on him. And another the morning of my first day of classes at Johns Hopkins. We’d stood in the bathroom, preparing for the day at our own sinks, and his gaze had found mine in the mirror.
It was all so normal, and exactly the life he wanted. The life we wanted. We’d had to go through hell to get there, but we’d done it.
Together.
I came in a spectacular rush, collapsing forward onto the mattress, and braced myself as Luka began to move for himself. His body slid over and into mine, reaffirming our connection with each thrust until he lost himself as well.
His hot chest pressed against my back, and he breathed heavily in my ear. I turned my head to the side so I could look at him.
“Sometimes I love you so much,” he whispered, “it hurts.”
“It’s the same for me.” I kissed him gently. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
A smile broke on his face, and it was absolutely stunning.
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