Maria
7 years later
I waddled out of the bathroom to find Lyov standing in the middle of the room, buttoning his black shirt. He smiled at the sight of me, and my stomach fluttered. No, that definitely wasn’t my daughter kicking at my bladder like three minutes ago. This time…the fluttering feeling belonged to Lyov. Even after almost eight years of marriage, he could still have my stomach tickling with butterflies at just the sight of him and my knees weak with a single heated look of his.
I wasn’t sure how he did it, but I never wanted this feeling to end. I wanted to savor it for the rest of my life. To have the love of a man like Lyov was a treasure.
I walked over to him, and he opened his arms for me, like always. I nestled into his chest and closed my eyes, sinking into the embrace of the man I loved.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, placing a kiss on top of my head. “Is the little princess giving you trouble?”
I shook my head, overwhelmed with happiness at the mention of our baby girl. “No. She’s being a good girl.”
His arms tightened around me. I knew this was hard for him. After my difficult pregnancy with Alessio and the hard time we went through during his birth, Lyov couldn’t bear the thought of me going through that pain again. I had tried a lot over the years to convince him to have another baby, but his answer had always been a cold hard no that sometimes made me flinch. Other times, I would just sigh and try again next week.
Until seven months ago, on a special day, I wore him down.
Apparently, Lyov had super sperm, considering I had still been on birth control pills that night.
But I remembered it fondly. It was a very exciting night indeed. I wasn’t too surprised when I found out I was pregnant soon after, considering Lyov was on a mission.
A mission to fill me with as much cum as possible.
“Your eyes, Angel.”
I smiled at his words and lazily opened them before peeking up at my demanding husband. “You want my attention on you all the time,” I mumbled, although it was far from a complaint.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? I am a greedy man.”
I reached up and ran my hands through his silky black hair. God, how I loved touching him. I never tired of it.
“Like right now,” he growled low in his chest. His hand ran down my side, over my round stomach, and then he parted my legs. Lyov cupped me between my thighs, and he smirked when my lips parted with a silent gasp. “I am greedy and starving for this pussy. Even though I fucked it very thoroughly two hours ago.”
I bit on my lips, stopping the involuntarily moan he was trying to get out of me. Lyov and his filthy words. That I would never get used to.
“You know what I want to do right now?” he asked slowly.
I hummed in response, waiting for him to continue. “I want to bend you over this bed, spread your legs, and feast on this pretty cunt. Fuck, I would kneel for my Queen any day if it meant I could eat your pussy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. And then I want to fuck you and watch you come real good on my cock.”
This time, I moaned out his name. Lyov chuckled, knowing very well how to play with my mind and body without really touching me.
He leaned down and captured my lips with his in a hard, bruising kiss. I melted into the kiss and returned it with a greediness of my own. The whole world melted away, and I never wanted to escape from this bubble.
When we pulled apart, Lyov gave me that beautiful smile of his, the one that was just reserved for me and our son. And soon, our daughter.
That smile, it had the power to take my breath away. He was so handsome. In a dark, deadly, and beautiful way.
“Alessio must be waiting for us. It’s his big day,” I finally said. Lyov nodded, and his chest puffed, a very proud father. Our baby boy was no longer a baby. God, I never wanted him to grow up. I wanted him to stay just like this, little and pure.
This world would taint him.
Just like it tainted all of us.
I put Lyov’s black tie around his neck and tied it, like every morning. He then shrugged on his suit jacket, and we walked out of the room, hand in hand.
Alessio’s bedroom was down the hall, and we walked in to find him still faking his sleep. His eyes were squeezed tight, and he was hiding a smile. Lyov and I shared a look before we made our way to his bed. I leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead.
His cute smile widened.
Lyov was on the other side. He winked at me before leaning over and tickling our little boy.
“Happy birthday,” we both said at the same time.
Alessio howled with laughter as his father continued to tickle him.
My heart soared, and tears stung my eyes. My daughter kicked and rolled around in my stomach, sharing our happiness.
I never wanted this moment to end.
I never wanted to wake up from this dream.
This was us. It was so imperfectly beautiful that, in its own way, it was perfect.
I watched Lyov pull Alessio on his lap, and I listened to father and son talk.
In this moment, I fell a thousand times more in love with my husband than I was this morning. And every time, that love continued to blossom more.
His head lifted up, and our eyes met. A thousand unsaid words went through between us.
Thank you, Master. For saving me that night. For capturing me into your trap and giving me the wings of an Angel.
***
My fingers caressed Alessio’s forehead, and I watched as my touch lulled him to sleep. He cuddled closer into my chest and sighed dreamily. My baby. My sweet boy.
I smiled, remembering our conversation just hours ago. He had asked why Lyov called me Angel. My sweet boy had been confused.
Lyov’s kiss left me breathless, and I leaned into him. For the briefest moment, I forgot that our son was there and watching. Lyov pulled away and pressed his forehead against mine.
“I missed you, Angel,” he whispered. He was only gone for a few hours. We had lunch together, and then he had quickly fucked me against the wall of his office before he left.
My smile widened, and I went to say I missed him too when Alessio interrupted us.
“Papa, why do you call Mommy ‘Angel’?”
We both stared at Alessio. My husband laughed, and I could feel my cheeks heating with a blush.
Lyov crouched down, and I listened as he asked Alessio what he thought the meaning of Angel was. I saw his small forehead crease in confusion, and then he replied something about angels being God’s messenger. Helpers. Saviors.
Lyov nodded and then gave his own little explanation. Our own meaning of the word Angel. Lyov’s reason to why I was his Angel. Now and always.
“Correct. But an angel is also someone who is sweet, kind, caring, and calm. The most beautiful woman on the planet. Someone who is amazing in every way. An Angel is the girl who makes your heart beat faster when she walks into the room. The girl you need wherever you go. The girl who makes you want to be better. An angel is someone who is your rock. The person you love with your entire heart. The person you can’t see yourself living without.”
There we went again. That pitter-patter dance of my heart.
When Lyov looked up, meeting my blue eyes with his grey ones, something stirred deep inside me at the look of love and protectiveness in his gaze.
I love you, I mouthed. And then I pulled our son toward me and into my arms.
“And one day, you will find your angel,” I whispered.
Alessio still looked confused. He was too young to understand the meaning, the power of that word. I listened to him argue with the fact that he believed I was his Angel.
Oh, little do you know, my sweet boy.
I shook my head. “Your Angel is waiting for you somewhere. And when you do find her, don’t ever let her go.”
Lyov’s hands gripped mine, and our fingers entwined. “Because if you lose her, then you will forever be incomplete,” he added.
I watched as Alessio thought about our words for a second before he pulled away with a nod. Lyov pulled me off the couch and sat up before making me sit on his lap. He nuzzled my neck, and I giggled as his rough stubble tickled my skin. I rested my head on his shoulders, and he held me to him.
He listened to me intently as I talk about my day and how the little mischievous trio – Maddie, Alessio, and Viktor, would give Lena and I trouble all day long. Viktor, Isaak’s son, was only a few weeks older than Alessio. He had been with us since he was only two months old, after his mother left him behind. After four miscarriages, Lena finally had Maddie. That day was one of the happiest days at the estate. The three had been inseparable.
Today, we had found Viktor hanging upside down from a tree, thinking he was Tarzan, before he fell on his head. These three were always finding something new to worry us about.
I couldn’t ask for anything else, though. I had everything I wanted, right here. This was happiness. Being Lyov’s wife and the mother of his babies.
Lyov’s phone rang and pulled us from our bubble. He picked it up and listened to the person speaking from the other side. I guessed it must have been Boris or Isaak. That angry, murderous look on his face told me it was very bad. He hung up and growled in frustration. I rubbed his chest, knowing that my touch could always soothe him.
Over the years, Lyov’s Empire had grown. He was ten times more powerful than he was seven years ago. He owned more than half of New York, and his businesses continued to expand into other territories, countries. Hotels. Restaurants. The biggest enterprises—they were all somehow connected to the Ivanshov name.
An Empire of his own that was impossible to bring down.
And in the underworld? Lyov Ivanshov was the King. A name to fear. A name that had people bow in respect.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, when he stayed silent.
Lyov took a deep breath before meeting my eyes. “I have to take care of some stuff.”
I nodded, understanding what he meant. I got off his lap, and he stood up too. Pulling me into his arms, he held me tight into his body. His breath feathered over my lips before he took them into a long hard kiss. He kissed me with so much passion, so much love—and it was everything I needed in that moment.
When he pulled away, his intense grey eyes, the hardened look on his face, made me shiver. This man…he was the Master. No longer my sweet lover.
“It’s only for a day. It will be quick. Fuck. I might even be back by morning. I promise, I won’t be gone for too long. Go to sleep, and when you wake up, I will be there—by your side,” he said.
I nodded again, silently. I watched as he crouched down and talked to Alessio. My heart felt heavy, and I almost begged him not to leave us tonight.
When Lyov stood up again, he held my hand in his. I looked down at our laced fingers, and he squeezed my hand. He pulled me into him again before giving one last deep kiss. I melted into his embrace, but he pulled away too quickly for my liking. “Love you, Angel.”
“I love you too, Lyov,” I whispered back. My chin wobbled, and I tried so hard not to cry. Our daughter kicked in my stomach, as if sensing my sadness.
Lyov started to walk away, but I gripped his hand tighter, refusing to let go.
Until I had to.
I held on as much as I could, until the distance grew between us and our fingertips were only touching.
After the briefest second, and a look that said so much between us, we let go.
And then he was gone.
Lyov’s words echoed through my ears. Because if you lose her, then you will forever be incomplete. I still remembered the fierce look he gave me when he uttered those words. I wished he didn’t have to leave tonight.
With a heavy heart, I had let him go. And tonight was one of those few nights where I had to sleep alone without my husband. If only he was here right now. I missed him. I missed his touch. His smiles. His laugh. His sweet kisses. His heated eyes that were just for me. As much as I loved it when my husband fucked me, I also loved it when he made sweet love to me.
I closed my eyes and dreamed of being in Lyov’s warm embrace.
Until there was nothing safe and warm.
My beautiful cocoon shattered when a loud bang jostled me awake and I sat up with a start.
Gunshots.
There were screams.
It reminded me of that night.
The night I was taken away…the night I watched the abbey burn in front of my eyes.
There were more sounds of guns going off. More screams. Some enraged. Some painful. I could almost vividly see the bloodbath happening from behind my closed doors.
With each loud bang, each scream—a chip of my heart fell away, and I was left bleeding from the inside.
History had a cruel way of repeating itself.