The flight home from Dallas wasn’t long but Vlad shifted impatiently in his seat. Rachel had moved back into his condo while he’d been away on this trip and he was anxious to get home to her. Things had been great the last few weeks, and though he was still coming to terms with all the changes in his life, having Rachel back made everything as close to perfect as possible.

“You’ve been quiet the last few days.” Toli spoke in Russian as he sank into the seat next to Vlad.

Vlad glanced over at him. “Sorry. Had a lot on my mind, I guess.”

Toli smiled. “You think?”

“You doing okay?” Vlad glanced at him, wondering for the first time how much their discovery had impacted him.

“I’m great. I have the sweetest, sexiest wife waiting for me at home, three beautiful, healthy children, good friends, and two brothers. What more could I ask for?”

Vlad met his gaze. “It seems so easy for you to accept me as your brother… Why?”

“Because you are?” Toli shrugged. “We were already brothers. The DNA test simply made it official. I don’t think it changes anything.”

“What about Sergei?” Vlad asked softly.

“Sergei’s coming for Christmas, so he can get to know you better.”

“He is?” Vlad was surprised.

Toli eyed him. “You’re getting caught up in emotions, my friend. Nothing has to change. If you’d rather he didn’t come—”

“No, that’s not it.” Vlad paused, trying to articulate exactly what he wanted to say. “It’s like when something happens that’s so amazing you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?”

“That’s not going to happen. This is me, remember?” Toli barely blinked. “I’m your friend, teammate, whatever you need. You’re a grown man, so you don’t need a father or—”

“I don’t need a father…but I’d like a big brother. Two of them would be even better.”

“You’ve got us.”

The two men exchanged a long look before Toli arched a brow, a playful smile on his lips. “You know this means we have years of teasing to make up for?”

Vlad groaned, but there was laughter in his eyes. “Bring it. I’ve got more than a decade on you… Think you can catch me, old man?”

Toli scowled. “Really?”

Vlad laughed and put his headphones on.

* * *

Since Vlad was busy with hockey and Rachel wasn’t going back to work until after the holidays, she moved some of her things back into his condo. They needed to be together and Ginnie had agreed to video chat sessions for them since they’d decided couples’ counseling couldn’t hurt. She’d waited until after her most recent appointment with her surgeon, who’d given her a clean bill of health, and then headed to Vegas while Vlad was away on a road trip.

Since they were talking about buying a house, she only brought a handful of clothes and shoes, unsure what she’d need. She’d probably buy duplicates of a lot of things anyway, so it seemed easier to keep it simple for now. Besides, all she really cared about was being with Vlad, rediscovering the special connection and unparalleled passion that had brought them together in the first place. Everything else would come together in its own time.

One thing she’d taken care to bring with her, however, was the negligee she’d bought for their wedding night. Though they weren’t married yet, tonight was going to be meaningful in so many ways, she hoped wearing it for him would bring back some of the magic that had slipped away during their time apart. Pure white and made of silk, she slipped into it after Vlad texted her the plane had landed. She stepped in front of the mirror and sighed, thinking she was too thin and that her body still hadn’t recovered from the surgery.

The doctor said something different. He’d told her the incision had healed beautifully, all the scans and pathology reports showed no traces of cancer, and she was cleared to resume any and all activities. Including sex. She hadn’t mentioned that to Vlad, opting to surprise him tonight. One of several reasons she’d chosen to wear her wedding night lingerie.

Her clean bill of health represented a new start, as did their ability to make love for the first time in almost three months. They were also living together again. With so many new beginnings on the horizon, the short, silky, white fabric somehow represented something more than sex. In fact, it brought back all the sweet memories of how excited she’d been in the days leading up to the wedding, and she’d desperately wanted those back.

Standing here tonight, her love for Vlad—and his for her—felt real again. As if the past pain and hardships had begun to heal and a fresh beginning was there for the taking. And she was definitely going to take it. If her bout with cancer had taught her anything, it was that life was too short to refuse or delay the things that made her happy.

She heard his key in the lock and quickly shut the bathroom light, walking quietly through their room and down the hall. They both paused when they saw each other and Vlad’s eyes traveled the length of her body, his eyes glittering with so much desire, her stomach fluttered with anticipation.

“Wow…” he breathed, tossing his jacket aside and reaching for her. “You’re beautiful.”

She stayed slightly out of his reach, drawing out the moment, letting the power of their mutual need build as she ran her hands across her breasts, down her flat stomach and across her smooth thighs. He was frozen in place, watching her intently as his arms dropped to his sides. When she ran her tongue across her upper lip, a low growl left his throat.

“Did the doctor—”

“Yes.” Her voice was a breathy whisper, but she stepped back when he reached for her again, letting the thin straps of her negligee slide off her shoulders. She held up the small triangles of fabric at her breasts with her hands, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

“Are you going to strip for me?” he asked, his voice husky.

“Just watch,” she whispered, moving her hands so the short expense of fabric covering her slipped down around her hips.

His eyes never leaving hers, Vlad slowly unbuttoned his shirt as she shimmied out of the negligee and stood before him in the tiniest white thong he’d ever seen. It barely covered anything, but there was nothing it needed to cover. He’d seen, touched, and tasted every inch of her so there were no surprises here, only a vision of perfection. As far as he was concerned, no one was as beautiful as she was, and he ached to touch her.

She backed away slowly, her eyes glued to his, fingers pinching her nipples erect as she led him to their room. He followed blindly, unable to tear his gaze away or do anything but rip his shirt off his shoulders and fumble with his belt. She’d stopped next to the bed, fingers still fondling her breasts as she waited for him to finish getting undressed.

“Take them off with your teeth,” she murmured when he approached her, glancing down at her panties.

“Mm.” He dropped to his knees, hands on the sides of her thighs, instinctively nuzzling her sex, enjoying the scent of her arousal, the silkiness of her skin. He’d missed this kind of intimacy and thanked his lucky stars he’d jerked off in the shower this morning so he could retain a tiny bit of control once he touched her.

His lips traveled to the smidgeon of thread holding her panties together and without realizing what he’d done, bit right through it, drawing a laugh from her as they slid down the other leg.

“Easy, tiger. No need to get violent.”

“I can’t help it,” he groaned. “I need you.”

“I need you, too.” She tugged him to his feet and leaned into him, her lips fastening on his greedily. He let her take the lead, enjoying her frantic desire. Heat surged through him and his fingers dug into her ass, lifting her off the ground until she wrapped her legs around him.

His tongue swept across hers, needy, urgent, as if he would die if he didn’t touch all of her right then and there. The more they kissed, the deeper it got and the harder it was to pull away long enough to drag her onto the bed with him. When he finally did, he was surprised to see her lips slightly bruised and swollen, as if no one had kissed her in a very long time. Vlad couldn’t remember the last time they’d made love and his cock hardened with the distinct reminder it had been too long.

“You wet for me, baby?”

“Soooo…wet.” She was breathless, her eyes seeking his in the semi-darkness.

“I know how much you love foreplay, but I need to be inside of you.” He growled, crawling over her, and positioning himself right at her sleek entrance.

“You’ll spank me later?” she whispered.

“I’ll spank you now.” He grunted, driving into her with a grunt of pleasure. “As long as I can fuck you at the same time.”

“Yes, please, that’s so fucking hot.” Her eyes rolled back, and she dug her heels into his ass to pull him deeper.

“You’re hot,” he rasped, flipping them over so she was on top. He gripped her right hip with his left hand and brought his right hand around to smack her left cheek with the flat of his palm. She yelped and he did it again, noting how her pussy clenched tighter when his hand made contact.

“More, more, more,” she whimpered, grinding against him, taking all of him.

He lifted his torso until he was in a sitting position, moving his left hand to the back of her head and fisting her hair.

“Say my name,” he murmured, tugging her head back and nipping at the smooth skin on her throat.

“Vlad.” It was a heated whisper that made his cock swell with pride.

“My long name.”

“V-v—” she stuttered as his hand cracked across her ass again. “Vladimir!”

“That’s it, gorgeous… Now ride me.”

He rolled his hips into hers, meeting her thrusts with his, moving until he didn’t know where he ended and she began. He loosened his grip on her hair and fell back, too many sensations raging through him to continue anything but the glorious stroking of his cock into her sweet sheath. Their coupling was beautiful, she was beautiful, and watching her glide above him like this was heavenly. It simultaneously felt like both forever and only yesterday since they’d been intertwined like this and as he began to lose control, something inside him burst. His heart was so full, so infused with love and passion and destiny, he couldn’t pull her close enough. He fastened onto her mouth greedily, sucking on her tongue as he spilled himself inside of her. She let go at the same time, her nails digging into his shoulders as she jerked, yanking out of their kiss and involuntarily throwing her head back.

His name fell from her lips, over and over, her orgasm so powerful she was almost paralyzed with feelings too intense to describe. Her soul folded around his, becoming one so seamlessly it was as if they’d always been together. She’d never experienced anything like it and it was momentarily overwhelming. Tears threatened but then his eyes found hers, full of love and hope and forever, and calm replaced chaos. She was in the right place, with the right person, for the right reasons. Forever. Even as her racing heart began to still and she slowly came back to reality, the force of their coupling didn’t fade. It was so real, so natural, it was easy to believe everything was going to be okay now.

“What just happened?” he whispered against her cheek. “Did you feel it?”

He’d felt it, too. She closed her eyes, tears of relief squeezing out the sides as she nestled into the hollow of his shoulder.

“Rachel?”

“You felt it,” she whispered.

“Of course.” He held her tightly, gentle fingers skimming her back as she shuddered against him. “I always feel it with you. I just didn’t know exactly what it was until I lost you.”

“What is it?” she whispered, lifting her head to look into his eyes.

“Destiny.”

“I love you so much, Vladimir Kolnikov.”

“I love you, too, Rachel Kennedy.”