Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I cared for my brothers, of course. I would die for them, But I didn’t have to worry about them. They weren’t delicate, precious, and vulnerable like Mishka was. It was simply, and dramatically, different.
I would die for her, too. I would murder for her. I would suffer any level of torture for her. Hell, I already was.
My desire for Mishka was mixed with terror for her safety, and I did not like it. The world had never felt dangerous before. I suspected this was what most people felt when having a child.
The tender terror of it all was sobering.
Mishka had enjoyed the rest of the opera. But she had been giving me wary looks ever since the intermission. I knew she was extremely aware of my mood. I did my best to hide it, to shake it off, but the thought of anything happening to her had unsettled me on a profound level.
She is safe now, I reminded myself. We had female security waiting for us in California. Nothing bad would happen to her, barring an act of God.
That reminded me. I wanted her to see my personal physician as soon as we returned to Moscow. I had to keep her healthy.
I wanted to know, without a doubt, that every cell in her body was functioning as well as it possibly could, and that she was safe and well at all times.
This was for her wellbeing, but there was more to it. I felt a sense of urgency now that I had determined that she should have my child. She would. She must.
The desire to impregnate her beautiful body had been there since the beginning, steadily simmering beneath the surface since the very moment I laid eyes on her. Getting to know her complex depths since then had only made me more determined. She was the ideal woman. She would be an incredible mother.
She would be mine. And she would give me a baby. But only if the doctor said it was safe for her. She was mine regardless. She mattered more to me than having offspring. Besides, we could always adopt or hire a surrogate.
Perhaps that would be better anyway. Once I had her in my bed, I would want her every night. Repeated pregnancies might make that difficult, from what I understood.
A surrogate might be the perfect solution. Unless she wanted to carry our children herself… I realized I was getting ahead of myself. But I was a born strategist. It was simply in my nature.
Particularly when the stakes were so incredibly high.
The idea of hiring a surrogate would require some research and study. The thought excited me. I was ready to make moves to set our future in motion. But I knew that I could not rush her. She was nearly ready for me, but not quite yet.
Once I had her, all bets were off. I would lead us. She would allow me to do so. I would keep her safe, happy, and spoiled for the rest of our lives.
This was only the beginning.
I could not wait for our story to unfold.
I stepped onto the plane, where Mishka was already waiting for me. She was sitting quietly, staring into space. I reminded myself that nothing bad had happened, other than the marvelous mood of the day being dampened by my oversight and anger about it.
Perhaps I could remedy that. Realizing that I loved her that deeply should not be a loss to me. It was still a wonderful day.
And it would be even better if she let me hold her in my arms. Snuggling all the way to California would have bored me to tears before I met her. Now, it sounded like absolute paradise.
“Mishka,” I said, standing in the aisle near her seat. She was sitting on one of the cream leather sofas that faced into the interior of the plane. It would be an ideal place to sleep or rest. Or to make love, I thought with a surge of desire. But I would not take her on a plane for the first time.
The security staff was already in a separate part of the plane. I would simply have to shut and lock the door. But again, it was not the time. As desperate as I was to hold her in my arms, to make love to her, it was not the time.
I could hold her though. If she would let me.
Big beautiful eyes stared up at me solemnly. And then she gave me a small smile. Her pretty lips opened just enough for me to see a glimpse of white chiclet teeth.
She was so incredibly sweet; it drove me absolutely wild.
“Thank you for such a wonderful day.”
All my cares slipped away with that small smile. I pulled her to her feet and into my arms, wrapping them around her.