“I hate that you’re right. I hate that I’m not strong enough to do what needs to be done. I’ve known all along that I would have to find the courage and strength to go into his room with a gun, but I couldn’t make myself do it. I kept hoping for a miracle.” She took a breath. Let it out. Kept her eyes on his because it had to be said. She owed him that much. “Maybe you’re the miracle for both my father and me.”
He leaned forward and framed her face with his hands. “Thank you for that, Ania. I would never allow him to suffer.”
She nodded, because she was certain that was the truth. “Thank you for having one of your men relieve Annalise. She wants to stay with him. She’s been in our family since I was born, but she’s terrified of his ‘fits.’ I’m terrified his leopard will emerge and harm her before she can get out of the room.”
“Is she a shifter?”
“Yes, but her leopard never emerged. At least that was what my mother told me. She has no family other than me. I have always planned on taking care of her.”
“Perhaps she will want to help us with our babies.”
She blinked. “I haven’t thought in terms of babies. Not once.”
“You don’t want children?”
She could tell he did. That it was important to him. For a moment, just because she tended to panic a little at the thought of actually living with him, she considered lying. But what was the use? He would hear the lie.
“Three years earlier, when it became apparent that my grandparents and mother were murdered, and then the try was made for my father, I accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to live once I exacted my revenge. I was going to find who was responsible as well as those who carried out the actual attack. My future ended then.”
His face darkened. He leaned in and kissed her. This time, his kiss was gentle, and her heart turned over. Her stomach tumbled, a long, slow drop.
“You have a future with me. I want babies. In the plural. As many as you’ll let me make with you. Annalise can be a part of our family until the day she passes. She’ll have quite a few men to boss around.”
She found herself smiling at him. “She’ll like that.”
“I heard you were planning on selling. Let’s keep both properties for now. The leopards will have more room to run.”
“It will be more difficult and take more manpower to guard both places,” Ania pointed out. She knew because she didn’t have a lot of help and she’d been a little paranoid since the attempted break-ins.
“My woman. Thinking like a general.”
He looked so pleased she felt her heart melt.
“I told you we would be perfect together. You have a good point, but I still think it will be better for the leopards. I can hire a few more men. Drake Donovan can find us shifters that need work.”
She liked that he listened to her. She didn’t want to sell the property, but she had thought it better not to have any ties where her enemies could trace her. “All right, then. I won’t put the property up for sale.”
“What about the family business? Do you want to keep that as well?”
She could have kissed him. “No, I think I’m done with all that. It was a relief to me when I made the decision to sell. I didn’t tell my father, mostly because he thought I loved it. I love driving, but I don’t love dealing with customers.” She flashed a small smile. “I don’t have the right personality.”
“You don’t like being told what to do.” He stroked his chin as if he had a beard. “That’s too bad. I was just about to give you a few commands.”
His hand dropped to his lap and her breath caught in her throat. He was fully erect. Thick. Pulsing. Already leaking precious fluid.
“So soon?”
“I told you, kotyonok, I have my fantasies. Just thinking about what we can do together makes me hard as a fuckin’ rock.”
She licked her lips, her eyes on his cock and the hand loosely circling his shaft. “I suppose I should practice taking orders, just to be a little better at following them. In case of an emergency or something.”
He leaned in to her to flick her nipple. Heat burst through her. “I think practicing is a good idea, Ania. I like your carpet. Nice and thick and warm. Slide off the bed and kneel right there.” He pointed to a spot between his legs.
Her heart started pounding. Hard. Blood rushed to pool low. Her sex clenched. Nipples peaked. His voice had changed to the one that stroked velvet all over her body. The one that gave commands, and she wanted to give him everything. She crawled over to the edge of the bed and slipped off, obediently crawling between his legs to kneel between his thighs.