Forbidden Vows: Chapter 18

“I guess when God decides to throw a challenge my way, He goes all in, eh?” I laugh nervously as we arrive home.

“The very definition of fuck around and find out, right?” Anton replies, making me laugh harder.

“Oh, we sure did,” I manage, as I sit on the edge of the bed.

I’m already tired, and it’s not even noon. He goes over to the window and pulls the curtains wide open, letting the sunlight in. The room is bathed in a soft golden hue as I take a deep breath and try to gather my senses. Yet my thoughts continue to shoot in every direction, jumping from one extreme scenario to another.

Anton, however, is calm.

I soak in his presence, because it’s the only thing that keeps me grounded when my worst-case scenarios get the better of me. “Twins. Crazy.”

“Double the trouble,” he replies, and kneels in front of me, his hands resting on my knees. “We’ll handle it.”

“Will we? Anton, we’re practically strangers.”

The shadow of a smile dances across his lips. “Not in the biblical sense, we’re not.”

“It takes so much more to raise a family,” I say. “Don’t get me wrong, I like what’s happening here, despite the circumstances. There’s no denying the chemistry, and I’m sure given enough time, we can grow together. But we don’t have a lot of time to do that, do we?”

“Just because we skipped a few steps doesn’t mean it won’t turn out alright,” he says. “I have faith in you, in us. Don’t you?”

“I want to.”

“What ‘s giving you pause, then?”

I offer a slight shrug. “The fact that we skipped some pretty important steps. We were supposed to get to know each other first, to figure out if we are compatible, if we can actually make it work—”

“How could we have gotten to know each other if I married your stepsister, like Ronan and I had originally planned?”

I stare at him for a hot second. “Fair enough.”

“Eileen, I need you to have faith in me, in us. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and the kiddos are happy and safe,” he says, the gravity of his tone having me gobbling up every word. “I will burn the whole Bratva to the ground if I have to. I won’t stop until every single one of our enemies is in the ground.”

“I wish violence wasn’t necessary.”

“Recent events argue against you, I’m afraid.”

Lowering my gaze, I let a heavy sigh leave my chest. “A girl can only dream.”

“It’s a rough world that we grew up in,” Anton says. “It’s harsh and bloody. There are backstabbers at every corner. Traitors. Greedy bastards who will do anything for power, money, and influence. I don’t need any of it. If someday you tell me you want to get out of the city, to leave it all behind, I will. Without hesitation.”

I give him a startled look. “Are you serious?”

“Very.”

It does sound enticing. Dropping everything and simply running away. But running away is exactly what we’d be doing. It wouldn’t resolve the problem, and our enemies would still find a way to track us down and finish what they started. I know enough about the Russians to understand that our troubles wouldn’t end with us simply leaving the city.

“I don’t want to end up telling our children stories about how cowardly we were,” I exhale sharply. “As much as I dislike the situation, I dislike the idea of turning tail even more. I’d cease to be a Donovan, and I certainly wouldn’t make myself worthy of the Karpov name, now, would I?”

Anton’s lips stretch into a delicious grin. “That’s my girl.”

“I still can’t believe we’re having twins.”

“Twice as much love,” he says, then laughs and kisses me deeply, cupping my face in his hands. “I will be with you every step of the way, baby. You’re not alone in this.”

“I’d better not be.”

He gives me a hurt look. “Who would I be, if the woman I call my wife doesn’t have faith in me?”

I’ve yet to hear what I want to hear, but I won’t beg for it. Maybe I’ll never hear him say it. I could convince myself that he feels it, that actions speak louder than words. That’s what matters, and as far as actions go, Anton has been by my side from the moment I became his wife.

I’m married to a powerful man who makes my body sing and my heart soften whenever he’s around. It’s his children I’m carrying in my womb, his protection that has kept me alive and safe.

“Eileen, look at me,” Anton says.

I do, losing myself in those hazel pools of his, my soul expanding like a young, growing sun.

“We’ve got this,” he says.

I don’t get the chance to reply or to express any more doubts—of which I have plenty—before he kisses me again. This time, however, it’s hungrier, needier. I have no qualms about completely and shamelessly surrendering.

“We’ve got this,” he says again as he peels my clothes off, one layer at a time.

I give in to this growing hunger, my body aching for him.

Soon enough, I’m bare and soft against his lips as he devours my pussy, one hand kneading my tender breast, while the other trails a path down my belly and nestles between my legs, just under his stubbly chin.

A moan escapes my throat as his fingers slide in. “Oh, Anton!” I cry out as his lips close around my swollen clit.

The tension builds in my core as he finger-fucks me into the next world, teasing my nerve endings until I explode and he drinks me whole.

“I’ll never get tired of this,” I say as he comes up and spears me with his full length.

I’m still in the throes of ecstasy, still rippling like a stone in the water as he penetrates me, his gigantic cock filling and stretching me until I melt into him altogether. He holds me tightly, arms wrapped around my body, my breasts squished against his hard chest as he goes deeper and harder.

“You’re my favorite addiction,” he whispers against my lips.

We kiss hungrily, starved for one another as the rhythm builds up between us. I clench myself tightly around his cock, welcoming every thrust as he pours himself into me. I listen to his ragged breath as he fucks me harder, faster.

I love the sound of skin slapping skin as he rams into me, roaring as he pumps me full of him.

Our bodies, slick with sweat and glistening in the afterglow, settle under the silken sheets while a cool breeze slips into the room through a cracked window. We’re nowhere near done, though. Anton’s appetite for me has grown, and I’m hopelessly desperate for more, every damn time.,

“Our lovemaking is the only thing that turns my brain all the way off,” I mumble, breathing him in as I draw invisible circles with my fingertips on his bare, splendidly sculpted back.

“Well, at least I’m making myself useful,” he chuckles softly.

“And then some.”

He knows what I mean. He feels it, I know he does. It echoes through me into him, reverberating with every breath. There’s more between us than physical chemistry, more growing than just the twins.

A few weeks later, morning finds me at the breakfast table, nursing a mug of hot cocoa as I gaze out the window. Ian is back to work, fully healed from being shot. Luckily, the bullet only grazed his side. He’s busy preparing the garden terrace, as we’re expected to join Andrei and Laura for a family business luncheon.

“There you are,” Anton says as he walks into the kitchen.

I give him a warm smile, taking a moment to admire how particularly dashing he looks in his dark blue suit. The white shirt and silver cuff links give him a regal aura, but it’s his smile that makes my insides melt, every damn time.

“Good morning,” I reply. He kisses me, then takes a seat at the breakfast table. “Coffee?”

“Is that what you’re having?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Nope.”

He leans forward and takes a whiff. “Mmm. I’ll have what you’re having.”

“Hot cocoa? Really?”

“You used the stuff from the red tin, didn’t you?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“Then I want some. That’s premium cocoa powder from Maison D’Or. They import it from a precious little cocoa plantation in the heart of Guatemala. A single scoop is like a taste of Aztec heaven, I swear.”

“You keep surprising me, Mr. Karpov,” I exclaim as I fill his cup with my precious, chocolatey concoction. “And you’re in luck. I always whip up a whole jug of it before I sit down for breakfast.”

“I know. It’s one of your little habits that always makes me smile,” he says with a playful wink. I like that he’s in such a good mood. “What did you mean by I keep surprising you?”

I can’t help but blush. “I like to consider myself quite the coffee and chocolate connoisseur. You know about my dream project, about opening my own café someday.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I find it nice to know that you’re also highly educated on the topic. Nobody else in this house seems to know what’s in that red tin or really cares.”

“Let me guess, you tried to tell Laura about how good the stuff is,” he laughs lightly.

“I did.”

“Laura’s an Americano girl, and she’ll be an Americano girl until the day she dies. Andrei, I’m afraid, is even worse. He actually calls that Starbucks stuff coffee. You’re sharing a house with people who know nothing about good, quality beans, be it cacao or coffee.”

I giggle softly, watching him take a long sip of his cocoa. “Either way, I’m glad you can appreciate this.”

“Just as I appreciate the fact that you slipped a sprinkle of nutmeg into this, didn’t you?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Like I said, you keep surprising me.”

“Speaking of surprises, this is for you,” Anton places a blue velvet box on the table between us.

I open it to reveal a gorgeous diamond and pearl necklace. It will look great with at least three of my cocktail dresses, which only serves to remind me that Anton pays attention. He doesn’t just have good taste, he’s got a working set of eyes, too. But I still feel like I’m being bought.

“Don’t you like it?” he asks.

“It’s beautiful.”

“You don’t seem that happy about it.”

“I’d be happier if I could get out of this house more often,” I bluntly reply. “While I fully understand the threat level, how much longer do I have to be cooped up in this place? Lunch and dinner out on the terrace don’t count.”

Anton gives me a long, hard look. “Where is this coming from? Because I know we’re not about to have the same conversation all over again.”

“I feel like you’re trying to buy me, Anton, to make up for the situation. If we’re going to build a marriage together, it’s not going to be with diamonds and pearls.”

He sits back, a muscle ticking angrily in his jaw. “I can’t lavish you with presents?”

“What’s the point if I can’t wear them anywhere?” I level my gaze at him.

He sighs, trying and failing to hide his exasperation. “Eileen—”

“You know what, you don’t have to say anything,” I cut him off. “I’m tired. I’m going to go lie down for a bit. Enjoy the cocoa. I’ll see you at lunch.”

With that, I get up from the table and leave the kitchen, Anton staring after me, dumbfounded.