Page 45 of Depraved Royals
Kal stands up and pulls me to my feet. He opens the cooler and pulls out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He hands the glasses to me.
“I thought you didn’t like champagne,” I say. “You said it was fucking disgusting.”
“On the plane?” He unwraps the foil seal and grips the cork tightly, twisting the bottle. I’m reminded of something, and the image distracts me for a second before the cork flies off into the night, the fizz bubbling onto the ground. “I don’t like it. But you do, and that’s all that matters.”
I giggle at his earnestness. “Sorry, but I lied. I was just trying to show some appreciation and be polite. I can’t stand champagne either.”
Kal rolls his eyes. “I’ve never done something like this before. I guess that’s obvious. Never even been camping.”
“This is hardly camping.” I look around. “Oh, wait. No bathroom?”
“There’s a chemical toilet thing just over there,” Kal says, pointing, “and that’s it. The romance has peaked.”
I laugh as I put the glasses back in the cooler.
The bed feels good, and I lie down, patting the space beside me. Kal stretches out, kicking off his boots.
“I went camping with my father all the time when I was a kid,” I say. “You never did things like that?”
“No. Erik wasn’t the type. His mind was always on serious matters. That’s the way of all strong men.” He reaches out and tucks a loose lock of hair behind my ear.
I shake my head. “That’s bullshit. My father is a strong man, but he’s also the guy who always makes faces with my food, even now.” I smile as I think of my Papa. “He’s never tried to force me down any path. He’s protective, and he always reminds me that I need to take more care, but he knows who I am.”
Kal rests a hand on my hip, but he seems miles away. When he speaks, his voice is leaden.
“My stepfather didn’tknowme, and my mother doesn’t care. She wanted me to be the image of Erik, and it’s only recently that I started to see a different path.”
“Is that why you came to us? Tome?”
Kal looks furious, but his expression softens in an instant. He pulls me towards him, his lips firm and insistent on mine.
“You’re my future,” he murmurs between kisses, “and I will do whatever it takes to be worthy of a woman like you.”
17
Dani
Kal’s tongue delves into my mouth, and I welcome it, eager to taste him.
Everything I want is within reach.
Just like that, the threat to my family is over. Without her champion, Idina has no one to take us on, and the Pushkin Bratva can look toward a peaceful future.
Dreams I never dared to cling to are coming true. Kal Antonov wants me, for real. Forkeeps. I will have the love I want and the darkness I crave in the same glorious package.
And my father will have what he wants most. A happy daughter who, against all the odds, happens to be married to a Bratva man.
Kal’s hand on the back of my neck disrupts my thoughts. He’s feeling for my zipper.
“You are not allowed to wear this fucking thing ever again,” he says. “What idiot designed this? There’s no way into it!”
I laugh, pushing his jacket off his shoulders. I touch his chest as I unbutton his shirt, his skin warm under my hands.
With a grunt of frustration, Kal finally finds the zipper and glides it down, his hands hot and firm on my back.
“Are you cold?”
“A little,” I say. He pulls a large woolen throw over us both.