“Henry,” I say after a pause, “I think I want to name him Henry, after my dad.” I’ve been conflicted about it over the past few days, thinking about names of any gender, but when I say it out loud, it feels right.
Ivan smiles warmly at me, and I know he feels the same. “Henry it is.”
Now it’s my turn to stretch myself up to kiss him, but he has to bend down a little to help me reach, and I end up giggling into his neck as we come closer, our lips pressing together and tongues delving into each other’s mouths.
“Ivan,” I finally say as we break the kiss, “It’s been such a long year, and when this first started, there was nothing I wanted more for it to all be over. But now, it’s like all the memories I really want to hold onto are the ones that happened after we met. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here with you, right now.”
There’s a tear in my eye at my own outpouring of emotion, and as Ivan looks down at me, he wipes them away with a finger.
“I feel the same, mishka. To tell you the truth,” he twiddles the thumbs of those powerful, deadly hands, “I...I never realized it until sometime into our arrangement, but looking back on it,” he looks up at me again with those eyes that hold so much tenderness in reserve for me alone, “I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
We move in simultaneously to press our lips together, and after we break, I bring my ruby-red lips to his ear and whisper, even as a smile tugs at my face.
“I think I’d like to renew our year together, my love. Make it a lifetime.”
Also by Alexis Abbott
Standalone:
Sold to the Hitman
Owned by the Hitman
Ruthless
Criminal
Falling for her Boss (Novella)
Series:
The Narrow Path
Strayed from the Path
Path to Ruin
About the Author
Alexis Abbott is a well-rounded author of romantic suspense and erotic thrillers, to contemporary romance between two people who shouldn’t fall in love.
Today, Alexis is focusing on giving fans tastes of darkness, pushing them to the limits while exploring criminal underbellies, corrupt billionaires, and the women who get wrapped up in events they don’t want to control. She also writes as Alex Abbott for her less romantic suspense novels.
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Connect with me:
@abbottauthor
alexabbottauthor
alexabbottauthor.com
alex.abbott.author@gmail.com