Alexandr's Reluctant Submissive Read Free

And of course he went about giving me the information in the worst way possible. Knowing that he watched me suffer and did nothing…”
    Rage like she’d never experienced trembled in the back of her mind as the ramifications of what he’d just said sunk into her.
    She wondered how hard it would be to gain access to Jorg Novikov so she could shoot him in the head.
    It was a violent, tempting thought and she realized that maybe she wasn’t handling this all too well. In fact, little black dots began to dance around the edges of her vision as her heart continued to race. The fabric of his suit jacket began to fade beneath her fingertips as numbness tingled through her extremities. She’d gone into emotional overload and knew if she didn’t snap out of it, she’d soon have a panic attack.
    It took a great deal of effort, but she managed to jerk her gaze back up to Alex, seeking something to hold on to before her rational mind went on vacation. It had been almost a year since her last panic attack; she’d gotten them occasionally after the kidnapping by Jorg’s goons, and she’d been hopeful those episodes were over. Instead a harsh sweat stung her skin and she began to pant.
    Alex grasped her face between his calloused hands and forced her to meet his gaze, easily trapping her with his natural dominance that had only increased during their years apart. “ Dorogoya , he will never hurt you again. I swear it.”
    The fierce desire to believe him battled with her need to protect Tatiana.
    She forced her lips to form words she could barely whisper. “But what about the rest of the world, Alex? The Curse…”
    “The Curse is no more.”
    She startled. “How is that possible?”
    “With much work and help, we made it happen. Though you were already lost to me, I did it for my brother and sister-in-law. Dimitri has married an American girl, Rya. He loves his wife the way I love you. I did everything I could to help guard their love. She is so protected not even someone suicidal would try to hurt her, and they are very happy together. The Boldin women are safe as well. We have strong truce. Your…death helped to bring peace to the Novikov and Boldin Bratvas .”
    She’d read something about Dimitri being engaged, but at that point she’d been trying to break her habit of checking up on the Novikov men and hadn’t allowed herself to research it any further.
    The gentle tone of his voice seduced her and she fought his hold, trying to remember the millions of excuses to stay away from him that were as fragile as spider’s silk in a hurricane. She had to remember that her wants came second to her daughter’s safety. By not running as fast and far as she could, she might be betraying Tatiana. Yes, they might be safe from Jorg—though she doubted it—but Alex’s life was filled with danger. When it came down to it, he was a crime lord and she’d be bringing her daughter into a world where she would be in constant peril.
    The thought of anyone harming her bright, loving little girl made her stomach clench in a sour ball. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to go against her natural inclination to give in to Alex’s desires and instead challenge him with the truth. She wasn’t some twenty-year-old girl anymore, dazzled by her husband’s overwhelming charisma. She was a woman who’d vowed never to be a naïve, trusting little fool again.
    “Rya, she’s under constant guard, like I was, right? I’d bet her life is so hazardous that she can’t go to the store without her own security detail.” The way his lips tightened confirmed her suspicions. “Alex, I can’t raise our daughter in an environment like that. Tatiana deserves to be free to just be a little girl. To have playmates as companions, not bodyguards. The moment the world knows she exists, she becomes a target.”
    The switch from a gentle, comforting Alex to a pissed-off man happened so fast, she got emotional whiplash from trying to follow his