ELI
The warmth of the silk sheets clung to my skin as I stirred awake, soreness blooming across my thighs like a memory I could still feel pulsing. My legs instinctively curled in, brushing against the plushness of the gold accented mattress beneath me. The sun had barely broken through the ivory curtains, but I was already aware of the ache…of Damir's presence still lingering inside me, even in absence.
The room smelled faintly of roses and something darker. Masculine. Damir.
I blinked up at the high ceilings, where a glimmering chandelier sparkled even in morning light, I winced slightly as I shifted. God… I was still sore. But it wasn't a pain I regretted.
Stretching with a yawn, I reached for the silk robe left for me at the edge of the bed. Just as I slipped it on, there was a knock at the door. Not Damir. One of the maids, I guessed.
"Come in," I croaked.
A young woman in a crisp black and white uniform entered with a silver tray. "Good morning, zolotse. Master Volkov said to bring you breakfast in bed."
My heart skipped. Damir.
The tray held a full spread croissants, smoked salmon, exotic fruits, even a tiny silver pot of hot cocoa. I blinked.
"Uh, thank you," I mumbled, cheeks pink.
She bowed slightly and left. I sank back into the mountain of pillows and took a bite of a croissant, still warm.
Ten minutes later, my phone vibrated on the nightstand. A message from Damir:
"Get dressed, kotenok. We have guests. My brother and his daughter are coming over. She's staying with us for the school break. I want you to meet them".
I paused, cocoa halfway to my lips.
His brother?,he had a brother?, but that's for another day.
I jumped off the bed in a panic, robe fluttering. What do you even wear to meet your boyfriend's family? I flung open my wardrobe. But it was still filled with Damir's choices for me, tight designer tops, silk shirts, luxury shorts that felt more scandalous than casual.
Eventually, I threw on the least revealing pair of shorts (which still ended mid-thigh) and a soft white cashmere sweater. My hair was a tousled mess, but I brushed it into something decent.
By the time I came downstairs, the mansion was buzzing. Maids arranged silverware in the massive dining hall. Guards stood at the main entrance, rigid in black. And there…by the tall mahogany doors stood Damir.
He looked… sinful.
Black turtleneck, tailored slacks, watch that glinted like it cost more than tuition for a hundred students. He was talking to a man who looked like an older, sharper version of him….taller, colder, and meaner-looking. Beside them, a little girl with big hazel eyes clutched a stuffed bunny, bored out of her mind.
Damir caught sight of me first. His eyes darkened.
"Eli," he called, voice rich. "Come."
I walked over slowly, nerves jumping.
"This is Regio, my older brother," he said casually. "And this little one is Sonya."
Regio's eyes immediately dropped to my shorts. Then to my legs. Then to my face.
The judgment hit harder than any slap.
Sonya, however, beamed. "You're so pretty!" she chirped. "Are you a fairy?"
I blushed. "Um… not last I checked. But thank you."
Damir rested a hand on my lower back possessively, fingers spreading just enough to send heat up my spine.
Regio snorted. "Really, Damir? This your type now?"
Damir's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Still more human than your last three wives, Regio."
Their eyes locked like knives.
Regio looked back at me. "So, Eli. What exactly are you to my brother? A new pet? A phase?"
My heart jumped into my throat.
I panicked. The word escaped before I could stop it. "Boy…fr..no…my h..hus..band!"
Everything froze.
Sonya gasped. Regio blinked in visible shock. I wanted to die.
But Damir… Damir looked like he'd just been reborn.
He didn't say a word…just walked straight to me, tilted my chin up, and kissed me full on the mouth. Passionate. Slow. Possessive.
Regio groaned loudly, dragging Sonya's face into his side with a muttered, "She's nine, for God's sake."
I was too stunned to move.
Dinner was a blur after that.
The table stretched like something out of a royal film. Gold utensils, imported wine, candlelight flickering between us. I sat beside Damir, his hand on my thigh the entire time.
Sonya chatted away about her school, how excited she was to be here, and how our mansion looked like a castle and theirs look better than ours because she had a chocolate fountain all to herself.
Regio sipped his wine like it was poison, eyes flicking to me every so often with a grimace.
"So tell me, Eli," he said finally. "What do you do all day? Lounge around looking beautiful?"
I opened my mouth, unsure what to say. Damir cut in.
"He studies Languages. Fashion. And how to drive me insane."
I blushed again. "I…uh…also read a lot."
Regio gave a dry laugh. "Of course. A reader. How quaint."
Damir smiled coldly. "Better a reader than a serial divorcee."
Regio's jaw tightened. "Touche. Still, this all seems so unlike you, Damir. Love letters? A teenager?"
I opened my mouth to snap something back, but Damir beat me to it.
"I'm happier now than I've ever been, Regio. That bother you?"
Regio shrugged. "Just surprised you're willing to risk everything for a pretty face."
"He's not a risk. He's my reason."
That shut him up.
After dinner, as Regio prepared to leave, the tension was still thick.
Regio lingered by the entrance, adjusting his coat. "Take care of yourself, Damir. And try not to fall too deep."
Damir smirked. "Unlike you, I don't drown in regret."
Regio stared. "You always had a taste for drama."
"And you always had a taste for denial," Damir shot back.
He turned to Damir again, tone flat. "Try not to traumatize my daughter."
Damir raised an eyebrow. "Try not to raise her with your cynicism."
"She needs reality."
"She needs warmth."
"She needs protection."
"She has it. In this house."
Regio chuckled as he turned and left.
As the gates closed behind the sleek black car carrying them away and Sonya was escorted by a maid to her room upstairs, I felt Damir wrap his arms around me from behind, lips brushing my ear.
"You called me your husband," he whispered.
I shivered.
"I panicked," I whispered back.
"Do it again."
"W…What?"
"Say it again. Call me your husband."
My throat went dry.
But I turned, looked into those dark eyes, and murmured, "No"
"What?"
"I said no"
"My precious… what did I do this time around?" he said kissing my neck
"I….want you to… ask me out properly" I whispered.
"You want me to propose to you right now,baby?"
"No!…just ask me to be…your.. boyfriend properly first…I will decide when am ready for marriage"
"Ahh my precious…consider it done, do you want anything to come with it or do you want it as a surprise?"
"Suit yourself" I blurted out pouting.
And the way he kissed me again chuckling … made it feel like I'd just given him the world.