Sinful Obsession by Brook Wilder

Author:Brook Wilder [Wilder, Brook]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholae Palatina, Inc.
Published: 2024-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

28

GALINA

When I was a kid, brushing my hair always brought me comfort. Doing it before bed was a ritual that started before I knew what the word even meant. I’d sit on my mattress, my knees tucked beneath, music piping gently in the background, and throw my hair over my shoulder. Mom used to do it for me. She was patient—which was rare—as she ran the boar-bristled brush over my thick locks until they glowed like honey in the sun.

I wish she was here to do it for me now.

Mom, I hope you’re okay.

Stroking the brush down to the tips of my hair, I try to let it relax me, but it’s not working. It was a long shot, all things considered. Too much terrible stuff has happened in such a short time. If I could just brush it away, it would be a miracle. People like me never get those.

A soft tap comes at my door, and a moment later, I hear Arsen’s voice on the other side.

“Galina?”

Sitting up, I drop my feet to the floor. What could he want at this hour? I have an idea, but I don’t know if I’m ready for a deep conversation right now. There have been so many of those lately, and every one of them has left me drained.

“Come in.”

The door opens, and I catch the way his eyes settle on me, widening a fraction as he takes in my bare legs under my nightgown and my thick hair coiling over my naked shoulder. He hides his reaction behind a quick blink.

“I was looking for you,” he says.

“Well, I’m easy to find. Not like I have a lot of places to go these days.” I gesture around my bedroom with a bitter smile.

Arsen’s nose crinkles up like I’ve thrown dirty water in his face. But if you ask me, that verbal jab was well deserved.

“I wanted to apologize.”

I sit up at that. Well, that was unexpected. I was ready for another tongue-thrashing about how I lied to him and put the Bratva in danger. But certainly not this.

His contrition is refreshing, but I’m not ready to let my guard down.

Not yet.

“You had every right to keep Ruslan a secret from me.” He moves further into the room as he talks. “I shouldn’t blame you for it. And it was wrong of me to snap at you. I’m sorry, Galina.”

Folding my hands over the hairbrush, I rub my thumb over the smooth handle absently. “It was wrong how you snapped at me. But …” I take a deep breath. “I admit that keeping Ruslan’s existence a secret was wrong too. And I owe you an apology for that.” I smile hopefully. “Are we even?”

Letting his shoulders loosen, he visibly relaxes. “Yes, very even.” Two more steps of his powerful legs and he’s standing over me. His eyes are half-lidded as he observes me in his thoughtful way. “I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to keep that secret to yourself.”

A resigned laugh that sounds more like a scoff tumbles from my lips.

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