I waved a hand at him. “No, it’s fine. It’s my name now, isn’t it?”
He nodded slowly. “You’re my wife.”
I was his wife. I had the ring on my hand to prove it, and my name on a marriage license. I just had to know who I had married. Moving around the swirling water, I came within inches of Artem. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he rasped.
I reached out and touched his chest, where I knew one of his many scars were. “Where is this from?”
He sucked in a breath as my fingers explored the hard ridge of the scar. “Knife. I was twenty-two.”
“Did you kill him?” I asked softly.
Artem’s eyes bored into mine. “Yeah, I did.”
Lord help me. Swallowing my sudden fear for him, I drifted my hand down lower, tracing the long line on the left side of his ribs. “And this one?”
“Knife again,” he answered, his voice rough. “One year later. I didn’t move fast enough.”
My heart went out to him. He had endured so many things in his life. Why, I wasn’t so sure of yet. “And did he die?”
“Yes,” he grated out, capturing my hand in his. “They all did, Emma. Every scar on my body means I remained alive.”
I gulped. “How many times, Artem?”
He looked away. “I don’t fucking know. Hundreds?”
I reached up and touched his jaw, forcing him to meet my eyes. “Yet you are still here, stronger than ever.”
Artem released my hand and cupped it on the back of my neck, pulling me close until I was straddling him. I could feel the hard length of his cock against my stomach, and my body started at the thought of having him inside me again. “I need to tell you something,” he said, his lips brushing mine. “And I need you to listen to me.”
I wound my arms around his neck. “I’m right here.”
He gave me another bruising kiss before breaking away, his eyes hard as beautiful, glittering sapphires. “I don’t care about anyone. I lead a difficult life, so there is no room for anyone in it. Even my sister knows that my loyalty to her stops where business begins.”
His words were hard, but underneath them, I could detect a hint of desperation. What was he about to tell me? What if he was going to say that I wasn’t good enough to remain as his wife? What if he wanted to send me home?
“But then you came along,” he continued, his voice softer and full of tenderness. “I watched you for years, Emma. I watched you be fucking nice to everyone you came in contact with. When I took you, I didn’t want this to be anything but revenge, but now, hell, I fucking care about you. You’re my weakness, the one thing that if it were taken away from me, I would go fucking insane.”
His words made my breath catch. “Artem.”
He silenced me with a swift kiss. “I’m telling you that I want you to stay. I want to earn your trust and anything you wish to give me. I know I’ve been a monster to you, but let me show you the man that lies underneath this hard interior. Give me a fucking chance.”
Irina had been right. Artem did care about me. I looked at his devastatingly beautiful face and knew I wouldn’t be able to walk away from him, ever. Whatever secrets he held, I could wait them out, and if they were too heavy, then, well, I needed time to process them. It was clear to me that Artem was putting his feelings out there, wanting me to digest them and then decide if I wanted to stay.
It was already a lot to take in. “You promised to bring Noah home.”
“I know,” he replied, blowing out a breath. “And I will. There are already leads, and I anticipate he will be home in a matter of days. I will die bringing him home if need be.”
“Don’t die,” I blurted out, my arms tightening around his neck.
His mouth lifted into a half grin. “Would you miss me, krasivyy?”
“What does that mean?” I asked instead, glad to see the teasing light in his eyes once more. Our conversation had been far too heavy the moment before.
“It means beautiful,” he said softly. “You are beautiful, Emma.”
Gah, I thought my heart just exploded in my chest! “Well, you are gorgeous. How would I say that?”
“Bezumno krasivaya,” Artem replied.
“That’s beautiful,” I told him. “And a mouthful.”
He grinned. “I can teach you all you want to know. It’s a difficult language.”
We had a few moments of silence between us before I cleared my throat. “I need time, Artem. This is a lot to take in, and so much has happened between us. I need to think about it.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. “I know, krasivyy, and you take all the time you need. I’m just glad you are home.”
Home. Was this home? Today, here with Artem, it felt like it. “Will you ever tell me about who you are, Artem?”
He sighed. “Yes, I will, once you stay, Emma. There are things that are private about my life, things that I need the utmost secrecy about, and as much as I trust you, I need to know that I will not watch you turn around and sell me to the highest bidder.”
That stung, but he was being honest. He wanted to know that I was with him for the long haul, and I could respect his needs. “All right. I will not ask until I know this is my future.”
He tugged at my arm until my hand appeared, the one with the ring on it. “This was placed on your finger in desperation,” he stated, his thumb rubbing over the stone. “I want to replace it with something far more valuable.”
His words stayed with me as we moved to safer topics, enjoying the water until night fell. “Emma,” Artem said as I nibbled on a strawberry. “Look.”
I followed his hand and gasped as I saw the stars above us. “Oh wow. That is beautiful.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in front of him and locking me against his chest. I let him rest his chin on my shoulder as we gazed up at the stars together, the rest of the world melting away. This was what happiness felt like.
“Will you sleep in my bed tonight, Emma?” Artem asked.
I smiled. “Will we be sleeping?”
He growled. “As much as I would like to kiss every inch of your lovely body, I will respect your need for time and only hold you while you sleep.”
I turned in his embrace, the water sloshing around us. “Thank you,” I told him, pressing my lips against his. “You look like you need sleep, Artem. Can I watch over you tonight?”