Sighing, I looked up at the ceiling, not quite ready to get up yet. Artem was a leader in the Russian Mafia. He was an immensely powerful man. No wonder he was scared to tell me who he was. The feds would love to have him in their grip. I doubted he went anywhere where they didn’t keep close tabs on him.
Maybe that was why he loved Alaska so much. I hadn’t seen a cop or suspicious car since my time out here.
Well, I hadn’t seen much at all until my own fun escape had flipped everything upside down. Now this place wasn’t a prison.
Now Artem wasn’t a kidnapper or my enemy.
Now I didn’t feel like I was all alone. Instead I felt like I had everything I could have ever wanted.
Except my family. And by family, I meant my brother and my mother. After hearing what Harvey had to say about my dad, I wasn’t so sure I wanted him in my life right now. It wasn’t because the feds were after him.
It was because he had lied to us, pretended to be someone else my entire life, and not once had atoned for his sins.
I couldn’t be around someone like that. How could I trust him?
My stomach grumbled loudly, and I pushed off the bed, sliding into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. It was a little after seven in the morning and not only was I hungry, but I was curious to know if Artem had made it back last night.
After pulling my hair up in a messy bun, I walked out of my room and toward his, feeling the flutter of excitement and anticipation growing wild in my heart. I was falling in love with him. It wasn’t something I could hide any longer. Call me crazy, but I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Artem. Though I knew he cared for his sister and she obviously cared for him, there probably weren’t many others that genuinely cared for the boss. He hadn’t seen tenderness in his life before, but I was going to change that.
I was going to show him that he could be loved, and it would not be a weakness.
But as I pushed open his door, I was sad to see his bed still unoccupied, his desk chair empty.
He wasn’t back yet.
I wandered back to my room and picked up my cell phone, my heart lurching as I saw a single text from him about three hours ago.
I fucking miss you.
It wasn’t love, but I could feel the intensity of his words, the slight grin he would have on his handsome face as he typed the words. There was no doubt in my mind or in my heart that Artem cared for me. He had trusted me with his deepest secret, showing me how much he cared without saying the words.
Ugh, the man was going to be the death of me in more ways than one!
I held the phone close to my chest, mentally trying to tell him that I wanted him home, safe and sound. This obsession of mine could get a little out of hand, and that wasn’t a bad thing.
With a sigh, I moved past Artem’s text and dialed Gertie’s number. She answered on the first ring. “Hello?”
“Gertie,” I answered.
“Oh my lord, Emma!” she squealed in my ear. “He’s home! My love is home!”
Smiling at the excitement in her voice, I felt the tears burn my eyes. Artem hadn’t been lying after all. He had truly brought Noah home, where he belonged. “I’m so glad. Is he hurt?”
Gertie snorted. “It would take a hell of a lot more than that to hurt his hard head. He’s got some cuts and bruises, but nothing that a little home cooking and some rest won’t heal. He was more pissed that there were strangers attempting to guard me than anything! He asked me if I had forgotten how to shoot the gun.”
“That sounds like him,” I said softly. “I will have to get over there soon to play a round of chess with him.”
“How are you?” Gertie asked. “Is that man of yours still treating you well?”
“He is,” I told her honestly. “It’s good, Gertie. I made the right decision.”
“Good for you, dearie. Now, if he starts showing his ass again, you get your things and come right back over here, all right?”
“I will,” I promised. I knew I had made friends for life with the older couple and it felt good to have someone that I could rely on so far from my original home. “I’ll call in a few days and check on you all.”
I said my goodbyes and ended the call, tossing the cell phone on the bed. Noah was home. Artem had done exactly what he had promised he was going to do. He hadn’t let me down.
Not that I expected him to. Artem had always done exactly what he had said, and not once had he broken his word.
That was my husband. That was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was married to him, yes, but now I wanted to be his wife.
Sucking in a breath, I felt this strange intensity shoot through me, as if I had just come across something particularly important. I had done so. I was admitting to myself completely that Artem was not my kidnapper or my enemy.
He was the love of my life, and I wanted to move on to the future. I wanted to let go of the animosity I had for him and for his lifestyle and revel in the fact that I had found something super special and precious.
I had to tell him.
***
My chance didn’t come until nearly sunset, when I watched Artem exit the sedan, his phone up to his ear. He was speaking urgently into the phone, but I drank in the sight of him from behind the window, regardless. The rainy morning had tapered to a damp evening and I forced myself to breathe normally as I left the living room and waited in the hall for Artem to enter through the front door.
When he did, I waited patiently for him to finish the call, noting how he always had guards around him. Artem was a strong man. I had seen his brutality up close, but with the guards around him now, I felt like he was truly a man with a target on his back.
Artem barked something out in Russian, his face dark with rage before ending the call, placing his cell in his pocket before thrusting both his hands through his hair. “Go,” he said roughly, causing the guards to scatter immediately. My pulse ratcheted up a notch as I watched grown men do his bidding.
Was I really married to this man?
Artem waited until everyone had disappeared before letting out a long breath, leaning against the wall. “Fuck me.”
“I would very much like to,” I said softly, breaking the silence that had settled in the hallway.
Artem’s gaze snapped up. “Emma.”
“Artem.”
“Tell me again.”
I stepped forward, feeling my entire body shake with anticipation. “I would like to have you in my bed. Correction. I want you naked in my bed.” I had never wanted anything more than I wanted him right now.
His expression softened and I saw a hint of the man I had grown to love over the last few days. I couldn’t just love one part of Artem. There were many facets to Artem, and if I was going to be his wife, I had to love them all.