Possess(The Syndicate: Crime and Passion 1)(34)

There was no longer any question.

I was pregnant.

I had never felt anything like the elation and utterly crushed feeling that came over me in that moment. I’d suspected before, known it, but to see it spelled out put things in an entirely different perspective. The emotions that rushed through me were dizzying, so I unlocked the bathroom door and collapsed onto the edge of the bed.

My heart soared with joy. The thought of having a child, holding a baby of my own in my arms, was incredible, beyond any elation I had felt before.

But that elation came with a weight, a cost I would soon have to pay.

I had no idea how Maxim would react.

I shook my head, as if doing so would physically clear the thought.

That wasn’t true anyway.

I didn’t know how he would react specifically, but I knew his reaction wouldn’t be good.

Maxim wanted nothing real, and there was nothing more real than another life.

He would not take this well.

Beyond my worry about his reaction, I felt sadness as well.

Everything had changed between us again, and I mourned the loss of those few precious months where I had been able to pretend that I could change his mind, that maybe, one day he’d come to realize that he cared for me as much as I did him.

Sad as it was, having had a place in Maxim’s bed had been enough and the option of taking what he had to offer over having nothing at all hadn’t even been a question.

It couldn’t be enough anymore, though. I had more things to consider now, more feelings than my own to take into account. The baby was most important now, and the baby deserved more.

More than Maxim could give. I would make sure the baby had it. Even if it broke my heart in the process.





Twenty-Two





Maxim



“So the pieces are in place?” Sergei asked as soon as I arrived at the storefront.

“They are,” I said.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked.

“The plan is what it has always been. Eliminate Santo,” I said.

“He’s not going to take this easily,” Sergei said.

“He’s not going to have a choice,” I replied.

Sergei smiled, then tugged at the tie that was crookedly knotted around his neck.

I said nothing about his new clothes, though the effort hadn’t gone unnoticed. He’d never look natural in a suit, but his efforts in his clothes, the way he had been handling business over these months, were impressive. He had improved dramatically, enough that once I had handled Santo, I would give him the opportunity he had wanted for so long. I hadn’t told him yet, though, and wouldn’t until after everything was in place.

“Continue to watch Santo. Adrian will contact you when I’m ready,” I said.

He nodded, and then I left.

As Adrian drove me back, I felt that familiar tug, the need to see Senna again. It hadn’t dampened, hadn’t slackened in the least, and in fact had only grown stronger.

As ever, Senna was my Achilles’ heel, my weakness, but a weakness I knew I would simply have to accept. The idea of being without her was one I rejected wholesale, and though I knew she still wanted more, I hoped she was content with things as they were. It was all that could be, but even that was better than nothing.

It was dark by the time I got back, and I immediately went to my room, hoping she would be there as she had those nights before.

I entered, found the bathroom door closed, so quickly discarded my clothes and waited for her.

When the bathroom door opened, Senna stared out at me, looking at my face, then meeting my eyes, but then her gaze dropped down to where my already-hard cock jutted from my body.

“Come here, little flower,” I said, my voice already rough with desire.

A small smile teasing her lips, she came toward me, her slow, muffled footsteps, the gentle sway of her body pulling me further under her spell.

When she reached me, I put my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me, bunching the dress she wore around her thighs.

I watched as more and more of her skin was exposed, saw the first glimpse of the damp hair that covered her sex. I reached out, touched her, feeling immense satisfaction when she shivered and then pushed my fingers through the wetness that seeped from her.

She tilted her head, her eyes dropping down as she watched me stroke her.

I hadn’t tired of this either, had come to crave seeing the emotion on her face as I touched her, watching as she went from quiet restraint to loud passion.

“Maxim,” she said, her voice needy.

My cock jumped at the sound, the knowledge that my touch did this to her only intensifying my desire for her.

“Senna,” I replied as I stroked my finger along her wet slit.

“I want you inside,” she said, her voice needy.

“Here I am,” I said, voice deepening as I leaned back to rest on my hands, offering myself to her.