Page 52 of Vicious Secrets
He doesn’t shrink away. “Understood. She overheard parts, knows about the Bratva move.”
Fabi steps away as if I hadn’t just gotten in his face. Shouting his farewells to Robyn as he leaves.
Robyn pops out into the living room, freezing when our eyes meet. One side of her hair is frizzy from when I played with it earlier, her upper body droops with exhaustion, and the edges of her eye makeup is smudged. From what? I can’t tell, but it better not be tears, or I’ll strangle whoever made her shed them.
“You should go to bed.” I nod my head in the direction of our bedroom.
She presses her lips together into a thin line. “Join me?”
It’s only nine; hours from my normal bedtime. I cock a brow and then force it back down. I’m being an ass. No shit, my wife wants me beside her tonight! She thinks her parents are trying to kidnap her or kill me, or both. I owe her an answer, but the one I promised refuses to release from my tongue. Maybe the darkness of the bedroom removing the sear of her gaze will help release it.
“Yes.”
We go about our usual nighttime routines. She beats me to bed, and I kill the lights before joining her. Once under the covers, I move toward the center of the bed. Bumping into her long before my pillow runs out. The collision of her bare arms against my naked chest sends a surge of selfishness to my brain.
Robyn’s safe. Robyn’s Safe. Robyn’s Safe.
I grab her and flop onto my back, draping her body over mine. A growl parts my lips, but not my teeth, as I fist a hand in her hair and hold her face in the crook of my neck.
“I’ve never loved before, Robyn.” My voice takes on a wavering pitch as I speak.
“Siro, please don’t…” A sob catches in the back of her throat.
My heart stops, and I hold my breath as I wait for her to finish. Don’t go after her parents? Don’t stop her from leaving? Don’t point out that our public facade stopped being fake weeks ago?
“Don’t let go.”
My hands shake, and my arm muscles quiver like I’m overworking them. “You have my permission, Robyn. Do I have yours?”
She sniffles and nods her head, nuzzling her nose along my neck.
My mantra of “Robyn’s safe” takes on a whole new meaning.
For the second time in a day, tears sting the corners of my eyes. This time I allow them to fall. We’re under the cover of pure darkness, but there isn’t a chance in hell she doesn’t know I’m crying. My chest moves her up and down with each heave and jerk of my sobs. My shaky breath runs through her hair. With her ears near my throat, the noises trapped within it must sound to her like gasping screams.
“We’ll fall together,” she says in a clear, stable voice.
Why does that sound so perfect and not the least bit terrifying?
When my tears of overwhelm have run their course, Robyn melts against me. All of the tension in her body releases at once, dragging the remainder of mine away with it.
Chapter 16
Robyn
ThemorningafterThanksgiving,I tell Siro point blank I don’t want my own place come January. We declare the facade dead. We agree that our private relationship should match the public one. The topic of my tubal ligation remains a touchy one. However, Siro makes it clear he’s angry that I kept a secret from him, not that we won’t have children.
My mother calls me over a hundred times; I ignore every call and delete every voicemail after saving them to the cloud in case there are threats. Siro combs through them when he has time.
Alic and Cirilla move to Vegas a week later, and our social calendar quickly fills up for the rest of the year. They slot themselves into our little circle of life like they’ve always been here. Siro and I enjoy showing them around Vegas. Every time I see Alic, he looks more and more at ease. But my gut tells me he’s a man of deep secrets. Deeper than any of mine or Siro’s.
I give notice at my job with an end date of December nineteenth. Siro and Fabi look surprised when I tell them, but neither of them voices disapproval. In truth, I only pursued a nursing career because the long hours guaranteed me a break from my mom’s chronic dependence. Now I want to pursue breaking free of her.
The days fly by in a blur of Holiday parties and meet-ups with Cirilla. Despite our eight-year age difference, Cirilla and I quickly become friends. Before I know it, I know all of the names of the fish at the Mandalay Bay, and I’m walking out of the emergency room for the last time.
On the way home, my energy grows to the point I’m vibrating with excitement. I dart around the penthouse, looking for Siro. The dining room is as empty as the rest of the rooms. I sigh and slump down on the foot of the bed to take off my purple clogs. I dig my phone out of my purse and send my husband a text.
No dinner tonight? :(
