He cups my chin. I want to jerk away so badly, but I force myself to keep still. Because right now, he has all the power, andI’ve got nothing.
“There’s another way, you know.” He drops in close, his whiskey breath acrid on my nostrils. “A way for you to earn Eli’sforgiveness. A way to keep him.”
Hope sparks in my chest. “What’s that?”
“Come back to me.” He drags his thumb across my bottom lip. “Let us be the family we were always supposed to be. I neverliked Yulian’s part of the plan—f*****g you until you died. It was a bit much, even for me.”
“You shouldn’t have agreed to it, then.”
“I did what I had to do. But now, I don’t have to play nice with him anymore.” He lowers his lips to mine, speaking rightagainst them. It makes my stomach roil. “You deserve bette
