Bound to the Beast: Russian Hitman Romance by Ada Stone

There was a moon, but it was almost completely covered by the dark clouds which dumped rain on the entire thing. But the part that was so wrong, so inappropriate, was the man standing amidst it all. He had broad shoulders and dark, thick hair that was slicked by the rain, but he was unconcerned as he stared into the alley, ready to face the darkness. His eyes shone in the darkness and there was a tiny golden metal, the only real color besides blue in the entire image.
     
    It had come to me unbidden. I needed to do something, something spectacular for the showcase at the end of the semester, and I kept drawing a blank. Then two months ago I’d had that wonderful night and the heartbreaking morning that followed it with Alexei. Suddenly, something formed in my mind. I didn’t even really know what it was until I started on Alexei, making his form out slowly in little more than a shadow. Slowly, features came in, his tone paler than it should be, his eyes too bright for the dark scene, but he was there.
     
    Alexei. Just as gorgeous and alluring as I remembered him.
     
    Now, I wished that I’d picked something else. Anything else, but I’d had such a block and Alexei had opened that up. Now it was much too late to hope to do anything else before the semester was over. I’d just have to live with this and when anyone asked, if they asked, I’d say that it was just someone that I made up, someone who might look like they belonged to the darkness.
     
    “Good, Susanna, good. It’s really coming along,” my professor told me in that feathery voice that suggested she was probably taking some sort of mind altering drug. She floated on past me to the next kid, making some minor suggestions here and there.
     
    I sighed. She was right. It was really coming along. It was probably the best thing I’d ever done, in fact, and that was more depressing than I cared to focus on. Putting up my brushes early, I threw my canvas in the back to dry—and to protect from vandals who had occasionally wrecked other students’ work—and told my professor that I had to leave early. I wasn’t feeling well. She encouraged me to feel better and to come in to use the free time to finish my piece if I needed it. I thanked her with a tight lipped smile, then headed out.
     
    I needed to see Tyler. I was going to have to say yes.
     
    ***
     
    I was walking towards my apartment, holding the phone out in front of me. A text was typed up and ready to be sent, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. What would this change? Not just for me and my potential life, but between myself and Tyler?
     
    My answer is yes. You’re a good man and any woman would be lucky to have you.
     
    It was the truth, mostly. He was a really decent, noble man. The fact that he was willing to volunteer spending the rest of his days raising someone else’s child spoke to that fact all on its own, not even mentioning all of the time he spent with me when I was sick or when I was bored or just whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on. Tyler was my best friend. Wasn’t that what all women should dream of, to marry their best friend?
     
    Yet I couldn’t bring myself to send the message. I knew I would have to eventually, but for now, it could wait. For a little bit longer still, I could just be Susanna Ferrars.
     
    I saved the message as a draft, then dragged out my keys to open the door, but as I rounded the corner, I froze.
     
    Him. Alexei. He was here, standing outside the door of my apartment, looking every bit like he didn’t belong and yet like he could belong anywhere.
     
    What is he doing here? Does he know about the baby?
     
    Hope surged forth only to be quashed a second later. No, of course not. He couldn’t possibly know about the baby. I hadn’t told anyone yet besides Tyler and I wasn’t far enough along for me to be showing. I still had my slim physique, though I could feel my breasts beginning to ache, as though they were swelling with the milk I