Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
As I approached the ‘party barn’ I could hear the sounds of revelry. Very, loud, mostly male revelry. A man stumbled outside, dressed in leather and holding an entire bottle of liquor. From the looks of it, he’d already drank a fair amount of it. He disappeared around the corner, taking a deep swallow of the amber colored liquid.
I stepped into the entryway and paused, letting my eyes adjust to the dimmer light. After a moment I could see, and what a sight it was. It was no ordinary barn: folding accordion n doors opened up to a view of the water. I had not realized how close we were to the cliff’s edge. There was a fence along the edge to keep people from tipping over. It was a good thing, too, considering the sheer number of guests and the even larger quantity of alcohol they seemed to be imbibing.
It did not take me long to spot Anton. Partially because my eyes were naturally drawn to him, but also, I assumed, because he was staring at me. He was also very still, and putting anything to his lips, unlike most of the other inhabitants of the barn.
High ceilings, heavy dark wood beams, and upscale finishes were everywhere. The lights looked like industrial chandeliers. Very stylish and uniquely American, to my untrained eye. I did not have much experience with design, but I knew that I liked what I saw. The Aslanov brothers had excellent taste, in every realm of their lives.
I blushed a bit, realizing I had just given myself a compliment. But also because of the heavy, heated look Anton was giving me.
Heat pooled in my belly at that look. It was as if we were alone in the huge room. And in that moment, I wished that we were.
He strode across the room towards me, just as heads started to swivel. He took my arm, leaning down to kiss me. As always, I felt a thrill at his nearness and touch. He slung an arm around me possessively, then glanced around, making sure that everyone could see him marking me as his property. I hid a giggle. The old Mishka might have been offended. But the new Mishka was thrilled.
“Are you ready for this?” He asked solisitously, looking at me with a searching, sideways glance.
I nodded, feeling not at all sure that I was ready, but also excited and eager to become more a part of his world.
We walked forward to meet his ‘family’.
Chapter 41
Anton
It felt like leading a lamb into a lion’s den. But a den with about thirty lions.
And tigers. And bears. Oh my.
Of course, I was a lion too. One of the three biggest. In fact, I was pretty sure I had an inch on my brothers, even though we were close to identical.
Either way, I was feeling very protective of my little lamb. My recently deflowered little lamb. The servants would change the sheets when we were out. I texted the head of household to save the bloodied sheets. It might sound strange, but I was fiercely proud of being Mishka’s first. I wanted those sheets.
I wanted to keep them forever.
Thankfully, my cousin Anastasia was already there, with her firstborn, her belly already swelling with another babe. I had a deep envy for what Vice was building. A family. An empire.
The rest of the bikers seemed to be on relatively good behavior. Unfortunately, my brothers were not. They seemed to sense that I was out of my element with Mishka and were already taking pot shots.
The last thing I needed was them to scare her off. This was a pivotal moment in our relationship. She was mine at last.
I would not risk losing her.
No man in their right mind ever would.
“Behave,” I hissed as I passed right by them, leading them to my beautiful cousin. Motherhood had softened her, on the surface. But Vice had confided in us that she was more fierce than ever, particularly where her progeny was concerned.
I would definitely not want to wrangle with my cousin.
As William Shakespeare said in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream “Though she be but little she is fierce.”
That captured my cousin perfectly. It also captured my Mishka. They had so much in common, I realized. Innocent but brave, passionate but kind, proud but gentle.
Except when they weren’t.
I shuddered at the thought of angering either of them. I was not afraid of my father, or much else. My brothers were fearsome, particularly if they ever teamed up against me, but I did not fear them as much as respect their power. But displeasing the women in my life, or losing them, shook me to the core.
Especially Mishka.
My sweet, delicious little Mishka.
She and Anastasia hit it off like two birds of a feather. They were quickly sitting together, chatting in rapid fire Russian, after I had introduced her around of course. I was gratified to see that Preacher was indeed present, and close to sober, for once. I had heard that he had cleaned up his act since meeting his lovely wife, and becoming a family man.