Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“We should talk about it, you know.”
He glances down at me. The smile isn’t completely gone yet. “Talk about what?”
“Seamus. What you’re doing. You know what I mean.”
And there we go. His happy afterglow fades. I’ll make it up to him later.
“It isn’t something you need to worry about.”
“He’s still out there, Tigran. He kept me in a cage—”
“I know,” he snarls, and I have to stroke his chest lightly to help calm him down.
“I’m not blaming you. I know you’re doing everything you can. But I’m just scared.”
He takes a deep breath and blows it out. Normally, he makes an excuse and changes the subject, but not this time. Instead, he bends down and kisses me.
“I’m working on something,” he says, lips pushed together in a tight line. His face is tense, and I can tell he’s stressed. “But it hasn’t been easy. There’s a war now, pisik. My brother’s fighting on all fronts. The McGraths are smaller and weaker than we are, but they’re also tenacious, and your family hasn’t sent help yet.”
That surprises me. I sit up and ignore the look he gives my bare breasts. I swear, this man just brought himself to heaven between my legs while sucking on my naked breasts, and he still can’t help but look at me. It’s flattering, but right now, he needs to focus.
“Why haven’t they sent any help?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“Because the baby is the last step. Once the baby is born—”
I cut him off, frustrated. “That’s stupid. I’m pregnant. The alliance is settled. What are they waiting for?”
He waits a long moment before shaking his head. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll talk to them.” I push myself out of bed and start to dress.
He seems amused now. “You’ll convince Valentin Zeitsev to send soldiers and guns personally?”
“If I have to.” I stand at the edge of the bed, seething. “We went through all this hell together. We got married, we had sex—”
“The sex wasn’t exactly hell,” he murmurs.
“—Vito died, Seamus is out there, my dad turned out to be a spineless slime, and they still aren’t sending help.” I’m unreasonably pissed. All this is way outside of my control, but I feel like I put in all the work and haven’t gotten anything in return from my supposed family yet.
“Then what will you do about it? You’re fucking sexy when you’re fierce, you know.”
“I’m going to make some calls.” I wilt slightly at the prospect of actually doing something, but I refuse to let my nature get the better of me. I’m not hiding away in my room anymore. “Just tell me what you need.”
“I need what every Bratva leader needs.” He smiles at my blank look. “Guns, drugs, and money. Now, come back to bed, my fierce little kitten, and let me fuck your mouth and pussy until you’re purring and satisfied once again.”
I hesitate, since I really want to ride this sudden wave of anger first—but maybe I could ride something else for a while and save the calls for later.
“You’re always so convincing,” I say with a sigh, crawling back to him.
He starts to undress me, his other fist buried in my hair. “That’s because you don’t take much.”
“Why’s that?”
“You’re my dirty little slut, that’s why.” His smile is everything, and his touch is even more, and yeah, okay, he’s right, I am, but so what?
I like it.
Chapter 32
Dasha
Ibang hard on the old, familiar door, and I wait. In the car behind me, Grigor, Alexan, and Tigran are all glaring at my back. My husband, in particular, took more than a little convincing to make this trip possible, and even more arguing to get him to agree to let me handle it all by myself.
Now that I’m actually here, standing on the stoop at ten in the morning on a blustery Philadelphia day, I’m starting to think that maybe I made the wrong choice.
Maybe it’d be better if Tigran were by my side.
But no, I can do this. I’m not the weak, terrified girl I was when I first married him. I’ve been through enough already, was nearly killed, had a man die in my arms, got pregnant, redecorated a house, fought with a mafia killer, befriended a bunch of criminals, cooked some good chickens. I’m more than my trauma. I don’t have to let it define me anymore.
The door opens and my brother stares at me.
“Dasha?” he says with genuine shock in his voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Evan.” I hesitate, then launch myself and give him a big hug.
He laughs, hugging me back. We were never a super affectionate family, and I bet it’s a real surprise to see me out in the world, much less hugging him, but this is good.
“It’s great to see you,” he says, pulling back. His eyes stray past me and to the street. “Is that your husband and two scary guards?”