Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Pushing all my reservations aside, I lift my head and make eye contact with him. I try to think of him as the Alek I knew, then admit, “I used to dream about us finding each other again. I never dated, Alek. I told people I was a widow and that I’d always love my husband. I could never love another man the way I loved you.”
“Loved?” His eyebrows draw together, then he begs, “Love me, Everleigh. Don’t leave me in your past. I want to be more than a memory.”
My heart.
I stare into his eyes until I see the man I fell in love with – the man I formed an unbreakable bond with.
“I’ll try,” I promise.
What Alexei said about Vincent not being safe unless the family protects him makes me feel restricted. Admitting the truth to Alek, I say, “I didn’t want to cross paths with the bratva again. I barely survived the first time.”
He lifts a hand and brushes my hair away from my face. “I couldn’t protect you back then, but I can now. Give me a chance to show you that I can keep you safe.”
I don’t have a choice in the matter. Not really.
Accepting defeat because there’s no way I’ll be able to keep Alek and Vincent apart, I say, “I don’t care about myself. Just make sure nothing happens to Vincent.”
“I promise, moya malen'kaya lyubov'.” His fingers brush over my jaw to grip my chin. “I’ll protect you and Vincent.”
“I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself, but in return, I ask that you give me time to process everything. I’m not just going to jump into a romantic relationship with you.”
He leans closer until I feel his breath on my lips, and the butterflies go crazy in my stomach. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I want to go out on dates.”
His mouth curves into a devasting smile. “Done.”
“I want to be swept off my feet.”
“Done.”
“I want you to respect my wishes and take things slow.”
He takes a deep breath, then mutters, “I’ll try.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Fine, I’ll take things slow.” His eyes narrow. “How slow are we talking?”
Letting out a chuckle, I shake my head at him. “Super slow. No kissing until the third date. Definitely, no sex until I’m comfortable with you.”
“Blyadʹ,” he mutters as he slumps back against the couch.
A smile curves my lips. “Vincent doesn’t know any Russian. I didn’t want to risk it.”
“I’ll teach him.”
Moving off his lap, I get comfortable next to him. “How was your training? Tell me what you’ve been up to the past four years.”
“Training was good.” I can see he wants to reach for me, but he holds himself back. “Misha got married, and Armani married Tiana.”
“Who’s Armani? I don’t remember you mentioning him.”
Alek hesitates before he says, “Armani is an enforcer for the Italian mafia. We became good friends during training.”
Italian mafia. Bratva. God, what have I gotten myself into?
Alek sees my anxious expression, then murmurs, “Not everyone in my world is bad.” His features soften. “Misha and Armani will drop everything to help us if there’s ever a problem. The Vetrovs and Koslovs will kill for us, Everleigh. They protect their own.” Anger flashes over his features again. “We’re not like my father and Prodi.”
Only time will reveal whether that’s the truth.
Turning his body toward me, he leans against the couch. “Tell me everything I missed.”
It takes me a moment to realize how close we’re sitting and how intimate it feels.
“After returning home, I sold my parents' house in Ohio. I packed up everything and moved to LA because I remembered you said that’s where you wanted to go.”
A smile spreads over his face.
“I took the money I made from the sale and bought this house. I opened a bookstore and called it Fiction Anonymous. After that, I got everything ready for Vincent’s arrival.”
Alek hangs off of every word I say. “How are you doing financially? Do you need anything?”
I shake my head. “You don’t need to worry about my finances.”
He places his arm on the back of the couch, and his fingers play with my hair. “I want to take care of my family.”
“We can talk about it at a later stage.”
Reluctantly he drops the subject. “What happened after you had Vincent?”
A smile curves my lips. “He’s such an easy child. He started walking at eleven months, and I cried my eyes out when he called me Mommy for the first time.” My body relaxes more. “I always told him about you.”
“Thank you,” Alek murmurs, totally captivated by our conversation.
“His best friend’s name is Jonas. I take Vincent to the playground once a week so he can interact with other children.” I begin to feel sleepy. “Your son has an unhealthy addiction to ice cream.”