I slipped out of bed and padded barefoot over to the dresser, where I’d put his bag. After pulling his clothes from it, I set them on the bed. “If you need help, let me know.”
He nodded and shoved the sweatpants I’d given him to wear down his thighs, letting them pool on the floor. Forcing my eyes away so I wouldn’t be tempted to drag him into bed and fuck off on my responsibilities, I dug out his toiletries and took them to the bathroom. I was just beginning to brush my teeth when he walked in, his sheepish gaze meeting mine in the mirror.
“Can you fasten my jeans?” he asked. “Fucking hurts when I try to. Never realized how much my shoulder is connected to my damn fingers until now.”
Turning with the toothbrush hanging from my mouth, I quickly fastened his jeans. Then, I moved aside, making space for him at the bathroom counter, and he joined me in getting ready for the day. After rinsing my mouth out, I patted his ass, gave it a squeeze just because I could, then headed back into the bedroom. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and shot off a text to the chef, asking him to have pancakes, bacon, and eggs delivered to Rico’s office for Maksim. He would need pain meds soon, but I didn’t want him taking them on an empty stomach. They already made him so drowsy as it was. An empty stomach would probably have him face-planting on the floor and completely delirious.
Which would be a bit funny, but I wasn’t keen on him injuring himself further.
Maksim emerged from the bathroom, and I took a minute to drink him in now that I wasn’t busy. Dressed in faded dark jeans and a black t-shirt, he looked fucking good enough to eat. Damn Rico for forcing me out of bed this early in the fucking morning. Because Idefinitelycould’ve spent my morning doing better things—like taking my mouse apart piece by piece until he was sobbing beneath me and coming on my cock.
“Where are we going?” he finally asked. “And why are you staring at me like that?”
“Admiring the view,” I told him, watching as his cheeks pinkened. Fuck, he was cute. “And Rico wants to talk to me, and I know it’s about last night. And since all this bullshit pertains to you, I want you part of all the discussions. Don’t want you in the dark.” I held out my hand because I knew he needed that tether, and he quickly took it, slipping his fingers between mine. Andfuck, they fit perfectly. Maksim wasmadefor me.
“Is he going to be okay with me being present?” Maksim asked as I led him from our room.
I nodded. “Rico and I go way back, mouse. I helped him build this empire. It’s why he’s not losing his shit over me bringing you home and into our safe space. He trusts me. And I trust him to give you a chance.”
Maksim’s fingers tightened around mine. “That must be nice.”
I tugged him a little closer so I could feel his body heat, which meant he could feel mine, too. I was selfish, but I also knew his cues. It wassofucking easy to read him, to know what he needed without him ever having to voice it. “This is your family too now, mouse. Embrace it.”
He looked up at me, and I sighed at the emotion swimming in his eyes. Releasing his hand, I wrapped my arm around his waist, pulling him flush against my side as we descended the staircase. Rurik and Anatoly might have tried to turn him into a hardened soldier, but they’d failed. There was an innocence and a softness to Maksim that just couldn’t be taken out of him.
And now, I planned to protect that piece of my mouse at all costs.
Chapter Twenty-One
Maksim
Rico Martinez was a formidable man that honestly frightened me a bit. A man like him who could keep someone like Alfonzo on a leash? He wielded power. And while I liked Alfonzo just as he was andneverwanted him to change, I was pretty sure I knew just how deadly he was. The fact that Rico kept him in control was a testament to just how dangerous Rico was.
“He’s not family,” Rico said when we stepped into his office.
Alfonzo rolled his eyes and nudged me to sit in the chair in front of him. I dropped down into it, thankful to have something to sit on. Though I’d been given two pints of blood, I was still exhausted, and it took quite a bit out of me to walk from Alfonzo’s room to Rico’s office. Even now, my breathing was slightly heavy, and I could feel sweat beading along my temples.
“He is now,” Alfonzo told him. “He’s mine, Rico. That makes him family.”
Rico grunted but didn’t say another word. A young man with pretty Asian features and soft eyes timidly stepped into the office, his eyes a little wide. Immediately, Rico straightened in his chair, giving the young man his full, undivided attention. He must have been Anurak, Rico’s husband. Theonlyperson in the entire world Rico bowed down to.
He was also the most protected individual I’d ever come across.
“What is it,perrito?” Rico asked, pushing back from his desk but not standing. Anurak took a step in his direction, and Ricosmiled. I blinked, not expecting the transformation of his face to be so damn jaw-dropping. When Rico smiled, his features softened, and he was jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
Alfonzo grunted and leaned around me, arching a brow at me. “You admiring another man in my presence, mouse?”
My cheeks colored, and I quickly shook my head. Alfonzo hummed, pressed a light kiss to my lips, then straightened so he was looming behind me once more. Bento and another older Asian man I hadn’t met yet stepped into the office next, shutting the door behind them. “Maksim, meet Niran, the head of our security,” Alfonzo told me as Niran and Bento took to leaning against the wall. I gave a small wave. Niran just dipped his chin at me.
“Can I stay in here, papi?” Anurak asked. I almost swallowed my tongue. Had he just called Ricopapi? I didn’t judge kinks. I’d just never been exposed to anyone’s lifestyle before, so it was a bit of a surprise to me to hear it just… out there.
“Of course,perrito,” Rico said, patting his lap. Anurak quickly erased the distance between them and climbed into Rico’s lap,straddling his thighs so he could bury his face in the curve of Rico’s neck. When Rico looked at Bento, Bento shrugged.
Bad day, Bento mouthed. Rico nodded and grabbed a throw blanket from somewhere behind his desk, tucking it around Anurak before pulling it over his head. I chanced a glance behind me at Alfonzo, wondering if he’d ever be that soft with me. I’d never had that kind of softness before, and it was a little enticing.
“How’d the meeting go last night?” Rico asked, scooting closer to his desk.
“Fine. Rurik’s not behind this,” Alfonzo told him. “But we both agreed it might be good to have a meeting between you, Shaw, and Anatoly Balakin about this. We’re not ruling out the possibility that someone may be targeting all three of our families, starting with using Maksim as an example.”
