So we did.
He finally broke out into laughter, which was a welcome sound after his earlier gruffness.
Finally, he tried to push us off. “Okay. Okay. We’ll order pizza and ice cream and potato chips and whatever you girls want. Now, off, you beasts.”
Nina was at least satisfied with what we had planned. She jumped off, still laughing as if a joke had been played on her father.
“Why don’t you go create a masterpiece while I place an obnoxiously ridiculous order of foods so bad for you that they’ll stunt your growth?” Sasha asked, giving her one of his fatherly looks.
“Oh, I get it,” she said. “You want to be alone so you can kiss Lainey.”
His face and likely mine held some sense of horror. He was momentarily unable to provide his usual retort.
That made her laugh that much harder. “I know what kissing is, Dad. Don’t look so shocked. Mommies and daddies do it all the time. I’ll go draw a picture.”
She skipped her way into one of two bedrooms in the suite.
Mommies and daddies. At least her comment had brought a slight smile to his face.
For a full minute, we remained silent. Then I realized I was still lying on top of him, my knee now pressed against his cock with my arms around him. While I was perfectly comfortable, I doubted he was.
He took a deep breath as I slowly turned my head. If the eyes were the gateway to a man’s soul, then I could clearly see several layers, but only for a brief few seconds.
My protector was a cautionary tale of a father figure and corporate mogul, a Bratva leader and potential killer who also showcased a side that confused the hell out of me.
Passion and guilt.
When he placed his arm around me, yanking me although there was no chance of getting any closer to him, I sucked in my breath.
“I’d thought the worst,” he said in his smooth, deep baritone.
“I’m tougher than you think.”
“That shouldn’t be necessary.”
I toyed with his polo, fingering the buttons. “You were there to protect me. Everyone at the party too.”
“Not enough,” he growled. “Those responsible will die.”
A shiver shifted down my spine.
“You’re not a killer.”
He chuckled in an entirely different way than he had with Nina. Darker. Full of anger. “Apparently you don’t know me very well and didn’t use that gorgeous brain of yours to assess the body count.”
I wasn’t certain if for once he was trying to scare me or just push me away. “You’re wrong. I know you better than you think. For example, you would do anything to keep your daughter protected. Anything at all.”
“True. I shouldn’t have allowed you to go into that house all alone.”
“Why is that? If you’re going to tell me that it’s because every celebration your family has ends with bloodshed and guns a-blazing, then I might agree with you. If not, then you couldn’t possibly anticipate what happened. No one could.”
“You don’t understand. We’re Bratva. We should have known.”
It was the first time he’d used the Russian denotation of his heritage as if a weapon of destruction.
Instead of being horrified, all I could concentrate on was how insanely beautiful his lips were, thick and full. The way he was peering at me screamed of the same lust that I was experiencing, so hot and heavy that my breath caught in my throat.
“You say that like you and your family members are gods among men.” He seemed amused at my analogy.
