Volodya says something to him in Russian and tousles his hair in a classic big brother move before leaning down to give him a hug. The scene has me fighting tears. I know how worried Volodya was, how much it killed him to think of losing his younger brother.
“Don’t start crying like a big baby,” Valeri says, giving me a wink over Volodya’s shoulder. “You’ll just embarrass yourself.”
Volodya laughs and stands back up. “You’re going to be insufferable now, aren’t you? You know I can’t kick your ass while you’re injured, so it’s going to be nothing but smartass comments for the next few months.”
“Maybe.” He looks at me and smiles. “Give me a hug, Maddie. Let’s see how pissed we can make him.”
I laugh and give him a hug, being careful to not put any pressure on him because I can’t imagine how much pain he’s in. He kisses my cheek and whispers, “That’ll really infuriate him.”
Volodya says something in Russian and pulls me back, tucking me in tightly against his body. Valeri laughs, not looking the slightest bit guilty.
“Oh come on. Hospitals are so fucking boring. You’ve got to make your own fun in here. I had my first sponge bath this morning, and the woman was at least sixty-five. It wasn’t near as much fun as I thought it was going to be.” His dimple comes out briefly before he says, “I’m not going to file an official complaint or anything, but she spent an insanely long time on my genitals, and I’m not sure that’s standard procedure.”
We all laugh and then spend several minutes talking with him and keeping him company, but it’s obvious the visit is wearing him out. Vasily and Nina both give him a hug before doing the same to us.
“We’ll be back later on tonight,” Vasily tells him.
After they’ve left Volodya talks with Valeri for a little bit in Russian while keeping an arm firmly around me. I love how he can never seem to keep his hands off me. Some part of him always needs to be touching me, and I love it when his fingers seek me out. When Valeri’s eyes start to drift shut, Volodya gives his thigh a pat and tells him one last thing in Russian that makes Valeri’s green eyes pop back open. The drugged glaze momentarily clearing as he gives his brother a big grin and then turns it on me. He says something in Russian and then reaches for my hand to give it a squeeze.
“Come back and see me soon, little sis. It’s boring as fuck in here.”
I promise him we will, but he’s already drifting off to sleep. Volodya watches his brother for a few more seconds before squeezing my hand and leading me out. I’m surprised to see a man leaning against the door when we leave. I’ve never seen him before, but when Volodya starts speaking to him in Russian, it’s obvious he’s one of his men. We leave as he walks into Valeri’s room and takes a seat before pulling out his phone and swiping at the screen.
“What’s he doing?” I whisper as we leave.
“Someone will be in that room with Valeri every second until it’s okay for him to leave. No way in hell am I leaving him without a guard when he can’t protect himself.”
“That will really put a damper on bath time with the handsy nurse.”
He laughs and pushes the button for the elevator. “I’m sure she’ll make him wait in the hallway while she has her fun.” When the doors open and he sees that it’s empty, he shoots me a wicked grin and pulls me in. The doors haven’t even fully shut before he’s pressing me against the wall and kissing me hard enough to make my head spin. Volodya doesn’t just kiss. He devours and possesses. He invades all my senses, taking over until nothing else exists but him, and if it wasn’t for him paying attention and pulling away, we’d still be standing in the elevator making out like a couple of horny teenagers when the doors open.
Running a finger along my jaw, he gives me a wink and leads me out of the hospital. We grab some takeout and meet my mom at the cabin to eat a late lunch with her. I’d warned her that a branch had hit me in the face while I was trying to ride the four-wheeler through the woods so she wouldn’t be shocked when she sees me, but she still makes a fuss until I laugh and plop down on her couch and grab my food. She finally gives up and joins me. We visit with her, making sure she likes the place and has everything she needs. The guys hadn’t just moved her; they’d also put her furniture how she wanted it, unpacked most everything, and made sure her fridge was stocked.
“Were you able to meet the dogs yet?” Volodya asks her, looking fucking delicious in his expensive suit while eating a spring roll. I get side-tracked by his chiseled jaw for a second and have to pull my eyes away, but not before I notice the smirk playing at his lips.
“Yeah, they’re so sweet,” my mom says. “Boris came by with them so we could meet. He’s going to stop by later because he noticed the porch swing is looking a little loose.”
“Good.” Volodya grabs a napkin and says, “A delivery is coming in tomorrow for you and Maddie.”
I look over at him. “There is?”
“You mentioned that you and your mom like to grow things, so I ordered some stuff.”
I’m stunned that he remembered what I said in the flower shop. “What kind of stuff?”
He shrugs his shoulders and gives me a smile. “Stuff for a garden, some planters and soil, just some gardening stuff. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Volodya, you don’t have to do all this,” my mom quickly says. She opens her arms and looks around. “You’ve done so much already, more than enough.”
“You gave birth to the woman I love. I’ll never be able to do enough.”
My mom’s stunned face meets mine. “That’s so sweet, I don’t even know what to say.”
Volodya laughs and starts to pick up the empty containers. “You don’t have to say anything. Just enjoy yourself and focus on resting and getting better.”
We visit for a while longer, and after we say our goodbyes, my mom pulls me into an extra-long hug, whispering, “It makes me so happy to see you in love.”
I squeeze her tighter before Volodya and I walk back to the main house hand in hand. Once we’re out of sight of the cabin, he pulls me against a tree and kisses me hard, running his hands under my dress and lighting my body on fire in seconds.
