“Okay,” Vasya says as he stabs the needle into my skin. “Let’s say you’re telling the truth and you haven’t fucked her.”
“I haven’t,” I say again while he pulls the thread a little tighter than necessary.
His eyes briefly meet mine before he focuses back on my arm. “But you want to.”
It’s not a question, so I don’t answer. My silence earns me a grunt from Volodya.
“It’s not like that,” I say.
“Not like what?” Valeri asks.
“It’s not a fling,” I say.
This time all three of them laugh at me.
“What the hell is so funny?” I ask.
Valeri points a finger at me. “You insisting it’s not a fling is what’s funny. We’ve watched you fuck your way through Moscow and now Oregon, but all of a sudden you’re done with that?”
“Yeah,” I say, “kind of like how we all watched you do the same and then stop as soon as you met Evie.”
Volodya barks out a laugh. “He’s got you there, little brother.”
Valeri lifts a brow at me, the dimple safely hidden behind his scowl. “So you’re trying to tell us you’re in love, that you’re planning on marrying this woman?”
“I am, yeah,” I say, letting them hear how much I mean every damn word.
Nikolai chimes in with a, “He hasn’t been to the clubs since he met her.”
“I didn’t know he was capable of going that long without sex,” Andrei says.
“Yeah, me either,” Nikolai says with a laugh. “Shocked the hell out of me. He’s been obsessed with Lily ever since he saw her. Follows her around like a lost little puppy. It’s pretty fucking cute.”
“All right,” I say, while they have a laugh at my expense.
Vasya ties off the last stitch, slathers on a bunch of antibiotic cream and then puts a big sterile bandage over what will soon be the newest addition to my collection of scars.
Before he backs away, he looks at me and asks, “Are you sure about this? Are you sure you can be faithful to her?”
“I’m sure,” I tell him, “and I’d never fucking cheat on her.”
Volodya leans in and says, “If you do, we’ll cut your balls off.”
I meet the dark eyes of the craziest Medvedev brother. “I’ll hand you the knife myself.”
He grins and smacks my arm, the one that’s just been stitched up, while Valeri gives me a much more gentle nudge of the shoulder while he says, “Congrats, man. Evie will be thrilled to hear it. She always swore you’d settle down, but my little wife is a romantic.” He grins at his brothers. “She always wants everyone else to be as happy as we are.” Turning back to me, he adds, “That means you have to treat her right. Treat her like a queen and worship her in bed. That’s the key to a happy marriage.”
“Amen to that,” Vasya says.
Volodya shrugs and adds, “And chase her through the woods every once in a while because even queens like to get filthy every now and then.”
Valeri laughs. “Whatever works. I’m not judging.”
By the time we get back home, the numbing shots have worn off, and my arm is screaming at me. We all unload at Vasya’s, and as much as I’m dying to see Lily, I don’t want to scare her half to death by showing up covered in blood. I’m just about to make a quick stop at my place to get cleaned up before going to see her, but she beats me to it.
When I hear her yell my name, I freeze at the terrified sound of her voice. Instinct takes over, and all I can think is that she’s in danger, but when I look up and see her, I realize the reason she’s screaming is because she thinks I’ve been hurt. She runs for me, eyes wide and terrified, and before I can tell her I’m okay, she’s throwing herself in my arms and sobbing against my neck.
“Hey, baby,” I quickly say, cupping the back of her head and gently rubbing her back. “I’m okay.”
