Mary snapped out of it, shaking her head. “His name isn’t Tumas.”
“Quit being word for word.”
“No. Really. His name isn’t Tumas.”
I sighed. “Thank God.”
My Aunt Susan arrived then, herding Marissa away.
All three of us—Katie, Mary, and I—gave a small wave with those same sweet smiles on our faces as she left, scowling at us. I glanced at the table that was eavesdropping very poorly and stated, “Welcome to my church, people.”
I wasn’t sure how we had all gotten here. One minute we were all talking after stuffing our faces—me more so than anyone else—and then next, my dad and mom had somehow procured an invite to Daniil’s house for a game of basketball, which my cousin Katie and cousin Mary had also come out for. I left the church with Katie and Mary, even though I could tell Daniil wasn’t thrilled about that, and we went to each of our apartments and changed for a game of b-ball. I stuffed a few extra things in my bag, so if I stayed the night again, I would have clothes for tomorrow—Monday, a work day.
And now, I stood in front of a fairly furious Daniil, who was quietly arguing with me about playing while we stood in a freaking gymnasium that was built inside his house. He thought I should be sitting on the sidelines with Ember, Nikki, and Beth. Now, the girls looked damn cute in little cheerleader outfits, but I wasn’t about to sit out. I loved basketball. It had been one of the few sports I ever played growing up, and I wasn’t too bad at it. Katie and Mary were staring around the room wide-eyed—I had to let Mary in on the secret I was carrying since she wasn’t blind or stupid—and they were pointedly ignoring us. My parents were going to be here at any minute, so we needed to end this conversation quickly.
I said, “I’m playing. Get over it.”
Daniil’s cheeks flushed, and he took a step in closer, his bare chest fairly vibrating. “I will not get over it.” His hand landed on my stomach where I carried his child. “You’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be doing anything strenuous right now.”
Katie and Mary came out of their shock of the room and its occupants, which held a shit load of handsome men, half wearing shirts and half not. They stared where Daniil’s hand was, taking in his size, and Mary blurted, “You better hope for a C-Section. Any baby of his is bound to be huge.” She cringed. “God, that’s gonna hurt.” She shivered visibly.
“Butt out,” I countered, ignoring the fact that she was probably right and turned my attention back to Daniil. “No strenuous activity, huh?” I smirked. “Boy, that’s going to suck for you…or not suck so much…” I let that hang out there. Our bedroom activities were more strenuous than a game of basketball.
Daniil stilled.
I heard Mary and Katie snickering off to the side.
“That’s not fair,” he said softly. “I can be gentle, unlike,” he jerked his head toward the court, “out there. They won’t go easy on you. We play to win, so anyone out there’s free game.” He pulled me in close, his hands sliding around my waist, and like an addict, I pushed in against him, wanting more. “Beth, I don’t want you to get hurt. Or our child.” He was whispering against my neck, lightly kissing me.
“Oh, for shit’s sake,” Katie mumbled, and my eyes snapped open. I hadn’t even realized they had closed. And God, he smelled good. Katie started yanking on my arm, but Daniil wasn’t letting go. In fact, his head lifted slightly, and he stared at her. It was scary enough that she let go of me, but she cleared her throat, saying, “It’s a proven fact that women who regularly exercise while their pregnant have easier child birthing experiences. Elizabeth has played basketball at least once a week since she was young. This is nothing new to her body. It’ll be good for her.”
“Did I ask for your opinion?” Daniil asked quietly. Damn violently.
“Daniil. Be nice,” I hissed when Katie stood stalk still. I pushed out of his embrace. I couldn’t think straight as he seduced me with words and his body. Cunning man. Damn him. “I’m playing. And I’m done talking about it.”
“Beth, I don’t want you doing this,” Daniil all but ordered.
“I do it here, or I go and do it somewhere else,” I said stubbornly. He wasn’t going to start bossing me around. I was my own damn person. “Your choice, big boy.” I patted his chest, which felt like heated steel. Mmm.
“I don’t want you hurt,” he tried again through clenched teeth, his hands in fists, looking pretty pissed off.
“I won’t get hurt,” I told him easily. “Come on. Let’s warm up together.”
He crossed his arms, standing there like a statue, his gaze furious.
I shrugged and glanced at Mary and Katie, who were staring at him wide-eyed. “Let’s go warm up since it appears, I don’t have a partner.”
Daniil growled behind me, and suddenly, I was off my feet and he was carrying me like a baby toward the court, whispering in a hiss, “You know this isn’t easy for me, and yet you continue to provoke me.” He jaw clenched. “Why?”
I sucked in air and gripped his neck, staring over his shoulder where Katie and Mary were running to catch up with us, their expression startled. “I’m not trying to provoke you, but you aren’t going to order me around. I don’t want that kind of relationship. I’m not the sit back and do what I’m told kind of girl.”
Daniil gripped me tighter, stopping where spare basketballs were placed. “I don’t like this.” That was all he said, but he really didn’t need to say anymore.
It looked like he needed a little reassurance. Not because he was bossy, but because he was genuinely worried about my welfare. If it had been any other reason, I wouldn’t have been so nice, but I offered, “I promise not to overdo it. I know when to stop. If I get tired, I’ll take myself out of the game.”
Daniil’s eyebrows came together, and he puffed out a breath staring down at my face. “If anyone harms you, I can’t say that I won’t hurt them.” He shrugged when I glared at him. “I’ll deal with your differences, but you’re going to have to deal with mine.”
I glanced over his shoulder and saw half the group was his kids. He wouldn’t harm them. The others—Zane, Bas, Brent, Cole, Peter, and Stash—all looked like they could take care of themselves just fine. I nodded. “All right. Deal.”
