I tried to ignore it, but it was a little unusual. Especially when one of the starlets of a new season hit, stopped us and gave me her phone number, asking if we could have lunch sometime. I was a little taken aback, and Daniil seemed to sense this, smiling charmingly at the girl right around my age, telling her I would call her. Yeah, thanks, Daniil. I had heard a few things about her, and she wasn’t someone I really wanted to hang with. Hell, the way she smiled coyly at Daniil pretty much confirmed that, and I politely—er, yeah—stepped in front of him, handing back her card and tugged him along, earning another chuckle from him.
“That wasn’t very nice,” he murmured against my hair as we skirted another table of gawkers.
“Screw nice,” I muttered, glancing back over my shoulder at Ms. Coy.
Daniil laughed at that, and everyone who hadn’t been watching us before did so at the sound of his deep, infectious, booming laugh.
“Great. Now everyone’s staring,” I muttered, elbowing him, not helping the situation since it only made him laugh harder. “Quit that!”
He gurgled and tried to stop, staring down at me. “Were you jealous?”
“No.” I sighed. “Yes.”
Daniil pulled me tighter, stating calmly, cutting off his laughter, “I’m loyal. Don’t ever think I’m not.”
I rested my head against his shoulder, nodding. Yeah, I knew that. Especially, after what he told me today. But it still didn’t mean I liked seeing women flirt with him. “Just try to keep the charm level down with the women who want to fuck you, all right?”
Daniil snickered again. “All right.” The hostess opened a door to our private area, and Daniil stopped, seeing who was inside. It was Mary, Zane—surprise, Katie, and Merc. His eyes were glued to Merc, who stood, smiling at me, and Daniil growled, “Just a friend?”
Yep, Merc looked as hot as he normally did. “Yep. Just a friend.” I glanced at Daniil and smiled at his furious face, making sure my curls covered my mouth. “But be careful because he can lip read.”
Then I patted his chest and went and hugged my longtime friend. Merc picked me up and twirled me around, setting me down gently and placing a hand on my stomach, mouthing, “Pregnant?”
I nodded.
Merc was off and running, signing to me as he grinned away, flashing that beautiful smile of his. I knew Daniil had crept up behind me and stood there a moment in probably shock since he went stiff when Merc started signing.
I immediately started interpreting for Daniil, who was smart enough to know when someone is deaf, you look at the person signing, not the person interpreting. I said quickly, “Congratulations! How far along are you?”
I sighed back and said aloud, “Almost six weeks.”
Merc stared at my stomach and his eyebrows pinched together. He signed, “Only six weeks?”
I said that last bit aloud for Daniil, but my jaw gaped.
I glanced down at my only slightly tight dress and shoved his shoulder. I signed and said aloud, “That’s just rude! And what is it with everyone touching my stomach?” The damn servants in the house had even been doing it and then crooning to my stomach while they fondled myflatbelly.
He touched my stomach again and smiled softly, and then signed, “It’s a baby! All babies are precious.”
I grinned. Signed and said, “Not one baby. I’m having triplets.”
I was pretty sure his eyes couldn’t get any bigger, and he glanced over my shoulder to Daniil and mouthed, “Damn!”
Daniil chuckled and moved next to me…and freaking started signing and speaking, “I’m Daniil. Father of the triplets. It’s nice to meet you, Merc.”
Merc glanced at me, winking. Approval was given.
They were off, signing, meeting, and greeting each other—along with the rest of his family—while Grigori, Daniil, Katie, or I interpreted for him.
When we sat down, I asked Daniil quietly, “Is there anything you don’t know?”
He grinned at me, pointing at his menu. “Wine. I don’t know squat about wine.”
Well, neither did I—so that didn’t help much.
His laugh increased and he leaned over kissing my forehead.
Eva had strategically placed herself next to Merc, and she kept glancing at him. Apparently, the deaf thing wasn’t an issue for her, but her being a ‘hearing’ was a turn off for Merc. He didn’t date anyone unless they were deaf. His parents had divorced because his mother was deaf and his father was hearing. The relationship had too many complications and he led by their lead. So he was politely ignoring her. The gentle brush off.
