When my breathing steadies, he presses a kiss to my temple.
“Mrs. Kovalyov,” he murmurs.
I smile against his throat. “Mr. Gangster.”
He laughs and holds me tighter.
32
LIEV
I have a wife.
Sera is my wife.
The words settle over me, warm and absolute, shining into the shadows of my life. Holding her against my chest last night, her body soft and spent against mine, there wasn’t a shred of doubt in my veins that I’d done the right thing. Buried deep inside her, our breaths still ragged, I knew. She is my home. A home a man like me never hoped to find.
I couldn’t get her to the little chapel fast enough, terrified she’d come to her senses. But her smile as we walked out, her wedding band and engagement ring glinting under the neon lights, assuaged any remaining guilt. My job, as I see it, is to never give her a reason to lose that smile.
Was marrying a young woman, who has no real idea of what my world consists of, selfish?
Absolutely.
Wrong? In the eyes of a healthy, normal individual… well, yeah.
But I vow to spend the rest of my life making her happy—or die trying.
Unfortunately, the world doesn’t give a fuck about the fact that I want to spend the day in bed with my wife. We’re supposed to meet one of Elite’s operatives downstairs in a couple of hours to deliver Sera’s phone and then spring Keke from her spa exile in time for her to get ready for tonight’s event.
When Mikhail’s contact flashes across my screen while Sera is in the shower, my gut twists and Alex’s warning rings in my ears. My survival instincts scream as I step into the suite’s living room. Dani and Marco’s doors are thankfully still shut tight. I don’t want anyone overhearing this. Answering in Russian, I keep my voice steady despite the foreboding knotting in my stomach.
“Liev.” Mikhail’s voice is curt. “I’m in Vegas. I have a job for you.”
The words slam into me. How does he know I’m in Vegas? I hadn’t realized he’d be keeping such close tabs on me. Does he know about her? About us?
Have the Taggerts already given him her name?
Tension tightens in my chest. If the choice comes, I will choose Sera every time.
My loyalty is to her, but right now, I can’t give him any reason not to trust me.
“What do you need?” My voice gives away none of the emotion churning inside me.
A low chuckle rumbles down the line. I suspect he was expecting an argument. “A car will pick you up in front of your hotel at ten o’clock tonight.”
My mind races. It’s doubtful Keke will be done by then. I don’t want to leave Sera alone. There hasn’t been any real threat to Keke, and the jewelry store is in the shopping area of the hotel. Even if something were to go wrong, there is plenty of security around.
And I don’t really have a choice.
“I’ll be ready.”
There is a heavy pause, then Mikhail grunts before the line goes dead.
I stare at the phone for a minute, pulse thumping, before returning to the bedroom. Sera is standing wrapped in a towel, water droplets tracing tempting paths over her skin.
Her sharp eyes search mine. “Alex?”
“Mikhail.”
