Her brows crease. “You don’t think it could be connected to Mikhail being here, do you? Maybe last night was his way of getting me alone so they could grab me.”
I shake my head. “No, Mikhail knows we’re married. He wouldn’t kidnap my wife.”
Sera’s face pales. “Was he mad?”
“Why would he be mad?”
“You said high-ranking members of the bratva marry for strategic purposes.”
“I’m not that important.” I pause. “Or I wasn’t. I guess that’s changed. Mikhail offered me my father’s old position last night.”
“What does that mean? What did your father do?”
“It means that, in addition to running the businesses and clubs that were under my father’s control, avoris an advisor of sorts for the pakhan.”
“It’s a good thing?” She looks worried.
“Yes. Averygood thing.”
“Is it more dangerous?”
“No.” Then I frown. “Speaking of danger, why didn’t you call me?”
She lifts her brows high. “And what exactly were you going to do? Walk out on whatever Mikhail had you doing to rush back? By the time I could have called, it was over.”
“I could have comforted you,” I mutter. “Given you a hug or something.”
The words sound lame even as they leave my mouth.
She stares at me for a beat, then snorts. “A hug.” Her lips twitch. “I didn’t need to be comforted. I was more pissed than upset. I ended up having to have a one-on-one with my dad as aresult.” Her lips curve into a wicked grin. “And besides, I like the way Icomfortedyou when you got home a lot more than a hug.”
The image of her on her knees in the shower, eyes locked on mine, sends heat racing through my body.
She leans in, nose brushing mine. “I can handle myself, Liev Kovalyov. Worst case was I had to pull my gun. I didn’t want to with people around, but if it had been necessary, I would have done it.”
I lean my forehead against hers and groan. “I know. But I’m not going to apologize for wanting to protect you.”
“And I love you for that,” she says lightly, then freezes. Her eyes widen a fraction, and hectic color rushes into her cheeks. “I mean—I didn’t—I just?—”
I cup the back of her neck, pull her in, and kiss her slow and deep. When I pull back just enough to speak, my voice is husky. “I love you, too, Seraphina.”
Relief flickers across her face, and she lets out a shaky exhale. “I love you, too.”
I kiss her again, slower this time. When we break apart, I bop her on her nose. “Not ‘I love you,too,’” I say with an exaggeratedly happy sigh. “For the rest of our lives, I get to tell everyone that you said it first.”
“No one is going to believe that.” She giggles.
She’s probably right.
35
SERA
The first thing I see when we enter Elite headquarters later that day is my brother pacing near the seating area like a caged animal, while Elizabeth gazes up at him in amusement from her seat on the sofa. Callum and Finn come out of the kitchen just as Brady spots us and charges forward.
“Where the fuck were you?” he roars at Liev.
Elizabeth jumps up, chasing after him. She grabs at his arm to slow him down. “Calm down before you blow a blood vessel.”
