My reply is sarcastic. “Isn’t that a relief?”
“As we’re on the subject… Condoms or an oral contraceptive? I’ll let you choose.”
“Neither.” I lock eyes with him. “What happened last night isn’t going to happen again.”
“Then you better be prepared to give Noah a brother or a sister.” He lowers his head and brushes his lips over my ear. “Because you can count on it happening again.”
Leaving me with that promise, he walks from the room.
Chapter
Four
Dante
* * *
Noah wakes up exactly five minutes later, just as Tatiana has predicted. He walks through the door from the lobby, rubbing his eyes and holding the patched dinosaur under one arm.
“Mommy?” He glances around the lounge in alarm before fixing his gaze on me. “Where’s my mommy?”
“I’m right here,” Tatiana says behind me with a smile in her voice, exiting the study. “Are you hungry?”
Noah doesn’t look away from me. “Where are we?”
I speak before Tatiana can reply. “At a hotel. Do you like it?”
He considers the question with a serious frown. “Why is it so big? Why isn’t it tiny? Rooms at hotels are always tiny.”
I go over, sensing Tatiana as she follows on my heels. “It’s a suite, meant for a family.”
Noah stares up at me. “Are we a family?”
Tatiana makes a choking sound.
I smile. “We needed rooms for you, your mom, Jasper, and me.”
His mouth drops open as he inspects the space. “All of this? Just for us?” When he spots the big television mounted on the wall, he sprints over with a squeal and stops in front of it. “Wow. Look at the size of the TV!” Spinning around, he faces me with barely contained excitement. “Can I watch TV?”
Tatiana walks to him and strokes his hair. “It’s a weekday, Noah.”
His shoulders slump. “Will we still be here this weekend?”
I assume that means he’s only allowed to watch television on weekends.
Tatiana turns to me with worry and uncertainty in her expression, clearly not knowing how to answer that question because their fates are in my hands now. Every decision—where they sleep, what they eat, and when they do so—is mine to make, and she knows it.
I want nothing more than to switch on that television for my son. It’s such a small thing to ask for. So little. The expectation on his face is killing me. Having to say no makes me feel like the monster his mother accused me of being a few moments ago. But rules are rules, and I’m not going to undermine Tatiana’s authority.
As I’ve already decided we’d stay in Denver until next week, the least I can do is make Noah a promise. “We’ll be here until Monday.” I don’t care who I have to bribe or how much I have to pay. I’ll kick out whoever might’ve booked the suite even if I have to do it with a gun pushed against the back of someone’s head. “Here.” I take the remote from the entertainment center and show him how it works.
When the demonstration is finished, he looks at me as if I’m his hero. And I’ll be damned if it doesn’t warm my stone-cold heart.
“Come, baby.” Tatiana holds out a hand. “Let’s get you dressed.”
He pouts and pulls away. “I’m not a baby.”
I wince. Yeah, I was going to mention that to Tatiana. Boys of his age don’t want to be called babies in front of an audience and especially not when they start going to school.
