Page 107 of Bought By Sin

“What about me?” he joked. “No one’s going to be paying attention to me?”

I smiled as he held my hand tight.

“We will be equals, Mila.” He kissed the back of my hand. “If it’s too much pressure to have a bigger wedding⁠—”

“It’s fine.” I looked at the tattooist and confirmed the date for a month away. “As impatient as I am to be your wife, I don’t need to rush through anything.”

He tugged me closer so he could kiss me, and I sank that much deeper in love with him, wholly and completely.

I sat up and watched the process of him getting a tattoo. Lev noticed how intrigued I was and smiled wider.

“What are you going to get?”

I blinked and swung my gaze to him in surprise. “What?”

“What do you want to get?”

I opened and closed my mouth. I thought that I was making progress with getting used to having all my needs met. My wants too. But a tattoo? I never thought…

“You think I should get one?”

He chuckled, that raspy, smoky sound that was so damn sexy. “I think you think you should get one.”

I shook my head. “No, that’s not necessary.”

“You’re curious.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

“You’ve never wanted one?”

I swallowed hard and zoned out watching the gun hovering over his skin. “I’ve always wanted one.”

He sighed. “To hide behind?”

I shook my head. “No. To express who I am.”

“I’ve got all day…” the artist drawled teasingly, enticing me to consider it.

“But I’ve never known what to get,” I admitted, getting more amped up and thrilled about the chance that this could be the day to mark myself permanently.

“How about something to match mine?” Lev asked.

I smiled, admiring his skin. He could claim that we’d always be partners and equals, but his body would never match mine. So much bigger, stronger, and with his canvas of so much ink…

Nodding quickly, I tried not to distract the artist. “Okay. I will.”

Alexei strode in from the front, catching the end of my comment. “No, you won’t.”

Lev scowled at his brother. “What?”

“Whatever you two are planning, cancel it if it’s happening today. Elena just went into labor.” He scoffed with that happy news. It was a little early, but not dangerously so. “Adrik is not calm.” Facing the tattooist, he asked, “We gotta borrow him. Can you wrap it up and finish later?”

Selma wiped her hands on a towel as she entered the room. “She’s having the baby today?”

I stood, grinning. “I told you.”

Lev and I rode with Alexei to visit the hospital. While I was sure that the staff wouldn’t be pleased about the Bratva men clogging up the maternity ward and taking up all this space, I realized that it wasn’t a typical situation. Elena had a private suite, and adjacent rooms were cordoned off to allow more privacy for her.