Page 64 of Inked in Devotion

Kirill and I kept each other alive for three months before we were assigned to the Moscow mob’s brigade headed by Anya’s father where our rigorous training continued. It was only when Ivan recalled Kirill to the US that I ended up coming here. My cousin Grigori was already a rising member of the New York bratva.

Sebastian finished the milk and threw the sippy cup. My boy wanted the ground beef I’d mashed up with the brown rice and peas and unsalted bone broth.

Chloe shuffled out of the bedroom in one of her sleep shirts that hit mid-thigh. She was wearing hot-pink socks, reminding me of what she wore during our weekend fling. She even had messy hair. I pushed away my lurid thoughts and concentrated on feeding Sebastian the first few spoonfuls. “I could have done that,” Chloe mumbled, coming close to us.

“I’m enjoying it,” I said. “Our son is growing like a weed.”

“He needs new clothes,” she said. “Who knew a baby could grow overnight? I thought that only happened with puppies.”

I chuckled. “Well, what else is he going to do when all he does is eat and sleep?” Satisfied that Sebastian had actually eaten enough of his food, I left him to self-feed, sat on the barstool, and dragged Chloe between my legs.

I detected slight resistance, but she seemed to be in a malleable mood and melted right against my erection.

Her eyes rounded in outrage. “Kolya Petrov, have you been feeding our son…” Then, as if remembering to lower her voice, she said by my ear, “While you’re hard.”

The way she said “hard” made me harder.

“I’ve been hard since I came into your room.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

I cupped her ass…groaning while filling my palms. I felt the coolness of silk and the edges of the scrap of fabric covering them. “But I’m not so unhinged as to make out in front of our son. Yet.”

“Control yourself!”

I stared at her with derision. “Oh, what’s this? You’ve been prancing around the house in sleep shirts and sleep shorts and expected no reaction? What do you think I’m made of? Stone?”

“I was not prancing. They’re comfy. But you haven’t touched me since Kirill interrupted us.”

“I knew it. It’s your way of torturing me.”

“Why haven’t you touched me since? It’s been a week.”

“You’ve been processing big news.”

“I’m not fragile.”

“Then why are you home early?”

“I missed Sebastian. Why are you here?”

I looked sideways to check how Sebastian was doing.

“You heard about the incident with Ivan, didn’t you?” she prodded.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have to come home. Ivan is mine to deal with. I can’t avoid him once Theo and Aralina are married.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“No. Absolutely not. I don’t want any conflict in the bratva because of this,” Chloe seethed. “I told him off. He doesn’t get to come here, build a relationship with Sebastian, and abandon him once Lucy or Aralina give him grandchildren.”

Something inside me cracked at the cards Chloe had to deal with at such a young age. The cruelty of being discarded by a father figure. But I had knowledge of Ivan’s regrets, and I felt Chloe needed to know the part where it influenced my involvement in Sebastian’s life.

“Listen.” I clasped her shoulders. “One reason I delayed starting my custody visits was because Ivan warned me to be undoubtedly sure it’s what I wanted. He knew he hurt you and Renée, Chloshka, and implored me not to make the same mistakes he did.”

“He did?”