Page 69 of Inked in Devotion

Kolya’s phone.

I ignored the first vibration. And then it did it again.

Maybe it was important.

I tried to avoid reading the notifications, but one caught my eye.

Dima

Your fiancée keeps bugging me.

Fiancée? Did I read that wrong?

I exposed the next message.

Stop playing house with that woman.

Your duty is here. In Russia.

“What are you doing?” Kolya asked behind me. It was a lethal tone I’d never heard him use on me before.

My back stiffened. I slowly rose from the bed and turned around, still holding his phone.

“You have a fiancée?” I asked.

He cursed softly in Russian. Sebastian seemed happily settled in his arms and my chest ached that he was bringing our son into the room, maybe to lie down between us.

He stalked into the room. “Give me the phone.”

I handed it to him and bent to pick up the sleep shirt and slipped it over my head so I wouldn’t feel so exposed.

He scrolled through his messages and cursed again. “Fucking Dimitri.”

I tried to get Sebastian from him, but Kolya angled away.

“Give me my son,” I gritted.

“Chloe.”

“Give. Him. To. Me.”

He watched me warily as he finally let Sebastian dive into my arms. I backed away from Kolya, making for the door, but keeping our gazes locked.

“You didn’t answer me.” My voice was low. Controlled. “Do you have a fiancée?”

“No.”

“Then what the f— is that all about?” I asked.

He stepped forward.

“Don’t come any closer!” I hissed. My mind tried to recall the culture of the mafia. It was rife with arranged marriages to form alliances. “Let me rephrase. Are you promised to anyone?”

“It’s not that simple.”

I let out a scornful laugh. “It really is.” Then my brain fit the pieces of the puzzle. Why Kolya wouldn’t claim us outright while exhibiting actions to the contrary. “My son and I…we’re not supposed to exist in your life, are we? That’s why you’re hiding us.”

“Again, it’s not that simple,” he gritted. “Accept the bratva, then I can tell you.”