Page 70 of Lust and Honor

“You’ve said worse and done even worse things to her. Yet every time, she wants you more than before.”

“This one’s different. It’s a universal code. Mess with a woman’s kids, and she’ll see red, doesn’t matter who you are. She’ll roar like a bear and rip you to shreds. Maternal hormones are stronger than anything else out there.”

I glance at Aurora’s orange curls and know I’ve got those hormones in me too. I’d die for this demanding little gremlin.

While she’s busy with her breakfast, I make the necessary calls and set everything up. I wash her hands and face again, and as she nestles in my arms with a full belly, babbling nonsense I can’t decipher, I head to Ava’s wardrobe. A quick scan tells me her wardrobe’s depressing as hell. I need to take her shopping soon. I check the tag on one of her dresses for her size and call Elen.

“Hey, Maxim. What can I do for you, love?”

“I need you to pick out a red, short, sleeveless dress, best brand, expensive, and send it to Carlo’s place. Size four. Pair it with black heels, size eight, red soles.”

“Send the dress empty, or should I stuff a pretty girl in it for you?”

A wicked smirk curls my lips. “Send it empty, Elen. I’ve already got the pretty girl.”

I hang up and glance at Aurora, winking at her. “Come on, let’s go teach you how to wake someone up properly.”

I carry her to her room and set her on the bed. Then I sit on the edge, brushing my lips across Ava’s sleeping face. Her brows knit, but her eyes stay closed. Aurora scoots closer, bubbling with excitement. “I kiss too!”

I let her slobber one side of Ava’s face with her wet kisses while I graze the other with my lips. Eventually, Ava stirs and blinks at us, eyes wide with confusion.

“What are you doing, Maxim?” she mumbles.

“Hooray, Mama’s awake!” Aurora cheers.

I raise a brow, kissing Ava’s soft lips and murmuring, “I’m teaching Aurora how to wake someone up.”

Ava wriggles out from under me, tugging the slipped edges of her towel closed, her flushed face dipping in embarrassment. I can tell she’s shy about last night.

“Mama, I teach Gabriel too!” Aurora chirps.

It takes a second for her words to sink in, and when they do, my face burns red to the roots of my hair, making Ava burst into laughter. I reach out, pulling Aurora onto my lap.

“Listen up, little carrot,” I say, gently but firmly. “Kissing and touching are just for Mama and Daddy. You don’t kiss anyone, and you don’t let anyone kiss you. Got it?”

She’s too young to grasp the concept of rules. From my words, she only seems to pick up on “Mama and Daddy kissing,” because she leans forward, planting a slobbery kiss on my cheek, then turns to Ava, gifting her one too.

My heart swells with so much love for her it slams against my chest. I hand her to Ava and ask, “Ever been to a nightclub?”

Ava shakes her head.

I pinch her ass and ignore her glare as I say, “Then you’re in for a hell of a night.”

***

Carlo’s wearing a fitted black pullover and jeans, lounging behind Brando’s desk.

“Could’ve been a coincidence,” Brando says, handing him a scotch.

Carlo runs his finger along the rim of the glass, shaking his head. “Giuliano doesn’t send his men to a dock I control by accident.”

His gaze shifts to me. I rest my forearm on the armrest, nodding in agreement. Giuliano’s one of the Bruni family’s oldest enemies, a cunning old bastard we haven’t managed to bury yet. “That old man’s into something.”

The door opens, and Senator Rosa strides in with his son, Roberto. Last time I saw that boy was the night I punished him for what he did to one of my whores, had him fucked up good. I wasn’t expecting him here, not when it was supposed to be only his father.

Carlo rises from the desk to greet them. The senator, paler than usual, grips Carlo’s hand tightly and introduces his son. After exchanging pleasantries with Brando, Rosa turns to me, squeezing my hand harder than necessary. Roberto, acting like our history doesn’t exist, shakes my hand with a smile, and we all sit at the conference table.

The senator looks like an older version of his son. Only difference is, his hair is fully white and his face lined with wrinkles.