Page 77 of Break Me

“Dogs. Can I dream about a dog?”

I adored hearing Halle laughing, letting go when I sensed she remained tense all the time. “Of course you can.”

“I want Santa to bring me a puppy. That’s all I want for Christmas.”

“We’re a long way away from Christmas, my child.” Halle stood, tucking in the covers around her daughter and placing the book in the bookshelf.

“I know.” Emily rolled over, snatching a cute purple teddy bear.

Halle hadn’t realized I’d been watching their interaction, her look when she turned around one of surprise. I immediately felt as if I’d invaded their privacy.

Until Halle smiled and slowly headed to the door, placing her index finger against her lips before turning out the main light. There was still a warm glow of a nightlight that created an intricate pattern of fireflies on the ceiling.

She half closed the door while pushing her hand against my chest, driving me into the hallway.

We both remained quiet as we headed for the living room. At least the kitchen was clean, the dishwasher running and the night was still early.

And I had no intentions of leaving just yet.

Halle immediately went to the couch, flopping down and curling her legs under her. The way she peered up at me while grabbing her glass of wine was telling. The connection we shared was stronger than we’d realized, even more electric than the night before.

I sat down, smiling from seeing the fluffy slippers. How had I not realized women in pajamas were the sexiest thing in the world? I remained on the edge of the couch, my elbows on my knees. All the things I’d wanted to say to her, some gruffly enough to keep her on what I’d called a leash now meant nothing. I’d come here not only to warn her, but also to remind her that talking to anyone about what she’d seen the night before wouldn’t be a good idea.

Now the thought of what my intentions had been seemed Neanderthal. Barbaric in the same way my father had been.

“Tell me about your family.” Her request out of the blue caught me off guard. Although my family was constantly in the news, I rarely talked about them to anyone. Sure, I had a couple of buddies I regularly had a beer with or went to an occasional basketball game with, but the last thing we talked about was family or obligations. Even our jobs. They were just topics we didn’t want to discuss. What the hell was I supposed to say?

“Two brothers and a sister. Three cousins. We’re close.”

“Are you parents still alive?”

“They are. My mother still fusses over us as if we were kids. Dad, well, he’s even rougher on us in his retirement. But they love us and we love them.”

She seemed thoughtful about what I’d told her. “Your fondest memory from growing up?”

Wow. Now that was a question that threw me for a loop. I had no clue what that might be. Then it hit me. “When I graduated from college.” I was immediately taken back to the day. “My dad had wanted me to go into the family business, but I wanted nothing to do with resorts or anything else. Before you ask, my dad wasstill Pakhan at the time. He preferred the old ways and I don’t think I need to tell you what that means.”

“Illegal activities including using extortion, violence, and blackmail as necessary.”

I tipped my head toward her, noticing amusement on her face. “Yeah. I guess so. Which is nothing I wanted anything to do with. So, my father never mentioned my days away at college. When I came home to see them, half the time he didn’t even join us for dinner. He was just so angry with me as if I’d betrayed him. So when I found out I was the Valedictorian, I didn’t bother telling him.”

“That’s so sad.”

“You’d need to know my dad. He was not easy to live with.” Laughing, I scratched my head, finally reaching for the glass of wine. “Anyway, I honestly didn’t expect to see any of my family at graduation. Maybe with the exception of my brother, Mikhail. My uncle was also angry with me. He called my education a waste. Meanwhile, I’d been forced to take on two jobs to try and pay for my room and board. That was to teach me a lesson about family loyalty.”

“Did it work?”

“You know what? I think what it did teach me is that if you want something, you must work hard and I did. I proved it to myself.”

“But you were trying to prove something to your father.”

Nodding, I took a sip of wine. “Of course I said at the time it didn’t matter, maybe to keep from being disappointed when I gave the speech to the class. But on that day as I stood on stage, gripping the podium with white knuckles, I remember feelingso sad that my family didn’t feel as if my accomplishment was worth celebrating.”

“But he showed up.”

I kept my eyes locked on her. My God, she was just so beautiful. “Every member of my family did and guess what? My father was cheering the loudest. It was the proudest moment of my life.”

“That’s amazing and wonderful. I’m curious. What was your speech about?”