Page 29 of Dangerous Liaisons

Xavier lowered himself onto one knee and took his hand in a gentle hold. “I’m Xavier. It’s nice to meet you too, Mikhail.” He smiled as the boy shyly shook his hand before he glanced between her and the stove.

“Mamushka, I’m hungry.”

“Have a seat, Mishka. I’ll bring you a plate.”

He took off running for the breakfast table.

Xavier rose to his feet. “I think I need to learn Russian. What was he saying?”

“It’s not an easy language. It took me almost five years to master it.” She busied herself with placing bacon and pancakes on two of the plates, hesitating as she held the third plate in her hands. “He said you looked like a Viking from one of his stories,” she chuckled. “I told him you were my friend and you’re a biker. Sladkiy malchik means sweet boy.”

“He’s beautiful, Isa.”

“Thank you. Do you want to join us for breakfast?”

“I’d love that.”

Thankful for the distraction, she loaded up his plate, and they joined Mikhail at the table.

Ava glanced over at the sound of the door opening. Before the door could even shut behind the large man, Hunter was out of his chair and storming toward his best friend.

“You’ve got some fucking explaining to do, Zay.”

With a sigh, she leaned against the bar from her seat on her stool and propped up her chin on her hand. “Hunter...”

“Stay out of this, baby.” He didn’t look away from his VP. “You want to tell me what the fuck you’re thinking?”

Xavier frowned; confusion etched across his features. “What are you—”

“I’m talking about Isabella Romanov! How long have you been fucking her?”

Realization dawned across his face, the pieces clicking into place. “Look—”

“How long?”

Xavier bristled, a defensive edge creeping into his tone. “It’s none of your—”

“It is my business. If you’re involved with her, I need to know.”

“How’d you find out?”

“You haven’t been keeping it a secret, not with the way you’ve been disappearing after meetings every night. It wasn’t hard to find your bike at her place.” Hunter stepped closer, his tone dropping to a serious whisper. “You think this is just a casual thing? Isabella’s tied to some seriousconnections, Zay. You need to tread carefully. It’s not just your heart on the line here; it’s our club, too.”

Xavier clenched his jaw, grappling with the weight of his words. Concern was etched on his friend’s face, but it only fueled his desire to protect what he had with Isabella. “I know what I’m doing.”

“You think this is just another fling? This is different. She’s different. I don’t want to watch you get hurt, and I don’t want to see you caught in her mess. This could become a serious problem for us, Zay. What happens when shit falls through, or she-”

“I wouldn’t betray this club. I wouldn’t betray you. If it comes down to this club or her, you know what I would do. If you don’t, you’re not the fucking friend I thought you were.”

Hunter let out a heavy sigh, raking his hands through his hair, and his shoulders slumped. “This could blow up in our face, our deal, everything we’ve worked for could fall apart, and we’re so close.”

“I know.”

“You in love with her?”

The biker seemed to deflate as he slid down into the closest chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Yeah, Brother. I think I am.”

Hunter glanced at Ava, who was watching with a mixture of concern andunderstanding. He nudged his head toward the door, then focused back on Xavier. “Let’s grab a beer and talk.”