Page 14

With my new bride in my arms, flushed and sweaty and with a dazed look in her emerald eyes, it was nearly impossible not to be smug. Holy hell, that was amazing. Beyond amazing, surpassing any of the wildest fantasies I’d indulged in since Emerson started working for me. And this was just the beginning. She was mine for life now, a life I couldn’t wait to start.

After snuggling up next to me for a while as I teased her about how great we were together, she eventually drifted off to sleep, not that I could blame her. It had been a roller coaster of emotions, and her whole life had been turned upside down in a matter of a couple days.

I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep alongside her, warm and cozy next to her hot body, but duty called. I had to check up on things back home because if Arkadi’s men were still following us like I suspected, he’d have gotten word by now that Emerson and I were well and truly married. And he wouldn’t take that news very well if I knew him at all.

Unable to resist giving my sleepy wife one more kiss before I got up, I gently swept a long lock of fiery red hair off her cheek. She was as stunningly beautiful as any rare gem, my own little masterpiece. My finger kept trailing down the smooth column of her neck until I forced myself to stop.

“I can’t wait for round two,” I whispered.

For some reason, this had her eyes flying open and sitting up so fast our heads nearly cracked together.

“Whoa,” I said, reaching for her shoulder. “Did you have a bad dream?”

Her face twisted into a look of horror as she yanked the sheet up to cover all her creamy flesh. “I’m apparently still having it,” she snapped, her face as red as if she’d been out in the island sun for twelve hours without sunscreen.

Great, she was pissed again for some reason. Maybe she had come to her senses and was going to try to pretend that she not only gave into her deepest desires with me, but that I’d given her the time of her life because of it. All of those thoughts must have been as plain as day on my face, because there was no way I couldn’t be smug after making her scream so much just a few minutes before.

“Come on,” I urged. “Was it promising round two that pissed you off again? I can wait as long as you can.” I tried to reach for her again, continuing my teasing. “It shouldn’t be too long.”

She dodged my hand, scrambling off the bed and spluttering when the sheet didn’t make it with her. I made a show of looking her up and down appreciatively, and her whole body began to blaze as red as her hair. Ducking down beneath the edge of the bed, she crawled to where her clothes were lying.

“That was… a mistake.”

“No, it wasn’t,” I said, getting pissed now myself. “That was fucking transcendent, and you know it.”

“I don’t know anything except I want you to get me on the next flight back home. And not to LA, either. I’m done. Completely done. I’ll just go back to Georgia where there aren't any crazy, obsessed Bratva kingpins.”

“You’d give up Khoroshiy?” I asked.

Her shoulders slumped after she yanked her pants up, and real disappointment flashed in her eyes. “I guess, if that’s what it takes to get out of this insanity. Consider this my resignation.”

It hurt more than I wanted to admit that she was showing more regret over leaving the job than me. But, I did kidnap her, so I cut her some slack. I ignored her ridiculous demands for a flight home.

“That’s not going to happen,” I said. “Business is up since the word about my new chef is spreading. Your contract is airtight, unless you can afford the early release clause.”

“I never signed any contract,” she sputtered.

I grinned at her as my eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you? I don’t think any lawyers in LA would believe your word over mine.”

“Well, then I’ll just have to pay your stupid clause back then,” she snapped, looking all the world like she was trying to decide what to throw at me.

“Or you could just take a breath and go back to enjoying yourself?” I suggested. “It’s late. Why don’t you go back to sleep? We can talk more in the morning.”

A visible war was going on in her pretty head as she slammed her arms across her chest and gave me an impressive death glare. “I’d rather sleep outside than get back in that bed with you, and the only thing we’re going to talk about in the morning is my flight home.”

Seeing how enraged she was, I let her flounce out onto the deck. She threw herself into the nearest lounge chair and refused to look back. Bemused, I shook off her sudden change of mood and found my phone to check in with Mila, now my eyes and ears back home.

“I don’t have great news,” she said, answering right away despite being a whopping twenty hours behind me.

“Well, just spill it,” I said, already in a sour frame of mind.

Mila was right and it wasn’t great news. It seemed like our older brother Dimitri, one of the most peace-loving amongst us, was on the verge of doing a deal with Arkadi. That on its own wasn’t the bad news, or even all that surprising, since it had been Dima who brokered the tentative treaty between our family and the Mikhailov organization. The problem was that calm, rational Dima came to his senses and decided it was smarter not to get tangled up with that snake, and pulled out of the deal.

“That had to have pissed Arkadi off,” I said grimly.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Mila agreed. “Combine that with you getting Emerson out of his way, and now he’s probably ready to really pop off.”

“Christ, Mila,” I groaned. “Does that mean they know about my wedding?”

“No,” she said, sounding pissed I would think she’d squeal on me so soon. “Not unless Ivan told them, but I don’t even know if he knows about the broken deal yet. I only know because I had lunch with Dima and Olivia this afternoon. Liv didn’t drink wine, so we might have a new niece or nephew on the way.”

“That’s great,” I said, rolling my eyes at the family gossip thrown in at such a time. “But let’s stay on track. How bad do you think this could get?”

“Pretty bad, I guess, considering what an asshole Arkadi is. Try not to worry about it for now, and just enjoy your honeymoon. Maybe be prepared to head back in a hurry in case things blow up, and we need you, though.”

I snorted, looking out through the wall of glass to where Emerson was trying to curl up with a blanket on the lounge chair. My honeymoon might already be over. As if echoing my dismal thoughts, the sky opened up, heaving a sudden tropical rain shower down onto my furious bride.