Page 148 of The Umarova Crime Family

“Okay, cool. I actually came here for another reason too. I know we normally go out to cafés for coffee, but do you want to go out to dinner with me?”

I blink a couple of times at him, almost wondering if he’s asking me on a date. The way he’s staring at me longingly makes me think he is, and a smile tugs at my lips. It’s the first time I’ve felt this way in longer than I can remember. “Yeah, I’d love that, actually.”

“Okay, great. Did you want to get changed? I’m going to put on a suit.”

As Nazyr finishes his sentence, I’m cackling. He’s already wearing a suit.

“What’s so funny?”

“Have you lost your bloody mind? Look in the mirror.” I shake my head, and Nazyr looks down at the suit he’s in right now. It’s a deep navy blue, and he has a white dress shirt, black tie, and black Oxfords to tie it all together. He doesn’t look bad at all. Meanwhile, I’m in a pair of leggings and an oversized shirt.

“I’m going to dress up a little bit,” Nazyr states, his deep chocolate-brown eyes boring into mine. It’s like there’s an unspoken language as if he wants this to be a date, but neither of us is speaking about it openly.

“Okay,” I say, throwing my legs over the side of the seat under the bay window. I leave my book right where it is, knowing no one will dare move it, and rise to my feet. “I’m going to head upstairs and get changed. Give me half an hour?”

“Sure thing, med.”

I notice what he’s called me in Russian. He’s calling me copper, likely because of my hair, which causes me to smile widely. I like that he’s given me a nickname of sorts. I walk past Nazyr, and we both make intense eye contact before I disappear up the stairs and reach my bedroom. I shut the door behind me, then go over to the curtains and draw them closed so I don’t have any creeps staring in through them while I get undressed.

I take off my leggings and oversized shirt, leaving me in a black pair of lace cheeky lace underwear. I go over to the closet in my bedroom and open the doors, seeing a few of the things Nazyr, or his people, have gotten me. He ended up telling me that some of the things in here are his sister’s since this used to be her old bedroom, but he said she doesn’t care about the clothes, so they’re mine now. I finally grab a beautiful deep emerald green dress from the rack and unzip it. I step into the dress, and it’s a little snug on me, but as I pull the zipper back up, it’s like a second skin on my body.

I walk over to my en-suite bathroom and take a look at myself in the mirror. I can’t do much with my hair, so I pull it up in a tight bun, allowing a couple of strands to fall around my face. There’s a curling iron in here, so I turn it on, and while I’m waiting for it to heat up, I put a full face of makeup on. Blessedly, Emily dropped off a care package of women’s items, like tampons, cleansing wipes, more makeup, a few skincare items, and some hair ties, bobby pins, and other sorts of things. She really got me anything else I needed to have in the immediate future, and I really appreciated that.

Within twenty minutes, I’m actually ready, so I head downstairs in this beautiful green dress. Nazyr’s in the foyer waiting on me. As soon as my heels clack against the first step, his eyes shoot right to me, and he’s not able to hold back his smile.

I smile in return, knowing he likes what he sees. “You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve dolled myself up like this,” I admit with a nervous laugh as I reach the bottom step.

“You’d never be able to tell. God, you’re so beautiful, Mona,” Nazyr states, and he’s making me feel so good right now.

“I have to ask, Nazyr, is this a date?” I cock a brow while I wait for his answer.

“It might be. Would that be a problem?”

“No, it wouldn’t at all,” I state, speaking straight from my heart. I lick my bottom lip, and Nazyr looks at me even more sharply. He takes a step toward me, and his eyes slowly rake over my body. I know our plans are to go out and get some dinner, but I feel like he’s looking at me like I’m on the menu.

I swallow hard, and Nazyr takes another step, looking straight into my eyes. “If you don’t want this, just tell me, and I’ll stop.” He moves closer to my lips, and when he’s only a mere inch away, I close the distance between us.

Our lips press against each other. His are strong and demanding, while the way I’m kissing him is soft and delicate. Heavens, I can’t even remember the last time I was kissed. It was probably by my boyfriend back in college. Duarte never kissed me, but why would he? I was just a fuck toy, a breeder, something he could use. I had no importance to him whatsoever.

Nazyr wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer, deepening the very intense kiss we’re having right now, and I don’t want it to stop. I forgot how good this feels. How amazing it is to feel wanted and appreciated. This man has been so gentle with me since I’ve been with him. He’s given me the time to settle down, to know that I’m not going to be used for sex. Surprisingly, he’s taken the time to get to know me on a deeper personal level.

Nazyr could be using me right now, but I don’t think he is. I think he has good integrity, and I don’t think he’d do anything to hurt me, knowing what he already does about my past. If anything, he’s only going to be there for me… and I see it now more than ever.

Who am I kidding? I might be going crazy, but I’m beginning to really trust this man. He hasn’t given me a reason to not trust him, and until he does, I want to wear my heart on my sleeve a little bit, even if that sounds foolish.

Nazyr ends up halting the kiss, and I look up at him longingly, wishing he didn’t. “If I keep kissing you right now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop. Come on, let’s go to dinner. I’m sure you’re starved, and I know I sure as hell am,” he admits, and I smirk at him.

I know exactly what’s going to happen if we stay. I’m going to keep kissing him, and then it’s going to lead to something else… but maybe by the end of the night, we’ll get there anyway.

At least, I’m sort of hoping so. I really want to know what it’s like to be with him because I doubt being with Nazyr in that way will be like anything I’ve had in the past. If anything, I think he’s a slow sensual lover, and I want to experience that.

Chapter Eleven

Nazyr

I didn’t get any sleep last night, not hardly any, at least. I think it’s because I’m so fucking stressed about what’s going on in my life right now. The impact of what I’ve promised Mona weighs heavily on me. Ruslan and I haven’t worked out the kinks about what we’re doing or how we’re handling the situation yet, but I know it’s going to happen soon. It’s bound to. It’s been a couple of weeks since Mona has been here now, and I keep thinking back to last week when I took her out to dinner. She was a complete vision in that deep green dress, and while people stared at her because of her scars, I stared at her in another manner.

We connected that night on a mental level—and a physical one, which shocked me, but also made me very happy. Every time I shut my eyes, I see exactly how it went down that evening.

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