“Tell me what happened?”
I focus on my dad’s voice and switch to English so Dominic can hear the story too, refusing to think about the hard dick beneath my ass. Starting from when we left the parking garage, I tell them everything that happened, and when I finish, both men are silent.
“Is Grigori okay?” I finally ask.
I hear my dad’s heavy sigh. “I’m not sure yet. He called for backup, and they were able to get there fast enough to get rid of his gun before the police and ambulance showed up. I have men searching the area, trying to find out who’s behind this, but it might take a while before we know anything.”
“I left him, Dad,” I whisper. “He covered me with his body and saved my life and then told me to drive to Dominic’s, and I did. I just left him there.”
Dominic’s face softens when he wipes away the tears that have started falling again, and I clutch his white, button-up shirt with my free hand, needing to ground myself to something.
“You could’ve died if you’d stayed,” my dad reminds me. “Grigori knew what the job required before he agreed to it, princess, and he would not have wanted you to stay. He would’ve felt like he’d failed you if you had, and I would’ve had to kill him.”
“Dad,” I say, hoping he’s joking.
“His job is to make sure you’re safe and to keep you alive no matter what. I know it sounds harsh, but your life is worth more to me than his. He’s been watching over you since you were born, and he never would’ve forgiven himself if something had happened to you, and I would’ve never forgiven him. Thank you for leaving.” He lets out another breath, and I can easily picture him running a hand through his hair while pacing the floor. “I told you I couldn’t survive losing a child, Natalya, and I meant it. My family is everything to me. I need all of you.”
“I know, Dad. That’s why I left. I remembered what you told me, and I ran.”
“I’m so glad you did. God, your mom is going to have a fit when I tell her what’s happened.”
“Well, you don’t have to tell her all the details.”
He lets out a soft laugh. “She’ll know I’m lying, and she’ll get it out of me. She always does.”
I can’t help but smile. “My dad, the fearless underground fighter and Bratva boss.”
“None of that means shit when I’m talking to the woman I love, you know that. She has me wrapped around her finger, and I love it.” I hear his phone ding, and a few seconds later he says, “I need to go, sweetheart. We’re all meeting at your Uncle Roman’s. Dominic says you can stay there, but I can come and get you.”
“No,” I say, probably quicker than I should, so I hurry up and add, “I’d rather stay here, if that’s okay. I’m not ready to go back out there.”
“Let me know if you change your mind, and I’ll be there. I love you, honey.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
I hand Dominic his phone back, and he keeps his eyes on mine while he says, “She can stay here as long as she needs to. I can have one of my men pick up some of her things if you want to get a bag ready.”
“She’s not moving in, Dominic,” I hear my dad say. It’s not an angry tone, but it’s not all that friendly either.
“I think she should for a little while.”
My eyes widen at that, and he gives me another soft smirk before he continues.
“We don’t know who attacked them or why. It’s possible it was random. It was in my territory, and I already have men looking into it, but something tells me this has nothing to do with me or my family. This feels personal, and if Natalya was their target, then the safest place she can be is here. There’s no reason to put anyone else in your family in danger, and they’ll never expect her to be hiding out with the Alessi family.”
My dad is silent while Dominic rests his hand back on my hip.
“I give you my word that she’ll be safe here, Lev. I’ll guard her with my life.”
“Fine,” my dad growls out. “Don’t let her out of your sight. I’ll have Mia pack a bag for her if you want to send one of your men over. Call me if you hear anything.”
“I will.”
My dad hangs up right before Dominic puts his phone away. I’m still straddling his lap, his hand is still resting on my hip, and the hard length of him is nestled tightly against my ass. I have no idea what to do. Part of me wants to hop up in embarrassment, and the other part of me wants to pull him closer and press my lips to his. He makes me want things I know I shouldn’t want.
Paralyzed with indecision, I sit on his lap and watch him. The man is gorgeous. His age doesn’t take away from that. If anything, it just adds to it. I love the tiny bit of grey that’s just starting to come in around his temples and the small lines that appear at the corners of his eyes when he gives me a big smile. I love how safe he makes me feel, I love how powerful he is, and I love the overprotective way he is with me. When he’d caught Svetlana and me in his club, he hadn’t treated her the same way. She and I both noticed it, and when I’d pulled up to his house tonight, he hadn’t reacted like any other man in his mafia would have. He’d acted like a man who cared about me, like a man who was distraught over the idea of me being hurt—not the idea of Lev Melnikov’s daughter being hurt, but of me being hurt.
His dark eyes run over my body, and my breath hitches when I feel his cock press even harder against me. At the sound of it, his eyes lift to settle on my lips. He watches me, his jaw in a tense line, fingers digging harder into my hips, before finally pulling his eyes back to mine.