Page 56 of Twisted Princess

I slide my hand across the cool sheets, seeking his reassuring body heat, but I come up achingly wanting. I can still smell him, but as the fog of sleep dissipates, I start to realize that the blend of leather and fresh pine with just a hint of motor oil has grown faint.

My heart skips a beat, and my eyes fly open as I’m suddenly wide awake.

The room is utterly still. Quiet.

I jolt upright, panic flooding my veins as I scan the room for any sign of him.

He’s gone.

Again.

Pain rips through my chest as I wonder if I might not find a makeshift bed on the couch once again. And what if he’s already left for work?

I didn’t think to ask about his plan of action.

Doubts ping-pong through my brain. And I scramble out of bed, snatching my neatly stacked clothes up off the chair where I don’t remember putting them. Stuffing myself into my jeans, I button them, and as I haul my shirt over my head, I wrench the bedroom door open, my anxiety threatening to consume me.

Heart racing, I run down the hall, bursting into the living room, and stop dead in my tracks.

My brain scarcely registers the empty rug that used to sit beneath the coffee table. I’m too focused on the living room couch.

There, Gleb sits with his arms casually slung across the back cushions. Gabby’s curled up against his side. Her elbow propped on his thigh, she intently watches the TV on the wall beside me.

Dragging ragged breaths into my lungs, I try to calm myself and glance at the massive screen. Sunday morning cartoons play quietly, the silly slapstick background noise unmistakable now that I’m close enough to hear it.

“Morning,” Gleb says, his silky voice low, calm, perfectly at ease.

“Yeah, morning,” I breathe, turning my attention back to him.

Gabby gives me a quick smile and wave before turning her eyes back to the TV. And though she never puts me second to anything, it warms my heart a little to see her so comfortable with Gleb that she doesn’t bother hopping up to greet me.

Gleb glances down at her, his green eyes warming with what I can only call affection. “She came looking for you while you were still asleep. I thought you might need the rest, so I brought her out here to keep her entertained. I hope that’s okay…” Gleb’s voice trails off as his eyes study me, registering my body language for the first time. “What’s wrong?”

My heart is still hammering against my ribcage, and the sting of tears that I blink away tells me how close I came to crying. But I shake my head. “Nothing. I… I thought you might have taken off again. I…” I glance at Gabby, but she’s still fully intent on the animation beside me. “I got worried.”

Gleb’s eyes soften, melting into a sea of liquid green. And he lifts his arm, silently inviting me to join them. “I figured I’d lie low with you girls for a few days. Make sure Vinny really got my message this time. Lev and Denka can handle collections until then. They won’t mind the extra responsibility while we’re holed up.”

Relief floods me, and before I consciously make the decision, my feet are carrying me across the room to curl up against Gleb’s free side.

His masculine scent fills my nose as soon as I settle under the weight of his arm. And it calms my nerves without him even trying. Lending a reassuring sense of strength, the smell makes me feel safe for no discernable reason aside from the fact that it’s unique to Gleb.

My muscles relax in his presence, and I rest my head on his shoulder as we silently watch cartoons.

But as the minutes pass, and Gabby’s happy giggles fill the room, I grow more and more aware of the fact that she seems perfectly content to sit beside Gleb rather than climbing into my lap like she normally would.

My eyes shift to study her face. Since I’ve joined them, she’s adjusted her position so she’s tucked further beneath his arm, her cheek pressed to her chest. She’s wiggled her tiny toes beneath his thigh until she’s utilizing every spare inch of him she can find.

And she looks so… happy.

She’s not even sucking her thumb as she watches TV. Her little fingers just fist around the fabric of his shirt, balling it slightly. I know she must be putting weight on his stitches. But he doesn’t seem to mind.

Instead, his arm drops subtly from the back of the couch to settle over her like a weighted blanket.

Fissures open up across the surface of my heart.

They look so completely content together. So natural. So right.

Gleb doesn’t even know he’s her father, and yet, he cares for Gabby without a second thought.

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