Page 96 of Shackled

“A safe house north of The Cove.”

My heart surges. He trusts me. He’s leaning into this as hard as I am.

I nod. I could ask for coordinates and details. I could ask that he patch me in to talk to whoever’s holding him.

Or I could trust that he will operate as he wishes within the confines of his family as I will mine.

Wordlessly, he reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Thank you for trusting me,” he says quietly.

I nod. “Thank you for doing the same.” I give him a sidelong look. “Does this mean we’re calling a truce?”

He looks back at me, a brow quirked as his lips curve downward. I shiver. I love Stern Lev. “For now. Don’t think I’m not gonna whip your ass for what you pulled.”

My jaw drops open even as a wave of excitement zaps my nerves. “What? Me? You were the one that fucked with my birth control.”

He grunts. “I know. I thought we made peace with that…”

“Excuse me, sir, I believe I can bring that up for at least nine more months.”

He pretends to be thinking it over. “Fair.” He shrugs. “You’re still going over my knee.”

I swallow hard. But the way his eyes are twinkling tells me everything I need to know. He knows I like this. He knows I crave this. And we both know what we need to do.

We’ll get there.

“Is everyone at home alright?”

“At home?” he repeats as if he needs to clarify which home I’m referring to. That’s where the merging of two families might get a little tricky.

“Yeah. Your mom’s place,” I say in a whisper.

“Yes,” he says. “Everyone’s fine. It’s you they’re worried about.”

I stare out the window at the thinning clouds and pale blue sky, so he doesn’t see my eyes water. I want to stay strong, but even I can’t completely ignore these damn pregnancy hormones. I swipe at my eyes.

“Oh?” I ask.

I fail at hiding my emotions. Wordlessly, his arm snakes around my shoulders, and he pulls me closer to him. He runs a hand down the back of my neck and kisses my forehead.

“Yeah,” he whispers. “I told them you were great. I told them you’re brave. And I promised them I’d take very good care of you.”

I smile but shake my head. “The girls better not think this little jaunt to Columbia gets them out of our next practice.”

“Mmm,” he nods soberly. “Of course not.” His lips still twitch.

I smack his chest. I know he’s giving me shit. “I’m serious!”

“I know you are. We’ll be back in time.”

I lean back against him. “Polina was a fucking beast when they attacked.”

He huffs out a breath that’s a half laugh and half groan. “You girls are going to make the rest of us obsolete.”

I stifle a snort. “Hardly, though I fully intend on using Aria’s prowess in support of my plan for world domination.”

“I’m sure she would love that.” He squeezes my shoulder.

“But will Mikhail?”

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