Page 130 of My Pucking Crush

But that wasn’t a lover’s kiss, or I’d get to my feet and head butt him so hard he’d stroke out on the spot. That kiss meant something else. But what?

“We were raised like brothers,” Belova says to Luca. “I trusted you with my sister. Overanyonein my organization. All you had to do was keep your man-fucking in the shadows.”

“Why are you doing this?” Luca asks, his voice shot.

“Your fucking sister escaped,” Belova grinds out.

“Good. You were a fool to think you could keep her.” Relief vibrates from Luca.

My heart squeezes that she’s okay.

“Now that I have you. She’ll come back. We’ll be a family again.”

“You said I had until after the season.”

“What?” I glare at Belova. “What the hell is he talking about?”

“Luca and I shared a nice afternoon.” He smiles. “In Vermont.”

Vermont. Where his son is buried. That guts me. He didn’t bring me there. He didn’t want to share that with me. All this talk aboutmegetting over trauma. Luca is holding on to mountains of it.

“When was this?” I ask.

“Weeks ago. On the anniversary of his son’s death,” Belova senses how I feel slighted. “I gave him an ultimatum and for insurance, I kidnapped Samara. But she’s crafty and figured a way out of my mansion and off my property undetected.”

“How many people did she kill?” Luca asks.

“Two,” Belova says with an odd source of pride.

We grew up together.

“Good. I’m glad she got away,” I sneer.

“It seems your precious obsession cares about you.” Belova reaches for my face, but my head snaps back. “I think it’s time he knows the real you, Daniil. What Max Ryantrulymeans to you.”

He shoves a phone under my nose where a video is playing. From an overhead camera I’m looking down at a massage parlor.

“Tell me your fantasy,”the masseur coos, squeezing Luca’s bare ass cheek, a signal he’s down for some male-on-male fun.

“Do you follow hockey?”Luca asks.

“Not at all,”the hot masseur who...looks like a hockey player says.

Wait. What?

“Come on, pretend for me.” Luca’s voice sounds dark and lustful. “Can I call you Max while I fuck you?”

My eyes fly to Luca who looks away in shame.

SIXTY-NINE

Luca

“That was one of your guys?” I bark at Belova.

“I know your type.” He struts over to me and strokes my cheek. “Orlov scoped out the place and set up the cameras when we saw you had an appointment. I never pass up an opportunity to get dirt on an adversary.”

“You sick fuck.” Max gets to his feet.

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