Page 35 of Bratva King's Secret Twins

Taylor opens up the passenger side car door for me, closes it, and leans in through the window. "Baby, Georgetown was shit without you."

I buckle my seatbelt with an unladylike snort. "With you as valedictorian, I bet."

Taylor laughs, putting my suitcase in the trunk and sliding into the front seat of his car. "Hey, I was just as smart as you."

"Taylor, I know the exact girth and length of your dick, and that was just from study and strip." I roll my eyes, and the engine roars with his laughter.

"I was distracted by the most beautiful girl on the East Coast." He leans over to me, his caramel eyes rolling over me with a relaxed laziness as if he has done this a million times before.

I lean in close with a small smile on my face. "You are still not fine enough to ride this ride, honey."

"Well, besides you trying to destroy my ego," he peeks at me from the corner of my eye, "why are you in the Big Apple? Did you get into NYU's law program?"

I take a deep breath. "No, I didn't, but I got in eight years ago, and Georgetown is still my first choice."

"So what's up? Are you on the run?" he jokes, and I swallow deeply, looking out the window and away from his eyes. "No shit, you're on the fucking run! From who? Not the police because I cannot lose my license because I harbored a fugitive."

"I am running away from Mason," I breathe out.

"That creep who stalked you all the time? What the hell did he do now, Gwen? I told you to get a restraining order years ago," he snaps as he pulls into a spacious, underground garage of a sleek, sixty-story tall glass tower.

"Taylor, my dad owes this man one hundred and ninety five thousand dollars, and if I didn't give it to him by yesterday morning, he was going to take me, and my kids for himself." I avoid eye contact as I look at my cuticles and bite my lower lip.

Taylor pulls the car into a parking space and turns to me with concerned eyes. "You have kids? Where are they?"

"Gio and Mia are with Kelsey in California until I can get the money or figure out a plan," I mumble. "And I know this is a lot, so if you don't want me here, then I can figure something else out."

Taylor interlocks his hand with mine and kisses my knuckles. "No, I always want you here, Gwen. Don't worry about it. You can stay here as long as you want. I got you, always have, always will."

As sunlight streamedthrough the blinds, I woke up to the smell of freshly baked biscuits and bacon. Taylor had left breakfast for me in the microwave before heading off to work. I couldn't help but admire his dedication and ambition as he was on track to become the youngest New York assistant attorney general.

As I ate my breakfast, I thought about my goal for the day: getting a job atJohanna'sas a bartender or dancer. Despite Taylor offering me a job as his personal assistant to ease back into the legal world, I knew I needed to lay low and take jobs where Mason wouldn't easily find me. After all, there was only one Taylor McKibble that Mason knew I knew, and there were hundreds of clubs where I could dance.

As I stood outsideJohanna's imposing doors, my eyes flicked back and forth between the flier in my hand and the lavish club before me. The golden script on the glass doors spelled out its name:Johanna's. Despite the sleek exterior, I could practically feel the pulse of temptation emanating from within.

I couldn't help but wonder if it would rival the raunchiness of my hometown strip club Nikolai first saw me in or perhaps even surpass it for those with deep enough pockets to afford such luxuries. A velvet rope lined the entrance, manned by two imposing bouncers in tailored black suits, their stoic expressions adding an air of exclusivity.

Before I shift to make my way inside, my phone buzzes, and Kelsey's name pops up on the screen. I quickly answer, ready to chastise her for calling Taylor yesterday, even if she was right about his Egyptian cotton sheets.

Mia's bright hazel eyes and wild blonde curls pop into the screen, and my scowl immediately turns into a bright smile. "Hi, sweetheart! How are you?"

"Hi, Mommy! We went to the beach today! Gio and I built a big sandcastle!" Mia's voice is filled with excitement as she turns the camera to Gio, who is messing with the edges of the sandcastle to make it as perfect as possible. For a moment, a pang of guilt shoots through my chest for being so far away from them.

"That looks amazing, baby! I wish I could have been there with you."

"Mommy, when are we going to see you again? Gio and I miss you!" Mia asks, her face too close to the camera.

"I will be back with you by the next shooting star."

As I speak to Mia about her new school in California, a sleek black town car pulls up sharply to the curb. My heart pounds against my chest as a tall man in a tailored suit steps out, exuding an air of power and menace with his slick, dirty blonde hair and cold, calculating expression. His piercing blue eyes seem to sparkle with malice and intrigue, a combinationthat reminds me instantly of Nikolai. The guy's black suit is accented with subtle shades of gray, giving off an air of sophistication and danger. But it can't be him as my heart races at the sight of him approaching. As he locks eyes with me, a surge of fear and longing overwhelms me - it couldn't be Nik after all these years. But his narrowed gaze betrays no recognition as I watch him disappear into the back entrance ofJohanna's, my mind reeling before I force myself to focus on Mia again.

“And Gio’s new animals are chimpanzees. We went to the zoo, and he told me not to smile at them. I said that was rude." Mia huffs as she sticks her tongue out at Gio.

"If you smile at them, they think it is aggression. They think you are being mean," Gio says in frustration, almost yelling at Mia as if he has told her this thirty times today alone.

"Gio, no yelling at Mia. Mia, Gio is right. Chimps are different from humans; smiling isn't nice to them."

"Told you," Gio mumbles.

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