Page 3 of Yule Tied Up

Kirill is still frowning and I pat his arm gently. “We can go get guns tomorrow, okay?”

He smiles at that, the divot between his brows relaxing. “Okay.”

They troop back out to the car and continue to unload.

I watch them as they come and go, enjoying the way their muscles flex beneath their clothes as they haul the bags. Dom, classically handsome, with his tousled light-brown hair and his beautiful green eyes, and dimples. Tino, darker, bigger, inked, and intimidating to look at, but deep down, the softest one of the three.

Then there’s Kirill. Blond, pierced, fucking crazy, but beautiful with it.

They’re so different, and that’s why this works as well as it does. Then there’s me—a little softer and rounder these days. On the inside, I’m different too. Reshaped by loss and abundance.

I lost a loved one but gained my men. I lost my freedom but found a family.

I almost lost my life but gained a new one with our precious little girl.

It’s been one hell of a year, and a few days of peace and quiet will do us all good.

CHAPTER 2

Kirill

The Hideaway Cabinmight be pretty enough, but I don’t fucking like the dark all around us.

As we walk back to the car to drive down to the market, the reality of just how oppressive this level of darkness is hits me. It’s like someone threw a blanket over the world, and I don’t like it. Not one bit.

I definitely want us to drive to the nearest big town so I can get a weapon or two. I have a very good fake ID and won’t have any trouble purchasing what we need.

I didn’t think of the remoteness as a bad thing when Nataniele told us he’d booked this place. I was allforthe remoteness because that meant we had Mackenzie all to ourselves.

No one for miles and lots of opportunities for depraved outdoor sex.

I think we’ve all been saving up some twisted fantasies. We aren’t vanilla, and thank God, in Mackenzie we’ve found someone who matches our dark tastes perfectly. Our very own doll. But life back home has changed. Domenic is stepping more and more into his father’s role as dean of Verona FallsUniversity. Nataniele still runs the college with an iron fist, but he's delegating more to Dom as time goes on.

I’m finding you can make crazy stupid money sourcing and selling high end, rare luxury items, and Tino, well, Tino is the best and most committed baby daddy out of the three of us. We all love our little girl more than life itself, but Tino is the one who never seems to get bored with caring for her. He wants more kids; he told me one night when we were sharing a smoke and some beers. Lucy was with Nataniele, and Dom had taken Mackenzie out for a date night, just the two of them. Once a month, one of us gets a night out with her. Not sex, just a date somewhere. And he’d taken her to watch a movie. Tino and I had kicked back, and we got a bit extra chilled, what with the beers, the smoke, and the snacks. He told me he wanted more babies with Mackenzie, and he’d love to have a son.

I’d like more kids, too, but maybe not as fast as Tino is thinking.

I’m grateful when I’m back in the driver’s seat, and not standing outside with the woods all around us, with the only sound the wind and the occasional screech of an owl. I shudder and start the engine.

Driving down to the markets is easy. There is snow, but we’re prepared. There are blankets, snacks, and water in the trunk, in case we need them. Nataniele did all that. Not for us, no, for his precious daughter-in-law. He’s almost as protective over ourkuklathese days as he is his granddaughter. Maybe because she’s given him his first grandchild or perhaps because she reminds him of her mother so much.

When we reach the market town, Mackenzie leans forward, her eyes wide, and claps her hands in glee.

“Oh, my word, it’s so pretty. Look at it.” She swivels to look at me, Tino, and Dom in turn. “Lookat it,” she demands.

“Yeah, it’s cute,” Dom says.

She sighs. “You’re all so unromantic. This is beautiful. Oh, wow, the stalls, the decorations, and the lights. The town is gorgeous too.”

She’s not wrong, itisgorgeous. A bout of melancholy hits me as I recall Christmases back home in Russia, but I shake it off. I’m here with my new family, the one I chose, and that’s enough for me.

“Oh, look, reindeer,” she giggles. “I need a photo with them. And a sleigh.”

“At this rate, you’re going to tell us you want to sit on Santa’s lap,” Dom scoffs.

The asshole is still an asshole, but somehow our Duchess loves it about him, and instead of trying to murder him in his sleep every night, she just sends him soft smiles when he’s sarcastic.

“She can sit on my lap,” Tino says. “I’ll pretend to be Santa for you, Kenzie.”

---