Page 79 of Flawless

Squinting and looking down at the floor, I can tell she’s searching her memory.

“Um, I think I was upset about it at first, but I remember that I prayed, showered, and went into the kitchen and cooked.”

“Was that the night that you made the spinach ravioli, salad, and homemade garlic bread?”

“Yep,” she says, popping her “p” at the end.

“Good for you. And then what did you do?” I ask, pressing my forehead against hers again.

“Then I went outside and meditated. And eventually, it washed off me.”

“Good girl,” I say in a low rumbly voice.

Her smile shoots me straight in the groin, and I have every urge to skip the beach and take her to my bed.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she says softly.

“You do?”

“Mm-hmm. But we have been doing so good. We’re not about to break it now.”

“Fuck,” I grumble.

Dani pulls away from me and says, “Another cold shower for you tonight. In the meantime, your daughter and her friends are waiting for us to join them for the fireworks show.”

I roll my eyes, but I let Dani tug my hand, leading me from the kitchen, out of the cottage, and down to the public part of the beach.

***

“She looks so happy, Zenon.”

“She does,” I say, watching my daughter with her new friends. “She never has difficulty forming friendships. I love that about her.”

“Yeah, most girls her age are all about themselves, but Zee Zee is very selfless and concerned about others. Especially considering that she’s an only child who travels the world.”

“We try to keep her grounded as much as possible.”

“What does her mother do for a living?”

“She doesn’t do anything to earn a living. She’s a spoiled mafia princess who enjoys traveling the world, spending a fortune, and partying with her friends.”

“Mafia?”

“Yeah. Russian Mafia. The Volkovs.”

Dani’s eyebrows lift. “I’ve heard of them.”

“They’re very protective of family, and Larisa’s father is even more protective of Zee. He’d kill himself before he allowed anything to happen to her.”

“How old is Larisa?”

“Thirty-four.”

“And she does all of that traveling and partying with a daughter in tow?”

“She travels and shops with Zee Zee a lot. The partying comes in whenever I have Zee Zee with me or if she’s with either set of her grandparents.”

“How can she possibly keep her grounded with the lifestyle she lives? I mean, that’s one of the reasons that I haven’t considered having children. I know that they don’t need to be corrupted by the life that I’ve led.”

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