Page 57 of Stalk Me

Erik’s lips twitch. “Twenty-three, actually.”

“I like her,” Alexi declares, sprawling back in his chair. “Can we keep her?”

“She’s not a stray puppy,” I growl, pulling Sofia closer to my side.

“No, I’m not,” she agrees, but there’s amusement in her voice. “I’m much harder to house train.”

Dmitri chokes on his drink while Alexi howls with laughter. Even Erik cracks a real smile.

“See? Perfect for the family,” Alexi says between chuckles. “Anyone who can make Nikolai squirm like that deserves a seat at the table.”

I’m about to object when Sofia squeezes my hand. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about me making a man uncomfortable.”

I guide Sofia to her seat, settling beside her at the head of the table. My brothers arrange themselves around us as servers bring out the first course.

“So, Dmitri,” Sofia leans forward slightly, “Nikolai mentioned you handle the legitimate business side. What drew you to finance?”

My hand squeezes her thigh under the table as Dmitri launches into a carefully edited version of his Harvard years. Her muscles tense briefly under my touch before relaxing.

“And Erik,” she turns to my quietest brother, “those medical texts in the library, are they yours?”

Erik’s eyebrows raise fractionally. Most people don’t notice details like that. “Yes. Field medicine from my military days.”

“Military?” She takes a sip of wine. “Which branch?”

“Spetsnaz,” he answers shortly, but I catch the hint of approval in his tone.

My thumb traces circles on her thigh as Alexi jumps in. “Ask me something interesting. These two are boring.”

Sofia laughs, the sound making my grip tighten possessively. “Alright. What’s the most impressive system you’ve ever hacked?”

“Now that’s a good question,” Alexi grins, launching into a sanitized version of his MIT exploits.

I watch her navigate my brothers with surprising skill, drawing out Erik’s rare smiles and managing Alexi’s chaos while matching Dmitri’s sharp wit. Her hand occasionally covers mine under the table, fingers intertwining as she listens intently to their stories.

“You’ve built something remarkable together,” she observes during a lull in conversation, looking around at my brothers. “The way you all complement each other’s strengths.”

“Nikolai built it,” Erik corrects quietly. “We just followed his lead.”

“Don’t let him fool you,” Dmitri adds. “He’s always been the strategist.”

I squeeze her thigh, warning as Alexi opens his mouth, likely to share something inappropriate. But Sofia just smiles, turning to catch my eye with a look that makes my blood heat.

“I’m beginning to understand that about him,” she says softly.

I watch Sofia at the dinner table, something unfamiliar tightening in my chest as she draws another rare smile from Erik. The way she handles my brothers is so careful but confident, sharp but warm, and it stirs feelings I’ve spent decades denying.

When she catches Alexi trying to deflect a question about his MIT days, her eyes sparkle with intelligence. She doesn’t press, but her slight head tilt tells me she’s pieced together more than she lets on. Smart girl.

“The way you all protect each other,” she says softly, her fingers still intertwined with mine under the table. “It’s beautiful.”

The word catches me off guard. Beautiful isn’t something associated with the Ivanov brothers. Dangerous, yes. Powerful, certainly. But her genuine appreciation of our bond strikes deeper than expected.

I watch as Alexi leans back in his chair, that familiar mischievous glint in his eye that usually precedes trouble.

“You know,” he says, swirling his whiskey, “I hacked Nikolai’s personal files the other day. Found this fascinating folder labeled ‘Gallery Surveillance.’ Never seen our big brother so... thorough in his research.”

Sofia stiffens beside me, but before I can silence him, Alexi continues.

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