Page 115 of Stolen By The Bratva King

“Leon!”

He runs into his arms, and Leon picks him up, tipping him upside down and making him burst into peals of manic laughter.

“I wouldn’t,” I say, going to my husband’s side and kissing his cheek. “That kid has eaten his weight in sugar.”

“The last thing he needs is Lucky Charms,” Dad says. “He’s already fortunate enough!”

Leon catches my eye and smiles. We know how fortunate Desi is, and not just in card games.

Desi is special to us both, but he and Leon have something unique between them, an unspoken bond.

At seven years old, this little boy went to Hell and came back with his head held high. Leon knows how he feels; although Desi doesn’t understand that part, he feels seen by him, just as I do.

Leon swings Desi up into his arms so he can speak quietly in his ear. “Sakrij te karte, mali,” he says. “You remember what that is in English?”

I love that they are learning each other’s languages. I’m learning, too, but they’re leaving me in the dust.

Desi leans close, cupping his hand around his mouth. “Hide those cards.”

“Attaboy. Go, carry on ruiningdedaAlec’s day while I talk to Emery.”

Desi skips back to his seat as Leon leads me out of the room, and I wait until we’re out of earshot before giving him a gentle punch.

“You gave Desi a second deck, didn’t you?” I say. “I should have guessed. Poor kid is gonna be a hardened criminal before his next birthday.”

Leon rubs his chest and laughs. “Ow,val’kiriya.Can you stop abusing me long enough for me to tell you how it went?”

I kiss him, and in the moment when his lips meet mine, I don’t care what he has to say.

Three days have passed since he saved me, and we’ve barely had a minute to ourselves. Leon insists his injuries are okay, but he hasn’t tried to be intimate with me; we’ve slept heavily in each other’s arms, but that’s all.

I want him, but he doesn’t seem to wantme, and I don’t know what to do about it.

“Are you in trouble?” I ask, breaking away.

He wraps his hands around my waist and pulls me to him, not minding that I’m pressed against his tender chest.

“Not really,” he says. “They were pissed that I’d sunk The Cobra, and I’m out of pocket to get the mess cleaned up, but I’d have done that anyway. They were fucking astonished when I told them about Reggiani and Dante, though—a lot of those old fuckers remember my parent’s murders, so when I gave them the whole story, they backed off.”

My hands delve into his hair, the scent of his skin beneath his loosened collar drawing me closer until my cheek is pressed against his collarbone. I feel myself quicken, my body calling to his.

“You’re in the clear?” I ask. “That’s amazing. What’s next?”

“A few administrative things need my attention,” Leon murmurs into my hair. “But I needyourattention,moya zhena. Being so close but not fucking you has been a nightmare. Please, don’t torture me anymore.”

I look at him in shock. “I thought you didn’t want me,” I say. “You were hurt, and I didn’t want to push anything, but you seemed…distant, too, like something had changed between us.”

For a split second, Leon looks heartbroken. Then he moves me until my back is pressed against the wall, his kisses hot and desperate as his hands roam over my curves.

“You went through a terrible ordeal, Emery.” He breaks away, his dark eyes locked on mine. “I let someone steal you from me, and I stole you back, but that doesn’t make you my property.

“I won’t take anything from you unless you’re sure you want to give it, but God fucking damn,” he pauses to kiss me hard again, “you’d better be sure. Because I’m so desperate to be inside you that it’s bordering on pathetic.”

His words wash over me, washing away the last vestiges of my self-doubt.

Nothing has changed. My husband wants, needs, and loves me, and I can ask for nothing more.

“I’m sure.”

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