Page 66 of Ruthless Bonds

“Because she’s my sister, and she’s been taking care of me my whole life. She deserves to be happy, and for some crazy reason, I think you can give that to her. I see how you two look at each other, and—there’s something there.”

I nodded, my thoughts running rampant. Caging my kitten wouldn’t make her love me, only resent me. Perhaps it would put her mind at ease if I showed her all the security protocols that kept me safe and alive, made her understand that I didn’t just survive by luck—I thrived through careful planning and calculated moves, always staying one step ahead of my enemies. I needed to show her that I wasn’t careless with my life, because I belonged to her now, just as much as she belonged to me. Because the truth was, I was never letting her go.

“Oh, and one more thing. If you ever hurt my sister, you’ll end up a lot worse than Dario.” She grinned like the little lunatic she apparently was.

I gave her a salute and then went to find Gavriil.We had some things to take care of and it needed to be done today.

Alora found me in my office a little while later. She rubbed her arm, pouting her lips. “I hope you’re happy now.”

I stood and walked around to her, leaning against my desk. “That you’ll be able to get pregnant now? Absolutely.”

Her cheeks turned slightly pink, and her gaze fell to my lips. “Do you know where Dove went? I can’t find her. I thought she might want to come with me and Bela to try on my dress.” Her eyes sparkled when she mentioned her wedding dress, another good sign.

“She’s in the conference room talking with a psychologist. One of the best in the state. I thought it might help Dove get her voice back.”

Alora’s mouth fell open, surprise written all over her face. “What made you do that?”

“Well, she’s going to be my sister-in-law soon, and I take care of my family. Plus, I know how important it is to you that she gets the right kind of help. I have the resources to help, so this is me doing that.”

She glanced down at the floor, biting her bottom lip. Her eyes found mine a moment later, and my breath hitched at the look on her face. She was happy. Truly happy. And I had caused that. I would make it my mission to make her look like that all the time.

“That’s really kind of you.” She wrung her hands together, as if trying to stop herself from latching on to me and giving me a hug. “Well, I guess I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Behave yourself.” I licked my lips slowly, lettingmy gaze travel up her body. “I’d hate to have to punish you again.”

She visibly swallowed, squeezing her thighs together. “OK, yeah, we don’t want that. Nope, not at all. Must behave.”

Grig chose that moment to show up at my open door. He cleared his throat, making Alora jump, and then she went to meet him. At the door, she glanced back at me, and I smirked.

For once, I hoped she didn’t heed my warning, because I would love nothing more than to see the imprint of my hand on her bare ass.

*** ***

I was deep in a meeting hours later when Alora returned from shopping with Bela. She was practically glowing when she came into my office. Her smile dropped when she saw Cheslav, Leonis, and Ezo sitting around the conference table.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were busy.” She hid the bag in her arms behind her back and began to retreat.

I held up my hand, beckoning her to me. “Nonsense,kotic. I always have time for you.”

“Pakhan, we really need to figure this out,” Leonis grumbled, his eyes darting from Alora to the maps of the dockyard on the table.

“Watch yourself,” I said, my smile never wavering.

His face reddened, and he leaned back, loosening his tie. He gave me a small nod, muttering an apology.

“Come.” I patted my thigh.

Her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink as she dropped her bags by the door and sat down on mylap. “I can come back,” she whispered into my ear.

I made a tisking noise, tucking her hair behind her ear. “How was shopping?” My hand slid lower, resting between her open thighs. Her breath hitched at the contact, and she squirmed.

“The dress is beautiful. Bela really knows her stuff.” She laughed, the sound making my heart thump harder in my chest. Her eyes darted to the maps, a curious expression on her face. “Are those maps of the docks?”

Leonis huffed, and I leveled him with a stony glare. It was important to me that Alora knew that I trusted her. And what better way to show her that than to let her in on some of my business dealings?

“It is. The police have heightened surveillance down there. I have about ten million in weapons that need to be moved within forty-eight hours. It’s creating a problem.”

“What happens if you can’t move the weapons?” she asked, leaning over the table and grabbing a stack of surveillance photos we’d obtained.

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