Page 42 of Surrogate for the Bratva
“And the rest?”
It was my turn to sigh. “I haven’t been sleeping well for the past week or so because of the nightmares.”
“Nightmares?” her eyes widened and she leaned in. “What the fuck is going on around here?”
I inhaled deeply and when I exhaled, the story of the shooting rushed out with it. “And I haven’t been sleeping well, unless Igor is in bed with me which is ridiculous because we aren’t a couple. I’m an employee which means I’m sleeping with my boss.”
“Then keep him in your bed if that’s what helps you sleep. There’s a baby growing inside of you, siphoning your energy and your nutrients which means you need to double up on all of it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I shot back. “We’re not sharing a bed like that. He comes to my room for sex and that’s when he stays the night. Otherwise I don’t really see him except for the occasional dinner.” And I refused to admit just how much I looked forward to those dinners, to those nights when Igor knocked on my door and spent the night ravishing me, making me feel like something other than tired and haggard.
“Sounds like a relationship to me.”
“It’s not,” I answered quickly.
“Um, excuse me?” Kelsie held up a finger. “You live together.” Another finger. “And you sleep together.” Another finger shot up. “And you share meals together when you can. Yep, that’s a relationship.”
“Yeah, a professional relationship that includes the occasional night of sex.”
“Ofincrediblesex,” she corrected me with a knowing grin. “Hey, your words not mine.”
“And?”
Her expression was far more sympathetic when she leveled me with a gaze. “Honey, men don’t give incredible dick to just any woman. They save that shit for women who matter, so they can unleash the freaky demon within which I’m guessing he has.”
I don’t deny or confirm her unasked question.
“That’s what I thought. Lie to yourself if you want to but I can already see it. You’re falling for him.”
I shook my head. “Even if I am, that’s ameproblem. Igor has enough to worry about and he’s not looking for that. Keeping me and therefore his baby alive is his top priority. The rest is just chemistry.”
“Bullshit,” she said through a fake cough. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to be honest about it.”
“You first,” I shot back, one brow arched, daring her to deny nothing was going on with my brother. “Just what I thought.”
Kelsie’s face flamed bright red. “What’s a girl gotta do to get a margarita around here,” she asked loudly to no one in particular.
I stood and pushed away from the table. “I’ll get you a margarita and when I come back, maybe you’ll be ready to be honest about it,” I offered, tossing her words back at her.
“Well that bit me in the ass a lot quicker than I expected,” she shouted to my retreating back, pulling another laugh from deep in my belly.
This night with Kelsie was just what I needed. I could get through the rest of this pregnancy without losing my head or my heart to Igor.
I hoped.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Igor
It wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop on April’s conversation with her friend but I’m not sorry I did. She was reluctant to share much of anything with me which meant I never had a fucking clue what was going on in that pretty head of hers, and now I knew.
Perhaps too much, but it was better to have too much information than not enough. I’d rushed from my hidden spot when she stood and fetched a drink for her friend and let her words play on a continuous loop for the next hour and a half. Could it be true what her friend had suggested, that she had feelings for me? If so, it should make it much easier to get her to agree to stay on and take care of my child since Maria was no longer an option.
But the thought of hiding away a woman as bright and lively as April seemed wrong, which was saying a lot since I operated in a morally gray world where just about anything could be justified. The truth was that I needed April more than ever. She had proven herself to be trustworthy, which meant a great deal to me considering there was likely a mole inside my organization.
Trust was in short supply and the woman who carried my child had earned it quickly. I would put off the question of whether or not she wanted to be a full-time and very well paid caregiver to my child for now. There was a more pressing matter to discuss which directly impacted the baby she carried. She was on my mind when I left my office in favor of my bedroom, all throughout the hot shower I used to forget about her and even asI slipped into a pair of silk pajama pants, ready to crawl into bed and dream about her.
But Maxim’s text to let me know he was taking Kelsie home gave me the perfect excuse to do what I wanted to do.
