Page 93 of Sergei
“Sergei! She’s already had a snack,” Alina fussed from the living room. “She doesn’t need ice cream!”
I looked over to my daughter, and she looked at me. We could pretend all we wanted, but we both knew exactly how this was going to go.
“She’s clearly starving, babe,” I called back. “She’s literally wasting away before my eyes.”
Evie gave me a cheeky smile as she repeated, “I starbin’, Mama!”
“You are no such thing.”
“Uh-huh,” she argued
“We’ll just get a little.” I carried her over to the fridge and grabbed the tub of ice cream. “Not enough to matter either way.”
“Sergei!” Alina warned with a mix of exasperation and laughter. “You’re spoiling her!”
“It’s my job to spoil her.”
I gave Evie a wink, then put a few scoops of ice cream into a cup. I returned the ice cream to the freezer and grabbed a couple of spoons before heading over to the sofa. Alina glared at me as I sat down with our sweet girl and started feeding her the ice cream.
“Your momma’s mad at me.”
“Because your father doesn’t listen.” Alina ran her hand over her ever-so-pregnant belly and grumbled, “He’s going to turn you into a little monster if he keeps giving you every little thing you want.”
Evie shook her head, and with her mouth full of ice cream, she fussed, “I'm not a mom-ster.”
“No, not yet.” Alina let out an exasperated breath. “Are you planning on spoiling our son like you spoil her?”
“I wouldn’t say I was planning on it, but it’s definitely a possibility.” I turned Evie to face her mother as I told her, “I can’t help it that we make such cute kids. Hell, how am I supposed to say no to those dimples?”
“You run two casinos, boss people around all day, bark orders, and crawl all over anyone who doesn’t do exactly what you say. And you’re going to tell me that a couple of dimples is all it takes to turn you into a pushover?”
“Well, that and her momma’s eyes.”
“Oh, good grief.”
“It’s true. There’s only so much a man can take.”
Alina let out a groan, but she didn’t continue scolding me. I considered that a victory and kept feeding our daughter her icecream. Once she was done, Alina got up and extended her hands to Evie. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed.”
Evie didn’t protest. Instead, she reached out to her mother and melted into her arms. Our girl loved her mother, and that made me love her even more. “Good night, Evie girl.”
“Night, Daddy.”
Damn. She could say it a million times, and hearing her call me daddy would still make my chest tight. Alina carried her into the nursery and got her ready for bed, and I used the time to tie up a few loose ends at work.
When I was done, I went to the bedroom and changed out of my clothes before crawling into bed. I hadn’t been there long when Alina walked in. She stepped into the closet and came out in her nightgown.
Without speaking or even looking in my direction, she walked over and slipped into bed. After a little maneuvering, she nestled up against me with her back pressed to my chest like she hadn’t just spent the last half-hour pretending to be mad at me. I slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her even closer, then slipped my hand inside the collar of her nightgown, holding her breast.
She immediately glanced over my shoulder and muttered, “Don’t even think about it.”
“What?”
“I’m still mad at you.”
She might’ve been a little perturbed, but she wasn’t mad. Not really. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have curled up against me like she did whenever she needed to feel close. I leaned down just enough to kiss that spot just below her hairline, then let my hand drift over her beautifully round stomach.
She tensed, like she was considering stopping me, but she didn’t. My fingers slipped lower, and I felt the exact moment her breath caught. “Sergei.”
