Page 109 of Marked (Russian Sinners 1)

I looked out the window, noting it had started snowing again. Winters here always started too early and were bleak as fuck. Although now with Anastasia with me, I was looking forward to being locked up in the house. I didn’t even care that her dad and grandfather were still there. They made Anastasia happy and that was all that mattered to me.

She stirred in my arms. “Morskoy,” she murmured, never opening her eyes. “Are we almost home?”

“No, not yet. I’ll wake you up when we get home.”

Her hand crawled up my shirt and she placed her palm against my beating heart. She always reached for my sacred heart tattoo, right where my heart lay in my chest. It was appropriate since it belonged to her.

I could tell by her breathing she fell back into deep sleep.

“Did she just call you Morskoy?” Misha asked, amused.

“No.”

He chuckled but didn’t say another word.

When we finally got back home, I gently woke her up. Her eyes met my gaze and she smiled dreamily like she just woke up from a beautiful dream and I was the star of it.

Smiling, I lifted her out of the car with Misha right on my heels.

“Put me down, Dimitry.” She lightly smacked me on my bicep. “I want to walk. It helps in recovery.”

“I want to carry you everywhere.”

“But the sooner I recover, sooner we can have sex,” she said softly and Misha promptly started choking behind me.

Serves him right, he should give us some privacy instead of fussing around my woman.I thought smugly.

Realizing he was right behind us and heard her words, Anastasia blushed lightly.

“Ugh, Misha. Please pretend you didn’t hear that,” she muttered.

“With pleasure.” He coughed uncomfortably. “I’m going to check on security details.”

I put her carefully on her feet, and she held my hand as we slowly climbed each stair to the wrap around porch on the cabin. She tried hard to hide how much strength she lost but I felt with each step, her grip on my hand weakened.

“One more,” I encouraged. “You got this and I won’t let go.”

She smiled and pushed herself to get to that porch. As soon as we did, the wide double door opened. Her father and grandfather were there welcoming us.

“There is our girl,” her grandfather walked over slowly with a cane. “Welcome home, dear.”

“Thanks, Grandpa,” she replied, her voice breathless. “I might have to steal that cane of yours. Hi, Dad.”

“Hello, baby girl.” He kissed his daughter on the cheek. “I hope you don’t mind but Dimitry told us we can stay as long as we’d like. So we hoped to stay until you are fully recovered.”

Anastasia turned her head to me. “Is that okay, Dimitry?”

“Absolutely. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have offered. This is your home so all your family is welcome to any of our homes.”

“Thank you.” Her wide smile and sparkling eyes were the best payment. If she’d ask me to sign off all my assets and bank accounts while she smiled like that, I’d gladly do it. I was a total sucker for Anastasia Manciatti.

“We made dinner. Figured you were probably tired of hospital food,” her dad chimed in.

“Yes. Russian hospital food is no better than U.S. hospital food.”

I helped her into a chair and sat her down. Her grandfather sat beside her, leaving the other chair for me.

“We should make sure Misha and others have enough to eat too,” she announced.

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