Page 84 of Disgraced (Russian Sinners 3)

“Although we got in trouble with Sergei’s older brothers,” Michail added dryly. “Those two are protective of him. And scary as shit when they want to be.”

I tilted my head, watching Sergei. It was odd to me that he rarely mentioned them.

“Yeah, usually older brothers are,” I commented. “How much older are they?”

“Dimitry is thirty-eight and Nikolai thirty-six,” Sergei answered.

“What about your siblings, Scarlett?” Michail asked out of nowhere and surprised me. During the last two weeks, he kept to neutral subjects. “You mentioned brothers, right?”

“Yes, I have three older brothers. Cillian, Brennan, and Liam,” I replied. “Cillian is the oldest and the most obnoxious. Brennan is next and he’s the most easy going. Liam is the rebel.” I smiled thinking about them. Although I hadn’t seen them often, I still loved them and missed them a lot.

“You and Liam must get along,” Michail retorted dryly.

I chuckled. “You are not still pouting about me kicking you in the sensitive area, are you?” The whole table chuckled, including Michail. “Besides, you have Brennan to thank for that. He taught me how to do it.”

“Remind me to thank him,” he replied, grimacing. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I bet they are protective of you,” Sonia chimed in.

“They are,” I told her. “Annoyingly so.”

“Are they married?” Sonia asked curiously.

I shook my head. “No. Our parents are quite devoted to each other. It probably ruined us all. I think every single one of them is looking for that kind of devotion.”

“Your parents’ marriage wasn’t arranged?” Sergei asked in surprise.

I shook my head. “My mom had a little bakery. One morning, Dad stopped to pick up a pastry and boom.” I rolled my eyes. “My mom always told me it took her exactly five minutes to realize he was the one.” I took a shaking breath. God, I missed them. I have been avoiding going home for years but I still missed them and loved them. “She still bakes all the time. She really enjoys it. For as long as I can remember, I swore she smelled like cinnamon.”

“Okay, now I want some cinnamon buns,” Michail announced laughing.

“Don’t look at me,” I joked back. “I can’t bake. And how do you even know about cinnamon buns? I thought that was more of an American pastry?”

“Every time we go to the States,” Sergei commented, “Michail whines like a baby to go get some cinnamon buns.”

I threw my head and laughed. “You better watch it. They go straight to your hips.”

“They are worth it,” he replied smiling.

“I’ll ask Mom to make you some next time,” I told him. “She makes killer cinnamon buns.”

“What’s your favorite, Scarlett?” Sergei asked.

“I guess carrot cake,” I thought for a second. “You know, not sure if I have a favorite. I like them all but I’m not crazy about cinnamon buns. How about you?”

“I’m not much into sweets,” he replied, frowning.

“That’s true,” Sonia added. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat a dessert.”

“But we shared that mint-” I cut myself off, feeling my cheeks heat up. “Why don’t you care for sweets?” I asked instead.

“My brothers and I grew up in an orphanage,” Sergei answered, his eyes on me. “When we were hungry, we stole from a bakery down the street. It happened frequently so I had enough pastry to last me a lifetime.”

I was surprised by his honesty and the information he shared. My hand reached out to him. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all in the past now,” he replied simply. His eyes watched me intently, and they burned with desire. My whole insides melted. I quickly pulled my hand back and looked away, scared I’d get burned if I stared at him for too long.

Just as we were finishing up dinner, Sergei’s phone buzzed. He shared a glance with Michail and both of them excused themselves.

I looked over at Sonia but it didn’t seem to alarm her. She caught my gaze and shrugged her one shoulder.

“They do that all the time,” she commented. “Just ignore it.”

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