Page 32 of Surprise Quadruplets for the Mob

I already know the answer to that question.

He might be dangerous. He might be in the mafia. He might even be a murderer, even though he insists he wasn’t the one who killed Booker.

But he’s also a father. A son. A friend. A kindhearted man who has donated a hell of a lot of money to a cause that’s nearand dear to my heart. Are all of those good qualities enough to overcome the bad ones?

Do I trust him enough to be a father—a real, present, engaged father—to our four babies?

“Yes,” I gasp, not sure if I’m answering myself or just lost in my own fantasy. My eyes fly open and my fingers work furiously between my legs, slipping in and out of me so quickly that my hips buck as if they have a mind of their own. “Oh God, yes. Maks.”

I’m not ready for this high to end, not ready to leave this warm water, so I keep my fingers moving. In and out, in and out, faster and faster. I bite my lip, trying not to cry out and alert anyone else in the house to my activities.

“Oh, oh God!” I can’t help it. This orgasm is intense, and it washes over me, making me gasp and shake. My legs are weak, so I lean against the wall for support as the tremors begin to fade.

After quickly soaping myself off, I finally turn off the water and step out of the shower, grabbing the nearest towel. My limbs are still shaky, but there’s a smile on my face that wasn’t there before.

It’s been a while since I’ve done that, since I’ve let myself have that kind of release. Now I need to go back to reality.

When I come out of the bathroom, the babies are awake. They’re not crying, which is a small blessing, but they’re making the sounds that usually precede wailing. It’s almost as if they can sense my absence, and it tugs at my heartstrings.

I scoop them up, one by one, and cuddle them in my arms for a few minutes before moving to the next.

“I’m here, I’m here,” I whisper, stroking their tiny heads and holding them close.

As soon as they feel the warmth of my body against theirs, their cries subside, and they snuggle closer.

“I’m here, little ones,” I murmur again, my voice soft and reassuring. “Mama’s here.”

It’s sometimes amazing to me how quickly I transformed from a young woman who wasn’t anywhere near ready to have kids, to Mama.

That’s who I am now. These babies are a part of me. They’re a part of us.

I’ll protect them with everything I have.

***

My cheeks flush when Maksim steps inside my room a little while later. I’m sitting in a chair by the window, and I’ve just finished feeding the babies. I know he has no idea what I might’ve been thinking or fantasizing about in the shower this morning, but I can still feel a warm tingle between my legs when his green eyes lock onto mine.

“Do you have a minute?” he asks, keeping his voice low as he looks over to the cribs against the wall. “Are they sleeping?”

I smile. “Your timing is impeccable, as usual. Their little bellies are full and I think they’ve all settled down for a nap. Why? What’s the matter?” I can tell by his tone and the way he’s frowning that something must be wrong, and my mind automatically starts to wander to a million different bad scenarios, each worse than the one before. “Is Maggie okay?”

“Your sister is fine.” He pauses to clear his throat and walks over to sit in the chair across from me. “I’m going to tell you something, but I need you to stay calm. Don’t freak out on me, okay?”

This isn’t helping my anxiety at all. My eyes grow wide and my heart is racing as I imagine the worst. “What happened? Oh God, did somebody else get hurt? Was there an accident?”

“No, no,” he says, shaking his head. “Everyone is safe. Your sister is fine. Her babies are fine. But,” he pauses again and takes a deep breath, “Maggie’s office was vandalized last night.”

“What?” My hand flies to my mouth as I gasp in shock. “Oh my God, why? Was it a robbery?”

He shakes his head. Even though he told me to stay calm, there’s no way I can miss the way his teeth are clenched or the fact that his hands have balled into fists on the armrests of his chair. “The building was empty, thank fuck. Whoever it was broke into the building, destroyed a bunch of furniture and computers, and stole some files.”

“Are the police investigating?” My mind is racing with questions and I’m not even sure which ones to ask first. “Can they trace who did it? Are there any suspects?”

“The police are doing their thing, but we have our own investigators looking into it,” he replies, his tone grim.

I’m trying to make sense of a senseless situation, and he isn’t giving me a lot to work with. “I don’t understand. Who would rob us? We’re a charity. We help people.” I shake my head. “Do you think it has something to do with Booker?”

“Maybe.” Maksim rubs a hand over his face and sighs. “Nobody was hurt, so it’s hard to say what their reason was, but someone is clearly trying to send a message.”

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