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“Liam?” Arianna steps into the room. “Oh my god, what happened?”
I frown at her. “You know him?”
“Of course. He’s Blake Baron’s brother. We’ve been at a number of the same events over the years.” She pins him with a worried expression. “What happened?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” I mumble.
Silence weighs heavily in the room. The tension’s palpable.
Liam breaks first. He downs the glass of vodka in one swallow and sputters a cough, clearly not use to straight liquor. “I’m so sorry, Maks, I shouldn’t have gone there with that man. When you told me you didn’t love me, I… I did something stupid. I’m sorry.”
What did he just say? When Maks told him?—
I freeze, my muscles rigid. I feel like I’m intruding on a very private conversation. Awkwardly, I clear my throat and refill Liam’s glass. The kid looks like he could use it.
With a nod of gratitude, he downs that glass too and I fill it for a third time.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Maks says to him. Turning, he gazes at me. “We’ve been seeing each other for the last few months.”
“At Leonidas?” Arianna asks, and Maks nods.
Well, that explains that. I guess.
Maks sighs, burying his head in his hands. “I thought we were being discreet. I’m a fucking Bratva enforcer, and being with a man like me could put a huge target on Liam’s back. He’s a fucking billionaire heir, and I’m… from the wrong side of the tracks. It’s a mess. There’s no way it can work.”
Liam flinches. His expression wounded.
My gaze flits to Arianna. She’s technically a mafia princess, but sometimes I feel like we’re from two completely different worlds.
“So,” I say, glancing at the two men. “I’m guessing you came to Liam’s rescue, and that you’re not the one who did that to his face.”
Arianna gasps like I’m way out of line for even asking that question. Maybe I am.
Maks shoots me a glare. “What? Fuck no. I’d never hurt—” He cuts himself off and I know why. He was going to say he’d never hurt Liam, but he already did. He tried to break up with him. Told him he’d never love him.
While I’ve ignored all the previous signals to leave the room, I decide this is my cue to give them some privacy. Grabbing Arianna’s arm, I lead her away from them. Maks and Liam immediately start whispering on the sofa.
She spins into me in the hallway. “Did you know Maks is gay?”
“I’ve had my suspicions. It’s not exactly something a man in our line of work admits to willingly.” If his secret reached the wrong ears that could spell trouble for all of us.
“What are you going to do?” She studies me. “You’re not going to hurt Maks because of who he is, are you?”
My gaze sharpens and I back her into the wall. “You still think I’m a monster, don’t you?” The question’s rhetorical. “No, I’m not going to do anything to either of them. I don’t give a fuck who they love or want to screw.” I brush my lips across hers. “And if anyone dares to paint a target on Maks’s back, you know I’ll fucking kill them.”
Maks is family. All of the brotherhood is family, but Maks is even more so. We’ve been through so much together.
With a sigh, she melts into me. Pressing her mouth against mine, she drags my lower lip between her teeth, playfully biting down, and I moan. I fucking love it when she gets feisty. I slip my tongue into her mouth, tasting her, demanding more.
I’m about to lift her up and fuck her against the wall, when Maks enters the hallway.
The corners of his mouth twitch. “Get a fucking room, you two.” Then his amused expression drops. “I’m taking Liam home, but I just want to be clear on one thing. All of this stays between us. No one else can know. Ever. Okay?”
I meet his gaze. “You have my word.”
“Of course.” Arianna nods.
“Good. I’ll see you later.”
