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“No. No, please.”
I hear the cries of pain, and my eyes open to darkness. I reach out to touch her, but she has me rolled over and my arm up my back again. I’m not scared, but I do need my hand for work.
“Ley, my love,” I say softly, and she releases me.
I feel her move away, and I roll over toward her.
“No. Don’t touch me. I could’ve hurt you,” she cries, and I take her into my arms, ignoring her.
“No, you wouldn’t have.” I assure her. I know she would have stopped. She easily came out of the nightmare as soon as she heard me say her name.
I lie back with her in my arms and her back to my chest.
“There is so much you don’t know about me. I’m scarred inside and out.”
“I’m here for you, love.” I kiss her on the head and then hold her while we fall back to sleep.
* * *
“Oh my goodness.” I come awake to a voice I don’t recognize. It’s heavily accented, and I look over my shoulder, shielding Ley’s body. I see a woman with white hair standing in the doorway. “Okay, I’ll start tea,” she says, and chuckles as she closes the door behind her.
“Please tell me my babushka didn’t just find us in bed together.” Ley sighs, and I can’t stop my full-belly laugh.
“Can’t lie to you, love. Yep, she did.”
“Fuck.”
“I heard that, Ridley Angeline Andreason. You are not too big for me to soap up that mouth,” her grandmother yells from the kitchen.
“Yes, Babushka. I love you. Don’t forget I’m your favorite,” Ley shouts back, trying to suck up, and my laugh gets louder.
“What’s so funny, you baboon?” A pillow hits me in the chest, and I knife up and have her flat on her back before she can get away from me. “How did you do that?” She’s smiling up at me. I’m glad to see the darkness she had a few hours ago gone.
“I was a cage fighter for a few years.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Want me to fight you, love?” I lean down to kiss her.
“I’m still out here,” her grandmother says, and we both laugh.
After dressing, I take her hand and lead her out of the bedroom. We can’t hide what we are from her babushka, and I’m not sure I could do that now. The other night was so hard. I suspect that Gray is wondering about us. Ryan already knows.
“Privet, Babushka. YA tebya lyublyu,” Ley says when she steps up to the woman and kisses her on the cheek.
I move to the other side of the bar, hoping I don’t have to worry about this woman hating me too. I heard about her reaction to my sister when she pretty much caught Rika and Gray together.
“Oh, excuse me. I told her, ‘Hello, Grandma. I love you,’” Ley translates for me. “Babushka, this is Leif. He’s—” She stops, not sure how to explain me, and I move around the bar to take her babushka’s hand before I pull Ley into my other arm.
“I’m her boyfriend. But we are keeping it on the down-low.” I smirk at her, and the old woman smiles at me wide.
“You are a flirt. No wonder my malysh cares for you.” She shakes my hand. “Call me Yalena. You must be the lovely Erika’s brother.”
I pull my top lip into my mouth and try not to contradict what she’s saying. “I am.”
We settle down and have tea, coffee, and breakfast while getting to know each other. Yalena loves Ley very much, and I’m glad they are trying to work things out. I decide to leave them to talk and head home, where I can shower and take care of DaVinci before I head into the parlor for the day.
Ten
