Page 101 of Lord of Justice

"Your information about the Pregabalin lawsuit is incorrect," Andrey says, losing interest andwalking away.

Tania's struggling to control her amusement. "Not that his softer intentions extend to anyone else."

"No, they do not," I agree. "How tempted were you to find out the sexes of the twins before they were born?"

"I wouldn't have minded knowing," she says, "but it wasn't important. Yuri, of course, was too busy strutting around, thrilled with having knocked me up with twins to have an opinion."

"You did break it to him that the father's genes have no part in that?" Can I laugh? Would that be rude to my lovely father-in-law?

Tania smothers a laugh. "He didn't care. It is nice to know you're having boys, too, though. I have a lot of Andrey and Nikandr's things that I'd love to share."

The thought of our babies wearing something their father and uncle did makes me weak in the knees. "Do you have any little suits?"

She takes a sip of champagne, winking at me over the glass. "Suits and tuxedos."

"Stop it!" I barely hold back a squeal.

Andrey is back with my truffles and a fresh glass of sparkling water. "You realize, darling, that it's too late to run from me, no matter how terriblethe stories are that my mother might be sharing?"

She gasps dramatically. "I've said nothing to Iris other than what a lovely, delightful,wonderfulson you are."

"Hmm." He doesn't look convinced.

Uncle Maksim and Yuri are standing in front of the enormous bank of windows in the great room, and we all gather closer, Andrey's hand warm on the small of my back.

"This has been - even in the blood-soaked annals of Morozov history - a memorable year," Uncle Maksim says. I smother a chuckle. Only in this family does a warm holiday toast begin with references to excessive gore.

"We have toppled dynasties." Uncle Maksim is handsome in that remote, terrifying way that my husband is. But while I know he's devoted to Auntie Ella, he's not a man I could ever imagine being comfortable with for any extended period of time. "We have created new ones." He nods at Andrey, alluding to his new role as a Justice. "This family has cleared an incalculable amount of human filth from the planet."

Yep, super sentimental holiday speech.

Now, his eyes glitter like the sun on a glacier. "And collected billions more while doing it."

There's a robust round of applause because this family digs its death, violence, and money.

Yuri then raises his glass. "However, as we make our toast, we drink to, what in the end, is the only thing that truly matters. The Morozov family. To unbreakable bonds, to new life." He nods and smiles kindly at Violet and me. "To new adventures. To the family. First, and always."

"To the family! First, and always!" The room is huge, but it's crowded and the chorus of voices make the chandeliers shake.

Andrey…

It's close to midnight when I bring my wife home. She's dozing with her head on my shoulder and I wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer.

Iris was adamant that she would look terrible as the pregnancy progressed, warning me in a grim tone that women in her family do not "do" pretty pregnancies.

She's wrong. Watching her stomach grow has made me half-insane with need and protectiveness. My wife glows, her skin and eyes brighter, and she laughs even more, warming even my withered shell of a soul.

I'm constantly hard around her, and it's infuriating.Fortunately, her sex drive has done nothing but increase with each month. I never knew how erotic it could be to look up from case work and see her leaning against the door, eyeing me as hungrily as I do her. My hands are on her almost constantly, steadying her, stroking over her skin, feeling the heavy weight of her breasts. She sleeps on my chest now, commandeering me as her personal pillow and I'll stroke her hair for hours, still filled with a grinding fear about how close I came to losing her.

As Trofim turns into our private parking level, I look down to see her eyes open, watching me. "You're so handsome, do you know that?" She yawns a little, eyes shining.

"Ordinarily, I'd say that you were drunk." I run my knuckles down her cheek, marveling at her silky skin. "You're sober, so this must be pregnancy hormones."

"Nope, this is just me knowing I bagged me a hot one."

I'm surprised into a laugh. "And here I thought you would go into one of your sweet, 'I love you so much,' moments."

"I'm too busy objectifying you tonight," she says haughtily