AllFreeNovel
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He takes a sharp turn, but the SUV does too, coasting a couple of cars behind us now.
“Oh that means you’ll start first grade next year!” he exclaims. “Are you excited about that?”
She perks up, talking a mile a minute. “Oh yes, I love school. I like my teachers and my friends. We color and learn about spelling and the moon cycles. My class has a gerbil named Petals and…”
I tune out my daughter, choosing to stare at the window at the car who’s now one car behind us. Tomas makes another turn, going the wrong way on a one-way street. Thankfully Ani is so busy telling him about how we got Petals for two weekends in a row that she doesn’t even notice.
“Carly was sick, so she had to stay out of school, and I jumped on that and offered to take her place. Nonna let me bring Petals home again and it was awesome!” she shrieks. I cringe at the shrillness, but he laughs.
“You’re a smart girl,zayka.Maybe I can talk your Dad into getting you a gerbil—or better yet, a kitten—so you can have your own pet.”
The car is right behind us now, and the hammering of my heart in my ribcage is making me want to puke. He turns into a parking lot, driving behind a gas station and out the other side, narrowly missing getting T-Boned by another car. Turning onto another street, he takes an exit for a highway. The black car is gone.
I take his hand on the center console and peer up into his dark eyes, barely holding back my own tears.
Thank you,I mouth to him over Ani’s chattering.
You’re welcome,he mouths back.
Eight
Tomas
I keep a sharp eye as we make our way to the cabin. I took us onto the wrong highway to lose our tail, so by the time I corrected our coursezaykawas already fast asleep.Noel breaks the silence, with a random question.
“How did you know my last name?”
“I researched you the night I took you, after you fell asleep. It wasn’t hard.”
He nods, then hits me with another obvious question.
“How did you know she loves rabbits?” He meets my eye for a second before I look back onto the road.
“There was a stuffed rabbit on the couch when I walked in, and I took a wild guess. The fact that little rabbit, or bunny, is a Russian endearment for kids is a happy coincidence.” I smile at him, but his frown seems to be a permanent fixture on his beautiful face.
“How do you even know how to talk to children?” he asks, his tone accusatory. “You’re a hitman.” He crosses his arms and pouts.
“While you were packing and getting Ani ready, I researched how to meet your boyfriend’s kids. I told you, you’re mine. That means she is, too. You’re a package deal, and I want to be the best man I can be for both of you.”
The pout falls from his face, replaced by confusion and a slight anger I don’t understand. He’s silent for a few moments.
“This isn’t grade school, Tomas. You can’t just lick me and say I’m yours. You can’t just take a man and his child into the dangerous web of your life and expect it to be that easy, or for me to be okay with it.”
His words lack conviction, and I smile again. Noel may not want to admit it, but he wants me–craves me–just as badly as I need him. He just won’t come to terms with it yet, because it’s not the direction he anticipated for his life.
I squeeze his hand harder, to emphasize my point. “Listen,malysh, because I’m only saying this once. You’re both mine to protect. Mine to love. Mine to spoil. That’s how it is now and that’s how it will always be. When this is over, you’ll both move into my place in the city, where it’s safer. Ani will go to a better school, and she’ll have a family—us.”
“And what about my bakery? What about the Christmas Cookie Crumble-thon I’m supposed to compete in next week? I have my own life, my dreams. I’m not letting some hot guy come in and ruin everything I’ve worked for.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see his pout is back. Those soft, pink lips shouldn’t be pursed like that. They should be stretched around my cock or pressed against my own lips. He glares at me, waiting for my response.
“I told you, you’re mine. That means your hopes and dreams are, too. I’ll never keep you from doing what you want to do. As for the competition, I’ll try my hardest to resolve this in time, but I cannot make you a promise about it. You and Ani’s safety will always come first.”
His face and posture soften, and a small, cautious smile blooms across his face.
“Thank you, Tomas.”
The sound of my name on his lips stokes the ever-burning fire I hold for him.
