Page 69 of Born into Blood

“I would never ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, kisa. Just be careful.”

I turn to him at the top of the stairs. “What do you mean? Be careful about what?”

He brushes back a strand of my hair, letting his fingers linger on my skin. “If anyone hits on you, I will do something about it. If they look at you in a way that I don’t like, kisa,” he says, leaning even closer, “then I will do something about it. Creating distance between you and the men who are a part of my world not only protects you, but it also protects them. It helps them to not do anything stupid.”

I hadn’t thought of it like that, and the last thing I want is to create problems or get someone in trouble, but I’m also not going to not say hi to someone that I already know. “Okay,” I tell Luka. “I’ll be careful, but Marco’s always been nice to me, and I can’t be rude to him. I won’t go out of my way to get on friendly terms with the other guards, though.”

Luka smiles. “Thank you. Dominic wouldn’t be too happy with me if I had to kill one of his men.”

“Please don’t kill anyone,” I whisper, and then I can’t help but arch a brow and ask, “Have you ever killed anyone?”

It’s impossible for me to picture this sweet man killing anyone, but when he just laughs and kisses my forehead before grabbing my hand again, I can’t help but wonder if I’m wrong. I’ll never be able to see him as a killer. To me, he’ll always be the man I love, the one who holds me as I fall asleep, the one who fits my body so perfectly and gives me more pleasure than I ever thought possible, and the man who loves me and makes me feel safe. He’ll never be a criminal in my eyes, no matter what.

When we get to the door, he cups my face and kisses me slowly, not letting me go until I’m moaning against his lips and pulling him closer for more.

“I’ll be here the whole time, so text me if you need me.”

“I’ll be fine,” I tell him. “You can leave if you need to.”

“That’s not going to happen.” He gives my ass a pat. “Come find me when you’re done.”

“I will,” I promise him.

He opens the door for me, and I quickly walk over to help Gabby get everything set up. Luka and I are cutting it close, and the players should be arriving any second.

“I'm sorry I’m late,” I say, grabbing a few glasses and setting them down on the bar.

Gabby grins and looks over at Luka. He’s talking to Alessandro, but every few seconds his eyes drift over to me, constantly checking to make sure I’m okay.

“I’d be late too if I was showing up with him,” Gabby whispers with a soft laugh. “Jesus, you are one lucky girl.”

It’s impossible to hide my smile, and when Luka sees it, he lifts a brow at me, clearly wondering what the hell Gabby just whispered to me. As soon as we have the bottles of liquor lined up, the men start arriving. I’m not sure if they know who Luka is, but they all eye him as they take their seats. Right before I start fixing drinks, he turns to leave. He laughs at something Alessandro says and then looks over to give me a wink before leaving and closing the door behind him. As soon as he’s gone, Alessandro blocks the only exit, his face morphing into an unreadable, hard mask.

There are ten players tonight, and a few new faces I’ve never seen before. One by one, the men call out what they’ll be drinking tonight, and I do a few mental gymnastics to make sure I’ve got my five memorized. Gabby and I quickly make everyone a first round, and then everything turns serious when Franco grabs the brand-new deck of cards and starts shuffling.

It’s a long six hours, and relief washes over me when Gabby’s Dry Martini finally wins the enormous pot. My feet are killing me, and I feel terrible that Luka’s been stuck here waiting for so long. After we collect our tips and get the area cleaned up, we follow Alessandro down the stairs. I say a quick goodbye to Gabby and then look around the crowded club for Luka. I’m just about to text him when I hear a sharp whistle. When I whip my head around, I see his gorgeous face watching me. He’s leaning against the door to Dominic’s office with a big smile on his face. Giving me a wink, he beckons me over, and as soon as I’m close enough, he pulls me against him and kisses me like he hasn’t seen me in days instead of hours.

“Damn,” I whisper when he finally lets me go.

“I missed you, kisa.”

“I’m sorry it took so long.”

He smiles and kisses me again. “You’re worth the wait.”

“Oh my god, you must be Lara.”

I turn at the unfamiliar, feminine voice to see a beautiful, dark-haired woman smiling at me. She holds her hand out and gives Luka a quick smile before turning her full attention back to me. “I’m Natalya, Luka’s cousin.”

“And my wife.”

I look past her to see Dominic walking towards us while Natalya laughs and looks over her shoulder at him before turning back to me. “And his wife,” she says with a big smile.

I’ve never seen Dominic look so normal before. He’s always the scary, intimidating mafia boss in the expensive suits and a constant don’t fuck with me aura, but right now he’s pulling his wife against him and smiling down at her like a man in love.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I tell Natalya. “Luka mentioned you were married to my boss.”

“Ex-boss apparently,” Dominic says and then nods towards Luka. “He’s just informed me that I need to find a new waitress, which is a damn shame because everyone says you’re doing a great job up there.”

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