Page 118 of Born into Chaos

“You still going over to Dominic’s while we shop?”

“Yeah, we’re babysitting and grilling some steaks.”

She points to the large window. “You do realize it’s snowing, right?”

I shrug and say, “Dominic’s patio is covered, and I’m bringing Samantha’s snowsuit so she’ll be nice and warm.”

Sveta kisses Samantha until the room is filled with her cute belly laughs, and when she hands her back to me, Sam reaches for my face and starts blowing raspberries. She’s a big slobbery mess because she’sstarted teething. I’m not sure when I got so used to being covered in various bodily fluids, but it doesn’t bother me at all. I grab the burp rag and wipe her face clean, giving her the pink pacifier that’s attached to her shirt and then putting her into her car seat.

“You ready to go for a ride in your Uncle Val’s car?” I ask her while I turn on the musical toys we have hanging from the seat’s handle. She reaches for the colorful dog that’s lighting up with the beat of the song and baby talks around her pacifier.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” I tell her. Standing up, I pull Sveta to me and cup her face before kissing her like I’ll never be able to get enough, because the truth is I’ll never be able to. That’s sure as hell not going to stop me from trying, though.

“Damn,” she whispers when I pull back and caress her cheek with my thumb.

“Text me so I know you’re okay,” I tell her.

“I will,” she promises. “Have fun with my family.”

I laugh and kiss her once more as the doorbell rings. “Your dad isn’t head over heels for me yet, but I think he’s close.”

She laughs and squeezes my ass. “How could he not be?”

“I know. I’m just as stunned as you are.”

Grabbing her hand, we open the door together, and we’re immediately swarmed by her family. Katya stops to give me a hug, but Vitaly walks right in and after kissing Sveta’s head, he goes straight towards Samantha. He’s already baby talking to her before Val can even nod his head at me in greeting. Vitaly does have his favorites, and I think it’s safe to say that I will never be one of them. He’s not trying to kill me, though, and I think Samantha is rubbing off on me and turning me into an optimist, because I think that means he might be warming up to me.

Before Sveta can leave, I grab her wrist and jerk my chin towards the hat and gloves that are sitting on the table in the entryway. I smile when I hear her mutter something under her breath as she reaches out to grab them. She tugs the gloves on while I pull the knitted cap down over her head, pulling it low enough so it covers her ears.

When she looks up at me, I give her a wink and say, “Get the scarf, too, baby.”

“Seriously?”

I lean closer and whisper in her ear, “Don’t make me ask again, sweetheart. I’d hate to have to put you over my knee in front of your family.”

The soft gasp she gives is cute as fuck. “You wouldn’t,” she whispers.

“You should know me better than that by now, Sveta. I never make empty promises. The scarf, baby, right fucking now.”

Her breath tickles my ear when she lets out another sigh, because I’m clearly working on her last nerve. I smile even bigger and watch as my little wife obeys me, grabbing her scarf and then wrapping it around her slender neck. Willing myself to not get hard while her dad is only a few feet away, I take a deep breath and manage to keep my body in check. The last thing I want to do is remind him of the appendage that I’m guessing he’d still very much like to cut off.

After Sveta is properly dressed and warm enough, we all leave the building together, and once we’re in the parking garage, I give her one more kiss before she and her mom get into a waiting SUV with two of our men. They’re all meeting at Alina and Yelena’s since their apartment is closest to the stores they want to visit. We watch them drive off, and I give a wave, even though the windows are tinted. It’s ridiculous that I miss her already, but I do.

“Your love for my daughter is the only thing that makes you tolerable.”

I turn to stare at Vitaly. “I feel like that’s meant to be a compliment, but, fuck, is it buried deep.”

He laughs and smacks me on the back. “Come on, let’s get my precious granddaughter buckled in.”

“You sure you’re okay with this?” I ask Val. I know how particular he is about his Jaguar.

“She’ll be fine,” Val says. “If she’s anything like her mom,though, I’m going to need to put in rubber seat protectors when she’s old enough for a toddler seat.”

“I might get some of those now for Sveta,” I tell him, making him laugh.

“God, she’d love that,” he says.

“Sveta gets cranky if she doesn’t snack regularly,” Vitaly says, defending his daughter from the back seat as he buckles Samantha in. “I’ve been told I have the same condition.”

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