Page 71 of Hers to Command

I search his face, looking for any trace of doubt, but there is none.

“Okay,” I say, my voice steadier than I expected.

His hands slide down my arms, pulling me closer until our foreheads touch. “Say it,” he murmurs, his voice rough with emotion. “Say you’re mine.”

I close my eyes, letting the walls around my heart finally crumble. “I’m yours, Riccardo,” I breathe. “But you’re mine, too.”

His mouth crashes down on mine.

When we finally pull apart, I rest my hands on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my palms.

“We’re really doing this?” I ask, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

“We are,” he says, his voice resolute. “And it’s going to be messy and complicated and probably even dangerous sometimes.” He smirks, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Okay then, because I think our in-laws are arriving soon, so we should probably get dressed.”

Riccardo

Toni and Sergei arrive almost at the same time. The welcome in the entrance area isn’t what anyone would describe as comfortable, but with Anya snuggled against me, it’s easy to understand why the two end up walking into the dining room together despite the decade-long animosity between our organizations.

I steal another kiss from Anya, just as another car pulls into the driveway. Eric Merlino and his wife get out of the car. I take it as a good sign that Merlino is bringing his better half. Clearly the Bruno enforcer doesn’t view tonight as having a likely chanceof going sideways, what with it being the first time that the Russians join us, and my marriage meaning Anya and I might be viewed as a united front. The whole thing is so mixed up it’ll take a while to get straight, but if Merlino is cool for tonight, I’ll take it.

What I don’t expect is his wife rushing at Anya the second they step through the front door.

Looking only slightly uncomfortable, Anya returns the hug, giving me a look that says,Well, that’s unexpected.

Obviously, there is more to the story, though, because Merlino also gives Anya a polite nod before gently pulling his wife back against his side, not in the least surprised by her behavior. I’m getting the sense the three of them know each other better than our intel suggests, and I’ll have to make it a point to ask Anya about it later.

The woman never ceases to surprise me and I just hope this surprise isn’t one that’ll make my life more difficult.

Only two minutes later, Gianna and Mikhail arrive. Gianna gives Anya a curious once over. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Anya gives her a somewhat reserved nod. “Thank you for coming.”

Mikhail gives me a hard stare before walking over to his sister.

When he stops in front of her, his broad shoulders tense, and for a moment, no one else in the room seems to exist because I’m ready to wipe the floor with his organs if he so much as says a wrong word to her.

“You’re really going through with this,” Mikhail says, followed by a jerk of his head in my direction. “All of it?”

Anya’s chin lifts, her expression calm yet resolute. “Yes, I am. I pulled the trigger to take out Dmitri myself.”

There is a stunned silence, and this time, Gianna shoots me a sharp look.

It’s not exactly how I had figured we’d share the information, but Anya doesn’t usually do things the way I expect them to be done, so I give Gianna a shrug and a nod as if it’s no big deal.

Meanwhile, Anya is continuing her staring contest with Mikhail. “...and you’re going to accept it.”

Mikhail’s jaw tightens. For all his surprising composure, there’s a flash of frustration in his eyes that might be tolerable in any other man but has me on edge coming from Mikhail, who isn’t known to solve problems the peaceful way.

“I know you wanted this,” he says, “but I don’t have to like it.”

Anya steps forward, closing the distance between them. “I’ve earned this. The Bratva is mine now, Mikhail. You left, and I picked up the pieces. You don’t get to question how I handle them. Or who I do it with.”

Mikhail’s gaze flickers to me briefly, as though gauging whether he should push the point here. But when he looks back at Anya, there’s something softer in his eyes that doesn’t agree with his psychopathic tendencies.

“You’re the boss now,” he concedes quietly, the words tinged with both pride and reluctance. “That doesn’t mean I have to like this.” Another nod in my direction.

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