Page 14 of Sinful Promise

Wish I was too :(

In my bed… not yours.

Not that yours wouldn’t be comfortable

Shit, you know what I mean

I chuckle to myself as the bubble appears and disappears a few more times.

I’m tempted to reply to tell him he’s welcome in my bed anytime, but I know that would be a terrible idea. So, I send a much tamer reply and hope that by the time I wake up in the morning, my attraction to Danil will be safely repressed once more.

Me

I got what you meant, don't worry :) I’ll message you tomorrow.

I put my phone down on the bedside, where it buzzes again with one final message from Danil that has me falling asleep with a smile on my face.

Danil

Can’t wait ;)

4

DANIL

I usedto think there was nothing more depressing than being in a bar during daylight hours. But that was back when I used to spend my nights drinking and partying, rather than working.

How times have changed.

Despite not getting home fromEspionageuntil after three in the morning, I’m back in only five hours later to count the stock.

I know Anton asked me to complete such a mundane task to test my commitment, especially knowing I was here late last night.

So, just to prove a point, I rocked up at eight on the dot, wearing a freshly ironed black suit, with a huge smile on my face at the prospect of counting bottles of liquor.

Anton isn’t even here, not that I expected him to be. Ever since Lilya was born, he’s cut back on a lot of his hours at the bar to help support Nina now that she’s back at dance school. So, I can’t be annoyed about picking up the slack when he’s using his free time to be with his family.

I never thought I would ever get to the stage where I would want a family, but being the only one out of my brothers that doesn’t have a wife or child is starting to make me crave it. Especially seeing how happy and fulfilled they all are.

My thoughts instantly turn to Emily, and the weight on my chest grows heavier.

I’ve thought about it a lot. What it would be like to marry her, to build alifewith her. When I picture it, it’s like I’m watching a fairy tale play out in my mind.

But life doesn’t work that way.

I should fucking know.

Pushing thoughts of Emily out of my mind, I turn my attention back to counting the bottles of spirits on the shelf in front of me.

I’ve barely made it through the enormous quantity of bourbon that Anton insists on keeping on hand when my phone buzzes in my pocket with a text.

Dimitri

I need you to come over to the penthouse ASAP.

Despite the urgent sounding message, I roll my eyes.

Knowing Dimitri, he’s lined up some other mundane task for me to complete, which isn’t urgent at all.

---