Page 59 of Born into Darkness

“He knows he can’t kill innocent people, and he especially knows he can’t hurt you because of what you mean to me.”

“I’ll remember that when I see him next. Hopefully he won’t be wearing the bloody mask.” I snap my finger at the memory of what he’d said to Mateo and tell Max, “He did mention killing Mateo’s mom, but then he looked at his dad and said something about her trying to shoot him first, so it was allowed.”

Max grins. “See? He follows the rules. He never would’ve hurt her had she not tried to kill him first. Once she lifted that gun, it would’ve been like a green light going off in his fucked-up head.”

“Do you like him?” I ask, making Max smile even bigger.

“I love him. Sasha’s not just my cousin; he’s also one of my best friends. I trust him with my life, and, more importantly, I trust him with yours. He doesn’t see things like we do, but we’ve never let it come between us. I know it’s going to sound weird to say this, but he’s a good person.”

“He did save a hurt dog. Most people wouldn’t have wasted their time or taken the risk to help,” I admit, “but he didn’t even hesitate when he heard him whining.”

“He’s also really sweet to his sisters and his nieces and nephew. Aside from his desire to kill, the man has a lot of really good qualities.”

I laugh and say, “I can understand that. My Uncle Volodya is a bit of a nut, too. I don’t know all the details, but I’ve heard enough stories to know he prefers knives and really likes to chase my aunt. I think my cousins take after him.”

“I think the four of them are going to get along very well,” Max says, and then looks down and grins. “Okay, it’s safe to go out now.”

“Talking about family is the equivalent of an ice bath, I guess,” I tease.

“Pretty much, yeah. It’s definitely not gone for good, but at least I can walk out there without my dick leading the way.”

I laugh at the image and thread my fingers through his when he offers me his hand. We leave his room together, walking out to the living room where everyone is sitting around with plates of dessert in hand. I can feel every set of eyes on us. I can only hope I’m hiding the fact that I just came hard a lot better than I’m hiding the obvious blush that’s heating my cheeks. Max squeezes my fingers to let me know it’s okay.

“The dessert is on the counter,” his mom says. “There’s plenty left if you two want some.”

I look over at Bran who quickly signs,You look guilty as fuck. What were you doing?

My dad chokes on his next bite while my mom laughs and pats him on the back. “You okay, honey?”

“I’m okay,” my dad says, coughing and taking a drink of water.

Dima laughs while Bran grins and Max’s family has no idea what’s going on. I hustle my ass out of the living room, taking Max with me. It’s an open floorpan, so we don’t get much privacy, but at least I can turn my back on everyone and pretend to be fully absorbed in cutting a couple slices of pie. I hear Max’s soft laugh as he walks around the island to get some ice cream. I ignore everyone while I fill two bowls with hot apple pie and then hold the container steady as Max scoops us each a generous portion of ice cream.

“This is going to make us both wish we were dead, isn’t it?” I ask him, eyeing the bowl of sugar.

“Probably, but we could both use the calories.” He hands me a spoon. “Just eat what you can. It’s going to taste amazing after a month of rationed calories and no sweets.”

“True enough,” I say, taking the spoon and digging in. As soon as the warm apple pie hits my tongue, I close my eyes and let out a soft whimper of pure appreciation. The cold vanilla ice cream mixes in, reminding me just how much I’ve missed desserts. When I open my eyes, Max is giving me a heated look from across the island.

Leaning in closer, he says, “Moan like that again, and you’ll be leaving me good and fucked in these sweatpants that don’t hide anything.”

I nod, taking another bite to hide my grin. He sees it and gives me a wink before taking his own bite. He may not let out an ecstasy-filled moan, but his eyes go heavy-lidded, and I see the look of euphoria written all over his face. I point my spoon at him and raise a brow.

“It’s good, right?” I ask.

He gives me a wink that’s as sinful as this dessert and says, “Delicious.”

An image of him with his beautiful face buried between my legs hits me full force. I already know Max is good with his tongue, but something tells me he would excel at oral sex. He seems to be good at everything he does.

“What are you thinking about?”

I give my head a shake and fill my spoon again. “Nothing.”

“Well, I don’t believe that for a second. You’ll have to tell me when we’re alone again.”

I make a noncommittal sort of noise that makes him smile. He fills his spoon, and even though I can tell it’s awkward for him to be using his non-dominant hand, he never once complains. Max isn’t a whiner. I learned that down in the basement. I’ve never seen anyone endure the kind of pain he did and not bitch about it at least a little bit. Maybe it’s some kind of deeply ingrained lesson from playing the piano. All those years of tedious practice, countless hours going over the basics again and again so he could master the instrument and make it really sing. He must have the patience of a saint.

He takes my bowl when I’ve eaten all I can and sets it in the sink. We join the others, and I love how Max doesn’t hesitate to put his arm around me and hold me close. He’s not intimidated by my family, not scared of my dad and brothers. He keeps me next to him like it’s the most natural thing in the world. We sit around talking, both of our families getting to know one another, and I can’t get over how natural it all feels. Like usual, Bran has positioned himself in the corner so he has a better chance of reading lips, but every once in a while he misses something. When he does, he looks over at me, and I quickly sign what’s been said.

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