Page 138 of Between Us

Before she could comment further, he pulled away and slapped her ass. Turning her head, she watched as he headed into the bathroom and closed the doorbehind him.

With him gone, Alessandra returned her gaze to the window. Her eyes took in the blanket of fresh snow covering the backyard of their little villa, and she felt like a little kid all over again.

They had arrived in Aspen for only half a day, but the weather was promising. It looked like they were going to have a white Christmas, and there was nothing more exciting than that—not even the spicy mulled wine Alek was already preparing downstairs.

It had been a year since Roman officially became Pakhan, and he was still keeping his promise of spending the winter holidays together as a family, far away from the responsibilities awaiting them in Chicago. And since they’d loved Aspen so much the year before, it had been a no brainer on where to spend that Christmas and New Year.

As she watched the tranquil scenery outside, she noticed a squirrel in one of the snow-covered trees. It climbed down the wide trunk halfway then stopped and twitched its nose as if smelling the air for any dangers looming below. Something must not have been to its liking, because after hesitating for another second, the squirrel turned around and disappeared into the tree’s crown.

From downstairs, the sound of laughter filtered through the slightly ajar bedroom door, and Alessandra rolled her eyes at just how loud Alek could be. Since he and Laney had made their relationship official a few months prior, he seemed happier than ever. To say everyone had been surprised when Laney finally gave in, would be an understatement. But they seemed to get along really well, and despite Roman teasing himabout it, Alek wasn't afraid to put his feelings for her on display for everyone to see.

Her thoughts turned sentimental, flying to the past year and all the changes happening in their lives. They'd had their ups and downs, but she was grateful for both the good and the bad because it had gotten them to where they were now.

Her life wasn't perfect by any means.

Roman worked too much, and she often wished that they got to spend more time together. On her part, Alessandra kept herself occupied with college and helping out at the clubs in her spare time.

As for her family, her relationship with her father had become more strained as time passed and Roman got settled into his new position. She suspected it was because Nero felt that he couldn't control her anymore and he resented it. Somehow, it didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would.

Roman's own relationship with Nero was business-oriented and lacking any sort of familial warmth, and she knew that he preferred it that way. But surprisingly enough, he got along really well with Matteo, who had accepted his role of middleman without much of a fuss. Alessandra thought her brother liked Roman, but he would never admit to it in front of her, or anyone else, for that matter.

“Milaya.”

She looked over her shoulder at her husband who was standing at the foot of the bed with a towel wrapped around his hips. His hair was wet and slicked back from his shower. “Yeah?”

“I asked if you knew where my dark jeans were.”

“Oh, I didn't hear you. I think they're still in yoursuitcase. I didn't unpack everything.”

He gave her a long look as if appraising her mood. “You okay?”

“I'm fine. Just thinking about stuff.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

“It's nothing.” She smiled reassuringly.

“It looks to me like it’s something.” He closed the distance between them and touched her cheek. “Tell me.”

She sighed softly. “I was think about how much I love you.”

“Yeah?” He smiled.

“Yeah.”

“You know I feel the same way.”

“I know.” She ghosted her fingers over the ink on his chest, tracing the top of his left pectoral where he’d branded his skin with her name.

Roman grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips and slowly kissing every knuckle as he held her gaze with his heated one.

Before things could progress, his cell phone rang, breaking the moment.

Alessandra let out a frustrated sigh, and Roman chuckled, pulling away from her.

She watched as he grabbed the phone and answered the call in Russian, his back to her.

Her eyes drifted to his firm ass hidden by the towel, and a wicked smile pulled on her lips. She had a little surprise for him in her suitcase, and it involved see-through lace and his favorite color on her.

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