Page 29 of Sexting the Bratva Beast
“So?” She shrugs. “He’s protective. It runs in the family, and I don’t need to remind you how happy Gianna is.”
It’s more than that though. He and Leonid might have the same features, but that’s where the resemblance ends. There’s something way darker lurking beneath Andrej’s skin, something that I haven’t quite figured out yet. Maybe I should ask Gianna if Leonid promised never to let her go on their first date.
“Protective or possessive?”
“Both. But the look on your face tells me that he gave you exactly what you wanted.”
“Yeah but?—”
Mika places a finger on my lips. “Don’t do this, Car. Don’t talk yourself out of what might just be the best thing that everhappened to you. Enjoy it. Milk it every way you can. You’ve waited long enough for it.”
I take a deep breath. “Okay. If I hear from him again?—”
“Ifyou hear from him again?” Mika squeals. “Did he or did he not fuck you all night?”
“Yes but?—”
“Are you standing over here hoping I won’t notice that it hurts when you sit down?”
I clamp my lips shut to smother my laughter.
“Did he give you multiple orgasms?” She doesn’t wait for a response. “The man would be a lunatic not to want to see you again. I mean, have you looked in a mirror recently?”
I lower my eyes to my coffee.
“Holy crap. He didn’t make you watch while he fucked you in front of a mirror?” Her eyes are wide.
“Not a mirror.” I wince. “The window?”
She tips her head back and laughs again. “I rest my case.”
We spendthe rest of the day welcoming and settling in the first residents to the shelter. The two women were both admitted to a hospital with the kind of injuries that you only read about on the news channels, in both cases, inflicted by their partner.
I shove all thoughts of Andrej aside while I concentrate on the women, reading through their medical records, learning abouttheir families, kids, careers. Mika and I show them around, find out their interests, and spend time just sitting with them in the garden as the weather is fine, and the October sunshine is warmer than expected.
Most women understandably find talking about what happened to them triggering, and Audrey and Nora are no exception. It will come in time. To begin with, it’s important for the women to accept that they are safe. They are protected. They can heal and grow in peace and at their own pace.
Once that happens, they can learn to let go of the past and start looking forward to a brighter future. Eventually, they’ll leave us and spread their wings back out in the real world, and that is our biggest reward. We’re like custodians, watching over them until they’re ready to fly. No timelines. No rules. No hurry.
It turns out that Nora can cook. Although born and raised in Chicago, she is of Italian descent, and the passion for food didn’t pass her by. She helps Olive, our cook, prepare meatballs and pasta for the evening meal, followed by a classic Italian cheesecake made with mascarpone and ricotta and drizzled with cherry jam.
We sit around a table in the dining room, chatting about food and family recipes and locally sourced ingredients. The meal is superb. We’re all full by the time we clear the dishes that had served fat wedges of cheesecake.
I’m so caught up in the peaceful moment filled with smiles and camaraderie and hope, that I jump when I carry the dishes through to the kitchen and find Andrej leaning against the counter. My pulse quickens. He is even more beautiful than my memories of last night, or perhaps he’s still glowing from what happened between us too.
He came back!
I set the tray of dishes down on the work surface and go to him, my legs already turning to jelly.
He pulls me against him, rests his arms on my shoulders, and kisses me on the lips. “I bought you something.”
My heart skips like a child on Christmas morning. “What is it?”
“You’ll have to come with me to find out.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
