Page 33 of Bound By the Yakuza

I watched the contractors touch up the white paint along the mirrors and nodded. “Yeah,” I breathed. “It’s almost too good to be true.”

“Nothing is too good for you, my dear,” Tastuya kissed my cheek.

When we were with Kaoru or other members of the gang, he held back on all the lovey-dovey stuff and I understood why. We both came from worlds that emotion meant weakness. It was still a rare occurrence for him to kiss me in public. PDA was for normal people. We both knew the risks of combining crime with love.

With Tatsuya and my brother’s help, I would finally follow my dreams of ballet. Maybe I wasn’t ever good enough to go professional, but I could teach and inspire others. Russian ballet was famous around the world. People were already signing up for classes on our website, even though the studio wouldn’t open until January.

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“Yeah, I think the studio will be done in a week or so. I still need to order furniture. It’s so hard to choose!” I laughed.

I heard my brother chuckled over the phone. “That’s good.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention, Father finally realized that you’re not going to marry that douche. You can come home if you like. I guess it’s kind of late now.”

My stomach twisted. I had accepted that I might never get to go back home. Since flying back to Russia from Japan, Aleksey had worked so hard to convince my father to let it go. I guess it finally worked. Too bad I had no plans to return.

I finished my call with Aleksey and then set my phone down. It was quiet tonight; Tatsuya was gone doing the gang’s bidding, and I was left in our new apartment alone.

We found a penthouse in Shinjuku. While some other Himura-gumi guys he knew preferred the glitzy, safer areas of Tokyo, we liked to be in the thick of it. The concrete and neon jungle. The apartment was small but luxurious with an amazing view of the city. I was getting used to the modest square footage of Japanese apartments compared to the large mansion that I had grown up in.

I had finally agreed, mostly because of Tatsuya’s urging, to get a manager for the massage parlor so I could focus on the ballet and barre studio. I still checked in a few times a week, but it wasn’t the same. I wouldn’t have ever agreed unless I knew that it was time for me to take a step back from the front lines. I had a certain feeling, one I could not shake.

I waited for Tatsuya to return in order to share the news.

The clock said 4:00AM when he returned. He looked exhausted. His jacket was wet from the snow.

I knew he was no fan of winter, so I wondered how he would fair when we eventually visited Russia. I smiled and shook the thought away. “Welcome home,” I said.

Tatsuya kicked off his boots in the Genkan and flashed a grin. The exhaustion in his eyes faded away. “Seeing you here makes it all worth it,” He said and kissed me. He smelled like tobacco and gunpowder.

The excitement was building in me. “Are you hungry?”

Tatsuya shook his head. “Only for you, my love.” He growled and pulled me closer.

After a long kiss, I pulled away and locked my eyes on his. “Tatsuya,” I said slowly.

“Yes?” He ran his hands down my back and to my ass.

“I have something to tell you.” I had to say something before we both got distracted by lust.

Tatsuya jerked a fraction. He tipped his head. “What is it?”

I smiled. I tried to hold it but it broke into a huge grin.

“What?” Tatsuya blinked. The wait was killing him.

“Tatsuya, I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a dad.” My heart burst with happiness as the words finally left my mouth. I had been dying to tell him all day.

It took a second for him to react. First, his eyes widened in surprise and then he grinned. “Really?” He gasped. He grabbed my hands. “You’re serious?”

I nodded, unable to control my giggling.

“Wow,” Tatsuya said. “I’m going to be a dad.” He shook his head in amazement and then shouted. “I’m going to be a dad!” He jumped into the air. Tatsuya grabbed me, pulled me close and kissed me deeply. “Oh, Karina, that’s amazing news.”

I nodded. “I just found out this morning. I’m about five weeks.” My heart was pounding with excitement.

Tatsuya’s face grew serious for a moment. He knelt down and kissed my stomach, which had no sign of pregnancy, but we both knew that there was a tiny child in there waiting for us.

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