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Her words cut me deep down. I felt like she was just yanking out my heart and throwing it in the trash. Her shame over slumming it with biker dick filled the air.
“I should have been different,” she mumbled, staring into my eyes as if I had the answers.
“How?”
“I don’t know. Tell me and I’ll be different.”
“Don’t act pathetic.”
Natasha reacted as if I’d slapped her. The mafia princess lowered her gaze. Tears slid down her cheeks. She stood there, quietly crying in a loud biker bar.
Suddenly, she lifted her gaze and explained, “I feel like everyone wears masks, but being with you felt real. That’s why I lost control of myself. I’m sorry if I did something wrong to make you not want me.”
Not catching up to her words, I complained, “Are you saying Siobhan’s fake?”
Natasha’s gaze hardened, and she snarked, “She’s always wonderfully real, but I can’t exactly fuck her.”
Her words cracked me up. I also liked how her temper stuck its head out to see if it might want to play. But mostly, I liked how she didn’t regret going to the back bedroom with me.
I took Natasha’s hand and tugged her away from the table. I half-expected her to resist me. I’d been acting like an asshole all night by ignoring her. I could have sat down and talked with her. We could be real. Except I’d still be the muscle and she’d be the daughter of the man who held my leash.
Rather than talk about life, I took her to the bedroom and fucked away her tears. Natasha held on tight for hours. I desperately wanted to believe we could be more.
Those memories settle me down as I arrive at the Thibeaux Mansion. Natasha was mine for two nights. That second time, she wasn’t even tipsy. We were going to be married. I planned to take her out on a real date to talk wedding plans. I didn’t care about the details. I just wanted her.
Today, I’ll work my magic on her kids and offer to help Natasha. I don’t have to be the bad guy anymore. I’m offering her a way to stay with her family and friends.
Standing out on the wide, front driveway, I don’t acknowledge the security detail lingering close.
I run my hands through my hair a few times to make sure the ride over hasn’t left me looking crazed. I casually breathe into my hand to ensure I’m still minty fresh.
Natasha appears from the double front doors. Her shiny blonde hair is loose. She’s wearing blue jeans, a red-and-white striped shirt, and black sneakers. Her makeup can’t hide the bruising around her left eye or the cut on her lower lip.
When her blue-eyed gaze finds me, I try to smile so she won’t be afraid. Either I fail to properly smile, or her fear is too great. She stares at me with quiet wariness.
Feeling her pushing me away, I forget all about being charming or winning over her kids. My panic makes me stupid and aggressive.
“You made a promise,” I tell her when she moseys closer.
Rather than looking at the kids, I only see Natasha who flinches from my angry tone.
“Things changed,” she mumbles.
“No, you agreed to the deal. So did your family. You can’t renege.”
Natasha’s shock at my tone shifts, and her lips clamp shut. I know she’s fighting the urge to push back against my shit. Ollie’s name is on her tongue, waiting to be used as a weapon.
“Spit it out,” I sneer at her, angry over how I fucked up years ago and now won’t get a prize I can’t stop wanting.
Natasha refuses to give in to her temper. That’s how the Kovak family works. They hold their tongues and keep their secrets. Their behavior isn’t submission but sneakiness.
“I have children now,” Natasha explains instead of what she really wants to say. “If you want your deal, you have to claim them, too.”
I finally look at the blond kids flanking her. They keep licking their lips in a sloppy way. I notice their cheeks, chins, noses, and lips are bright pink. When I stare at them, wondering what’s wrong with their little faces, they break into big smiles.
They’re blond and blue-eyed like Natasha, but I don’t really see any resemblance. I hate how they probably look like their shitty father.
Regaining my game plan, I squat and get eye-level with the kids. “I’m Bear,” I tell the little boy and girl wearing matching blue shorts and yellow tops with a monkey across the front.
