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“Zara, since I lost my phone, is it okay that I use yours to call my dad? I haven’t talked to him in forever.”
She smiles. “Sure.” Rummaging through her bag, she retrieves it and hands it to me. “Here.”
I dial the number to my dad’s cell and step away from my friend to try and get some privacy.
My stomach starts to knot as the phone begins to ring, anxious about what I might say.
I know we left things amicably on the night of my wedding, but I still can’t shake the betrayal I feel that he would give me away to a stranger as easily as he did. The fact that I’ve also now slept with Alexei Koslov complicates things a little, but my father does not need to be made aware of that information.
After a minute, my father still hasn’t picked up, and I realize that perhaps he might be avoiding me.
When it hits voicemail, I hang up the phone. “You can’t hide forever, Papino.”
11
ALEXEI
“I think my brother might have a thing for your friend.” I lean against the doorway to the kitchen that evening.
Bianca rolls her eyes as she continues tucking into a bowl of chocolate ice cream. She’s wearing a floral sundress that is hitched up around her thighs, exposing her tanned skin to me.
I can’t stop the feeling of blood rushing to my cock as I watch her slowly lick the spoon, aching to lick the chocolate smeared around her full lips.
“He’s not allowed anywhere near her.” She lifts her eyes to mine. “I mean it, Alexei.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Zara had my brother figured out in seconds.” I chuckle. “Dimitri is not one to commit and settle down.”
“And you are?”
“I am now.”
Bianca rolls her eyes and looks away.
“I thought you wanted your brothers to stay away while I’m here.” She dips her spoon back into the ice cream and pops it back in her mouth.
I dig my nails into my palms as I watch her.
“I did, but my brothers don’t like to follow rules. I’m sorry if his being here made you uncomfortable. I will kindly remind my brother of such a request. He stopped by to drop off some paperwork, and I thought he had let himself out, but clearly he had other ideas.”
She shrugs, keeping her eyes down.
“It’s his house.”
“It’s your house.”
She’s quiet for a moment, tapping the spoon against her lips. Her delicate shoulders are hunched over and that lightness I saw in her eyes only a few hours ago has been dimmed once more.
“Are you glad Zara came to visit?”
“Yes and no.” She sets her bowl down beside her. “It was hard lying to her.”
“I’m sorry you had to lie.”
“She’s my family, Alexei. Her and my father. They’re all I have.” Her voice cracks and she sets down the spoon on the counter before burying her face in her hands, her dark hair falling in front of her face. “You don’t know how lucky you are to have siblings.”
I push off the doorframe and close the distance between us. I know it’s selfish of me to want to be close to her when she’s feeling so vulnerable, but I hate the fact that I’m the reason for it. That marrying me has taken away the people that she loves the most in this world.
“Now that you’ve married me, you have three brothers by default.”
