Page 69 of The Arrangement

“I love this girl, Ivan. Love her more than anything. She makes my heart beat like nobody else. I can’t keep doing this.”

Ivan blinked up at the ceiling before he asked, “So what are you going to do?”

“Tell her. Put it all out there. Let her choose what she wants. I’ll protect her no matter what. I’m going to love her until the day I die, and it won’t make a difference if she chooses me or not because she owns me regardless of the rest.”

“Okay.” And just like that, Ivan seemed to understand Anton like he always had. Crossing the short distance, the older man offered opened arms and Anton took the embrace with a quiet sigh. “Happy birthday, huh?”

“It’s been a great fucking day, actually.”

“Because of her?”

“Always,” Anton confessed. When Ivan pulled away with a sentimental looking smile, he offered a shrug as his only explanation. “She makes everything so much better. Managed to keep my mind off Daniil, not to mention the bullshit going on with the Italians.”

“And you want to risk giving that up just so she’ll know a truth that’s never really affected her before?”

“Hasn’t it? An arranged marriage. Lost out on a culture and history she might have loved. Never knew her fath—”

“She had Roman.”

“She had a dad,” Anton stressed. “She didn’t know her father. There’s a difference and she missed out on a great man because of it.”

“That was how he wanted it.”

Anton refused to accept that. He never would. Good men didn’t work that way.

Deciding to change directions, he asked, “Were you going to visit Daniil tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course,” Ivan said, looking confused. “Why?”

“I was going to first thing in the morning, but I got a call about an issue with the restaurant over on the east side. I need to handle that immediately. I’m supposed to be at the bakers at noon with her, and I won’t miss it if I go early. I think I’ll sit her down and tell her after that, but maybe she could go with you to the hospital if you have time to stop by.”

“You’re going to tell her tomorrow?”

Anton shrugged indifferently again, but even the action felt as heavy as his heart. “Yeah. Not tonight. I can’t do it tonight.”

“Not tonight,” his friend echoed softly.

“No. She gave me a beautiful day, Ivan. One amazing day with just me and her. I’ll give her this tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

• • •

Viviana squealed as arms caught her around the waist, pulling her body into his. Lips pressed to the back of her neck with loud chuckles. Instantly she melted into Anton’s hand, sighing a quiet breath of air when his nose skimmed behind her ear.

“Sore?” Anton whispered.

Viviana shook her head, feeling heat crawl over her cheeks. “Not really. Starting to get tired.”

“Good to know. I need to get you home, in a hot bath, and in bed so I can crawl between those fucking legs again and get you making all those pretty sounds of yours.”

“Holy hell,” she breathed. “Haven’t you had enough yet?”

“Nope. You have no idea what you do to me, Viviana.”

Going back to the safe house didn’t seem like such a bad idea. “How much longer?”

Anton shrugged. “We were late, so maybe we leave at ten-thirty just to make sure our faces have been seen enough. We’re just about to open for regular business, so a lot of people are going to clear out anyway. Everyone being good?”