Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Anton couldn’t breathe. His chest felt tight and his heart hurt. The bedroom still smelled like her, so he took that in and sunk into the bed until he couldn’t think of anything else.
The door to the bedroom opened not ten minutes after Anton had woke Viviana up and set her back to her own room, as much as he fucking hated to do it. Rolling over on his side, Anton cocked a brow at Boris, the bull who was supposed to be watching the halls.
“You owe me, shithead,” Boris said low.
Anton stuck his middle finger up. “Thanks.”
Boris shifted on his feet, leaning back to check the hallway before poking his head back in again. “If her father finds out what happened in here tonight, he’s going to put you in a grave. That girl’s never been touched, Anton. He thinks she’s a fucking angel.”
Well, she hadn’t been before he came along. Anton didn’t correct the bull.
Anton smirked. Some things about him were never going to change, even if he wanted Viviana. He was always going to be Anton Avdonin underneath love, only with a whole new reason to be.
“She’s still an angel, I just muddied up her wings a bit.”
“I know you don’t mess around with virgins,” Boris said.
“So?”
“So, you better have done right by her, or I’ll kick your fucking ass all the way back to Little Odessa.”
Anton turned rigid. “I wouldn’t hurt her.”
“Yeah, I figured. But, still ...”
“I didn’t hurt her,” Anton said quietly. “I was careful, I’m not stupid.”
“Good. Seriously, though, for your sake, I hope Roman doesn’t find out.”
Famous last words, Anton thought.
*
Seven Years Later ...
Anton watched the two men who could do to lose a good fifty pounds each smoke their cigarettes and talk back and forth as if no one else was around. He supposed from his position in the dark car, windows tinted nearly a flat black, they couldn’t see him. Just as well.
Nevertheless, their presence still pissed him off something fierce.
A knock on the passenger side window brought Anton from his reverie. Without a word or even looking over to see who it was, he unlocked the car door. Nicoli slipped into the car silent as well, and closed the door. His grandfather hadn’t drew the attention of the men thirty feet away, either.
Anton’s gaze left the bodyguards and traveled back to the gravesite. Viviana still sat cross-legged by a filled in set of graves. Three graves, to be exact. It was one thing when it was her father, but now her mother and brother were gone, too.
She was so alone.
Alone and hurting.
Without him.
Anton’s hands clenched into fists as he swallowed back his rising anger and sadness. Men like him didn’t cry. He’d learned that over the years and the last few had been good for him—even if he was without her.
He had a lot to learn about respect and the life he’d thrown himself into and fuck lot of growing up to do in-between. There was no way he was going to be able to do that with Viviana at his side, at least not at first.
That girl fucked him straight up. She just did. In his head and heart, Anton became hers and that was it. Nobody else mattered. Nobody else ever would. So, he took the time that separated them to do the shit he had to, including straightening his behavior and attitude out, knocking off all his nonsense, and being a man.
Because having a cock between yours legs didn’t make a damned difference if you were a man or not—it took a great deal more than that.
Probably took Anton a bit too long to figure it out, too.
“He’s killed them all,” Nicoli noted, staring at Viviana in the cemetery as she said her goodbyes to the last of her family.
“Yeah,” Anton agreed. “What do we do now?”
“Nothing.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because there’s nothing we can do right now.”
“She’s sixty feet away from me and—”
“You need to stop doing this, Anton,” Nicoli said quietly. “Punishing yourself like this. Right now, we have to step back and wait. It’s a game like it always is, especially with Sonny.”
“She’ll be next,” Anton snapped. “He’ll go after her next.”
“No, he won’t.”
“Why?”
How the fuck could Nicoli be so damned sure?
“Because, my boy, he knows I’d bring a hell down on him like he hadn’t ever seen before. So yeah, he’s going to keep her alive so long as my lungs are fucking breathing and my heart beats. He won’t kill my daughter.”
Anton couldn’t imagine life without his mother, father, and Nicoli. He didn’t have the first clue the kind of pain Viviana must have been in to bury her parents and brother.
“I want to help her, but I don’t know how,” Anton whispered.
“I’m sorry, but you have to stay away. I do think if you went after her, he would panic and kill her. I don’t want to take that risk. Not right now. We need time.”