Vengeance Aside (Wanted Men 0.5)(39)

Yes, his father was a ruthlessly demanding leader. But he was also a playful, witty, patient and affectionate father who’d shaped his sons to be men of honor. Their character was a reflection of his, and Lukas now had a burning need to pass that on to the next generation.

James had almost stolen so much, and, now, Lukas was feeling the constraints of time. He wanted to present his son to his father. His gut clenched. Or his daughter. What if Dale gave him a baby girl? One who looked like her mother? Would Lukas one day stand there attempting not to laugh as his toddler tried to put one over on him, the way he’d found himself doing with her mother?

The longing that filled him had him wanting to return home so he could impregnate his woman tonight. He would fill her young, fertile body until it overflowed. And he would do so again and again in the coming weeks while he got to know her. Until the day he was able to stand before his family and proudly share their news.

Kostya Zavrazin wouldn’t be known as Papa in their home anymore. He’d be Dedushka.

“Your ability to gain control is impressive, Lukas. A few of my boys could learn a thing or two from you.”

He looked over his shoulder to see Vasily had followed him to the open hangar door. The Pakhan made his way over to stand at Lukas’s side, and they both looked out over the tarmac and field beyond, watching as it gradually brightened under the rising sun.

“I brought Dale to meet my father tonight,” he said without looking over when he saw Vasily’s head come his way. “He liked her.”

“And her?”

“She put her foot in it at one point, and I moved things beyond her comfort zone, but, other than that, she did beautifully. She charmed him the minute she opened her mouth.”

“As she did you.”

“Yes.”

They were quiet for a moment.

Then Lukas turned to a man whose opinion he respected almost as much as he respected his father’s. “I know you’ve never been married, but, do you have any advice to give a man about to propose to a skittish little dove who apparently doesn’t trust easily?”

Something dark passed over Vasily’s face, but Lukas couldn’t identify it without it being obvious that he was trying to.

“Be patient with her. She’s young, and she isn’t familiar with our world but for what she’s seen at Samuel’s club. Or so he said.” He went into the inside pocket of his jacket and took out two cigars. He offered one to Lukas. “I brought them from home in the hopes of sharing with your father.”

“He would have enjoyed that.” Lukas accepted one and took his turn lighting it from the Zippo Dmitri held out when the byki materialized from the shadows.

“I think you’re aware it will take Dale some time to come to terms with much of what we do.” Vasily puffed on his cigar. “Don’t shut her out. Don’t think you’re doing something good by keeping her in the dark. You won’t protect her that way. You’ll hurt her. And don’t let her shut you out. Women who try to be strong for us eventually end up harming themselves.” He paused, then went on. “Let her talk. Even if it’s just to hear the beauty of her voice, let her talk to you. Because one day you’ll find yourself willing to do almost anything if only to hear one more word.”

It was then Lukas realized Vasily wasn’t guessing on what might work, he was speaking from experience. The sorrow that rose into the warm morning air was almost as palpable as the cloud of blue smoke they were creating.

“Be honest with each other. At all costs. And when you have children, don’t ever take them for granted. Love and nurture them the way Kostya and Leane did with you and Samuel. Believe me, they will have you seeing the world through different eyes. Enjoy that, don’t fear it.”

Before Lukas could overstep and pry into Vasily’s personal life to ask who he was speaking about, they were joined by Gheorghe, Maksim, and Samuel, and business once again overthrew a topic that shouldn’t have been so easy to dismiss.





TWELVE


Dale held her breath as she inched out of the bedroom and slowly pulled the door closed. She kept the sleeping occupant in her sights until the very last second because, who knew, it might be the last time she would ever see him.

She tried to ignore how that thought made her feel and winced at the muted snick that sounded when she released the knob. She waited. When she didn’t hear any commotion from Lukas, she let her breath out on a quiet sigh. And, again, she stood there, staring at the pretty design on the pewter doorknob.

She’d woken up an hour ago after a fitful night’s rest. Well, it was almost noon, so morning’s rest would be a more appropriate description…

She was stalling.

She looked up and down the empty hallway then back at the door. Maybe she should wake him. Or wait inside until he woke on his own.

“Or maybe you should find Farah and get gone,” she murmured, remembering her dreams.

She chewed on her lip and rubbed at her chest. Something between her breasts felt…wrong. Wrong and familiar. She could feel it deep inside, where she normally refused to allow company. A new presence. One that was protesting her escape. Protesting so vehemently, it was making her want to go back and sit near the pillows again, staring, smiling every little while, wanting to touch.

She squeezed her eyes shut and dropped her hand. It was all in her head. Lukas’s talk of fate and shit had gotten to her. Those dreams. They’d been dumb and had centered around babies and white fucking dresses.