Vengeance Aside (Wanted Men 0.5)(54)

She looked up at him. So accommodating, her mobster. She moved a little closer. Sure, she wanted her perfume. Her underwear. Her own bras. Her photos and…stuff. But they could wait another day. “No. I think—if you’re staying home—I’d like to do other things right now.”

Like get pregnant. There was a new urgency riding her, and she was pretty sure it had something to do with needing a baby now, so she could focus on it rather than this developing fascination with its father. She had to nip this damn thing in the bud before it got away from her completely. As it was, she could barely make it out in the distance, and the more time she spent with him, the faster it moved beyond her grasp.

“I’ll accommodate that. But first, are you on any medication? I didn’t think to ask if you have any sort of condition I should know about. And why don’t you and your father get along?”

“The only thing I need meds for is this bi-I-need-to-have-sex-polar disorder I seem to have developed. Is that a known illness?” She went on her toes to nibble her way up the side of his neck, trying harder to distract him. “I’m pretty sure I caught it off this doorknob at work last night, and it’s become a damn uncomfortable affliction. Affects the brain like you wouldn’t believe.” She swirled her tongue around the shell of his ear. “Think you might be able to help me work it out of my system, Mr. Murdery?”

He got a loose grip on her nape and came close to her ear. “I’ll have you moaning in under five if you tell me about you and your father.”

She grew instantly wet between the legs. “That’ll ruin my mood. And after that freaky conversation we just had that ruined dinner, I was hoping we could go the other way and do something enjoyable.” Her ring caught the light, drawing her eye. “We have to get this insured.” She turned her hand to show him the incredible emerald cut diamond weighing her finger down. “Maybe I shouldn’t wear it until that’s taken care of.”

This ring had been his second choice. The first had been five carats, and he’d understood she didn’t want it when she’d laughed so hard she’d had to hide her flaming face in his chest. The only reason she hadn’t burst into tears was because she’d known Samuel and Farah were looking around the exclusive shop behind them, and Dale had refused to embarrass Lukas. She’d agreed with his second choice—three carats—and had been staring at the masterpiece all day.

He tugged on a strand of her hair. “Why do you bring so much into a conversation? Do you think I’m unable to wade through your stall tactics?”

She looked away, shaking her head.

“Frank sent the information to my insurance company before we even left his shop, so the ring stays on your finger. I’ll take you to your father’s tomorrow, or if you’d prefer, I can have someone else pick your things up. I’ll fuck that rather attractive sounding disease right out of you the minute you give me a little insight as to what puts that look in your eyes every time your family is mentioned. And you can forget about the conversation we had over dinner since you’ll never be affected by it because you’re also under house arrest until that asshole is in the ground. Now. About your father.”

Mmm. This man was too much. And she was so fucked up because the moment he settled those issues, a million more floated to the surface. In between thinking about babies and sex today, she’d been trying to come to terms with what she’d committed herself to. She’d given up her life—not that she’d had much of one to give up. But it had been hers. Now? She was Lukas’s.

My sweet, greedy pussy pulling at me. She likes her new owner’s touch…so fucking beautiful…and all mine.

She’d come so hard when she’d heard that. She’d like it. A lot. Even though she’d gone on about them being “partners,” she knew that wasn’t the way their relationship was going to be. Having Samuel put Farah on lockdown tonight, and having her accept it without protest, proved to Dale what she’d already known. The Zavrazin men weren’t your average brothers. They were autocratic and used to commanding and being obeyed.

Because her parents had been hands-off, Dale had been making her own decisions pretty much her whole life. What if she couldn’t conform to Lukas’s ways? Would she eventually end up resenting him? Or worse, what if, after the chase, he found she really wasn’t worth the effort?

“If I ask you something, will you answer me honestly?”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Even though you have a hard time with the concept, I won’t punish you for it by mimicking your closed mouth.”

She wanted to kiss him and slap him at the same time.

“Are you one hundred percent sure you want to do this?” The day’s growth tickled her palm when she touched his cheek. She’d been waiting for hours to feel it on her inner thigh. “Because if you change your mind before the big day, all you have to do is tell me. I can give this back, and we can go our separate ways.” She tapped her thumbnail on the diamond, and pushed through to get the rest out over the pain that flared in her chest. “Really,” she said as he stepped back to lean against the counter. “I’ll understand if you think we might be too different to make this work.” She cracked her knuckles and waited.

“Is that what you thought about whenever you disappeared into your own head today? How different we are?”