Mr Handsome, Will You Procreate With Me?

9

“Damn,” Svetlana mutters, giving a soft laugh. “Does he have any sons?”

I laugh, but the last thing on my mind is any possible sons he may or may not have. I’m too busy running my eyes over the older man who should most definitely not have caught my attention, but he has, and I can’t seem to look away.

Dominic

I watch the black Mercedes that’s parked next to me. The driver gets out, and as soon as I meet her whiskey-brown eyes, I know I’m looking at Vitaly’s daughter. A dark-eyed girl steps out from the backseat, reminding me so much of Matvey and Alina that I know it must be Yelena. I’m just about to say hi when the passenger door opens and my breath catches in my throat. The first thing I see is a tan, bare leg in the sexiest pair of goddamn heels I’ve ever seen. My eyes travel up her legs, catching sight of the matching pink dress she’s wearing and the curves that are impossible for me to ignore, until finally reaching her face when she stands up. Her long, dark hair is loose around her shoulders, and when her eyes meet mine, they’re the same pale shade of blue as Lev’s.

Fuck me. It’s principessa.

She steps around the door, and since her arms are filled with bags, she uses her hip to push the door shut behind her. Forcing my eyes off her, I take a breath and step closer. I’m carrying a bag of cannoli, but I reach out so I can help before she drops the bags of pretzels. When I grab a few, my fingers lightly brush hers, and I notice the blush that heats up her cheeks. She has a tiny bit of cinnamon sugar on her bottom lip, and all my instincts are screaming at me to lean forward and lick it off.

I don’t know what the f**k has gotten into me, but fantasizing about an eighteen-year-old is not something I’ve ever done before.

Wanting to get my mind out of the damn gutter, I say, “Let me guess, these are for your Uncle Vitaly.”

Her lips part in surprise before she lets out a soft laugh. “Well, they’re for everyone, but, yeah, they’re mainly for him.”

“He made me bring him cannoli from Italy.” I hold up the bag. “This has been a pain in the ass to carry around, so he better damn well eat all of it.”

“You know he will.”

I turn to see his daughter staring at me with a big smile on her face. God, she’s got his s**t-eating grin and his eyes.

“Long time, no see, Dominic,” she says with a laugh. “You remember me?”

“Of course, Svetlana, but even if I didn’t, you have your dad’s eyes and smile.” I look over at Yelena. “You also have your dad’s eyes.”

She gives me a shy smile. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too, Yelena.”

My eyes meet Natalya’s again. “And Lev’s daughter, of course.” I briefly run my eyes over her dress, not allowing myself to think about how damn good she looks in it. “I see you still like pink.”

“I do,” she whispers, giving me a surprised look that I remembered such a small detail about her.

“Hey,” Svetlana says, giving me the same wicked grin I’ve seen on her dad’s face more times than I can count. I know I’m probably not going to like whatever’s about to come out of her mouth, but her words are cut off when I hear her dad’s voice hollering at us from the porch.

“Dominic! Get your Italian ass over here! I’m hungry!”

No one else would ever dare speak to me the way the Melnikov brothers do, and for some insane reason I put up with it. Maybe it’s because it’s the only time I ever feel like a normal person. They’ve never treated me like I’m the heir to the Alessi Mafia. They joke around with me and give me hell, and I like that, not that I’ll ever admit it to the grinning fucker who’s still waiting for me to bring him his damn food.

“We brought cinnamon pretzels too, Dad,” Svetlana yells to him, making him smile even bigger.

I help Natalya carry the bags to the large, wraparound porch, and as soon as I’m close enough, Vitaly laughs and pulls me in for a hug.

“It’s been too damn long, Dominic,” he says, and then pulls back and laughs even harder. “Did you seriously wear an Armani suit to a cookout?”

“I did,” I say, handing him the bag I’ve carted across the f*****g Atlantic for him. “Here’s your damn cannoli.”

He laughs and takes the bag, opening it and smelling the contents with a big smile on his face.

“How the hell are you still in shape?” I’ve known him for close to two decades now, and even though he has a bit of grey hair and a few lines around his eyes, the man is still as fit as the first time I saw him.

He laughs and pats his flat stomach. “It’s important to me that I look good naked for my wife.”

“Dad, gross,” Svetlana says, shaking her head at her father before taking the rest of the bags inside.

He laughs while we follow her into the large, white house. They call it the farmhouse, which immediately makes me think of something small and more on the simple side, but this is the exact opposite of that. The two-story house is huge with large windows that let in a ton of natural light and hardwood floors that are covered in decorative rugs. I can’t help but notice that Natalya stays by my side when we walk into a modern-looking kitchen where several women are busy preparing food.

“Dominic, so good to see you again!”

I smile at Alina and return the hug she gives me. We couldn’t get my sister back, but it’s always made me feel better knowing that at least she was saved.

“You look exactly the same,” I tell her, meaning every word of it. I pet the German Shepherd that’s standing by her side. “Who’s this guy?”

Alina smiles and pets his head. “This is Rasputin, but we all call him Raspy. Our daughter named him.” She laughs and looks at Yelena who’s taking a couple of the pretzels and disappearing down the hall.

“I was twelve!” Yelena hollers over her shoulder, making Alina laugh again.

I catch sight of Natalya’s pink dress as she walks further into the kitchen while I hug the other wives. The sound of several engines revving pulls my attention to the back window.

“Our husbands thought it would be a good idea to get the boys dirt bikes for Christmas one year,” Katya says, making it clear she didn’t think it was such a great idea.

“They didn’t get me one.”

I turn at the pissed-off tone and smile at the auburn-haired girl. She might look like Jolene, but this young girl is all Lev. She’s the exact opposite of her older sister. Instead of a pink dress and heels, she’s wearing Doc Martins, a black pair of jeans, and a black T-shirt. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and I give a small smile when I see the skull earrings she’s wearing.

“You get more like your father every time I see you, Mia,” I tell her.

She smiles like it’s the best compliment I could’ve ever given her and takes a big bite of her pretzel after dipping it into the icing.

“I bet your brother or one of your cousins will give you a ride if you ask,” Jolene tells her. “And you know your dad promised you one when you get older.”

“I don’t know why I have to wait until I’m older to do anything fun,” she mutters before grabbing another bite and then heading out the open French doors and onto the back deck.

I raise a brow at Jolene. “And here I was thinking Svetlana was going to be the handful.”

Everyone laughs while Svetlana looks at me from across the kitchen. “I’m an absolute angel,” she tells me with a straight face. “Always have been.”

“And modest too,” Vitaly says, coming up to stand next to his wife. He’s already made his way through two cannoli and is working on a third.

Katya looks over at him. “Are you even going to be hungry for supper?”

He winks at her and takes another bite. “You’d think by now you would have learned to never doubt me, wife.” He smacks her ass, and before she can say anything, he looks over at me. “Come on, the others are down by the grill.”

Before I follow him out, I walk over to the counter, setting the bags I’m still carrying down. I briefly meet Natalya’s eyes before forcing myself to look away. Her light blue eyes might look just like her dad’s, but he’s the last thing I’m thinking about when I stare into them. That girl is dangerous, and I need to stay the f**k away.

Taking the glass of whiskey Emily hands me with a smile, I follow Vitaly out of the house and onto the large back deck. We walk past several lounge chairs and a couple of hammocks and then down a few stairs to another level of the deck that’s just as nice as the first one, but instead of potted flowers and lounge chairs, this one has the biggest damn grill I’ve ever seen and two hot tubs. The yard stretches out in front of us, revealing an in-ground pool and several acres of woods beyond that circle around the house. I see the trails the dirt bikes have made and hear the distant rumble of their engines. It’s beautiful out here and peaceful and I can see why they love it so much.

“Holy s**t, man, it’s good to see you.”

I turn and smile at Lev. The first night I met Lev, it ended with him shooting me and our families forming an alliance to take down the Lebedev Bratva. The shot had been a nasty one, and my shoulder still aches from time to time. It doesn’t surprise me at all that when he smacks my shoulder, he makes sure to hit the exact spot where the bullet went through.

“You are such a d**k,” I tell him, making him laugh. “I can’t believe I saved your life after you shot me.” I think about the night we rescued Alina. It had been chaos, and it was pure luck that I happened to look over at just the right moment to see the man aiming a gun at Lev. I’d yelled his name, and he’d ducked just in time.

“Oh, come on now. You would’ve never forgiven yourself if you’d just stood there and let me die.”