by Alyse Zaftig
He stared hard at her. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I hope not thinking about doing something stupid. Because if you are thinking about getting rid of it, you better stop right now.”
Fury filled her. “No! I can’t believe you think I’d do something like that. Even if I did, that’s not your choice to make.”
“The hell it isn’t. I know I’m still not sure about this—”
“Not sure? Andrei, this is happening whether we want it to or not.” She had to go before she made a scene by doing something like throwing her leftover ginger ale in his face. “I have to get back to work.”
“Fine, but you’re coming over to my place tonight.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You didn’t eat lunch, and I’m almost certain you won’t eat dinner if I don’t make sure you sit down for a real meal. That’s why I am cooking something you can eat without getting sick. You’re coming over.” He said it with such finality and command that she didn’t know how to respond.
She tried to walk away, but he had enough cash for the food and tip. He was right on her heels.
She stopped before they got near her building and turned to face him. “I can get back to work on my own,” she said, her voice cold.
He was already tall and overbearing, but it seemed like he overshadowed her even more with his stern gaze and unmoving posture. “I’m not leaving your side until you promise you’ll be at my place tonight.”
“Andrei—”
“Do you want me to come upstairs with you and walk you to your office?”
“No!”
“How about show up at your place? We both know I can knock hard until you open up. Your neighbors may be a little upset at the noise, but if that’s what it takes...”
“Fine!” she forced out. “I have to go to my place first to at least get some clothes.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he said. He took her off-guard by pulling her to him and kissing her.
When he touched her, it didn’t matter that she couldn’t stand him. Her traitorous body still reacted to him. Her nipples were hard from his simple kiss.
When he pulled away, he smiled with his victory. This time, it wasn’t so charming. He was so cocky and sure of himself; he knew what he could do. She hated it even more because it was still sexy as hell. Even though her mind was angry, her body still wanted him. She was mad at herself for that.
“If I don’t hear from you by seven, I’m coming over.”
She groaned out her frustration and stormed off before she could do something violent they both would regret and possibly get her arrested.
Chapter 16
Victoria
Victoria wasn’t in the mood to just obey Andrei. He needed to know that she needed to be respected. Even though he went all possessive on her earlier, she was still going to use her leverage as any smart counsel would. Sure, she still packed her overnight things like she told him and even got to his place at one minute past seven, and he called just like she thought he would.
“Hi, Andrei,” she said calmly after answering.
“Where are you, Victoria.”
“Still packing.” She smiled, imaging him pacing and getting riled up.
“You were supposed to be here by now. It’s after seven.”
“Is it? I must have lost track of time.”
“I’m coming over.”
“No one can stop you from doing what you have to do. We’re both adults.”
He opened the door to find her standing in her doorway.
She ended her cell phone call and put it in her pocket. “Like I said, adults can do whatever they want.” She pushed past him with a big smile on her face.
He shut the door and “I suppose you think that’s funny.”
“No. What’s funny is that you think you can command me like some lapdog and I’ll come running whenever. If this relationship is going to work, you have to treat me with more respect than that.”
“I can think about a couple occasions when you didn’t mind my demands.”
She stared at him, and she immediately thought of the way he commanded her whenever they had sex. “That’s not the same thing. Focus.”
“Oh, I’m focused.” He moved over to the kitchen.
She saw the food spread out on his counters. It looked like a pot of broth was boiling on the stove. “Were you seriously coming after me with food cooking like that? Didn’t you think about the apartment burning down?”
“Honestly, when it comes to you, I never think at all. I just act.”
He said it so casually that it shocked her. She didn’t know she affected him that way until he said it. What could she say?
“Are you telling me I make you irrational?”
“I don’t think rational would be the word I’d use, but I don’t regret ever being with you.”
“Even if it means having a baby we weren’t expecting?”
“I admit that having another child scares me, but that doesn’t mean that I’d never want be with you.”
“I’m still considering Chicago.”
She just said it. For some sadistic reason, she was in a mood to test him and his limits. It made no sense why. Maybe she wanted to see what he’d be like angry and if he was bearable to stand. She’d been with a guy who had anger management problems before, and she’d dumped him before he ever got the chance to lay a hand on her.
Deep down, she knew Andrei would never hurt her. She’d seen men who hurt women numerous times as she sent their asses to jail for battering their wives and terrorizing their children. Those weren’t men. Real men would never lay a hand on a woman or child.
Even though Andrei had the ability to get on her last nerve, she knew he’d never lay a hand on her or their child. It was something about the protectiveness in his eyes that always lingered there.
“Chicago? I thought we talked about this already.”
“No, you told me you had children, and we never finished the conversation. There was a lot we didn’t get around to.”
“You can’t go to Chicago, Victoria.”
“There was never a question of whether I could not. You said you couldn’t go.”
“You weren’t having my baby then, but you are now. I think that changes things.”
“I hate to break it to you, but pregnant women are in Chicago, too.” At first, she had only planned to talk about the baby, but now it seemed like the baby and the promotion intermingled. They were two major parts of her future. One was highly likely and the other was optional. If she chose to take the job in Chicago, her life would change dramatically. Although he didn’t say it, she could tell the Andrei still thought it was overwhelming to have a baby right now. She didn’t disagree with that, but she still had to at least consider her future, whether it involved him or not.
“I know pregnant women live in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean you have to go there. Promotions are important. I get that, I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for you to find something like that better here. You’re a damn good lawyer, Victoria. That won’t be your only chance.”
Even with his compliment, she only heard one thing: he was shutting down the promotion before she could really consider it. It wasn’t his decision to make. “Maybe working with your father has you a little jaded, but DA positions don’t just come out of thin air. In order for me to even get a position like that here, my boss would have to either retire or die. Are you saying I should sit around and wait for something like that to happen?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I never would suggest something like that. All I’m saying is that you should consider your options. There may be other DA positions in the New York area or even some of the surrounding cities. It’s already stressful enough to move to a new city alone to start over.”
“You think I can’t do it, don’t you?”
“I couldn’t believe that even if I tried to. You are a strong woman. There’s no question about that, but who says you have to
go all the way to Chicago to prove that?”
“The difference is that none of those positions come with Smith’s recommendation. Something like that means a lot and can mean the difference between starting out fresh or beginning a position that has a lot of weight to it. I don’t want Smith to think I’m taking this lightly.”
“So you want to take my child several states away from me just to please your boss?”
“It’s not even a child yet. I’m only four weeks pregnant. In the first trimester, there’s a high risk of miscarriage. We have months before this even impacts you. I get you can’t leave your children behind here and move with me, but that’s you. I’m talking about me, and I have to at least think about myself and my future in all of this.”
Victoria was worried it would come to this. It was one of the things that bothered her when Andrei found out about the baby. Most women probably worried that their guy would pack up and leave town to get away from them. Her problem was the exact opposite.
Andrei was stressed out about the possibility that she could leave him and take the new job, making it difficult for him to see the baby.
“That’s just it. This stops being about you second you got pregnant. There is no you anymore. There is only us.”
Guilt filled her gut for hassling Andrei about going away to Chicago. For most of her life, she only had to worry about herself. No other lives had to be considered, which meant she always chose the decision that was best for her. But she couldn’t push away the words Andrei was trying to get through to her. Victoria’s life was no longer her own. Maybe she was being selfish, but did a baby mean she had to give up her dream?
He placed a bowl of broth in front of her.
She quirked an eyebrow up. “What’s this?”
“It’s a family recipe. My mother made this all the time and she was pregnant with us. It should help with the nausea allow you to get some food down.”
The delicious smell of the broth invaded her senses and reminded her that she hadn’t eaten much all day.
“Try it,” he said.
“What if I can’t keep it down?”
“Just try it.”
Their talk of Chicago and the baby still floated around her in her head, but she didn’t argue with him on this because she was starving.
She took the spoon into a liquid and brought to her lips. A burst of hearty flavor filled her mouth and satisfied her taste buds. Although she couldn’t place the specific flavors in the recipe, it suits her stomach as she took a spoonful of more and more until she had almost finished the entire thing.
“I’ll take that as a sign that you like it.” The corner of Andrei’s mouth slid up into a half smile. “Let me get you some more.” He took her full and refilled it before she could ask him to.
Andrei confounded her in more ways than one. He was drop-dead gorgeous and the ruthless defense attorney in the courtroom. The man was also the best lover she ever had, putting her needs before his own. Now, he was taking care of her again without her having to ask. Any woman would be crazy not to want him, so why was she so set on pushing him away?
A future in Chicago seemed like the safer option, far away from her passionate and sometimes mystifying lover.
“We have to figure this out,” she said as he put the newly refilled bowl of broth in front of her. “The problem isn’t going away just because we stop talking about it.”
“I know. Eat your soup.”
She downed this bowl a little slower than the first. The whole time Victoria knew that he watched her as she ate. With anyone else, she would’ve found such scrutiny creepy. This, however, seemed peaceful and homey, more domestic than she was used to but still comforting all the same.
Every once in awhile, she will look up to find him grinning back at her, but she didn’t question it or tease him. She simply ate quietly as he continued to watch her every movement.
“I want you to meet my family,” he said all of a sudden.
She nearly choked on her last spoonful of broth. “Meet your family?”
“Yeah. One weekend a month we go to the main house outside of the city to eat and have some time away. Would you like to spend the weekend with us?”
“You don’t just want me to meet your family. You want me to spend the weekend with them?”
“You make it sound like something bad. I think the meeting would be great, Victoria.”
“Would your family be okay with a stranger coming?”
“You’re not a stranger. At least you won’t be when you meet them. I think it’s about time. You are having my baby, after all. It makes sense to meet them. You’ll get the chance to see where I grew up.”
She didn’t think about the family that came along with Andrei. Hers was all the way on the other side of the country in California. Andrei’s worked with him. “You don’t think it’s too soon?”
That grin she was getting used to returned. “Oh, you want to wait until after the baby is born? Is that it?”
“No, Mr. Smart Ass. It just seems so sudden.”
“You think I have a smart ass?” he asked, laughter hinting under his voice.
“This soup is about five seconds from being over your head.”
He held his hands up in defense. “No need to get violent. Just appreciating the compliment.”
“What if they don’t like me?” She hated the insecurities that bubbled to the surface. That’s why she loved being a lawyer. She never had to worry about being good enough because she knew what she was doing and what her winning meant to help others. That gave her more than enough confidence to do her job as ADA and do it well. Outside the courtroom was another matter entirely.
“I can tell you right now my mother and sister will love you as much as I do.”
“Did you just admit that you love me?”
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
“You are really bad at being subtle.”
“Fine. Let me make it as obvious as possible. I love you, Victoria Bellamy. More than I thought it was possible to love and the other human being. I love you, and there is nothing you can do to stop me from ever loving you.”
Words usually came easy to her. They had to, or she would make a poor prosecutor, but for the life of her, she didn’t know what to say to Andrei.
“Don’t say anything now. I don’t want you to say anything you don’t mean. But I can promise you one thing, Victoria, I’m not going to rest until I hear you say it back to me. That’s a promise, and I always keep my promises.”
He took her bowl away to refill it once more before she could say anything at all. One thing was certain. Andrei was getting more complicated by the day, and he was going to be an interesting puzzle to figure out.
Chapter 17
Andrei
Andrei woke up to the smell of sex and bacon. The first he knew the origin of because he could smell it all over his room, and he loved it. He loved her, and he made sure she knew that fact last night. He couldn’t think of how his room smelled before she was in it, and he never wanted it to go back to how it was in the past.
The second smell of food had him up and throwing his pajama bottoms on. He hunted his way into the kitchen until he found her at his stove, trying to cook. He knew she said cooking wasn’t her thing, but she still looked beautiful moving that sweet ass of hers in his kitchen...an ass he loved fondling in and out of bed.
He leaned over the bar, entranced by her delicious curves that he only sampled a few hours before, but already he wanted more of her. She was his drug, and he didn’t mind being addicted. Not if it meant waking up to this lovely sight it every morning.
He eyed the semi-burnt toast and the mounds of what looked like eggs, while she worked on the bacon and sausage that had lured him out of his sleep.
She turned around and jumped.
“Morning,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I hate to pull you out of your morning element, especially one that is a pleasure to watch.”
“You me
an a morning nightmare,” she said. “I know I ruined the toast, and I’m not even sure the eggs Benedict is edible. I don’t even know that should be classified as eggs. I wanted to make you breakfast in bed, but it took longer than I thought. The only things that may be salvageable are the bacon and sausage. Oh, and definitely the coffee and possibly the fried apples, but I won’t be disappointed if you sample it all with caution. I can’t guarantee nothing will explode in your mouth when you eat it.”
“Explosions and death by a great-smelling breakfast. Either way, it still sounds like a feast fit for a king. Aren’t I the one who should be making you an apology breakfast after last night?”
She smiled. “You’ve already made me breakfast before, remember? One much more edible than this.”
Oh, he remembered. Damn. Was that really only a few weeks ago? He couldn’t believe time had passed so quickly, but it felt like they’d been together so much longer than that.
“I wanted to at least try to do something nice for you, but honestly, you may be better off eating poison or anything else suitable for rats.”
“Come on. It doesn’t look that bad.” He moved around the counter and kissed her as she held the spatula. He took it from her and moved the sausage and bacon around to keep them from burning. He finally took a quick bite of her eggs. He chewed the bland eggs and crunched on pieces of shell, but he swallowed it all in one gulp. “See? Not bad at all.”
“Really?” she asked. He could hear the hope in her voice. He thought about lying, but he’d told her he’d be honest with her.
“All it needs is a little more salt and a lot less shell.”
“I knew I missed some of those little, fragile suckers. How the hell do you do this on a regular basis without killing yourself and others?”
He couldn’t help but laugh and pull her into his arms.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I’m laughing at how serious you get about breakfast,” he said. “You’d think you were prepping a deposition.”