The Life (The Russian Guns)

by Bethany-Kris

  “Speaking of which,” he said, tilting his head towards he closed door. “I should get up and get him outside for a walk. You should get some chow, check your sugars, and take your insulin, yeah?”

  Viviana nodded, but it didn’t look so sure. “Where are we, anyway?”

  Anton coughed out a laugh. “I practically carried you in from the car last night.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “Out of state.”

  “Oh,” she said, dimly.

  “Yeah, that’s about all I want to say. Just know that if I have to go for that meeting with Jersey in a few days, you’ll be safe. It might be a little earlier than what I would have brought you out here, but it worked just as well. Our stuff is handled for a few days and the bulls are sleeping downstairs,” Anton explained, assuming Rory and Joe were still snoring off the late night drive. “Just us, and they shouldn’t be too much of a bother, so let’s relax, baby.”

  “Relax,” she repeated quietly.

  Anton grinned. “Sounds like heaven, huh?”

  Looking a little brighter than before, Viviana winked. “Sounds fantastic.”

  *

  Viviana stared out the large bay window, absently rubbing her hand over her stomach. Her baby was being particularly restless, and whenever she sat down, he became even more troublesome to her insides. She couldn’t help but wonder if Demyan was trying to tell her he was getting bored with his comfortable, safe home.

  It also didn’t escape her notice that she had the strangest ache in her back and Braxton Hicks contractions. Nearly eight months pregnant, Viviana should have been expecting the late pregnancy symptoms, but they still came as a surprise.

  The beautiful, large lake the front of the lodge led to didn’t give her a single clue about where they were. With its sparkling water and quiet atmosphere, it was a peaceful sight. Sure enough, it didn’t seem to be a very populated place, wherever it was. Across the lake, there was a smaller cabin, but it didn’t appear to be inhabited.

  “Hey, Vine.”

  Viviana turned at Rory’s voice, offering her bull a smile as his bleary one met hers. The sounds of footsteps echoing in the back hallway of the lodge followed a door closing. That must have been Joe making his way to the bathroom.

  “Morning, Rory.”

  “Where’s Boss?”

  With a wave at the window, she said, “With Rocco.”

  When her stomach tightened, Viviana grimaced. Rory took note immediately. “You okay?”

  Viviana didn’t want to worry anyone, but the fake contractions were annoying. Random and varying in their length and intensity, they mostly felt like moderate cramps. Huffing uncomfortably, she rolled the heel of her palm against her side, wishing it would just stop.

  “Yeah, but could you go find Anton for me?” Anton would want to know if she was in pain, or if something was happening with the baby that worried her. “Tell him not to rush, or whatever.”

  Rory sported a panicked frown. “Vine, is the baby—”

  “Just fake contractions,” she interjected quickly. “Please let me tell him that, though. It’s important that I do it.”

  Viviana didn’t want Anton to think she was hiding something from him again.

  “Listen, if it’s important, like baby-wise, we’ll need to leave ASAP.”

  Viviana furrowed her brow. “What, why?”

  “We’re a couple of hours away from a decent hospital.” Rory clamped his mouth shut instantly. “Oh, shit. Boss is going to have a conniption fit I told you that.”

  “You didn’t tell me where exactly,” Viviana said, lifting her shoulder dismissively. “Besides, this isn’t the real deal. Trust me, Rory. Just go and find Anton and ask him to come back as soon as Rocco is ready.”

  Rory literally tittered on the spot. Like he was a fucking girl or something. What was it with men and the thought of labor, anyway? Suddenly they were turned into worried, nervous little boys who couldn’t handle a bit of pain.

  “Go get my husband,” Viviana said, turning away to hide her smile.

  Rory didn’t have to be told again. When the bull was gone and the front door shut, Viviana let out the breath she’d been holding in. The baby inside stretched, hell bent on repositioning himself. Placing both of her hands over her midsection, she closed her eyes and shook, the worried feeling settling in her middle.

  “Come on, Demyan. Be good for mommy, please.”

  Asking the baby to do anything was probably useless, but Viviana also knew he could hear her. Maybe all he wanted was to hear something, or perhaps he was missing the comforting tenor of his father. After all, she’d spent all morning wrapped in her husband’s arms, listening to that voice of his, feeling him love her like only he could.

  Feeling the odd cramping sensation subside for a moment, Viviana wondered she should call someone and get their opinion on the false labor. Sometimes it was better to hear the voice of another who had experienced it, too.

  Noticing Anton’s cell phone sitting on a side table next to the couch, Viviana was quick to grab the device up and dial a familiar number. Not three rings later, Sasha’s tired voice picked up on her end. Because her mother-in-law had her degree in nursing, Viviana thought she was just as good of a person to talk to about it as anyone.

  “Anton,” her husband’s mother said, a smile in her voice. “I thought you were taking Vine out of town for a while?”

  “It’s just me,” Viviana replied. “Anton forgot his phone when he took Rocco out. We are out of town, but I don’t know where.”

  “Hey, Vine.” The sound of a door shutting echoed over the receiver. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just fine. How’s Daniil?”

  “He had a hard night, but he’s sleeping fine this morning. Demanded I go get him some chocolate, so that’s a good sign if he wants to eat. Enough about us, though. How’s the lodge?”

  Viviana snorted under her breath. “You know exactly where I am, don’t you?”

  “Just about. I spent enough time vacationing there myself. Well, they like to call it a vacation. It makes them feel less guilty about locking us away from the world for a week.”

  “I’m really liking it so far.”

  “That’s good, sweetheart. It holds a lot of memories for our family, so it’s nice you’re finally able to see it, also. Why the early morning call?”

  As if on cue, the baby boy decided to do another acrobatic move. The long stretch had Viviana cramping all over again and the ache in her back starting up, too. Sighing, she went about explaining her symptoms to her mother-in-law. Sasha listened patiently, occasionally voicing her understanding.

  “Nothing to worry about, right?” Viviana asked.

  Sasha hummed noncommittally. “It certainly sounds like false labor.”

  There was an unhidden but at the end of Sasha’s sentence. Viviana didn’t like that at all. Panic welled in her stomach like a poison. “What, it is just fake, right? It’s too soon, otherwise.”

  “Well, the back pain is a little bothersome. I had that same kind of ache for a week before Anton was born. There’s no blood or water?”

  “No, none.”

  “I’d say it’s just false labor, then, and try to get the little man to calm down a bit. Seems like something worked him up is all and he’s awake and playing in there. Did you exercise this morning when you woke up? That’ll do it, Viviana.”

  Viviana forced herself to stay quiet. No, she certainly hadn’t exercised, not in the way Sasha was assuming. The last thing she wanted to blurt out was the wake-up she’d received from Anton the night before and then the nearly two hour long session that took over them in the morning. Unable to hide the embarrassment creeping over her cheeks, she make a noise that was supposed to sound dismissive.

  Apparently, it didn’t.

  “But I thought you were supposed to exercise because of your sugars. If that’s not what did it …” Sasha trailed off before clearing her throat. “Oh. Oh, did
I just make this awkward?”

  “Um, no,” Viviana said, cursing herself all the while. “Can we not talk about that?”

  “Okay, we can do that. Or not, I mean. But that will do it, sweetheart. Orgas—”

  “No, oh my God, don’t.” Viviana gasped into the phone, mortified. “Please don’t. That would not be okay with me, never mind Anton.”

  Sasha made an uncomfortable noise. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But I want you to know, you’re getting close to eight months. Your cervix is softening, Vine. It won’t be unusual if you do notice a spot of blood or two anywhere from a half hour and beyond … those activities. Okay?”

  Viviana took some time to gather her bearings, and swallowed the lump in her throat. There wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about, as her mother-in-law wouldn’t take their conversation anywhere.

  “Sex can bring on false labor symptoms?”

  “Sure,” Sasha said. “Well, the orgasm does, I suppose. The contractions of the orgasm mimics the contractions of the labor. The baby counters accordingly, some like it, some find it annoying. Funny how a great deal of women seem to want sex more near the end, isn’t it? Don’t be worried about that, for God’s sake. Enjoy it, if anything. Once he’s here, there won’t be nearly enough time for you to find connection like that as often as you do now.”

  “Thank you,” Viviana managed to say.

  “No problem.”

  Viviana glanced out the window, noticing from the corner of her eye that Anton was finally returning back with Rocco walking along beside him at a leisurely pace. Rory was also there. At least her husband didn’t seem to be in a panic, so her bull must have followed her instructions about letting her be the one to tell him of the false labor. Thank God for the little things.

  “What did you do the first time they called him the little prince?” Viviana asked.

  Sasha exhaled heavily into the receiver. The sound was as foreboding and sad as her answer. “Nothing. I couldn’t. And neither can you.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Any better?” Anton asked, rubbing a hand over his wife’s stomach.

  Settled into the large couch, Viviana’s legs up in his lap, he watched her face carefully to see if he could notice any signs of discomfort or pain. It had taken a long, warm bath, and then a short nap before she admitted the cramping was easing up.

  “A little,” Viviana said. “Really freaked me out for a minute, though.”

  Anton massaged her left ankle before moving to the right. More than anything, he wanted to soothe Viviana, but he knew his worry was coming through strong and she wasn’t missing it. His concern was forefront. It was too soon for his boy to be born. The doctors had already confirmed if he continued to grow much bigger because of the sugar issue, they’d induce her at thirty-eight weeks gestation. Demyan would be considered full-term then, anyway.

  But, that was still three weeks away.

  “Are you scared of what comes during the birth?” Anton asked quietly, trying to get his thoughts in order.

  Viviana turned to look at her husband, smiling slyly. “Why, are you?”

  “Yes. I can’t stand to watch you cry. How do you think I’ll fair through this? It’d be so much easier if this was years ago when men didn’t have to go to the hospital until after the child was born.”

  “Oh my God, you are going to be inside that room with me.” Viviana chirped out a laugh. “With a gun to your head if need be, I don’t care. Lord knows if someone else cuts his cord, you’ll regret it every day of your life.”

  Anton glared playfully, tickling up the side of her smooth calf. “I know, I’m just saying it made sense, that’s all. Seriously, though, are you worried?”

  “I don’t know. Right now I’m sort of complacent about it all. It’s going to happen whether I’m ready for it or not. Of course, ask me that again when I’m in the middle of labor and I really have no choice, and I’ll probably have a different answer.”

  Then, Viviana pushed herself up and stared at him intently. “Also, I don’t want pain medication, so it’s your responsibility to convince me not to take it when I’m seconding guessing that choice.”

  “Awesome,” Anton muttered dryly. “I’ll get right on that.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a needle being shoved in my spine. Morphine makes me nervous after the accident, so that’s a no-go. The other things offered just don’t sit well with me. It’s mind over matter, Anton. That’s all pain is.”

  Well, he didn’t totally disagree with her there, but if she started asking for pain relief, he guaranteed nothing.

  “Whatever you say, baby. I’m not the one doing it.”

  Settling herself back down into the mess of cushiony pillows, Viviana sighed happily. “I think he’s finally resting.”

  Small miracles, Anton thought. Reaching over once more, his hand found its way under her shirt to rub back and forth below her navel. Viviana hummed contentedly at the affectionate touch and Anton smiled, watching her watch him under her thick lashes.

  Viviana was a crazy kind of beautiful. Thanks to that cocoa butter and oil concoction that she lavished on her midsection, her skin was as unblemished as it always was. She glowed when she smiled. Maybe Anton hadn’t been telling or showing her just how beautiful he thought she was if her recent insecurities were any indication. Or, maybe that was just an awful by-product of pregnancy, too.

  “You’re beautiful, Vine,” he said offhandedly.

  Viviana blinked up at him with a slow smile creeping over her lips. “Come here.”

  Not wanting to make her ask again, Anton was quick to move Viviana’s legs from his lap and lean over her figure. With two fingers, he stroked her cheek, catching her bottom lip with his thumb. When her hand fisted into his white t-shirt, Viviana pulled him down to meet her kiss. Long enough to have his body aching and his cock waking up all over again, Anton pulled away from his wife’s mouth sooner than he wanted to. Desire glittered in her hooded eyes.

  “Too much of that and we’ll be another two hours getting him calmed down.”

  Anton nodded his agreement and slipped back into his spot on the other side of the couch. “Is that a no to later, too?”

  “Oh, definitely not,” Viviana replied, her hand searching out his.

  Intertwining their fingers, Anton brought her hand up to his mouth and laid his lips against each of her knuckles. The comfortable silence that ensued lulled Anton into a peaceful state. This last minute getaway was what they needed. Sure, the idea of the lodge worked out well for needing to get Viviana out of state, but it was more than just that. Very rarely did they get enough time for them together, and in a few short weeks, something beautifully new and already loved would be adding himself to the picture as well.

  Were they ready for that?

  *

  Viviana rested on the swinging bench. Using the tip of her foot, she rocked the swing back and forth, enjoying the sun peeking through the trees. Below her on the ground, resting his large head on a pillow was Rocco.

  She hated to admit it, but Anton was right when it came to their pup. He’d been following her around the trails leading into the forest surrounding the lake and lodge all morning without a single complaint. Rocco had started limping a bit, but that was fixed when Viviana decided to take a rest on the bench beside the lake.

  Rocco was more than capable of handling the pain he was in, but the moment she or Anton gave any indication they noticed he was uncomfortable, the dog instantly turned into a whining baby. But, that whiny pup also saved her life, so she wasn’t against giving him all the love and affection he wanted.

  Enjoying the quiet hum of the forest, Viviana watched as Anton’s form caught her gaze. Jogging around the lake had replaced his usual morning workout routine. It was their fourth morning at the unknown place, and this was the third time she had been able to sit down and enjoy the view of her husband. She purposely made a point of coming out to watch him run, even if that meant getting out
of that warm, comfortable bed in the upstairs loft of the two floor lodge.

  Wearing nothing but a pair of knee length track shorts, listening to an iPod, and his head down, Anton was lost in whatever zone he found.

  The closer Anton got to her spot during his jog, the more Viviana watched him. The fast stride he kept was strong and sure, his skin damp with perspiration. The dangling cord of the ear buds stuck in his ears drew her eyes downward over the chiseled plains of his chest down to the definition of a solid abdomen lined with a railroad track path of muscles. The black licks of his tribal tattoos swayed with the movements of his body like living artwork. Strength wrote lines over every inch of his physique. Discipline colored his physical power.

  Observing Anton in his concentration was near memorizing. If she had to guess, he was likely on his fourth or fifth trip around the lake, but his breaths came at an easy pace. He wasn’t tiring in the least.

  Glancing down at Rocco who had also noticed his other master getting nearer to their spot, Viviana smiled at the sight of his excitement forming in the thumps of his thick tail to the ground. Before the bomb, the pup loved to run with Anton, even if it was on a treadmill beside the one his master was using. Now, he simply didn’t have the strength in his hind legs to keep up the pace. Sadly, she knew it bothered her husband that the pup couldn’t be his running partner any longer, too.

  Sighing away the inner melancholy, Viviana looked back up only to find Anton staring back at her. With that heated blue gaze of his trailing over the button down shirt of his she wore and the stretchy yoga shorts, the faintest hint of a smirk tugged at those full lips. It was the simple cock of his dark eyebrow and the baring of his teeth that had her pulse picking up. The want behind his eyes was clear to see; the throbbing at the apex of her thighs reacting accordingly to the unvoiced suggestion.

  Close enough to her spot that she could make out the marks of her scratches on his forearms, she knew there was likely a few lines across his back, too. She wouldn’t deny for a second how much she loved that he didn’t hide the proof of their passion. It didn’t seem to bother Anton a bit to allow the two men staying with them a view of the marks his wife left every time they fucked.