Wiggling her little body, she prompted for him to put her down. Once he did, she scrambled to take her purple backpack off of her back, then she sat on her knees and opened it up.
The smile was unmovable on Kyle’s face as he watched rummage through her backpack, searching for her picture, while telling him about her day.
“Zamiyah, my best friend …” she looked up at him, ceasing her search for a moment. “… you remember my best friend, Zamiyah, right Papa?”
Kyle blinked.
Did he remember? How the hell could he forget as many times as he’d been forced to listen to their nightly phone conversations every damn night at the same damn time. Not to mention that Sofia’s favorite place to talk on the phone, with her dear best friend Zamiyah—who happened to be the Senator of New York’s daughter—was wherever the hell Kyle decided to work. Whether it was in his home office, in his bedroom, the living room; it didn’t seem to matter. When it was time to talk to little Zamiyah on the phone, Sofia was always near, taking Kyle’s cell phone to play with while she was on the house phone, and lying down next to him, kicking her little feet and talking about little girl shit with her best friend.
“Yes,” Kyle answered his daughter with a tight smile. “Of course I remember her, lady bug.”
Sofia resumed her search. “Well, she said she wants to go with us next time so that we can go to the spa together and be our favorite princesses.”
Kyle chuckled softly. “Sounds like you two would have a nice time together, lady bug.”
“I found it!” she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet with a framed picture in her hands. “See! I was Princess Belle, and I got to dance with Mickey Mouse.” She handed him the picture. “I brought this for your desk.”
Taking the picture from her hands. Kyle lifted her back in his arms, placing a kiss to her cheek. “You look beautiful, baby.”
She giggled. “Thank you, Papa.” She the place then sweetest soft kiss to his cheek. “And I got you some other presents, too. And I got some for Reanna … But I saved those for after dinner, ‘cause, guess what?”
“What’s that, bambina?” Kyle asked her, trying to sound just as enthusiastic.
“Reanna’s coming over tonight!”
And it was at the moment Kyle felt it; Reanna’s hand moving slowly up his arm.
“I see you two found each other, huh?”
“I was just telling Papa the good news!”
Reanna gasped playfully as she came forward and rested her head on Kyle’s arm. Kyle welcomed her, holding Sofia up with one arm as he brought the other around Reanna’s back, resting his hand at her waist and pulling her closer to him. She rested her head on his chest in a silent greeting, but Kyle— a bit more forward with his greeting despite their decision to keep things secret from Sofia until dinner tonight— leaned down and kissed the dimple on her right cheek, then chuckled when she gave his back a light pinch.
“Good news, huh?” Reanna asked Sofia, her tone playful and light. “What good news, baby?”
“That you’re staying the night!”
“I am?”
“Yes,” Sofia laughed.
The two of them were talking to one another, teasing and laughing, but Kyle couldn’t hear them. He could only focus his eyes on what they were seeing.
A family. A sweet, loving, little family. the two of them … So beautiful and all his.
“Okay, Papa,” Sofia said, yanking him out of his blissful state when she began wiggling around in his arms once again. “I’m gonna go see my uncles now, okay?”
Smiling at his daughter, Kyle gave a nod of his head. “Okay, bambina,” he replied, releasing Reanna momentarily so that he could put Sofia down. “You go see your uncles then.”
After zipping up her backpack, Sofia handed it to Reanna, then scrambled over to her uncle Nathan first.
Kyle watched her, waiting until he was certain that she was no longer facing in his direction. Then once his daughter was occupied with her dear uncle Nathan, Kyle attacked the beautiful woman that was still standing in front of him.
He reached out, hooking his arm around her waist, then brought her flush against him.
She gasped, standing on her toes immediately as her hand shot to her mouth to stifle her squeal of laughter.
“Oh my God. Kyle, no,” she whispered frantically, though excitement still brightened her brown eyes. “No, we can’t.”
“Kiss me, woman,” Kyle commanded impatiently. “Obey me. I am your husband.”
She giggled. “You’re not my husband yet, you giant. Now put me down. Sofia will see us.”
Kyle leaned closer to her lips. “She isn’t looking.” Leaning closer he nipped at the bottom lip that she always kept caught between her teeth. “Now give me my kiss, woman.”
She shook her head, denying him again. “Kyle.”
“Now …”
“Hands, Valente” she laughed, quickly moving his hand from her behind when he’d managed to cup a nice amount of it in his palm. “What has gotten into you today?”
“I miss you.”
Cupping his face, she smiled, whispering, “I miss you, too,” against his lips. “I miss you ...”
When her eyes then fell to his lips, Kyle knew he’d broken her resolve. Closing the distance between them, he kissed her hard, passionately, not holding back anything, just as he had earlier when he’d stopped to ensure her safety. She moaned, and the vibrations of it rumbled against his lips, right as her arms encircled his neck. Kyle kissed her deeply, reveling the way she made him feel, basking in the feeling of intoxication that he’d come to desire so much, and enjoying the amazing way she made him forget … just forget and drift back into that blissful state that he’d been in during their weekend at the cabin—
“Ebbene, che cosa abbiamo qui?”
With a sharp gasp, that unfortunately brought Kyle back to the present. Reanna jumped back from Kyle as if he were on fire.
“Aleksandr!” she exclaimed, then slapped her hand over her mouth as if to calm herself. Placing her free hand on her hip, she dropped her other hand from her mouth. “Aleks,” she said a bit more calmly. “Sweetie, we didn’t—” she cleared her throat, “didn’t see you,” she finished, then shot a glare at Kyle from the corner of her eye.
Pressing his lips in a thin line, Kyle’s nostrils flared with a long sigh as he ran his hand down his face. “Godson,” Kyle addressed him, dropping down to one knee to be face to face with the little man. He smirked at the child. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“Kyle!”
He felt Reanna’s small hand hit his arm right as she lowered to her knees right next to Kyle. “He didn’t mean that, baby,” she said in a soft, nervous laugh. Reaching out for him, she pulled him to her. “He just meant …” she hesitated for a moment. “He meant that we hadn’t meant for you to see that, honey.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “That’s what I said, Reanna.”
“Shh,” she shot, shooting him another glare. She cleared her throat again. “Basically, what your uncle and I are saying is that we’re sorry that you had to witness gross old people kissing like that.”
Frowning, Kyle looked over to Reanna just in time to see the crazy woman let out another nervous laugh.
Looking away from her with a sigh, Kyle shook his head. “Oh, Dio mio,” he grumbled in silent plea to God for help. Looking over to his little Godson, who still stood quietly, a mischievous smile in his eyes, even though his features were blank.
Little Aleksandr Alexis Salerno, or as Kyle secretly referred to him as ‘little Steele’. Not because he looked like them, but because that look; that even present smile in his eyes, a smile that remained, even when his expression was blank. Kyle had only ever seen that in one person in his life … Silas Steele.
Nobody else in the family had the balls to acknowledge the boys’ few similarities to Silas for fear of Anastacia’s wrath, but Kyle would. Why? Because it was interesting, fascinating, and had the possibilit
y to be a good thing. Kyle looked at Carter for instance. The woman was clearly Silas’s daughter; so it was bound to happen to at least one of their children, and Kyle whole-heartedly believed that as long as Carter and Nathan raised the boy well and loved—which they already were, and Kyle knew they would— then they would have nothing to fear.
The boy would never fall off rails as his grandfather did.
“Uncle …”
Kyle looked up, snapping out of his thoughts at the sound of little Aleksandr’s voice.
The boy had moved forward, closer to Reanna, and Kyle, being so lost in his thoughts, hadn’t even noticed.
“Uncle,” Aleksandr called again, successfully getting Kyle’s attention.
Giving the boy both a smile and his undivided attention, Kyle nodded. “Yes, Godson?”
Aleksandr’s mouth twitched with a half-smile and he kept his Salerno gray eyes on Kyle right as he brought his little hands up and gently cupped Reanna’s face.
Kyle frowned. How odd.
“This is my Aunt, Godfather,” the child said in Italian. “And she is my Godmother.”
Nodding as the frown remained on his face, Kyle replied, “I’m aware.” in Italian.
Aleksandr then smiled. “And you kiss her the way my papa, kisses my mama.”
Again, Kyle replied, “I’m aware.”
Aleksandr nodded. “My mama and papa. They are married.”
Kyle lowered his eyes to the floor, the small smile returning to his lips. “I am aware of this, too, child.”
Kyle wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t know what was coming next. It seemed the Italian was coming out of Aleksandr right now because the boy sounded just like Kyle’s father.
“Then you, Godfather.” The boy gave him a pointed look. “You are marrying my Godmother now? Now that you kiss her that way?”
Chuckling softly, Kyle nodded his head.
Never could it be said that Aleksandr Alexis Salerno didn’t have courage. The small child, so smart, so wise; too wise for his own good. And the child was never afraid to say what was on his mind.
He was protective of Reanna; Kyle could see that in the possessive way in which he’d stood in between them, urging Kyle to back away from his beloved Zia, and there was no way that Kyle could be upset with him about it. No way that he could reprimand the child for his invasive questioning, or for questioning at all, seeing as he was only doing as he was taught. This was something they were all taught in their childhood, and now, the next generation was learning from the family elders as well. You protect the ones you love, no matter what. Protect them from others, from themselves, and from dishonor.
If Kyle were to be so intimate with Reanna— Aleksandr’s aunt, as he referred to her— in a place so public, and not be her husband, or her intended, such a thing would be considered disrespectful to her family. It would be an act that Kyle’s grandmother would beat him in the head with various kitchen utensils for. And though, in the times they all lived in now, these rules were not heavily enforced, nor often abided by, they were still important. Especially to Kyle now that he was in love.
“Yes, Aleksandr,” Kyle answered the child. “I am marrying your aunt.” He’d made sure to say the words in Italian, as to not upset Reanna. “But you must keep this secret, boy.” Reaching out, Kyle pulled the little bad ass to him, tickling his sides.
“Ah!” he yelled through laughter. “Stop your foolishness, Zio!”
“You must promise, first,” Kyle teased, chuckling at the boy’s big belly laughs. “Promise you will not tell your cousin.”
“H-how can I promise you … I … cannot … talk!”
Laughing, Kyle placed a hard kiss on the child’s cheek, then released him, laughing even harder when he scrambled away.
“Unhand me, beast!” Aleksandr turned dramatically to face Kyle. “You use such tactics because you know my weakness.”
Kyle snorted. “Your weaknesses are your animals and chicken nuggets.”
“Chicken strips, uncle,” he corrected smugly. “I’m not two anymore.”
Kyle chuckled. “You’re four …”
“Four and a half.”
“But a child nonetheless,” Kyle reminded him. “And I am a man,” he pointed out. “A tall, strong man that can throw you across a room with one hand if you choose to disobey me.”
Aleksandr shook his head in mock disappointment. “Why is it always about throwing with you, uncle? Why? And you may be taller than me now, but we both know that when I’m a man, I will have the height and strength of my father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and his father before him …”
Kyle’s brow rose. “All that, huh?”
Aleksandr gave a nod of his head. “That’s is what my papa tells me all the time.”
“Well, your papa tells lies. You’ll be a munchkin forever.” He reached out and pinched the boys side again. “And this will be because I say it will be.”
“You’re a munchkin,” Aleksandr shot. “I’m a man.”
Kyle laughed, not much to Aleksandr’s amusement, but he couldn’t help himself. He and Aleksandr’s back and forth always got amused him. The child was quick, like his mother.
“Why do you want to wait to tell Sofia anyway, uncle?” Aleksandr asked, recapturing Kyle’s attention. “She will be happy; this is what she wanted.”
Kyle brows rose at the child’s words. Not because he was surprised, but because he hadn’t been expecting the question nor the statement that followed it.
“Sofia will be happy about what?”
A second little munchkin voice sounded next to him right as he felt the child’s tiny arms go over his shoulder.
“Hi, Uncle,” Maksim greeted.
And, of course, Kyle returned the greeting. Throwing his arm around the child and pulling him closer, Kyle kissed the sweet child’s cheek.
“How are you, my favorite Godson?” He kissed Maksim’s cheek once more, gazing in Aleksandr’s direction as he did.
As Kyle had expected, the boy was laughing, flawlessly catching on to the humor in what Kyle had said.
“I’m fine,” Maksim replied. He then turned to face Kyle. “Will you answer my question now, Uncle? About Sofia?”
“He and our Godmother are getting married,” Aleksandr answered his brother.
Kyle’s eyes widened at the child. “Sandr!” he yelled at the boy. “What happened to keeping you my secret, you little monster.”
The child couldn’t hold water, once again, just like his mother.
Aleksandr frowned. “You said nothing of my brother, only Sofia, Uncle. Plus,” he shrugged, “You’ve yet to pay me.”
Kyle snapped back. “Pay you!” he exclaimed. “Who said anything about pay, Aleksandr?”
“For my silence, Uncle. I’m a businessman.”
“A con man would be a more accurate description.”
“Be that as it may.” He held out his hand. “Five dollars should work.”
“For me, too,” Maksim smiled, holding out his hand as well. “Ten if you want me to keep an extra eye on Aleksandr.”
Kyle’s mouth dropped open.
Looking to his left where Reanna still sat on her heels watching him and the boys talk to one another, Kyle shook his head, appalled by the behavior of his Godsons.
“Do you hear this, my dove?” he asked her. “Do you hear how they extort their own uncle, their beloved Godfather?”
He heard the twins laugh, but he kept his eyes on Reanna, waiting for her to be just as outraged by this as he was, but surprisingly, she didn’t seem shocked. She didn’t even respond, she just looked at him as if she didn’t understand a word he was saying.
And that was probably because she couldn’t.
Squinting her eyes at them, Reanna lightly slapped her palms down on her knees. “I can see that you’re asking me a question, Kyle, and don’t get me wrong,” she raised her hand. “I’d love to answer you, it’s just …” She sighed, shaking her head. “I just feel like sometime
s you all don’t realize when you’re having an entire conversation in Italian.”
Kyle smiled. Oops.
“Ooo, my babies are here!”
Carter’s sudden appearance in the lobby was greeted with a boisterous welcome from all the children as well as the other family members present.
Kyle and Reanna stood from the floor, looking over to the door when she and her lady warriors— as Kyle called them—walked into the lobby. Well, all of her ladies except one. Isabella. But Isabella rarely returned with them after their more violent meetings. She’d normally make it back to the office a few minutes after, or at least in time to catch a ride out to the house with Nathan.
“Hi, my sweet babies,” she cooed as she kissed each of her boys; Kyle even spied Sofia slip in between her cousins to get her time with her dear Zia before she scrambled out of the madness and ran back over to Kyle and Reanna.
“Hey, baby,” Kyle heard Reanna say when Sofia came back over.
Instead of coming right back to Kyle seeking to be lifted as he’d expected, she went straight to Reanna, throwing her little arms around her waist and pressing her face into Reanna’s belly.
“I have a headache now,” she pouted, looking up at Reanna with her little lip poking out.
Kyle’s brows furrowed, watching as Reanna gently gripped on to the band holding Sofia’s tight pony tail up and smoothly slipped it out of her hair. Sofia’s long, black hair cascaded down her back, and Reanna immediately began running her fingers through the child’s hair so gently, so lovingly, while she stared down at her with the warmest smile.
“You’re hungry,” she whispered.
She removed her hands from Sofia’s hair temporarily while she dug into the purse she carried on her arm. She pulled out a small, clear bag of what looked like … cookies?
“You can eat some of your animal crackers, but you will share if your little cousins ask you for some.”
Frowning deeply, Sofia looked up at Reanna.
“I didn’t ask if you wanted to, Sofia,” Reanna replied to Sofia’s silent protest. “You’ll share. Understood?”
“Yes,” Sofia whispered.
Nodding, Reanna handed her the bag, whispering “greedy butt,” teasingly as she did.
Dangerous Beauty: Part Four: Beautifully Broken Page 44