“Scared?”
I nod. “I lost the one person I thought I couldn’t live without. I couldn’t imagine losing anyone else that I cared about that deeply.”
“You’re not going to lose anyone,” he growls ferociously.
I slide under his arm, drinking in that woodsy musk that clings to his skin. “Just so you know, I’m gonna be one of those unbearably overprotective helicopter moms.”
He chuckles. “Just so you know, I might not be much better.”
“So our kids are gonna need therapists young—is that what we’re saying?”
“Our kids will have us,” he says firmly. “That’s all they’ll need.” He kisses the top of my head. “As long as their mother remembers to sit still long enough to pop them out.”
“We’re back to this again?”
“Bed rest doesn’t have to be boring, you know. There are plenty of things we could do to pass the time.”
“Oh, yeah? Like what?”
He raises his eyebrows as his hand slides over my belly. His fingers land between my legs, stroking at the thin fabric of my panties. “Like this, for example.”
I let out a long, drawn-out moan as my legs part instinctively for him. “I’m not sure this is what the doctor had in mind when he told me to spend more time in bed.”
Uri gives me a smug smile. “Doctors don’t know everything.”
My toes curl as he slips his fingers underneath my panties and starts grazing them over my moistening lips. “Mmm, Uri…”
“Relax, my little kiska. This is the part where you let go of all your stress and let me take care of you.”
Well, when you put it like that…
I guess I’m okay with staying in bed a little while longer.
41
URI
I wake up spooning Alyssa, my arm draped over her hip as she breathes gently. I lie there with her for as long as my conscience allows. If it were solely up to me, I’d stay here indefinitely, living and basking in the perfect silence of the moment.
But my head activates almost immediately. Has Stepan completed the third sweep of the estate that I’d asked for yesterday? Were all the extra security measures around the property implemented? Where the hell is Boris and what is he planning?
My children will be born in just a few short months and I need for this to be over before then. I don’t want them born into a world on the brink of burning.
So with a sigh, I extricate myself from Alyssa and roll to the side. When I reach for my phone, I see I have three missed calls from Kruger.
Heart in my throat, I pull my boxer briefs on and slip out of the room, ignoring the chill in the air. The cabin is flush with quiet. Everyone’s in their own rooms, taking advantage of the lazy morning.
I call Kruger back and walk towards the gigantic window at the end of the carpeted hallway. “What’s going on? You have an update for me?”
“Ever heard of Artur Agapov?”
I frown. “No. But I’m guessing he’s related to Oleg. His son?”
“Younger brother. And according to all my sources, this guy is unpredictable and reckless.”
“Let me guess: he’s gearing up to take revenge on me for offing his brother?”
“That’s what I’m hearing. And he’s not doing it alone.”
“Sobakin,” I growl.
“None other. I caught a whiff of his name earlier when I was scoping out a couple of Agapov’s men. It seems that the two are joining forces.”
My jaw clenches tightly. “Then we’ve got to prepare. I need you to stick to Agapov’s men as closely as you can. Pass any information you get from them directly to me.”
“Got it, boss.”
The moment he hangs up, I call up Stepan. His voice is groggy with sleep when he answers. “Sir?”
“Stepan, get everything ready. We’re coming home today.”
“Consider it done, sir.”
I hang up and turn around to find Alyssa, standing in our doorway, a thin bedsheet wrapped around her body. Her hair falls carelessly over her shoulders but her forehead is creased with worry.
“Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” I walk over and brush the bangs from her forehead. “Go back to bed.”
“Only if you come with me.”
I kiss her forehead. “I wish I could. I have to prepare a couple of things.”
She chews at the inside of her cheek. “So we’re leaving today, huh? Back to the mansion?”
I nod. “It’s the best place to protect you all. I’ve had my men run dozens of sweeps of the place. Any weakness in the estate’s perimeter has been fortified. There’s no way in or out unless I say so.”