I tsk. “I told you I wouldn’t settle for partway. You’re marrying me, Lucy Lawrence. Don’t pretend you’re not.”
She laughs. “Is this your proposal?”
I shake my head. “No. The ring is still on order.”
I’m having a gorgeous ring custom made. It’s a trio of pink diamonds. Tasteful and elegant—like her. It’s supposed to be ready by next week. “But I’m warning you, it won’t be a proposal. What’s done is done. You’re already mine.”
“This is not very romantic, Ravil.”
“You never wanted romance, kitten. You wanted conquering.” I pick up her hand and kiss the back of it.
The lids droop again. “Only the way you conquer.”
My chest grows warm, and my dick gets hard, but before I can ravish my bride, the door bursts open and the guys all parade in, talking too loud and smelling of alcohol.
“Hi guys,” Lucy greets them.
“And if you want me to kick these bastards out, it’s done,” I say, jerking an irritated thumb their way.
“No way. I love communal living. It’s entertaining.” She grins. “Plus, we’ll have lots of nannies when Benjamin comes.”
Pavel groans. Dima looks like a deer in headlights. Oleg, of course, shows no—
“Oleg!” I exclaim. “Is that lipstick on your collar?”
“Yes,” Nikolai purrs. “We’ve been to see his girlfriend at her club.”
Oleg smacks him with the back of his hand, which isn’t meant to be hard, but makes Nikolai stumble back. He fake wheezes and hunches over like he can’t breathe. “Not so hard, asshole.”
Lucy sits up taller. “Oleg, you have a girlfriend?”
His expression grows thunderous.
I’m even more interested. It’s rare to see any reaction at all out of him.
“He hasn’t sealed the deal yet,” Dima confides to Lucy in a conspiratorial tone. “But if he would ask her out she would say yes, for sure. She literally crawls all over him during her show.”
Oleg glowers, and with a twist of my gut, I realize his dilemma. He asks for so little, we sometimes minimize his very real disability. With us, he can at least write or text if he needs to communicate something. But while he may understand it, he doesn’t write in English. Asking a girl out would be impossible.
“Well, why the fuck didn’t you help him with that?” I demand.
Dima appears surprised. He looks at Nikolai for support. “Because I didn’t want to get my skull smashed?”
Oleg nods in agreement, like he would’ve smashed skulls.
“I’ll go with you next time,” I promise Oleg, but he shakes his head.
“See?” Dima protests. “He doesn’t want help. I definitely would’ve worked it if he did.”
“Hmm.” I file that away. I’m definitely going with next time, so I can see what’s going on.
The door opens again, and Maxim enters with a redheaded woman.
“Maxim!” Lucy exclaims.
“I’m back,” Maxim says. He’s dressed in a suit, but it’s rumpled, and he appears tired. “With my reluctant bride. Meet Igor’s daughter, Sasha.”
Sasha tosses her red hair with a sniff. I’ve seen her before but only a couple times. The mafiya princess is beautiful, but young. And judging by the grip Maxim has on her elbow, she’s a handful.
“She was his dying gift to you?” Nikolai scoffs, and Maxim shoots him a look that would kill as he leads her toward his bedroom.
“She doesn’t leave this penthouse,” Maxim says over his shoulder. “Not without escort.” They disappear into his room, and he shuts the door.
For a moment, we all stare at each other absorbing the arranged marriage situation that just dropped itself into our lives. Then I stand and help Lucy up off the couch.
“I’d love to conjecture with you, but my bride looks tired.” And I’m ready for another round with her.
“Spokoynoy nochi,” Lucy says, still practicing her Russian.
“Good night, Lucy,” Dima and Nikolai chorus.
“Good night,” Pavel calls toward our backs.
“Tell me that girl isn’t another prisoner,” Lucy says when we get into the bedroom. I pull off her pajama top as I back her toward the bed.
“It would only be for her own safety,” I swear. “That would be the reason Igor pinned her to Maxim. It’s a brilliant match, really. He needed Maxim to take her out of Russia and away from the tigers vying for his power and her wealth.”
“What about love?” Lucy asks.
I catch the back of her head and kiss her before her knees hit the bed. “Conquering. Wasn’t that preferred? Maxim will conquer her. And she will conquer him. And then there will be love. Just like with us, no?”
Her lids droop.