Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Feliks,” Lev says by way of welcome.
“Cousin,” he says, greeting Lev with a hug.
The man turns to me and gives me a smile that I imagine has dropped a lot of panties. He’s gorgeous. There is obviously a good-looking gene running through this gene pool of gangsters.
“At last, we meet. I’m Feliks,” he says, making a show of taking my hand and dragging it to his lips. “I’ve heard so much about you, and you’re as beautiful as I imagined you would be.”
Okay, so he’s a charmer.
I feel Lev bristle beside me, and Feliks grins wickedly, making me realize his flirting with me is solely to irritate his cousin.
Hmm… I think I like this guy.
I play into his charm and give him a big, flirty smile, hoping it will irritate Lev further. “Thank you.”
Feliks grins effortlessly. “I’m the favorite cousin. He probably hasn’t mentioned me on account he’s afraid you’ll fall in love with me at first sight.” He winks, then whispers dramatically, “It’s hell to be so handsome.”
I can’t help myself—I giggle, which seems to irritate Lev even more.
I smile. Tonight might actually be bearable.
“Shall we go?” Lev bites.
As we leave the balcony and walk through the mansion, Lev places his hand at the small of my back, and it’s strangely comforting as I walk toward the unknown. His touch is warm and strong and reassuring.
Almost protective.
25
LEV
If I thought I was going to be able to focus with Brooke on my arm tonight, then I was gravely mistaken.
I underestimated my attraction to her.
During the car ride over, she and Feliks talk non-stop like girlfriends, and it irritates the hell out of me watching her fall for his charms. But it’s not jealousy. It may look like it, but it’s not. Because I would have to have a romantic interest in her to let it affect me that way. And I don’t. I just want to fuck her brains out again. Just to be clear.
And my cousin is being an ass. Taunting me by flirting outrageously with her.
Thankfully, he deserts us for the bar as soon as we arrive at the venue. And now, she’s on my arm as we move through the room full of family and business associates, and all I can think about is how good it feels to have her there.
She is gorgeous. Beautiful.
The dress she’s wearing is perfect. Elegant. Classy. Sexy as fuck. It’s a midnight-blue sheath molded to her luscious curves and exposing just enough cleavage and thigh to make me hungry for a taste.
But I push the thought away. Any ideas of peeling it off her and devouring every inch of her skin with my mouth will have to wait.
Tonight, I need to focus. It might be a family affair but since becoming pakhan, I’ve learned family doesn’t always mean safety. There are cracks in mine, and I know Vadim is the cause. What I don’t know is who shares his belief that he should be pakhan and how deep it goes in the family.
“And what do we have here?” comes a booming voice from behind us. We turn around, and my Uncle Boris howls with laughter and opens his arms wide for a hug. “My favorite nephew.”
He pulls me in for a bear hug and claps me on the back before turning his attention to Brooke. He takes her hand and kisses it. “She's beautiful, and therefore to be wooed; She is woman, and therefore to be won," he says, quoting Shakespeare.
“Don’t let the old man’s shamelessness in quoting Shakespeare as a pickup line fool you,” my cousin Maksim says to Brooke as he joins us. “He is harmless and quite charming when he doesn’t have a belly full of vodka and his bad manners on display.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Maksim. This old bull’s son and Lev’s cousin.”
“Oh, so you’re Feliks’ brother?” Brooke asks.
Maksim winks at her. “The older and obviously much better-looking brother.”
Brooke smiles, and I can see the twinkle in my cousin’s eyes. Like everyone here, he is not immune to her beauty either.
I look at Boris. “Are you enjoying your birthday, Uncle?”
“It’s a fine affair, Nephew. A fine affair.” He swipes a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “Remind me tomorrow how much fun I had tonight, will you?” He downs the champagne like it is water and laughs.
I have a lot of time for Boris. My father’s youngest brother, he has always been good-natured. When I was a kid, he was the fun uncle. While my father and Uncle Vadim were always so serious, Boris knew how to have a good time.
And I know Boris has my back. Unlike Vadim, who can barely keep the snarl from his lips when in my company.
“Forgive my father,” Maksim says to Brooke, good-naturedly. “He doesn’t usually drink, but when he does, he makes up for lost time.”