Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 89090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Yev was barely a boy when he packed up and left town with only a handful of words spoken between us. Although I learned weeks before his second stint abroad that he isn’t a kid anymore, not to mention our fuck against the wall of my living room last week, I’m still flabbergasted when he bounces around the boxing ring, jabbing the air with his tape-covered fists.
I’m not seeing the skinny boy who followed me around like a puppy when Alek seconded me to Kronstadt not long after my twenty-first birthday to see if my father would consider taking in another runaway. He had tried to get Ana into a good foster program for weeks, but she either found her way back on the streets within hours or was fighting off men like my first foster father.
With Ana’s story replicating mine so well, I offered for her to stay with me. I was hardly scraping by, but I was willing to give it a shot like my father had with me.
Alek didn’t consider me as an option. He didn’t trust himself around Ana, so he believed placing distance between them would be best for all involved.
Nothing he did worked. Ana wanted him, and Alek eventually gave in to the tension burning between them.
It took me several years longer to give in to Yev.
Sometimes I wish I hadn’t been so stubborn. I might not have faced some of the issues I had if I’d given Yev a chance. But also, I’m not sure we would have made it through the flames unscathed.
When Ana and Alek’s relationship fell apart, they took down everyone with them.
People I once classed as family became strangers, and strangers became friends.
Only one good thing came from months of prolonged absences. I threw myself into my business, believing that the only person I needed to control my destiny was myself. It worked well until my sister was born.
A baby changes your perspective in an instant. I became more family-orientated, but my wish for her to be raised by the best father on the planet also taught me that if I don’t make sacrifices for what I want, I’ll never get it.
Dating Vasily is one of those sacrifices.
Reluctantly, I drag my eyes away from Yev’s impressive six-pack to lock them on Leon. I can’t let go of the reins just as I am steering the carriage around the final curve. “My father’s visa application has been in processing mode for over eight months. Is there anything we can do to speed up the process? He has secure employment, numerous references, and a family desperate for him to come home.”
Leon glances at me for two seconds before his attention returns to the ring. When he hisses in sync with the crowd, I follow the direction of his gawk.
Air whizzes through my teeth when I learn the cause of the crowd’s fret. Yev’s opponent is entering the ring. He is the size of a house. His biceps are wider than Yev’s head, and the tuft of hair Yev left unslicked tonight barely reaches his opponent’s nipple.
My heart drops to my feet when Vasily slips onto the seat next to me while murmuring, “This looks like an interesting pairing.”
Even with his wallet appearing as flat as his cock when he stuffs it into his pants pocket, he can’t hide the smugness on his face. He’s mentioned getting revenge on Yev many times over the past week. I assumed he meant with the skills his Mai Tai instructor taught him, so I didn’t consider tracking down Yev in person to warn him. I left it up to the numerous text messages I sent him.
I won’t make the same mistake twice. Yev was defending me, so even if I believed his tactics were a little excessive and that he set my plans back by a couple of weeks, he doesn’t deserve to be hurt for doing what any respectable man would do.
I barely get two steps away when Vasily snatches up my wrist. “Sit down.” He yanks me back onto my seat, his tactics cruel and demoralizing. “Or you can kiss your father’s visa application goodbye.”
My heart stops beating as my wide eyes bounce between his. “What?”
His lips curve up at one side. I don’t know if his smirk is in response to my shocked expression or Yev’s opponent’s first punch landing with the accuracy of a missile. It shunts Yev back three places before it forces blood to ooze out of a fresh cut above his brow. “You don’t think I notice you mentioning it every single time my father is in your vicinity?” His pfft dots my cheek with spit. “Your endeavors to sink your nails into him are as obvious as every prostitute this side of Antarctica.”
As Yev dodges back-to-back swings, I say, “If you truly believe I’m only with you for your father’s connections, why haven’t you ever said anything? We’ve been dating for almost three months.”