Lev

Those broad shoulders just did it for me. And when we had our time alone, I held onto them, hanging on for the ride like nobody’s business.

The faint red mark on the left shoulder had me flushing hard. I might have used that shoulder to ground me after my orgasm by biting into it and clutching at him, my nails embedded in his upper arms as I moaned through my release.

The front door opened quietly and Sasha let himself in, still looking sleep-mussed in his blue jeans and black tee, making his way right for the little girl dancing in front of the television. He didn’t bother with hellos. He snatched Lidiya up and she squealed excitedly, “Asha, putta down. Putta down.”

His voice croaky, he told her, “Ada made pancakes. You want pancakes, princess?” She stopped fighting and cinched her arms around his neck. He cocked her high on his hip and, with a jerk of his chin, strode out the door.

This happened more often that not. I was wrong when I suggested that Sasha and Nastasia fighting for Lidiya’s attention was just a phase. Truth was, they treated Lidi as if she was the daughter neither had, and they loved her to pieces.

Lev checked his watch again, and I knew it was time for him to go. As soon as we woke, I made him his tasteless oatmeal and he ate it in silence. I mean, how else would you eat oatmeal that possibly tasted like cardboard? There were no ‘mmmm’s and ‘yum’s to be had. Let’s be honest. It tasted like trash. I wasn’t sure how he could stomach it.

Correction. I’d eaten trash that tasted better than unsweetened oatmeal.

Blech.

He came forward, his eyes soft, and towered his large body over me, reaching down to grip my chin as he planted warm, gentle kisses to my lips. “I have to go.”

He went to move back, but I snagged him, my fingers dipping into the waist of his pants. “You can play hooky. We can go back to bed and play patty cake.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “We’ve got at least half an hour before Sasha brings Lidi home.”

“But I always work out between ten and twelve.”

I nodded. “I know. But one day off won’t kill you, right?”

He looked confused. “But I always work out between ten and twelve.”

My eyes rolled a little, but I straightened quickly with a smile. “I know, but—”

He cut me off, his voice quiet, anxious almost. “I always work out between ten and twelve.”

This was one of those moments. One of those moments where your head tells you not to push, but you’re not sure if you hold back. I came to realize rather quickly that messing with Lev’s routine was a big no-no. Nothing made my man more irritated than someone screwing with his schedule.

I understood the underlining issues. He craved a semblance of normal in a world where he felt different. His childhood had done things to him that made him the way he was today.

Did that frustrate me? At times, yes.

Lev could not be fixed. And I didn’t want to repair the broken part of him. He was perfectly imperfect, and I was his in heart and soul.

More importantly, he was mine. And that was a big deal. Lev did not give himself to people. They merely borrowed his time. And here I was, his attention given fully to a person who probably didn’t deserve it. I was grateful though, and I often reminded myself that he had compromised a lot of himself for me and I needed to do the same.

Releasing the elastic at his pants, I reached up to finger the swinging anchor pendant he had bought me and I smiled gently, knowing I’d have to pick my battles. “Okay, sweetie. Have fun.”

His shoulders slumped in the immense relief I imagined he felt at my quick out. His hands came up and he laid them on my cheeks in gratitude. When his lips descended, I found myself leaned up, into him, needing his lips on me. He kissed me softly once, twice, three times, then whispered against my lips, “I love you, Mina.”

It was the first time he had said the words. I felt his love, but hearing the words…wow. It was breathtaking. I’d come to realize the saying was true. Patience was a virtue.

I kissed him again. And again. And before I could drag him down onto the sofa with me, I pushed him away gently. “Go. Now. Or I’ll tackle you to the ground.”

His eyes smiled and he chuckled lightly. He threw me a wink before he left, and I threw myself back on the couch and blew out a long breath. “Have mercy.”

My man was a serious case of sexy.

The front door opened again, and just as my excitement flared at the thought of Lev disregarding his routine and spending the morning in bed with me, Nas stuck her head through the crack and called out, “Pancakes at Sasha’s. Move your ass, kukla. I’m starved.”

I rose of the sofa with a sigh. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”

I’d rather have been doing a different type of coming, but pancakes were still pretty awesome.

Nas and I walked side-by-side, taking in the morning sun. I couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Vik?”

Nas slipped on her giant sunglasses and shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like we spend every waking moment with each other.”

I frowned. “Uh, yeah you do.”

She scoffed. “No. We don’t.”

It sounded like there was trouble in paradise.

We walked on a while, and she asked quietly, “If Lev wasn’t committed to you, but you loved him, what would you do?”

My haunches rose. “I would kindly tell him to fuck a duck.” She sighed softly and I stopped in my tracks. “What’s going on, Nas? What happened?”

She paused a moment before she threw her arms up and rushed out, “I don’t know. You and Lev are getting married.” I threw her a look that said ‘yeah, so?’ and she shook her head gently. “I want that. And I’m not going to get that with Vik.”

My brow furrowed. “Who said? He loves you, Nas. Anyone can see it. He loves you.”

Her lip trembled. “No. He doesn’t.” She took in a deep breath and let out a long exhale. “He sleeps around, you know.” My face must have conveyed that I did not know this, because her eyes widened and she nodded. “Yeah. And then he comes to me at two, sometimes three in the morning, and sleeps in my bed. Because I let him.” She let out a humorless laugh. “He doesn’t love me, Mina. He loves that I’m a willing booty call, that I’m a sure thing. That’s all I’ll ever be to him.” Her eyes watered and she whispered a broken, “I can’t do it anymore. It hurts too much.”

“Okay, so he has commitment issues,” I started, but she shook her head.

“Don’t make excuses for him, Mina. Please,” she begged then pleaded, “I need you on my side for this one. I need a friend who gets it. Okay?”

She sounded beaten and desperate. I found myself offering her what she needed. “Okay, Nas,” I told her. “I get it.”

Her face dejected, she nodded lightly. “Thanks, shorty.”

I smiled. “Anytime.” Then I hooked my arm through hers and pulled her along. “C’mon. It’s too early for this crap. I need pancakes.”

We arrived at Sasha’s not a minute later and murdered those freaking pancakes.

Opening night arrived quicker than any of us expected, and I glanced around the room, taking in the new sights and familiarizing myself with the new layout. Everything was different. It was exciting.

Birdie helped the girls prepare, giving last-minute instruction and helping with their costumes, hair, and makeup. I was a little surprised when Sasha instructed Nas, Anika, and me to change when we got there. Apparently, it had been decided that bar staff would dress like the dancers, but at a subdued level. When I alerted Sasha to the fact that heels and I were not friends, he told me Birdie had taken care of it. I was pleasantly surprised by the low-heeled peep-toes she got for me.

We changed into our new uniforms that consisted of thigh-high fishnets, garters, black and red corset-busted one-pieces, and frilled micro skirts. One of the girls lent me a long pair of satin, fingerless gloves, and they were just gorgeous. I thought it would feel weird. It didn’t. It felt sexy. I felt sexy, and I was dying to see what Lev thought.