Page 57 of The Bratva's Nanny
And the comments went on and on while she jumped up with glee and chatted animatedly. I listened with a fixed smile, cheering her on, but didn’t allow her childish fantasy to give me any ideas.
That was until we heard heels click down the steps and saw her descending like the angels I’d read about.
An angel in red.
I rose to my height, holding Polly’s hand in mine. Beside me, she howled a loud, “Wow” and showered Maria with unending praise.
I stood at the bottom, frozen, like a tree rooted to the ground. My eyes were fixed on the vision coming toward me.
Her dress clung to her curves like a second skin, and her hair and makeup were a subtle statement of sophistication. She was so beautiful. So fucking perfect.
My gaze narrowed, and my jaw clenched. She was a prize, a trophy, and I was the one claiming her. A surge of possessiveness consumed me, my mind seething with a mix of desire and territoriality.
I felt a surge of adrenaline, my heart racing with the thought of keeping her by my side, where no one else could touch her.
My arm extended; my hand closed around hers like a vice.
Maintaining a poker face, I remarked, “You look stunning.”
She blushed, then blushed even harder when Polly called her a Barbie upgrade. “Thank you,” she whispered and gave Polly a side hug.
“Alright!” the little one announced, mischief glinting in her eyes. “I’ll leave you two to it now. Have fun! And, oh, Daddy, don’t forget what we talked about.”
I bit down on my lip to keep myself from laughing.
I shared a look with her. “We talked about many things, baby. Which are you referring to?”
She made a motion with her head and backed away slowly. “Oh, you know…the one about red being your favorite color.”
She spun on her heels, yelling a loud, “Bye!” with her little tutu fluttering behind her.
Maria spared a glance between us, obviously interested in understanding the secret code between Polly and me. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying so hard not to smile as she fell in step beside me.
“Red is your favorite color?”
Polly’s words about us being the perfect match came back to me in a rush, and my heart pumped faster.
Groaning, I led her to the door with an arm wound around her waist.
“Well, it is now.”
****
“You haven’t told me what this is about.”
“What?”
She was staring out the window, watching the gents and ladies trooping in and out of the hotel, and picking at the tips of her fingernails.
“This.” She faced me, eyes guarded. “The dress, this place. Why are we here?”
“It’s an event.”
“I’m not dumb. I know it’s an event.”
I turned away from her, meeting Lev’s eyes through the rearview mirror. He smirked and returned his focus to the road.
I picked some lint off my suit. “I never said you were dumb, Maria. You are undoubtedly one of the smartest women I know. That’s why I thought you would have figured it out by now.”