Page 65 of Forced Mafia Bride
They bubbled with so much life and joy, and I couldn’t help but wish I experienced such a liberating childhood. Like their parents, they were as charming as they were beautiful. Alina was the exact replica of her fatheranduncle,while Alexei took the softer features of his mother.
Egor pointed and muttered something to them in Russian, making Alina’s jaw drop comically. Freya laughed while lookingover the food arrangement on the table while Alexei ran to his father and jumped on his leg.
At the same time, Niko stepped up behind me, the heat radiating from his body when he leaned down to whisper into my ear, “Listen to your mother and go finish up your fries. The both of you won’t have the chicken until tomorrow. That’s what he said.”
His husky voice made my toes curl in my ballet flats, and grinning from ear to ear, I tilted my head backward, staring up at him.
“My very own translator.”
“I love you.” He pecked my lips and walked away to continue his phone call with a hand tucked into his pocket. Very businesslike,very sexy.
“You guys are so cute.”
Freya’s voice brought me back to the present, and suddenly feeling self-aware, I could feel my cheeks heating up under her stare. We were seated at the table now with Egor at the head chair, chatting away with his children. They were so adorable, going back and forth, probably presenting their arguments on why they should have extra dinner tonight.
And I was right.
Nikolai and his brother shared more resemblances than I thought. Their sense of style—though Niko’s was slightly more relaxed—their voices, deep and throaty, though Niko’s had a delicious husky tone that made me swoon every time I heard it, and their eyes….
Okay, maybe I was a bit wrong. They were similar, but their differences were more pronounced. Niko’s gait was more languid than his brother’s. Their hair, the way they laughed, the tattoos. Most of all, there was just something about Niko that made me believe he was designed just for me.
“Sometimes, we’re not that cute.”
Tonight was my first meeting with Nikolai’s brother but the second time encountering his sister-in-law, Freya.
The first time we’d met was randomly at a social event. I was surprised she’d even remembered and somehow made me comfortable enough to feel like we’d known each other for a lifetime. In addition, she was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but be drawn in. Even now, only dressed in a simple halter dress, with her long hair brushing her hip, I wondered how she managed to look so young with two kids in the picture.
She laughed, turning to the dishes on the table. “Keep saying that to yourself; maybe you’ll believe it.”
“Uncle Niko!” Alina startled us, rushing to my husband and running face-first into his knees. Swiftly, he caught her with his free hand, steadying her before major damage was done.
“Be careful so you don’t hurt yourself.”
Relentless, the young, energetic kid kept tugging on his pants to get his full attention. “Uncle Niko.”
Cradling his phone between his shoulder and ear, he squatted to pick her up and muttered something to the person on the other end of the line before hanging up. Then, he bopped the tip of her nose with his index finger and blessed her with a smile that blew me away.
“Yes, Alina, you have my full attention.”
With a pout, the young girl with the ribbon-tied pigtails pointed at her father. “Papa doesn’t want us to have dinner. Don’t you think that’s cruel? Please do something about it. I really want Mommy’s chicken.”
“But you and Alexei already consumed a full pack of burgers and fries.”
When her eyes snapped to his, I had to admit, I found the girl’s glare impressive. In split seconds, she just looked like Niko when he was annoyed. Steadily, I watched them drag back and forth on the issue. While Alexei was snuggled up againsthis father’s chest, playing Candy Crushon an iPad, Aline was determined to fight for her rights till the end. But it was heart-warming to see Niko’s affection for the kids and how well he related with them.
In between one of Alina’s presentations on reasons why chicken tasted better than burgers, Niko punctuated her sentence with a hearty laugh and an intense stare in my direction.
“After number ten, I stopped counting how many times he’s looked at you like that.”
Freya brought me back again. She was having a sip of wine with her brows jerking upward.
I blushed. “Like what?”
“Like all he can think about is youand…you know…” she added the last part in a whisper. “Fucking….”
Oh, my gosh.
I went from red to scarlet, shaking my head to hide my smile. Although I didn’t mind, she apologized for being too raw and said it was one of the things she’d picked up from her husband. I found it hard to believe the circumstances leading to their relationship. It was as rare as the love they had. A detective—well, former detective—and a mobster.