Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Apollo
One thing about having a big family? Moving is always made easier. Since early this morning, my brothers have rallied around the Todorov apartment, helping pack up everything they’ve decided to move.
Most of the furniture and kitchen equipment is going to stay, and I’ve told Yordan and Rayna that they can still have access to the space. It seemed like the logical choice to give them a place to escape to when the Moretti house inevitably becomes too chaotic or overwhelming.
Leaving a lot of large items behind made the packing process move quickly and efficiently, leading us to arrive at the mansion by noon.
Unpacking has taken a backseat at the insistence of Martha.
Lunch time was a more pressing matter to her, and no one had the heart to deny her.
Besides, she cooked up a feast of homemade pizza, and all of us were a sucker for the choice in food.
“Today is such a good day,” Jade gushes, taking a seat next to Rayna in the dining room. “Martha’s pizza, and you’re moving in? It’s like Christmas.”
Rayna offers a hesitant smile, looking unsure how to reply. She doesn’t have to come up with anything when a tiny voice chirps down at her side, moving her attention from my over-eager sister.
“Rain-a,” Leo says, his little hand tugging on her arm. When she smiles down at him, he gives her a grin right back. “Rain-uhh, up please.”
“You want to sit with me?” she asks, eyes twinkling.
“Yes,” Leo agrees, head bobbling with a nod. “Up please.”
Rayna scoops him up under his arms, settling the toddler into her lap. She looks like she’s about to offer him some of her pizza when another small shadow approaches.
“Bastian,” Leo giggles, pointing down to his older brother. He looks at Rayna, adding, “My bru-ther, my Bastian.”
“This is your big brother I’ve heard so much about?” she asks, gasping to excite the boys. She offers a beaming smile toward Leon’s eldest. “It’s very nice to meet you Bastian, I’m your daddy’s friend Rayna.”
“And your uncle Apollo’s fidanzata,” I cut in, nodding to my nephews.
Bastian digests the information, understanding quickly. “Hello, Aunt Rayna,” he greets, ever the formal little man.
“Pollo’s Rayna?” Leo asks, eyes wide as he puts the puzzle pieces together. I make a note to get him one hell of a birthday gift this year for that little comment.
“Yes, Apollo’s Rayna,” I agree before she can deny it.
“Bastian, do you want to sit with Aunt Jade so you can be next to Leo?” my sister asks, holding her hands out.
“No, Ja-ja,” Leo huffs, pushing her arms away. “Bastian sit Rayna me.”
His ability to string together English words when he barely spoke the language months ago is honestly incredible. The three year old is smart as a whip, even if he doesn’t sound it to those who wouldn’t understand his circumstance. Leon has told me he excels in his lessons, and I can see that.
Jade clutches her heart, gasping. “The rejection, it burns.”
“Bastian sit?” Leo asks Rayna, ignoring Jade entirely.
“Of course,” she replies, poorly hiding how adorable she finds this interaction. Her eyes are shining and her smile hasn’t faded once. “Bastian, would you like to join us?”
“Yes,” he agrees almost bashfully. She lifts him up, barely making room for the two small boys on her lap. “Thank you, Aunt Rayna.”
“Ugh, I want to be put out, but I’m so excited to hear him call you Aunt Rayna,” Jade says, practically cooing.
Ana chuckles at Jade’s other side, adding, “You’re one of us now.”
Tucking her chin down, Rayna smiles. “I guess I am.”
My eyes swing to the side, catching Leon as he enters the room with two plates for his boys. He freezes at the sight of them, like he’s been struck dumb. Leo is playing with Rayna’s hair now and babbling up at her while Bastian quietly watches the pair.
I clear my throat pointedly, glaring at him as he snaps out of it.
Rayna notices him and smiles at the boys. “Looks like Daddy brought you pizza. Are you hungry?”
My brother looks like he might swallow his tongue but shakes it off quickly, walking further into the room. “Do you want me to take one of them? They can eat on their own but Leo is a little squirmy.”
“I’ve got them,” she replies. “I’m Aunt Rayna now, it seems.”
“Yes, you are,” I agree, eyes locking in on hers.
“Why don’t you just pee on her?” Elio snarks, swaggering into the room, Armani following in tow.
“Ew, why would you say that?” Rayna grimaces. “I’m trying to eat here.”
“Just an expression, birichina.” Elio chuckles. “It’s fun to see Apollo all possessive of someone. He’s never brought a woman around, let alone one he planned to marry.”
“You’ve never brought anyone home?” Rayna asks, surprised.
“I’ve never even seen him with a lady friend,” Matteo volunteers, snickering to himself. “I thought he must be gay or impotent for years.”
“What’s impotent?” Bastian asks, frowning at the unfamiliar word.
“Shy,” Rayna lies quickly.
“Yes,” Matteo agrees. “I thought Uncle Apollo was very shy, maybe even scared of pretty girls.”
“Uncle Apollo didn’t entertain anything less than perfection,” I explain to the children with a warning look to my brother.
“Did he just call Rayna perfect?” I hear Yordan whisper, the question directed at Elio.
“Sure did.”
Another whisper. “But she threatened to cut his balls off literally two hours ago?”
Elio makes a bahh sound, waving him off. “They were flirting.”
“Eat your pizza, kids,” Cassio says, directing the table in a soft command. “We’ve got boxes to move and if we keep talking, the little ears will need to leave the room.”
He’s such a mediator.
“Good point, husband,” Ana agrees, smirking at him.
“Oh, don’t start with the husband and wife thing, you freaks,” Matteo complains. “I’m trying not to lose my appetite here.”
Ana gives him a scathing look. “How’s Anya, Matteo?”
Dmitri and Ivan both snap their gazes toward my youngest brother, hearing their little sister’s name. Since Jade’s wedding, Anya and Matteo have been granted permission to strike up a virtual friendship. From what I’ve been told, they text nearly every day.
The Morozov brothers are aware, and wary. They’re protective of their vulnerable younger sibling, but Matteo’s presence in the girl’s life has seemed to help her. She’s lightened up, and her depressive states are reportedly less intense as the days go on.
Ana and Jade are under the impression that Matteo and Anya have crushes on one another, and have begun teasing Matteo as a result. I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. As long as he doesn’t piss off Dmitri’s father in a detrimental way, who he flirts with is none of my concern.
“She’s fine,” Matteo grunts. “Nicer to me than you are.”
“Poor baby,” Ana drawls, rolling her eyes. “You’ll live.”
Jade giggles at the pair of them, and nudges Rayna with her elbow lightly. “Welcome to the chaos, girl.”
Rayna
I’m exhausted by the time all of the boxes are unpacked.
Though there were a ton of hands helping out, I found myself carrying around a baby or a toddler at any given time while working.
I was thrilled that the kids all seemed to be fond of me after only a short while of knowing them, but fuck my back hurt after a couple hours of carting them around the house.
Thankfully, there were no real issues with the move in. Yordan apparently already had a room picked out before we arrived, and he had plenty of space for all of his stuff. Me on the other hand, I had the unfortunate realization that my days of having a bedroom all to myself were over.
So far, sharing a space with Apollo isn’t as daunting as I assumed it would be. His bedroom is huge, so big in fact, that I didn’t find myself dreading the situation. His closet fit all of my clothes, and his bed was large enough that we could sleep on either side without touching…if we wanted.
My only complaint thus far, is the lack of color. Though cozy, Apollo’s furnishings are all dark. Black and navy blue bedspread, dark wood floors and matching accents. The lighting is warm and dim, too. It’s a man’s room through and through.
But apparently, Apollo was expecting me to think as much.
“Change whatever you want,” he says suddenly, leaning against the doorframe. We’ve just put away the last of my bath products in the ensuite, but haven’t deigned to return downstairs yet. “Pillows, blankets, furniture. But the mattress stays. It’s customized to keep my back in good condition.”
“I’m sure the mattress is fine.” I shrug. “But are you sure you don’t care what I change? You saw my bedroom before, I’m fond of pink.”
“You could always test it, you know.”
My brows draw in, confused. “Test what?”
“The mattress.” His eyes darken, drawing up and down as he looks at me. “You could test it out.”
Oh.
I swallow, heat crawling up my neck. “How would I do that?”
“Would you like me to show you?”
My stomach flips and my breath catches.
“Didn’t you refer to what we did as premarital debauchery?” I ask, putting a hand on my hip. “You wouldn’t be implying that we should do it again, would you?”
Apollo steps closer, prowling slowly. “I believe what I said was that if you wanted to engage in premarital debauchery, you only needed to ask, darling.”
“It seems like you want me to ask,” I rasp, looking up at him as he towers over me. “There’s a house full of people expecting us to come downstairs soon.”
“They can wait.”
His hands surround my neck, resting at the base of my collar. And in an instant, he closes the distance between us. Our lips meet in a fierce press, my knees going weak on contact. Eyes slammed shut, my hands blindly reach for him, clutching the front of his shirt into tight fists.
I didn’t expect a kiss, let alone one as heated as this.
But then again, I had no idea what to expect from Apollo.
We didn’t discuss our dynamic shifting, or how we would act around one another from now on.
We talked about logistics, but neither of us brought up when we would continue physical contact. I suppose I don’t need to ask now.
A whimper works its way up my throat, and my thighs squeeze tight together. He still tastes faintly like the pizza from lunch, and I don’t even care. Pleasure rolls from my lips down my neck and eventually into my core, growing heavy and demanding more.
Time slows as Apollo continues to devour my mouth, dominating the kiss with expert precision. It’s like nothing and no one matters, my only thoughts are consumed by how good he feels. I don’t want to stop.
But eventually, he pulls back, dropping his forehead to mine.
“Why are you so good at that?” I rasp.
“Not sure,” Apollo rumbles. “You’re the first one I’ve tried it with.”
Sparks shock my system. “I’m your first kiss?”
He nods, hands rising up my neck to cup the sides of my face. “I had no desire to put my mouth on another woman. Not until I knew I’d marry her.”
“But…” I frown, mind racing. “You kissed me in the hospital, before you suggested we get married.”
“I did,” he agrees, pressing another kiss to my lips. “I knew then.”
Voice low, I murmur, “You couldn’t have known I would agree.”
“I knew I would have you,” he disagrees. “I would have worked for it, had you refused. I can be quite persuasive, love.”
“Apparently.” I breathe out shakily. “Because here we are.”
“Mhmm,” he hums, thumb drawing over my bottom lip.
“Here.”
Kiss.
“We.”
Kiss.
“Are.”
Kiss.
“How long do you think we have?” I ask, seconds away from pulling him into bed and testing out the mattress as he suggested.
Three short slaps on the door answer my question before he can.
“Uncle Pollo!” Leo’s little voice bellows. “Papa here!”
“No time at all, it seems,” he grumbles, releasing me with a groan. He rolls his shoulders, composing himself before he answers the door.
Dante is standing at the entrance with Leo on his hip. “I hope we’re not interrupting—”
“You are,” Apollo deadpans.
“No!” I rush out, rushing to his side to smack his stomach with the back of my hand. “You’re not interrupting anything. Hello, Leo, I’ve missed you.”
My fiancé scowls. “You saw him five minutes ago.”
“And I missed him all the same,” I snap. “You look like you two need a word. Leo, do you want to go find a drink with me? I could use some apple juice.”
“Apple juice, yes,” he agrees eagerly. Throwing himself into my arms, he grins when I tickle his stomach.
I can feel Apollo’s eyes burning at the back of my head. “You know, he can walk.”
“He sure can,” I agree, not looking back. “And so can I. Say bye bye, Leo.”
“Bye bye!” he shouts, waving over my shoulder.
As much as I enjoy hanging out with this little guy, I also couldn’t get away from Dante sooner. I do not want to face my future father-in-law after the scene I last made in his presence. I know Leon said he wasn’t upset, but I still feel self-conscious about it.
I don’t know how long it’ll take to feel at home here, but I know it won’t be today. Warming up isn’t my speciality, but I’m determined to work on it.