Chapter 8 MIKHAIL
Eight
MIKHAIL
Katya and David show up the next day, looking much better.
When I open the door, David’s grinning like the idiot he is. “Miss me?”
I grunt, and he laughs. This asshole has a fucking death wish.
My sister just rolls her eyes and pushes past both of us. “Where’s my baby?”
I lift my chin, indicating the living room where Sofia is causing mayhem with Maya, as usual.
David claps me on the shoulder. “Thanks for taking her, man. We were in rough shape.”
I stare at his hand on my shoulder, and when I bring my eyes back to his face, he’s grinning like a fool. I glare harder. He smiles broader. One day I’m gonna fucking choke this dickhead.
We head into the living room where Sofia’s showing Katya some friendship bracelets her and Maya made, talking a mile a minute.
“Uncle Misha made pancakes! And we watched movies! And Maya read me stories, and we made cookies and…”
“Sounds like you had a great time, baby,” Katya replies, smiling at both my girls.
Then her eyes shift to me. One eyebrow raised. I cross my arms, raising my own eyebrows back at her, in a “what?” gesture. Her smile widens, a teasing twinkle in her eyes.
“Alright, baby girl,” David says, scooping his daughter up. “Time to go home, and let your uncle and his guest enjoy their time together.” He puts an emphasis on the word ‘guest’, and I send him another glare. Death wish, I’m telling you.
Sofia hugs Maya. “Bye, Maya! Thank you for playing with me!”
“Anytime, honey.”
Fuck, looking at them together, I can’t wait until I get her full and round, carrying our own kids. She’s gonna be a perfect fucking mom.
Sofia turns to me and wraps her little arms around my leg. “Love you, Uncle Misha.”
I smooth back her hair. “Love you too, princess.”
Katya hugs Maya. “Thank you, really. You’re a lifesaver.”
“It was my pleasure,” she beams back. And the picture of my girl blending so naturally into my crazy family makes my insides all warm and shit.
Then Katya turns to me, winking like the brat little sister she will always be. She kisses my cheek, and they make their way out.
But when I return from walking them to the door, Maya’s not in the living room anymore.
I check the dining room, the kitchen. Nothing. Then I hear movement upstairs. I take the stairs two at a time, heading straight for her room. The door’s open, and she’s fucking packing. With her duffle bag on the bed, clothes getting folded and shoved inside.
My jaw tightens and I growl, “What. The. Fuck.”
Maya jumps, spinning around. “Oh! I didn’t hear you come up.”
“What are you doing?” I sound unhinged even to my own ears.
She blinks at my tone, then gives me a fucking sweet smile. Is that supposed to help me calm down?
“Going back to the pool house. Sofia’s gone, so I figured…”
I cross the room, grab her bag, and dump all her neatly packed shit on the bed.
“Hey!” she protests, giggling.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Mi…”
“You live here now. With me.”
“Misha…”
I step close, backing her up against the dresser. “You’re mine. That doesn’t change because Sofia’s gone.” Her breath hitches. “Say you’re staying.”
Maya opens her mouth. Closes it. Opens it again. So I storm out of the room, heading out the front door.
She calls after me. “Where are you going?”
“To get your shit.”
I let myself through the gate since we all have each other’s security codes, grab a couple of boxes from the garage, and head to the pool house to start packing her.
I stuff a box with her clothes, another with her books.
Grab her laptop, all her shit from the bathroom.
Every fucking thing. My phone rings while I’m shoving her shoes into a box. It’s Dmitry.
I answer. “Yo.”
“The fuck you doing in my house packing shit?” I figured he’d see me on his surveillance feed.
“Moving my girl out.”
Silence.
Then, “Fuck. Had to be Ana’s friend?”
“She’s mine.”
He chuckles. Low and knowing. “Congrats, brother. Happy for you.”
I grumble, “Thanks,” hang up, toss my phone on the couch, and keep packing.
Ten minutes later, I’m logging the last box into my house. Maya’s standing in the entryway, with her arms crossed over her perfect tits, looking cute as hell with her part amused, part annoyed expression.
“You’re insane.”
I cock an eyebrow in her direction, continuing to carry the boxes upstairs to my room.
She follows right behind. “Mikhail, you can’t just…”
Without a word, I start unpacking. Her clothes go in my huge-ass walk-in closet, books on the shelves by the floor-to-ceiling windows, and her billion girlie shit, in the bathroom, spreading all over the marble countertop on one side of the double-sink.
Maya watches me, shaking her head. “This is crazy, Misha. We haven’t even been on a date; we can’t just…”
I turn to her. “We getting married.”
Her pretty eyes go wide, her full lips part, and she looks so fucking good standing in my house, in my room, in her tight jeans and simple t-shirt. No makeup, her curls falling naturally down her shoulders. Sweet and soft all over. Within arm’s reach. Mine.
“What? Mikhail…” She lets out a short, breathy laugh, her eyes filling with tears.
I stand there, staring, pouring all my heart and thoughts into my gaze.
Telling her all the beautiful, romantic, flowery shit I’ll never be able to express with words.
Waiting, praying. Fucking dying to hear her answer to my fucked-up proposal. “Yes, you crazy man, yes!”
We cross the room at the same time, Maya jumping me.
I catch her, and she wraps her legs around my waist. We kiss like it’s our first and last time.
Devouring each other’s mouths. I feel fucking drunk on her taste, her scent, the feel of her soft curves against my body.
I squeeze her perfect ass, and she moans into my mouth, running her hands through my hair, raking my scalp with her nails, pressing her lush tits into my chest. Making me feel like a fucking king.
When we pull back, we’re both grinning like goddamn lunatics.
“We’re going ring shopping.”
“What?”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight without a fucking boulder on your finger.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “You’re not well.”
I just smirk. “Let’s go.”
She blinks. “Now?”
“Now.”
An hour later, we’re walking into Cartier.
The salesperson takes one look at me and straightens. “Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you today?”
“Ring.”
Maya’s eyes go wide. “Mikhail, we can look at a few places first…”
I turn my frown her way.
The salesperson quickly jumps in, smart man. “Of course. Right this way.”
He leads us to a private room, leaving us with an assortment of food and drinks, and returns with trays of rings. All of them, huge.
Maya’s staring, gaping, eyes round.
“Pick one.”
“Misha, I wouldn’t even know where to start…”
I point to a massive oval diamond that would look beautiful on her delicate fingers. Picturing the gold band and sparkly stone on her brown skin.
She looks at it. Then at me. “Uh… that’s…”
I grab the ring and slide it on her finger. And my heart seizes… It looks beautiful. Fucking perfect.
“We’ll take it,” I tell the guy.
“Wait!” Maya stands up. “Maybe we should check the pr…”
“No.”
“Mikhail…”
I cup her face, holding her gaze. “You like it?”
She stares at me. Eyes shining. “That’s not the question; it’s just…”
“Do. You. Like. It?”
She shakes her head, smiling through eyes filled with tears. “I love it.” Her voice is soft, so fucking soft. And all I can think is that I was put on this earth to make this woman happy. Safe. At peace. Cared for. Fucking spoiled.
I nod, pressing a brief kiss to her lips before turning to the beaming salesman. “Resize, then ring us up.”
When we leave, Maya’s staring at her hand, shaking her head disbelievingly. Her diamond catching the light.
“I can’t believe you did that.” I give her a sideway look that makes her laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”