Chapter 15 - Avit
Last night, after hanging up with Sienna, I was heading home when I got a call.
A fight had broken out in the club, and a few patrons were injured.
After personally dealing with the culprits—who will never walk the earth again, because coming into our turf and causing us to lose money and damage our reputation isn’t something we tolerate—and after putting new security measures in place, I finally made my way home.
I walked through the door around three in the morning. I was about to head to Sienna’s room to check on her, something I found myself doing every night, when I noticed Wexler standing by the office door.
I walked over. When I reached the office, I stopped in the doorway and looked inside. Sienna was tapping away at her laptop.
“How long has she been here?” I asked Wexler.
“Six hours, sir.”
“You know what she’s up to?”
“She’s looking into the owner of the location, sir.”
“Thanks, Wexler. I’ll take it from here.”
Wexler nodded and walked off as I leaned against the doorframe, watching Sienna.
The second she found the location last night, every instinct had screamed at me to drive out there.
But she’d talked me down, smartly. Rushing in blind could’ve gotten me killed, and I wasn’t ready to die.
Not when this incredible woman was sitting here for hours, digging for answers just to keep me safe.
Was she doing it because she couldn’t get away from me fast enough?
Or because she cared?
I hoped—God, I hoped—it was the latter, even though I knew I’d have to let her go eventually.
I stepped into the room, and she still didn’t notice me. I came up behind her, caging her in with my arms, and whispered against her ear, “Angel, shouldn’t you be in bed?”
She whipped around so fast I barely dodged her head, but her elbow still caught my stomach. I stepped back as she jumped out of the chair.
“Avit, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…”
I cupped her face gently. “I know. It’s fine. But why are you up? Don’t you have class at nine?”
God, I wanted to kiss her so badly.
She nodded. “But I wanted to make sure you got the information on who the owner is, or at least what kind of property it is.”
“Did you find anything?”
Her face fell in defeat. She sighed. “What I did find out was of no use.”
“All information is of use,” I said, caressing her cheek.
She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch.
“What did you find?” I asked, letting my other hand trail down her side. My hand slipped under her pajama shirt, settling on her waist. “Tell me, angel.”
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and they mirrored the desire I felt.
“The property was bought under the name Jordan K. Lambert. There are several hundred in the US, so I suspect it’s an alias.
I also can’t find any paperwork or contracts saying there’s a building on the land.
The only way to know is to get close enough and get an aerial view with a drone.
Whoever owns it is very wealthy and knows someone who can hide those contracts and whatever’s actually on that land. ”
“You’re amazing, Sienna.”
She blushed. “Thank you.”
And before I could stop myself, my lips were on hers.
This wasn’t one of the gentle, restrained kisses I’d been giving her every morning.
I kissed her like I wanted to memorize every inch of her mouth, because I did.
She opened for me instantly, letting me take control.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, fingers sliding into my hair, tugging just enough to make me groan.
Fuck, I loved when she did that, like she wanted to fuse us together.
No one had ever kissed me with that kind of hunger. No one but her.
My hands slipped higher beneath her pajama top, pushing her bra aside until I cupped her breasts, squeezing gently.
She moaned, and my cock hardened painfully.
“Ace,” she whimpered, breathless.
I nearly lost it. Hearing her call me that while melting against me woke my inner neanderthal, whispering to toss her over my shoulder, take her to my bed, and keep her there until sunrise.
But if I didn’t stop now, we’d end up exactly where we shouldn’t.
As much as I wanted her, we couldn’t sleep together again, not when we’d be parting ways soon. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.
I forced myself to fix her bra and pull back, every muscle protesting.
Her face was flushed, her lips swollen, her eyes soft and dazed with desire.
She looked devastatingly sweet.
“It's time for you to go to bed. But I’d like to take you out after class tomorrow.”
“Out? As in…in public?” she asked, brow furrowed. “Why? You’ve never done that before.”
She wasn’t wrong, and the truth of it hit harder than I expected. There were too many moving parts, too many risks.
“Don’t you want to be seen with me in public?”
“I do.”
I smiled. “Then it’s a date.”
“The last time I went on a date was over a year ago, and it was…disastrous. Nobody’s ever really taken me out…well, except Mandy and my mother.” Pain flickered in her eyes, and I hated that for her.
“Well, Mrs. Safin, you have a date with me. And I promise it won’t be disastrous.” I brushed a light kiss against her lips. “Now go to bed.”
She nodded and walked out of the office. This might be my only chance to take Sienna on a real date, and I intended to make it memorable, not just because she was my wife, but because I appreciated what she did last night and everything she’d done in the past few hours.
While Sienna was still mine, I’d treat her like the princess she was.
***
At two o’clock the next day, I waited outside campus for Sienna, leaning against one of the SUVs parked between the other two. Wexler sat in the one up front. I watched Sienna walk out of the building, hug Mandy—who headed the opposite way—and then make her way toward me.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi, yourself. How was class?”
“We got a pop quiz, and the professor already graded it,” she said as I placed my hand on the small of her back, steering her toward the passenger side.
I opened her door. She slipped inside, and I didn’t move. Instead, I reached in, pulling the seatbelt across her chest.
“And what was your score?” I asked, smirking.
She set a hand dramatically over her heart. “I’m not even sure I want to dignify that question with an answer.”
I chuckled.
“But just so you know…I got a perfect score,” she added proudly.
“I didn’t expect anything less.” I gave her a quick kiss before closing the door and jogging around to the driver’s side.
As we pulled away from campus, she turned to me.
“So, where are we going?” she asked.
Today, she wore fitted jeans that showed off her legs and ass, a nice surprise, even though she still had on a hoodie.
“It’s a surprise.”
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Fine.”
We fell into easy conversation, and a few minutes later, I drove under a sign that read Welcome to Lotus Luxurious Paddle Boating. Her eyes lit up instantly.
“Here? You’re taking me here?” she asked, excitedly.
I grinned. “I am.”
The moment I turned off the engine, she hopped out of the SUV, and I followed.
She glanced around, head tilted. “Why are we the only ones here?”
“Because I rented out the facility.”
“Oh.”
I held out my hand; she slipped hers into mine, and we walked inside. After signing in, Stacy—the manager—wished us a great time before we headed toward the lake.
Earlier, I’d had my men sweep the entire area and position themselves around the perimeter. I wasn’t taking any chances. Everything had to go perfectly. I’d also arranged a picnic basket, towels, a change of clothes, and everything else I could think of.
On the table waiting for us was a bouquet of white roses. I picked them up and handed them to her.
“A date wouldn’t be a date without flowers.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, lifting them to her nose. “They’re beautiful.”
“Just like the woman holding them.”
She blushed.
And what I wouldn’t give to see that look on her face every day for the rest of my life.
“So what do you want to do first?” I asked. “Eat or hit the lake?”
“First, the canoe. I’ve always wanted to try one. Then maybe the paddle boat. Then eat?” she lifted a brow.
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s go.”
I watched as Sienna tugged her hoodie over her head. Underneath was a thick-strapped fitted tank, and my eyes drank her in before I forced myself to look away. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable.
We headed to the canoes.
“Two-seater or one?” I asked.
“Can I try the one-seater, please?” she asked excitedly.
“Sure, we can do that.”
I helped her into a life jacket before slipping on mine, then we pushed the canoes into the water. I helped her get into hers and gave her an oar before stepping into mine and pushing off. Sienna was clumsy at first, but a few minutes later, she found her rhythm.
She glanced at me. “You know, I'm surprised you chose a place like this. You don’t seem like the outdoorsy type.”
“Are you judging a book by its cover, Mrs. Safin?”
“Not at all. I’m just saying it was a pleasant surprise. But…did you pack a math book in that canoe?” she batted her eyelashes.
I chuckled. “Let’s make a wager.”
“A wager?”
“Mm-hmm. First one past that tree wins the title of King of Outdoor Things.”
“Or queen,” she countered.
I smirked. “We’ll see.”
“So, Mr. Avit, what are we betting?”
“A week of home-cooked food.”
She groaned. “Fine, fine,” she muttered, squaring her shoulders. “But if all you get is mac and cheese, don't blame me. And don’t cheat. You Bratva men don’t play fair.”
“With other people we don’t,” I said, eyeing her. “But when it comes to our wives? She might just be our weakest link,” I winked.
She flushed. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Safin. But shouldn’t I get a head start?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”
I watched her paddle forward at a snail’s pace before glancing back. “This good?”
“Yeah,” I called. “We’ll go on three. One, two, three…”
It was as though a switch had flipped in Sienna. Her whole body snapped into focus, and she shot forward like she’d been training for this her whole life.
That little cheat.
I laughed.
This definitely wasn’t her first time in a canoe.
I paddled hard and gained on her, but not fast enough. She went past the finish line first and lifted her oar over her head with a victory shout.
“You sneaky little cheat,” I said, splashing water at her.
She burst out laughing, splashing water right back. “A wager is a wager. So I’ll be getting home-cooked food for a week. That’s a dream.” She paused. “Wait, can you even cook?”
“I can,” I said. “With three younger siblings to take care of after our parents died, while Lev, Jaroslav, and Marten held the faction together, I had no choice. We didn’t trust outside food, so I had to learn out of necessity.”
Her expression softened. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s okay.” I smiled. “How about we head back and grab some water?”
“Sure thing, Chef,” she grinned.
After we got back to shore, we had some water and a light snack, then grabbed the picnic basket and headed to one of the paddle boats.
As we drifted slowly around the lake, she said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I can canoe.
The last date I went on…he thought I was a nerd, so he took me bowling.
He was trying to score brownie points to prove himself.
But little did he know my mother was an athlete and played every sport.
I guess I kinda took after her, natural talent and all that, but when I beat him, he got pissed, shouted, and left me there. Mandy came to pick me up.”
Anger surged through me. What the actual fuck?! I exhaled deeply, trying to get my anger under control.
“First, that guy was an idiot. If he really liked you, he’d have been proud you beat him.
Second, don’t ever dim yourself for me. I want you to shine, Sienna.
Sometimes that means doing better than me, and I’m okay with that.
” Then I smiled. “Third…let’s keep your bowling skills our little secret.
Pyotr is the best bowler among us, and he never fails to brag. ”
She smiled. “Hearing you say that…means a lot. Thank you. And bowling? It’s our secret.”
Over the next hour, we circled the lake, stopping at times, talking about our childhoods. I listened as Sienna spoke about her mother and how life had been before the diagnosis, and then the pain in her voice when she described how hard things became.
I lightened the mood with stories of living with six siblings. Her laugh, light and carefree, should have been something she did every day, not just on special occasions.
As the sky changed colors and she shivered, I decided it was time to head back. Wexler packed everything into the SUV while we showered and changed. When I helped her into the car, something about her seemed different. Her smile was gone completely, and her eyes looked glassy.
“Sienna, what’s wrong?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. I gently wiped it away.
She looked at me with saddened eyes. “I’m sorry…this was such a great date. I didn’t mean to ruin the mood.”
“You’re not ruining anything. Talk to me, angel.”
“It’s just…today reminded me of my mom. I’ve avoided talking about her because it always felt like a burden. But I miss her.” She lowered her eyes.
I lifted her chin and kissed her softly. “Anytime you want to talk about her, you can talk to me.”
She nodded. I closed the door, hopped behind the wheel, and pulled out of the parking lot. Instead of heading home, I turned toward the cemetery.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To see my mother-in-law,” I said with a smile.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I took her hand, and she held it tightly as we parked. She grabbed the bouquet from the back seat, and together we walked to her mother’s grave.
When we arrived, she stepped forward.
“Hi, Mom,” she sniffed. “I went on a date today…and got my first bouquet of the most beautiful white roses I’ve ever seen.”
It hurt to know she’d never received flowers before. She took a few roses and gently placed them on her mother’s grave.
“The date was fun…the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” She held out her hand, and I took it, standing beside her.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet my date. His name is Avit.”
I don't know why it bothered me that she introduced me as her date and not her husband, but it did.
“Hi, Mrs. Romonoff. I’m Avit Safin. Today was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
I have a feeling that Sienna was a little rascal growing up after she tricked me today, but I promise your daughter is in good hands.
I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe.
She deserves the life she’s worked so hard for, and I vow to make sure she has it. ”
Then I pulled Sienna into my arms as she sobbed. It wasn’t the ending I’d predicted, but if standing here holding her was what she needed, then that’s what she’d get.