"I should be asking you that." I peer up into his face. "You’re still not used to the idea that you have a triplet, are you?"
"No." He rubs the back of his neck. "A part of me insists that Xander can’t be replaced, while another part of me is ecstatic that there is a chance to recapture some of the relationship I had with him. And that only makes me feel guilty." He blows out a breath. "I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that he’s not here. That he won’t be able to live life and experience what it is to have found a soul mate, a woman who is mine, who is so tuned into me that she sometimes reads my thoughts before I have said them aloud."
A warm sensation fills my chest. This past week, when we were on our own, even though I had to go to work, and had even been called into the ER twice in the evenings, we still had time to get to know each other. Away from the pressures of his job, when he’s had a chance to let down his guard, Christian can be incredibly charming, attentive, not to mention panty-meltingly sexy, whether he’s dressed in sweats or in jeans, or like now, wearing his tailor-made suit.
He filled my little apartment with his presence, uncomplainingly shared my queen-sized bed, which was too small for his frame, and made sure I was always fed and taken care of when I returned home tired from the day’s work. It’s like he was trying to show me that he really wants this relationship to work, and that he respects me, loves me and wants to spend his life with me.
"I love you," I burst out.
His lip quirks. "I love you too." He dips his head and captures my lips in a kiss that is so deep, so hard, that I can feel it all the way to my toes.
The elevator dings, but we don’t stop kissing each other. He pulls me up to my tiptoes, molds my body to his, and thoroughly kisses me.
Someone clears his throat, but I don’t pull away. I tip up my chin, tilt my head, and open my mouth even more, so he thrusts his tongue in between my lips. A groan rumbles up his chest, and my nipples tighten. Moisture slides down between my thighs and—
"You guys coming out or what?" an amused voice calls out.
I pull away, and Christian reluctantly releases me. He turns, and I glance around him to find Adrian holding the doors of the elevator open. There’s a grin on his face as he glances between us. "Good to see the two of you are back on speaking terms."
"Not that good to see your ugly mug," Christian retorts before shooting me an amused glance. Still holding my hand, he steps out of the elevator, and I follow him.
Adrian flanks me as we walk past the guards posted at intervals along the corridor. I peek into the rooms as we pass and find they are all empty.
"We had to empty the floor for security reasons," Adrian informs me.
Of course, the man who shot at Christian’s triplet is still out there, so it makes sense to be careful. But still, the scale of power that the Sovranos wield hits me all over again. We reach the doorway to the room where Christian’s triplet is, and he pauses.
Adrian steps back, and I turn to Christian. "You ready?"
He draws in a breath, then pushes the door open. We walk inside the room—no, it’s a suite, actually.
Karma looks up from her book, then jumps up and rushes over to me. "Oh, you’re here." She throws her arms around me, and I hug her back. "I missed you," she cries out.
"Me too." I squeeze her shoulders, then step back. Massimo pushes away from the window and prowls over to us. He and Christian do that half-hug men often do, then Massimo slaps his back. "Welcome back,fratello, we missed you."
"You mean you missed having someone who can take you on in a fight?" Christian snorts.
"A week away, and you have forgotten how I thrashed your sorry ass the last time." Massimo laughs, then sobers. "But seriously, it’s good that you are here; we need the family together right now." He turns to me. "I should say ‘thank you’ for coming back with our brother and making him happy."
My cheeks heat. "I…" I shake my head, not sure how to react. "I’m glad we could return together."
"So am I." Christian pulls me close and kisses the top of my head. "How’s—" he jerks his chin toward the door to the inner room.
As a doctor, I’ve been to some nice hospital rooms, but this particular suite is more like an apartment within the hospital, with its own living room where the family can wait while Christian's triplet is in the adjoining room.
There's also a second door that now opens. Seb enters the living room. "There's no change in his condition." He walks over to sit down in a chair. "Except for the fact that we seem to have temporarily moved our working space to the hospital.” He gestures to the room he's just entered from. Before the door shuts, I get a glimpse of tables with laptops. Behind one is Luca; he nods in our direction. In the far corner of the room, Michael stands near the window, speaking on the phone.
"The deals with both the Kane Company and the Bratva are coming into play, and our overall level of business transactions has gone up," Massimo explains.
"There’s also the question of what we want to do with Xander’s paintings—" Seb starts, but Christian cuts him off.
"It’s too early to talk about that," he growls. "For fuck’s sake, my brother has been just over a month, and you are already talking about disposing of his paintings."
"Or not," Massimo butts in, "which is why we wanted to talk to you. We discussed maybe setting up a foundation, but—"
Christian shoots him a glance. "Not now, Massimo, okay? Not until our triplet wakes up."
Massimo and Seb exchange a glance, then Seb nods. "Whatever you feel is right, brother."