Dmitry took another drink from his coffee cup and kept stroking the dog's head. “I thought teenagers liked to sleep until like two in the afternoon or some shit?”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Did you sleep that late as a teenager?”
He chuckled. “My dad would have beat my ass if I slept past seven in the morning. Well, he beat my ass no matter what.”
Although he smiled, I felt like he wasn’t exaggerating.
I shook my head. “I don’t sleep in. I’ve always gotten up pretty early because of school, or if the tutors came over.” I pointedly looked at the dog again. “But I was planning to go back to bed until your scary-ass dog pushed her way into my room.”
Dmitry chuckled. “She was just curious. Probably smelled your perfume or your scent. It’s new to her, so she’s nosy as hell.”
I licked my lips and nodded. “Is Amadeo still sleeping?”
He grunted and gave a small incline to his head. “Why don’t you come into the kitchen? Nikolai cooked a huge breakfast for everyone. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. My brother is actually cooking, so you might as well take advantage of it.”
With that, he turned and left, Sasha following close to his heel.
I just stood there for a moment, letting my body get all the adrenaline rush out of my system, making sure my heart rate was normal and that my palms weren’t sweaty anymore.
I went into the bathroom attached to the bedroom and used it, brushed my teeth and washed my face, then threw on a pair of sweats and an oversize sweater.
I could’ve just kept my pajamas on, but it felt grossly inappropriate wearing that stuff in front of Dmitry and Nikolai.
I left the bedroom and shut the door behind me and instantly smelled the scent of bacon, brewing coffee, and heard the clink of dishes.
There were low, masculine murmurs, and although I could make out their voices, they spoke Russian, so I couldn’t understand what they said.
And then I heard my sister’s soft laughter, and I felt myself exhale in relief.
Not that I was afraid of Dmitry or Nikolai, but I certainly didn’t want to sit and have breakfast with them alone. I was here because of Amara.
Around the corner, I saw my sister sitting on her husband’s lap.
They were at the circular dining room table right off the kitchen. Nikolai had an arm around her waist, his other hand curled around his coffee mug.
He whispered something in her ear, and she started laughing again, her cheeks tinged pink. I sure as hell didn’t want to know what he was telling her.
Dmitry sat across from them, Sasha lying by his side. He said something in Russian and Nikolai shook his head, but he never took his focus off Amara. It was like he didn’t want to, or maybe he couldn’t.
Like she was the very air that he needed to survive. I’d never been jealous of my sister. I’d always been so happy for her, but the truth was I wanted that one day.
I wanted someone to look at me like they couldn’t live without me. And maybe there was something wrong with me, but I wanted someone to kill to protect me, not because they were cruel and territorial but because they loved me so deeply the very thought of me hurting cut them deep, too.
God, I wanted that something fierce.
My foot caught on a creaky board, and all conversation stopped as three sets of eyes focused on me. Amara was off Nikolai’s lap and striding toward me the next second, her smile big.
She wore a plush-looking robe with her initials stitched into the right breast pocket. When she wrapped her arms around me, I inhaled the lemony vanilla scent that clung to her.
“I am so glad you’re here,” my sister said softly and squeezed me tighter. “It’s so nice waking up and seeing you.”
I couldn’t help but close my eyes and smile, squeezing her back tightly.
When she pulled away, her wedding ring snagged on my sweater. “Good God,” I whispered as I took her hand and lifted it up, the kitchen light catching the massive diamond. “I don’t remember it being this big.”
I looked up at Amara and saw her cheeks turn pink. “Nikolai said the first one wasn’t good enough. So he went out and had this one custom-made.”
I glanced over at her husband, and of course he was just staring at Amara, this possessive glint in his eyes. I realized that look wasn’t one of ownership but a pure, unadulterated love.
Well, as much as a dark antihero could love with a cold, brutal heart.
He cared for my sister on a level so deep it was ingrained in his very DNA.
I looked at the diamond again. The thing must weigh her hand down. “It’s beautiful,” I murmured and let her hand go.