She led me to the table, and I sat beside her, this time with her sitting in a chair instead of Nikolai’s lap.
He started speaking with his brother, and Amara grabbed a plate, loading it with bacon and eggs, a piece of toast, hash browns, and placing it in front of me. She gave me a glass of orange juice and filled a bowl with freshly cut fruit.
It certainly was a spread, and far more than I’d be able to eat at one sitting. I was a little shocked that Nikolai had been the one to prepare it.
A man such as him, who looked the way he did, who ran a criminal empire, wasn’t the first person I would think of who could make anything from scratch, let alone a spread like this.
I tuned them out as they kept speaking, and I placed a napkin in my lap, about to dig in. When I felt something cold and wet touch my hand, I glanced down to see Sasha sitting beside me, her ears twitching once more, her eyes locked on me, before she glanced at my plate.
I glanced at Dmitry, then at Amara. No one was paying attention to me, so I broke off some bacon and snuck her a little piece.
She greedily gobbled it down, licking her chops as she begged for more. I couldn’t help but smile and scratch her behind the ear. When I straightened and faced forward again, about to get her another piece, I spied Dmitry leaning back in his chair, looking at me. The corner of his mouth lifted.
“I told you, she’s a sweetheart. She already has you hooked, so you’re sneaking food from the table.”
I ran my hand over Sasha’s head and looked back down at her. “She is a good girl,” I whispered. “But I bet she’s fiercely loyal.”
“She is.”
I glanced at Dmitry again, and he was looking at his dog. “She’ll rip a man’s throat out if they so much as threaten you. And then afterward she’ll lay on the couch and want to snuggle.”
I nearly choked on my orange juice at hearing Dimitri talk about violence and then snuggling. That certainly wasn’t a word I would’ve ever thought I’d hear come out of a Bratva leader.
“I was thinking we could go shopping today?” Amara asked, pulling me from my thoughts. “I’m obviously not going to show you Desolation, because there’s not much to see aside from a cesspool, but right outside of the city, it’s gorgeous.”
As if the very mention of me going somewhere triggered Amadeo, he came walking into the kitchen, his hair disheveled and his face showing sleep.
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Dmitry and then Nikolai. “I need a room closer to Claudia. You’ve put me two doors down and the walls are too thick, muting everything.”
Amadeo glowered, clearly annoyed. I knew he’d report this back to Gio.
“We’re in my sister's house, Amadeo.” He cut a glance at me, still wearing that pinched expression. “If it’s not safe here, then it’s not safe anywhere.”
Amadeo grunted and ran a hand over his face.
“You can relax. I’d never let anything happen to Amara.” Nikolai’s voice was calm and collected, but there was still a bite in it I realized was just… him. “I, as well as any man working for me, will protect her with our lives.”
Amara gave Amadeo a sweet smile. “Why don’t you go take a shower and clean up? I’ll keep a plate warm for you. And we're shopping today, so wear comfortable shoes.”
I held in my laughter.
With a huff of irritation, Amadeo turned and stalked away from us, disappearing around the corner and down the hall.
Moments later I heard the shower turn on. And I guess that’s how the day was going to start, with a grumpy-ass security guard who would tattle on me for every little thing that happened on this trip.
Chapter 10
Claudia
The day had been incredible, and I’d forgotten how wonderful it was just to spend time with Amara.
Although it had been rare when the two of us could actually have fun, the times we did were some of my most memorable in life.
I wished the day would have lasted forever, but we were back at Amara’s penthouse, all of us sitting around their large dining room table and a slew of take-out boxes covering the top.
I found out Dmitry had a sense of humor, albeit it was slightly dark. He liked to keep things easygoing. And although I got the same kind of vibe from Nikolai, Dmitry was more highbrow in the things he said.
Amara’s husband just seemed flat-out crazy, even if the people around laughed at what he said. But I almost thought those nervous laughs and forced grins were because they didn’t know if this guy was about to pull a gun and blow their brains out or clap them on the shoulder and ask if they wanted a shot of whiskey.