Alexandr's Reluctant Submissive (26 page)

“Oh, she had the baby?” Gwen said in a happy voice as she tidied up the play area. Her friend had cleaning OCD and it came in handy around kids. “I’m so excited. I know Krom was freaking out about it.”

Zoya’s voice held an unusual note of surprise. “He told you? Krom is usually very…how to say in English…private about his family.”

A hot flush bloomed over Gwen’s face and Jessica narrowed her eyes as her nanny stammered out, “Well, what do you think we do while we take care of Tatiana? We talk like any normal adults do. Actually, we talk like normal adults with a curious little girl do. My
flora
is a very inquisitive child, and isn’t afraid to ask questions. She isn’t old enough to judge, and Krom understands. Look, I know he’s scary and all of that, but you’ve never seen him alone with Tatiana. He will be a wonderful father someday.”

Before she could drag Gwen to the side to question her about the obvious affection in the woman’s voice for Krom, Alex strode through the door, a huge smile breaking out over his handsome face when Tatiana squealed, “Hi, Papa.”

It had only been a little over a month so the novelty hadn’t quite worn off for her yet, but Tatiana seemed to have accepted Alex along with the other big changes in her life. Gwen had told her over and over that kids were more resilient than adults, but Jessica had been worried that her daughter would have a hard time adjusting. Her doubts had proved unfounded because Tatiana was happier here than she’d ever seen her in Miami. After all, here she was surrounded by a throng of adults who adored her, and had the fun of having young cousins to play with.

But most importantly, Tatiana had Alex’s deep and all-encompassing love for his daughter.

Tatiana bounced over to her father’s arms and lifted hers with a big smile.

With a grin of his own, Alex scooped up the little girl and tossed her in the air. He of course caught her with ease but Jessica’s heart still thumped hard every time he did that. Red hair flying as he spun her around, Tatiana giggled then thumped his chest. “Too fast.”

Right away he stopped and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Forgive me, my beautiful
solnyshko
.”

He scanned the room for Jessica and when their eyes met, her belly dropped at the sight of her husband, looking dashing in a black suit and midnight-blue tie with silver dots, holding their daughter so gently. She moved close enough that Alex’s familiar lime and cedar scent enveloped her then breathed him in deep. The sight of her strong, deadly husband cuddling their little girl made her heart ache with happiness. All those years, this is what Jorg had stolen from them. She’d personally kill the old man without batting a lash, but all contact between Jorg and herself was forbidden by Alex and Dimitri.

Looking down at their little girl, he said in a gentle but firm voice, “You will be good for your nanny, yes?”

Tatiana gave her father her cutest look, so sweet that sugar wouldn’t melt in her little rosebud mouth. “Do I get a pony if I do?”

Alex winced, but he held strong as he said, “Your mother and I have agreed now is not time for pony.”

Having heard this before, Tatiana sighed, “Yes, Papa.”

With only a small pout, she walked across the small den that had been turned into her hangout room. Comfortable couches were grouped before a medium-sized television and the walls had been painted in soft pastel tones that worked well together. There were shelves and shelves of toys and books, but they were only half as full as they’d been a few days ago. Tatiana had thrown a fit because Gwen wouldn’t let her take down all the dolls and play with them at once, only one at a time. Alex had been in the room with them at the time. To Jessica’s surprise, Alex had put his foot down in the form of taking the toys that she didn’t play with much and donating them to a local orphanage. Tatiana hadn’t been happy, but Alex had stuck by his word despite her tears.

True, that night Alex had agonized that Tatiana would hate him forever, but the next morning, just as Jessica had predicted, Tatiana was her usual bubbly self.

They left after spending a little more time with Tatiana, taking their Bentley to the crazy-cool three story club that was bathed in purple, green and gold lights and sported massive white stone pillars on the facade. They were meeting some business associates of Alex’s who were visiting from the United States. She’d found that, in many ways, the
Bratvas
were more like tightly run business empires than just a group of thugs selling drugs and doing petty criminal shit. Every day Alex revealed a little more to her about the inner workings of the Dubinski
Bratva
, while Petrov’s wife and daughters filled her in on her role. She’d been excited to learn that she was more than a pretty smile on Alex’s arm, that she would actually be in charge of some very important things, like the charity work the
Bratva
did. Evidently giving back to the community was a matter of pride among Russian men. And then there was the endless job of making sure her people were happy.

Yes,
her
people.

The thought still made her want to both giggle and wince. As Alex’s wife, she was the one other women would come to with their problems and it would be her job to either help them as best she could or let her husband know if it was beyond her ability to fix. So far she’d sat in on Vera’s meeting with one woman worried about her daughter being abused by her boyfriend, an older widow who was having issues with her younger neighbors disrespecting her, and a teenage girl nervously thanking Vera for helping with her education.

After that girl had left, Jessica learned she was a former underage prostitute who Petrov had rescued from a slave trader. Sometimes it was easy to forget the fact that Alex was neck deep in evil deeds with evil men, and she wondered how he managed to somehow retain his morals, twisted as they were, after all these years. Hell, her first thought after learning about the teenager’s background had been to find the men who had kidnapped her and make them pay in pain before their deaths.

Shit, now she was sounding like a ruthless killer herself.

The beep of a horn next to her drew her back from her deep thoughts and to the present. Alex was quiet as well, but it was a peaceful silence between them, a perfect moment of serenity. It seemed as if the only time they were alone was in bed, and after screwing the hell out of each other they’d pass out. She let out a soft sigh, readying herself for the night ahead. She had no idea what section of Moscow they were in, but wherever it was, it was posh. The crowd milling around outside of the building was full of beautiful people dressed in clothing so finely made it could only be couture. Jewels sparkled everywhere, but her gaze sought out the tops of the buildings, where she knew Alex had snipers positioned to guard the entrance of the club. Excessive, but she had to admit it made her feel better.

As they pulled up, Alex gave her hand a squeeze, then kissed her wedding rings. “Are you ready?”

“Yep.”

He smoothed a delicate curl from her eyes. “Tonight is about having fun. Catrin and Nico are waiting inside for us. As are Dimitri and Rya. Ivan and Gia couldn’t make it, they are spending time with her family in the States, but said next time they look forward to having us over for dinner. I think you will like the Americans who are visiting us. Do you remember Mimi Stefano?”

“Of course.” She squeezed his hand. “Laz’s cousin. I met her in Rome a couple times and she rescued you from your father.”

“Yes.” The word was rough and she rubbed her thumb over his skin in a soothing gesture. “We helped her twin daughters out of a delicate situation a while ago. One of the twins, Sarah, is visiting with her husband, the president of a…what do you Americans call it…a motorcycle club. They had some business in the area and wanted to stop by on Mimi’s behalf. She wishes she could have come herself to visit with you, but her other daughter, Swan, is due to give birth anytime now to twin boys.”

She tried to imagine dealing with two newborns and laughed softly. “God bless them both.”

Luka opened her door, his face set into a stern expression, then let out a low whistle at the sight of her. “Mrs. Dubinski, you must warn a man before you wear a dress like that.”

She took the dashing man’s firm hand and braced herself for the barrage of noise as soon as the crowd caught sight of her. Right now, unfortunately, her reappearance was a thing of great gossip. It was all over the Internet, along with some of the craziest speculation she’d ever seen, everything from alien abduction to having lived in an Arctic research lab with Bigfoot. Their official story was that she’d been in a car accident and suffered amnesia, but no one really bought it.

A few reporters had come close to the truth, but not enough to alarm her. Hell, even if they found out what really happened, no one would believe it. Her mind strayed to the grave in Ireland where some unknown woman’s charred bones rested with her old wedding rings. Jorg’s men had been the ones to find Krom, so she was pretty sure they’d take her rings from him while he was unconscious, to help stage her death. She didn’t talk much with Alex about those dark days, but she had talked with Krom about it and they’d pieced together what had probably happened that night after she drove away to start her new life in Miami.

A shudder made goose bumps rise up along her arms and she tried to turn her thoughts from the past to the present. The paparazzi were kept far away from the club, but she could see the lights reflecting off the long-range lenses on their cameras down the street. There were so many of them, and they surged like a pile of cockroaches scurrying over each other when she looked their way.

Luka followed her gaze then murmured, “We have three of our men in that mess.”

Grateful that he understood her concern, she gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

The corner of his pouty lower lip curled up, the light-brown scruff covering his jaw glinting as they stepped onto the black velvet carpet that led to the entrance of the three-story building with its opulent Roman-style columns. Alex joined them, and having the big, solid presence of the men near her gave her a much-needed bolster of courage. Her husband held out his arm and she slipped hers through his, falling naturally into step with them as they turned to face the crowd now watching them intently.

With security flanking them on all sides, they strode into the club together and she held her head high, pretending she was walking past the bitchy chicks in marketing as she ignored the blatant stares and pointing.

From behind them, Luka murmured, “Has anyone ever told you, Mrs. Dubinski, that you have amazing legs?”

Alex growled, “Do not make me kill you, Luka. Would interrupt my plans for the evening.”

She recognized her bodyguard’s teasing for what it was, a way to relax her, but when she glanced his way she found him scanning the area with a stern expression. Luka abruptly frowned and she followed his gaze to the front doors of the club. A tall, regal-looking brunette wearing a red leather dress was giving Alex a blatantly seductive smile as they approached. The woman was obviously some kind of authority at the club because the bouncers behind her were differential to her.

Arching a dark brow, she looked Jessica up and down, then turned her attention to back Alex. “Welcome, Mr. Dubinski,” she purred in Russian. “We are honored to have you here tonight. As always, I am at your
complete
disposal for
anything
you want.”

Jessica started to think about choking the bitch in the red dress but before she could draw a breath, Alex growled in a low voice and replied, “Divana, I will only tell you this once. My wife has returned to me and I will destroy anyone who threatens her happiness or my marriage. Do you understand?”

“Oh—of course. My apologies, Mr. Dubinski.”

She smoothed on a bright, cheery smile that was as fake and sparkly as a cubic zirconia. The fear in her gaze, however, didn’t match her expression and Jessica almost felt sorry for her. Alex was deadly when he went into protective mode and he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate anything he considered a threat. A part of her felt like she should be disturbed by this knowledge, but if she was being honest with herself, she’d kill anyone who ever tried to harm her family with no qualms, so she understood how he felt.

The pounding of a bass-filled song shook her from her thoughts as she followed Alex into the club through a neon-lined arched doorway, the woman before them slightly unsteady on her heels as she constantly glanced over her shoulder with a brittle smile.

“There you are!” a familiar voice yelled from somewhere to her left.

She turned to find Rya working her way through the crowd towards them with Dimitri in tow. Tonight the voluptuous brunette wore her hair down and loose, dressed in a figure-hugging little gold-spangled dress and decked out in a sultan’s fortune of rubies. Dimitri trailed behind her, wearing a black suit and white shirt, but no tie. His expression was closed down and if she didn’t know him so well, she’d be intimidated by the gigantic man stalking their way with such a cold gaze. Where Rya showed her emotions with ease, it kind of hurt Jessica’s heart to see how good Dimitri had become at being unreadable.

When he caught her watching him, he smiled, then gave her a friendly wink that sent a gentle wave of relief through her.

A moment later, Rya grabbed her in a hug, the shorter woman smelling like honeysuckle and amber. “God, can you believe this place? Isn’t it insane?”

For the first time, Jessica really looked around the club while Dimitri and Alex spoke in low voices behind them. The building was three stories high with women on swings and in cages dancing above the crowd. Long streamers hung from the bottoms of the swings and they twirled through the air in glittering arcs. A bar took up two sides of the room, made of smoky glass and lit from beneath with smooth ambient lighting. Staircases led up to a second floor, guarded by two big men in black suits who she pegged right away as serious muscle, then another set of softly glowing amber glass stairs led to a glassed-in third level that peered out over the club.