Unprotected with the Mob Boss: A Dark Mafia Romance (Alekseiev Bratva) by Fox, Nicole (classic books for 12 year olds .TXT) 📗

stepping in front of me and leaning over to rest her arms on the counter. Her ass presses against my groin. I don’t know if it was her intention, but my whole world has dwindled to the pressure against my cock. If she bounced even slightly, I couldn’t be held accountable for my actions. “So, Lev and I were just talking, and we—”

“And smoking,” Julie interrupts. “I can smell it.”

“He was smoking,” Allison retorts. “Which is still legal in the United States. You know I love you, Jules. But the reason I haven’t told you about him until now is because of shit like this. I don’t need you or my dad to fight my battles for me. I care about him and all I’m asking is for you to give him a chance. That’s what tonight is about. Giving him a chance. He wanted me to set this up for all three of us, so he could get to know you because he knows how important you are to me. He’s important to me too. So, please, treat me like I have some self-respect and do the same for Lev.”

Julia transfers the noodles to the other pot.

“Lev,” Julia says. “Could you get the garlic bread out of the freezer? It’s under the broccoli.”

“Sure.” I place my hands on Allison’s hips and carefully step away from her. I turn to the refrigerator, open the freezer, and find the garlic bread. Allison steps closer to me to take it from me. As she leans down, I press my hand against her shoulder blades and pretend to kiss near her ear. I whisper, “What the fuck was that?”

“I needed you to keep quiet for one minute,” she whispers back. “Don’t hate the method when it worked.”

Julia keeps her eyes on me, but they feel less like bullets now. By the time dinner is cooked and we’re settling down with our plates of spaghetti and garlic bread, Julia seems damn near pleasant.

Julia raises her glass of wine. “To the two of you.”

I clink my glass against hers and Allison’s. The wine goes down smooth. It makes pretending to be an honorable man much, much easier.

“So,” Julia says. “Tell me about yourself, Lev. I already know the professional details, but what are your hobbies? How do you spend your spare time?”

“I rarely have spare time,” I say. “It’s part of why it took me so long to realize I’d rather spend that spare time with Allison.”

I take Allison’s hand on the table. I bring it to my lips, kissing her knuckles. She raises an eyebrow at me, but quickly hides it as she gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. She’s not the best actress.

“Well, you know she doesn’t want to be a housewife, right?” Julia asks. “I know with how busy you must be, it would be very difficult to keep a relationship when the woman is busy too.”

I shrug. “I need a woman that knows she’s capable of more and is willing to work hard to get there. That’s why I’m in a relationship with Allison. She has the ambition and determination.” It’s not a lie, for a change. I may only have known Allison a short time, but that’s been long enough for me to say she’s got a spine made of steel that doesn’t match her soft exterior. I like both her outside and inside. A lot.

“That’s true.” Julia twirls spaghetti onto her fork. It scrapes against the plate. “I have to know one thing.”

“Okay,” I say.

“If you were to describe Allison, how would you describe her?”

“Jules,” Allison cuts in. “That’s a ridiculous question.”

“It’s a valid question,” Julia corrects. “I’ve seen spouses, parents, boyfriends, and girlfriends describe their significant others while we’re getting ready to transport their loved ones, while we’re in the ambulance, when we get to the hospital. They reveal a lot. You can tell how much they care by what they say. I just want to know what Lev would say about you.”

“Julia,” Allison says, her voice firmer now. “Stop.”

“It’s fine,” I say to Allison, but my full attention is on Julia. “You want me to talk about how Allison is a good person, that she has the strongest moral compass on earth. Isn’t that right? That’s what you want me to say?”

Allison is frozen in place, but Julia leans back into her chair, unperturbed.

“Are you saying she’s not a moral person?”

“On the contrary. She’s exceedingly moral. And she has the spine to back up her morals,” I reply calmly, thinking of how Allison gave herself over to me, a complete stranger, in order to protect her father. Of how angry she was at Jeffrey Douglas getting off scot-free. The way she wanted to see justice done. She’s not so unlike me when it comes down to the core. That unnerves me for some reason. “If I were to describe her, I’d use one word. Tough.”

Julia nearly smiles. “You do care. Good.”

I look over at Allison. She’s gazing back at me, her eyes slightly widened and her lips parted. An edge of desire cuts through me. I need the woman. Badly. And I don’t like needing anybody. It gives her an upper hand over me that I can only hope she doesn’t figure out.She quickly looks away from me, grabbing onto her wine glass and taking a gulp of it. She’ll read into my statement just like Julia did, thinking it means more than it means and she’ll punish herself for it.

I stand up, reaching for the wine bottle. Her eyes follow my hand. I stop. The car crash. A drunk driver.

I let my hand fall to the table, empty.

* * *

When Allison and I walk out of her apartment building, I keep my arm around her waist. I nuzzle my face against her hair, inhaling her faint jasmine scent. The scent runs through my veins like a drug.

“How long do you think she’ll watch us?” I ask near her ear.

“Jules? She’s probably just