Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“I’m not asking to be your ally. I did what had to be done.” Gio left it at that.
Nikolai and Dmitry let out twin harsh laughs.
“You don’t get to ‘do what has to be done’ in our world, motherfucker.” Dmitry’s gaze locked onto Gio, and I knew that, although he was family, my brothers didn’t let anyone who went against them live.
I knew what would happen, and I only had a split second to make my decision to change the course of this.
“You might have saved our sister,” Nikolai said quietly, but there was acid in his voice because he was no doubt thinking and remembering how he’d just found us, “but you can’t undo what you’ve done. You know how we alone handle who fucks with us.”
In a moment of desperate clarity, I did what I had to do—just like Gio. “I’m pregnant.”
Those two words made everything freeze.
Long seconds of silence passed.
None of them even blinking as they just stared at me.
All three of them.
Nikolai was the first one to speak.
“What?” My brother’s voice was hoarse and laced with disbelief.
I looked between the three of them before settling on Gio. “I’m pregnant,” I whispered. I didn't need to say by who for them to know the truth.
I couldn't read Gio’s expression. He kept that emotionless void in place, but the longer we stared at each other, the more I saw something… awaken in his eyes.
“You’re pregnant?” he prompted, low and deep. His voice was barely audible over the pounding of my heart that filled my ears.
I nodded, tears blurring my vision. At that moment, we were the only two people in the shower room. “Yes,” I whispered back. “I’m pregnant.”
“What in the actual fuck?” Nikolai muttered and huffed.
“Un-fucking-believable,” Dmitry said, and I looked over to see my brothers still staring at me with shock.
The anger between the three of them was momentarily over, replaced by the weight of my revelation.
And then Gio moved toward me until he was close enough to touch. He reached out and gently placed his oversized hand on my stomach.
“И я думал, что это я в семье сумасшедший.” And I thought I was the crazy one in the family.
I wanted to laugh at Nikolai’s words, but I was locked in this overwhelming moment with the man I loved.
“My baby,” Gio said, quietly enough I knew I was the only one to hear.
“Yes.” I smiled, placing my hand over his. “I am,” I quipped and saw his lips twitch in amusement.
Gio’s eyes shone with a fierce determination. “’Bout fucking time, baby.”
I felt my eyes widen and snapped my head toward my brothers, who looked thoroughly disgusted.
“Well, shit, we can’t fucking kill him now,” Dmitry grumbled.
“I mean… we can.” Nikolai shrugged.
“You can try, motherfuckers,” Gio inserted, but he wasn’t looking at them. He seemed transfixed by the sight of my much smaller hand covering his.
“You’re mine, Tatiana.”
I smiled, holding back my tears. This certainly wasn’t how I wanted to or planned on telling Gio, but things didn’t always work out how we saw them in our heads.
“I know this is far from over,” Gio said, addressing my brothers. “But right now, I want to be with my girl. So, respectfully, get the fuck out.”
I closed my eyes and laughed incredulously. I expected my brothers to fight with him again, but after muttering under their breath in Russian about what a pain in the ass Gio was, they left the locker room and gave us privacy.
The room was silent as we stared at each other.
At that moment, the only thing I could hear was the promise of our future.
The three of us.
30
GIO
Ibrought Tatiana back to my penthouse after the blowout with her brothers and the pregnancy revelation just an hour before.
The bedroom was quiet, with the only sound coming from my girl as she breathed softly while tending to me. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her as I traced the long fall of her dark-brown hair, with the strands falling over her shoulder. Her locks were wavy from being wet under the spray of the shower as she sucked my cock.
The scent of her hair nearly had me groaning. It was sweet and slightly floral, and I had to curl my fingers into my palms until my hands were tight fists, just to stop myself from reaching out and gripping it.
I sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, the minor cuts and bruises on my face and chest a physical reminder of the fight with Dmitry and Nikolai. I still felt the rush of adrenaline from what happened in the shower, my male aggression still raging inside me.
But at the forefront of my mind was the revelation that Tatiana was pregnant with my baby.
The storm of emotions swirled inside me, and just as I was about to reach out and pull her in close, Tatiana stood and went into the bathroom to grab more first aid items. When she came back, I kept my hands to myself as she took care of me. Her hands were gentle as she cleaned the cut on my bottom lip.