Alexander Vittorio POVThe situation with Anya is driving me insane all over again. Alexei gave me a talking-to on the way here and told me to ease up on Anya so I don’t scare her away, but that’s fucking hard to do. My heart aches because it feels like she’s forgotten the bond we had in the dark room. How do you forget something so strong? How do you just move on? Has she even thought about me for the past four years? Where the memory of her kept me up at night and drove me over the edge, she just went on with her life.Walking into the living room, Alexei’s watching TV with Vincent.There’s a sight I never thought I’d see.Anya pauses the movie, and taking a seat, she lifts Vincent onto her lap.“I was watching Donkey,” the little guy complains.“You can continue watching in a minute,” Anya says, her voice filled with love. “Mommy has something to tell you.”His big eyes lock on her face. “What?”She gestures for me to come closer, and I crouch by her legs.Jesus, she’s alive.“This
Anya de Luna's POVAfter I’ve taken the dishes to the kitchen and tidied up, I take a moment to clear my head.Getting to spend some time with us has calmed Xander down. It was very emotional watching him with Vincent, but at least that went well. Now I just have to figure out how to handle Xander so he doesn’t go all crazy on me again. That’s one thing about him that’s changed completely. When we were held captive, he was always the calm one, but now he’s borderline insane.I understand why, though. After suffering for months in that hellhole, he lost Marc Vincent and me. That would drive anyone over the edge. And now that he’s found me again, he’s like a man on a mission. It’s not that I don’t want to get romantically involved with him. It’s the Bratva and all the violence and danger that comes with the world he lives in that has me running for the hills.I have to think of Vincent. And I’m no longer a naïve eighteen-year-old. I have to think with my head and not my heart.But still
Xander Vittorio POVI watch as Vincent drifts off to sleep, and I stop reading. Staring at my son’s peaceful face, the love I feel for him fills every corner of my being.I’ll be the best father I can be, my son. I’ll give you all the love you need. I’ll give you the world.Anya comes to press a kiss on his forehead. “Sweet dreams, baby.”Getting up from the bed, I place the book on the bedside table and leave the room so I can talk to Alexei.I find him by the front door, where he’s checking all the locks.“We need to put up a security system,” he mutters.“I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” I stop next to him. “You can go home. I’m staying here.”Alexei lets out a sigh as he locks eyes with me. “Don’t push the girl. She needs time to adjust.”“I know. I just want to be close to them.”He nods, then warns, “If you’re not home in time for our walk, and I have to drag your ass out of this house, you’ll regret it.”I let out a chuckle. “Got it.”He places his hand on my shoulder and pulls
Anya de Luna POVRealizing there’s no getting through to Xander, I say, “You’re sleeping on the couch.”The corner of his mouth lifts in a hot smirk. “That I can do.”I shake my head at him. “And don’t get any ideas during the night.”“Like?” he teases me.“You know what I’m talking about,” I mutter.When I walk toward the hallway, I change direction and check that the front door is locked.“What are you doing?” He asks.“Getting ready for bed.”He shakes his head. “We’re not done talking.”At the rate we’re going, we’ll never be done talking.“I’m tired, Xander. It’s been a crazy day. Let’s continue the conversation tomorrow when we’ve had some rest.”Agitation flashes over his features. “You asked me to place myself in your shoes, and I’m trying. Can you do the same for me?”I suck in a deep breath of air, then give in and nod.“Thank you.” He walks back to the couch and sits down, his eyes following me. When I pass him, his hand shoots out to grab mine, and he pulls me back onto hi
Alexander Vittorio POVI don’t dare move a muscle while Anya sleeps. I hold the love of my life, feeling the happiest I’ve ever been.This is all I wanted.With Anya in my arms, I process the shock of finding her and Vincent, and I form a plan to win Anya’s heart again.My woman wants dates. She wants to be swept off her feet.She better fucking brace herself because I’m bringing out the big guns.I manage to dose off occasionally, and when the sun starts to rise, I carefully climb to my feet with Anya in my arms. Carrying her to the bedroom, I glance around her personal space before I place her down on the bed.After I covered her with a blanket, I picked up the framed photo of her and Vincent.They’re on the beach, and both have happy smiles. Anya is wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and Vincent has a little Speedo on. My boy is covered in sand.I almost let out a chuckle.Taking the photo, I glance at Anya’s sleeping face before I walk out of the bedroom. I check in on Vincen
Anya de Luna POVI’m woken by Vincent, who’s bouncing on my bed. “Come on, Mommy. I want to see Daddy.”“Then go to him,” I mumble.“He’s not here,” Vincent complains. “Get up so we can go to him.”My eyes pop open. “What do you mean he’s not here?”My boy gives me a worried look. “He’s gone.”Climbing out of bed, I walk to the living room, but there’s no sign of Xander. I peek through the curtains, and seeing the car is gone as well, I let out a sigh.“Daddy had to go to work,” I tell Vincent. “And we have to get ready for the day so we can go to the bookstore.”Vincent’s face crumbles, and he starts to ugly-cry. “But I want my daddy!”I rush forward, and picking him up, I coo, “Aww, you’ll see your daddy again. Mommy will call him.”Crap, I don’t have his number.I’ll ask Rosemarie for Xander’s number.“There-there. Let’s get ready for the day. You can have something from the coffee shop for breakfast. Okay?”He sniffles as I carry him to his room, and while I’m dressing him, he say
Alexander Vittorio POVI had to leave the bookstore so I could take Viktor to his one o’clock meeting.Every time I see Anya and Vincent, I feel a little calmer.“What’s on your jacket?” Viktor asks. “It better not be shit.”I let out a burst of laughter. “It’s chocolate.”“Thank, fuck,” he mutters. When we get to the office, check on the shipments that are due. I want to know what the rest of the week looks like.”“Okay.” Hesitating for a moment, I decide to go ahead and ask, “How did you get Rosemarie to fall in love with you?”“I kidnapped her,” he chuckles before he gets serious. “I showed her she’s safe with me. It took three years, Xander. She didn’t take it easy on me.” He glances out of the side window of the car. “Anya already loves you. Just remind her who you are.”I nod as I steer the G-Wagon into the underground parking. “Any news on Brayden Kelly?” I ask as we climb out of the vehicle.“No, but I’ve increased the hit on his head to two point five million, so he should be
Anya Santini de Luna POVHoly crap, that was intense. My heart is fluttering in my chest as I drive home. Did I like that? Why? God, the man was hot as hell laying the law down.“Mommy, what’s for dinner tonight?” Vincent asks.Something to cool me down.“Ahh…we’ll see when we get home. Is there anything you’re in the mood for?”“Pizza is for special times, right?” he asks.“Yes.”“So it’s special that Daddy came back.”I let out a chuckle. “Okay. We’ll order pizza tonight.”“Yay!”With Vincent happy, my thoughts return to Xander. He’s been amazing with Vincent, and I love watching them interact.I’m still apprehensive about a romantic relationship with Xander, but I said I’d give him a chance, so that’s what I’m going to do.When I pull into the driveway, Xander stops behind my car. I climb out of the vehicle and notice an SUV parking in front of my house.“Who’s that?” I murmur before I open the door for Vincent to get out.When Xander walks toward us, I gesture to the car. “Will yo