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
Alexander Vittorio POVI didn’t stay late so Anya could get a good night’s rest. With Viktor in Las Vegas for the meeting with the Priesthood, it gives me the perfect opportunity to assassinate Brayden Kelly.If Kelly is keeping tabs on Viktor, he won’t expect the attack.I park the G-Wagon near the docks and armed with a sniper gun, a small rocket launcher, and two of my favorite handguns, I disappear into the darkness. Dressed in full combat gear, I’m ready for any kind of action.I’m sure Kelly is prepared for a full-scale attack, and he won’t expect just one man. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. With the sniper gun and rocket launcher’s straps flung over my shoulders, I enter the docks from a side gate that looks like it hasn’t been used in ages. The lock is rusted and easy to break. Lightfooted and keeping my head low, I make my way between the warehouses. Using a fire escape, I scale to the roof, where I’ll have a better view of the area.Once I’m on the roof, I move cautiously
Anya de Luna POVWatching Xander drive away with our son, I’m filled with anxiety. You need to give them alone time together. I chew on my thumbnail as I stand by the door, my eyes following the G-Wagon down the road. God, it’s going to be a long two hours.Suddenly the brake lights go on, and a second later, the vehicle makes a U-turn. Did they forget something?Xander double parks the G-Wagon, and lowering the window, he calls out, “Lock up and come with us.”My eyebrows fly up. “Really?”He lets out a chuckle as he nods. “Yeah. I hate knowing you’ll be worried the entire time we’re gone.”I let out a happy shriek and rushing to the counter, I grab my handbag. Thankfully, Peter is already leaving the store, and I can lock up quickly.I hurry to the passenger side, yank the door open, and climb inside. Giving Xander a happy smile, I say, “Thank you.”His gaze is tender as he murmurs, “Anything for you.”Anything for me. It’s only been a couple of days, but this man is making quick wo
Alexander Vittorio POV I feel the date was a massive success as I carry my sleeping son into the house.Anya helps to change him out of the tuxedo and into his pajamas before I pull the covers over him and press a kiss to his forehead.I leave Anya to whisper good night to our son and walk to the living room.I’m fucking nervous. There’s been such a huge build-up to the kiss, and I feel pressured not to fuck it up.Shrugging my suit jacket off, I roll up the sleeves of my dress shirt. My eyes keep flicking to the hallway, but when too much time passes and there’s no sign of Melody, I frown.What’s keeping her?I check that the front door is locked, and when she’s still MIA, I head down the hallway.I peek into Vincent’s room, and not seeing her, I walk to her bedroom. I nudge the door open, and hearing running water, I slowly move closer to the bathroom.A smile spreads over my face when I catch her staring at her reflection in the mirror.“You’re a confident woman. It’s just a kiss.