Preg-Not

37

"Are you kidding? I loved hearing the office gossip."

She smiled and fussed with his tie. "Really? You were always so blank-faced. I thought I annoyed you."

"So you only let me fuck you because you thought that was the only way to please me?" he frowned.

"Well... I kinda liked it, too," she admitted.

His shoulders lifted as his ego was boosted up to the moon.

"I had a lot on my mind," he admitted. "There was always this fear that connections with the mafia would resurface."

"Why did you abandon them in the first place?"

"I didn't agree with some of the family business. My father was in the flesh trade."

"What? Are they still–"

"No, no. My family stopped trafficking after I left years ago. I didn't go back though."

"Why?"

"Because that would mean giving up my life with you."

She truly felt beautiful then. Not because of her expensive dress, but because Maksim's words and eyes caressed her very soul.

She stared with her lips parted for a few minutes, only noticing that the car came to a stop when the locks clicked.

"Finally," Maksim sighed as he sat up and looked out a window."Why the hell are we at the airport?"

"Because..." she climbed over to her seat. "You're going on a much needed vacation."

Maksim was silent for a second, and she waited for signs of anger.

"How did you set this up?"

"I bribed. Now, promise me that you won't hurt or fire anyone."

He hesitated, so she poked his belly.

"Say it..."

"For fuck's sake, Raelynn. You can't use your pull to manipulate. I have a business to run, and sometimes men have to be punished to set an example."

"The only man that will get punished is you if you don't leave those poor guys alone."

"And what in the world will your short, little round pregnant ass do to me?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

Maksim ran a hand down his face, because he knew Raelynn had him by the balls.

"Where do you want to go? We can't just fly out. I need to shift things at the company and have a doctor fly with us."

"You have a phone, don't you?"

He growled like a wild animal. "Be grateful you're pregnant, or else you'd be over my lap by now."

She passed his phone to him. "We're going to Arizona."

Maksim stiffened. "Why?"

"Because it was home. Your penthouse is pretty and all, but it's too cold. I don't know. I just think this is something we have to do."

"We're not going."

"Why?"

Maksim pursed his lips.

She cupped the cheek she slapped days ago. "Don't start with the silence."

He caved. "Last time we were in Arizona, we went separate ways. I don't want it happening again."

She shook her head. "There's a lot we still have to figure out, but as long as you don't try to separate me from the babies, I won't run again."