Chapter 362


    “Sephie


    I grabbed Adrik’s hands and pulled him with me to the bathroom so I could put my contacts back in.


    “You were right. There is more to what your mother told me. I didn’t know how much you wanted Ivan


    to know right now,” I said.


    He chuckled. “I thought you were holding back.”


    “It’s nothing big, but I still think you should hear it before anyone else does,” I said. I had stopped in


    front of the mirror, pulling his arms around my waist as he stood behind me. He rested his chin on my


    shoulder as I went about putting the contacts in. “She said she wanted to thank me for bringing you and


    Vitaliy together.” I stopped and looked at Adrik in the mirror. “I know you’re about to be shocked, but 1


    argued with her and told her I hadn’t done anything.” Heughed as he moved my hair out of the way


    so he could kiss my shoulder. “She said that much of Vitaliy’s light died with her and he was almost


    overtaken by his own darkness, but that I was the spark he needed to remember his own light. I told


    her that you were right and I was just really good at getting grumpy men tough.”


    “You’re very good at that,” he said, smiling as he continued to kiss my neck.


    “I did ask her if she was special like Vitaliy and you. She said she wasn’t. She said all your power


    comes from Vitaliy. Apparently all minees from my dad. But I think she’s special in her own right.


    She said she epted Vitaliy for who he ispletely right away. He said something simr to me the


    first day we were here. It takes a very special person to be able to do that, especially with someone as


    complicated as Vitaliy.”


    I turned to face him, after finishing with the contacts. “She told me that Vitaliy has a giant heart for the


    people he cares about, much like you do. He just struggles to show it. Even more than you do. That’s


    when I called him a cheeseball again and she made me promise to tell him I called him that.”


    Adrikughed. “I would actually pay to see that as well. Did she say anything else?”


    “She did.” I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his gently. “She said you worry about me the


    same way Vitaliy used to worry about her. Ivan is almost as bad. Then she said that you all were good


    men. She said you needed to know that the Universe knows that you’re good men.”


    I could see Adrik struggling with what I’d just told him. I watched as several emotions shed across his


    face. I could see the internal struggle as he fought whether to believe her words or not.


    “She’s right, you know. You are good men. Anybody with half a brain knows you’re good men,” I said,


    my fingers lightly running over his cheek. His breath hitched as he looked at me, his arms wrapped


    completely around me, holding me tightly against him. He didn’t say a word, he just held me until our


    five minutes were likely up and we had to rejoin everyone else.


    “We should go back out. They’re going toe check on me again,” I said, loosening my hold on him.


    “Not yet,” was all he said, as he pulled me closer to him. I rested my head against his hard chest. I felt


    his head resting on top of mine as his arms moved to keep me as close to him as possible. We stood


    like that for a few more minutes as I tried to help calm his storms.


    We’d been back in the city for a few days. Trino was staying at the building while Viktor and Ivan


    helped him get a new security team setup, Gus, Oscar, and Chen were helping Trino with whatever he


    needed as much as they could as well.


    “I’m taking the baddest motherf**kers in Colombiabel away from them, Oscar. They’re all pu ssies,” I


    said, when we were talking about his former security team being scared of me.


    “That’s fair. Totally fair,” Oscar said,ughing. “I did not expect them to wet themselves over the thought


    of you.”


    “I really want to say that I have that effect on people, but that would just be wrong,” I said,ughing.


    “Miha, don’t take it personal. We all know the truth. Don’t judge all Colombian men by the cowardice of


    a few,” Trino said.


    “Still trying to get her toe to Colombia, than?” Gus asked. He was both amused and surprised at


    Trino’s words.


    “A man can try,” Trino said,ughing as they went to leave Adrik’s office.


    Viktor, Ivan, and Stephen had just left to the airport to pick up Vitaliy and his men, who were set to


    arrive that evening. I walked to Adrik, who still finishing up a few things. “I’m going to head upstairs to


    get started on dinner,” I said, my hand running over the back of his shoulders as he leaned over his


    desk.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    “Just a few minutes and I’ll be done. Take the Wonder Twins with you,” he said, looking up at me, a sly


    smile on his face. Iughed at his use of new nickname for Andrei and Misha. I leaned down and


    pressed my lips to his. “I can wait on you, if you like,” I said against his lips. He reached and grabbed


    the back of my neck as he groaned quietly. He su cked my bottom lip into his mo uth, his tongue


    brushing lightly over it which made thighs clench in response. I heard him chuckle as he felt my


    response to his kiss. “I’ll get done much faster if I feel like I have to chase you upsta


    he said.


    I smiled as I stood up. “Then get back to work,” I said as seriously as I could. Heughed and smacked


    my a ss as I turned to leave.


    I walked to Misha and Andrei’s desks quickly. There were still plenty of people here, as the workday


    wasn’t over yet and I could feel everyone’s eye me as I walked from Adrik’s office. Since Armando had


    taken me and Ivan, I’d garnered way more attention from the people in the office than I ev wanted to. It


    still made me ufortable.


    They both noticed when I got to their desks. Misha stood up immediately and stood between me and


    any lingering eyes. “Are you going to start din gazelle?” Misha asked, shielding me from view.


    “Yep. You guys want to help?”


    “Don’t ask st upid questions, spider monkey,” Andrei said as he closed hisputer and got up from


    his desk. He shot Misha a look as he turned awa from me. Before I knew it, Misha grabbed me by my


    hips, picking me up so I could hitch a ride with Andrei. “Close your eyes. Then you won’t see them


    looking at you,” Andrei said quietly.


    Iughed quietly. “You two are my favorite. Don’t tell the others.”


    Once we were in the safety of the elevator, Misha looked over at me. “Why does it still make you


    nervous when people look at you? You know that people generally tend to stare at beautiful women,


    right?”


    I smiled at him. They were all so sweet to me. Sometimes it was overwhelming how much they cared


    about me. “I don’t always get the feeling that they’re staring because of that, my adorable Russian


    guardian. It always feels the same as when Sal was looking at my bo obs and Armando was looking at


    me after he cut my clothes off. Even when I know it’s not, that’s what it feels like. I don’t like it.”


    Andrei held onto my legs a little tighter. “Don’t worry, spider monkey. You’re so tiny next to us that they


    won’t be able to look at you. We’ll protect you. I’ll carry you everywhere so you can close your eyes and


    won’t have to see them, if you want.”


    “Bubba, you’re my favorite,” I said, squeezing his neck a little tighter. Before Misha could protest, I


    added, “you are too, my adorable Russian guardian. Don’t think I’ve already forgotten you just told me I


    was beautiful.” His handsome wide smile stretched across his face as we walked off the elevator.


    Andrei and Misha just nodded to the guards outside the penthouse. “Spider monkey,” they both said as


    we walked past. It’s a perfectly reasonable exnation.