I stared at her blankly, trying to wrap my mind around the idea of him doing that. It was so… thoughtful. I tried to remind myself that he was a dangerous man. He might not have admitted to being the head of the Bratva when I asked last night, but I saw the truth in his eyes. That should have been enough to keep me from softening toward him, but I wasn’t sure it would be.
“I’m sorry you had to come in early,” I said, finding my voice after a minute.
“Oh, don’t be.” She started ladling pancake batter onto a hot griddle. “I’m happy to have more people to cook for. He’d deny this, but Dmitri is quite the picky eater.”
“I am not,” a low voice grumbled from behind me. Turning, I saw that Dmitri was standing there in a pair of basketball shorts.Onlya pair of basketball shorts. They sat low on his hips, showing off muscles I’d thought about many times over the last four years. The rock-hard pecs, defined abs, and that delicious V-shape at his hips.
My mouth watered as I imagined running my tongue over every inch of his chest and down his stomach. Then I could slide those shorts down enough to reveal his big—
“Mommy!”
Alexis was standing at his side, and I was ashamed that I didn’t notice her immediately.
“I was coming out of my bedroom to head downstairs to my gym when she came out of your bedroom. Turns out, she can slide down the stairs on her butt.”
He shot me an accusing glare, and I couldn’t hold in my laughter.
“Don’t blame me if you freaked out for nothing,” I said.
Ronnie had a smile on her face as she continued cooking the pancakes. Alexis wandered into the kitchen, looking up at her.
“Hi, darlin’. I’m Ronnie.”
“Pancakes?” Alexis asked, popping up onto her tiptoes to see what Ronnie was cooking.
“Yes, indeed, Little Miss. You hungry.”
“Yes!” Alexis turned back to Dmitri, who was pouring himself a cup of black coffee. “Breakfast?”
He looked down at her with his eyebrows drawn together. “Yeah…”
“Come.” She took his hand, and his eyes met mine for a moment. He looked charmed and a little lost all at once.
“I think she wants you to join us,” I said, wondering what he’d do.
He didn’t even hesitate. Carrying his coffee mug in one hand and holding Alexis’s with the other, he walked with her into the dining room. I looked at Ronnie, who seemed stunned.
“Wow. That little girl already has him wrapped around her finger.”
My heart fluttered at the thought. I followed them into the dining room, but from behind, the sight of Dmitri without a shirt on wasn’t as exciting. Instead, I was horrified as I caught sight of what looked like thin scars up and down his back.
My god.Was he whipped? I didn’t remember seeing that on our one night together.
Curiosity and pity rose up inside me, but I didn’t think he’d appreciate either, so I pretended I didn’t see a thing.
Alexis chatted with him at the table, this time talking about everything she saw in the house. The colorful artwork on the wall, the squishy cushion on the dining room chair, the chandelier hanging above the table.
Dmitri engaged with her through the entire meal, asking her questions and listening to her answers, even when she babbled or went off on a tangent. He had nothing but patience with her, and my heart swelled.
So much for not softening toward him. I couldn’t keep that from happening, no matter what, not while he was being such a dream with Alexis.
He didn’t even seem annoyed when she knocked her plate onto the floor, making a huge mess of syrup and butter on the rug under the table.
“She’s used to having a highchair,” I explained as Ronnie rushed in and picked up the plate, promising to return with more food for her.
“I’ll buy one today,” Dmitri said.
“That’s not what I meant—”
“I’ll buy one. Don’t worry about it.”
I was starting to recognize the stubborn set of his jaw. This man didn’t back down once he’d made up his mind about something, but I wasn’t going to complain. If he wanted to child proof the place and buy a highchair and be wonderful with our daughter, why should I fight that?
The rush of affection I felt for him was an answer to that unspoken question, but like so many things in life, I was starting to realize that it was out of my control.