Hope beamed from somewhere deep inside of me. “How can you be so sure you’re not my father? You said you were intimate…”
But he was already shaking his head. “No. I’m sorry, Mina. I’m not your father. We never took our affair that far. It’s just not possible that you’re mine.” He huffed out a breath. “But I would’ve killed to be your dad, sweet girl. Know that.”
Tears prickled my eyes as I nodded solemnly.
Alessio had heard enough. He sneered at me from across the table. “While you were out picking flowers with your ma, I was hiding bruises from my friends.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my eyes shining.
“What are you sorry for? You had a good childhood. I was forgotten. That’s life.” As I looked down at the table, he spoke into the silence. “What? You don’t want a brother any more?” My heart broke. He huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Not good enough for you, am I? Just like ya mom.”
Lev gripped my hand so tight it hurt. “Shut your mouth.”
He said this at the same time Laredo called out, “Don’t speak out of anger, my son. You best be quiet, Alessio.”
“No,” Alessio went on. “How about we tell her about the time my father kicked me so hard in the chest that I stopped breathing? Or about the time when he came home from the club, pulled down his pants, and pissed all over me while I slept.”
Tears were trailing my cheeks now. My chest ached with every beat of my heart. I fought desperately not to sob out loud.
Lev growled, “I’m warning you, Alessio.”
“While she had sunshine and lollipops,” Alessio began to shout, “I had cigarette burns across my fucking arms.”
The men around me had started to object angrily at Alessio’s outburst. All I could do was blink through my tears and speak quietly. “I didn’t know.”
Alessio stood. “How could you know? Living your perfect fucking life in your perfect fucking house with your goddamn whore of a mother.” He pointed at me hard. “You got the life I shoulda had.” He clapped slowly, humiliatingly. “Congratulations, Mina.” His lip curled as he whispered, “You got it all.”
By this point, Lev had enough. He threw his chair back so quickly that it flew to the ground. He was quick, but I anticipated the attack before it began. Alessio laughed viciously, his arms wide, welcoming the impending attack. The men stood, Nicolas and Roman rushing to pull at Alessio while Davi and Philippe moved to see what Lev would do.
My arms wrapped around his waist and I gripped him tight, digging my feet in as he dragged me. “I’d like to leave now, sweetie.” Something in the quiet way I spoke must have warned Lev against this fight, because, his chest heaving, teeth gnashing in fury, he slowed to a stop, turning to wrap his arm protectively around me.
Lev turned to my brother and whispered in deathly calm, “You’re going to regret your words.” He panted. “I’m going to make sure of it.”
Alessio hooted loudly. “Oooh. I’m so scared.”
There was no way to sugarcoat it. My brother was a jerk. A cruel, nasty jerk. I didn’t want to know him. I wanted to pretend this night never happened.
Turning to Laredo, I kept my eyes on the ground as I stated, “This was a bad idea. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
He sounded miserable. “Mina, please don’t go.”
“Enjoy your dinner,” I replied as Lev walked me to the double doors. Before we made our exit, Lev paused mid-step and turned to face Alessio one last time. What he said made me cry all over again.
“Mina might have had a decent childhood, but she’s been dealt her share of hardship. She’s been without a home for seven years. She spent that time on the streets, sleeping in alleyways, eating trash to stay alive. Where were you sleeping two months ago, Alessio?” He spoke quietly, “I found Mina sleeping next to a puddle of piss, so emaciated that she was on the brink of death having not eaten in days.”
“Mina,” Laredo muttered, shaking his head with sadness. “Sweetheart.”
Lev eyed my brother, who lifted his chin in defiance. “Don’t assume to know her. You don’t know anything about her, you sack of shit.”
I cried into Lev’s sleeve, tired of people seeing my tears. Lev rubbed my arm as we let ourselves out. As he opened the front door to let us out, I heard Nicolas Van Eden speak, his accent thick and harsh.
“That girl is your sister. She was sweet. And you…you are a fucking asshole, boykie.”
To which Alessio responded a hushed, “Shut the fuck up, Eden.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Mina
I initiated sex with Lev as a distraction. It was a shitty thing to do, but I felt I needed it. I needed him. At first, he fought me, trying to tame my lustful kisses to the sweet ones I viewed as dangerous. I climbed him, nipping the taut skin at his neck, sucked at his tongue, and ground myself into his hardening length until my panties were soaked through. I’d said it before, there was just no faking my reaction to Lev. I pulled my panties to the side and slid down on him, impaling myself on his thick cock as far as I could. He’d lost this round, and with it, his control. With his back to the headboard, he sat up taller, thrusting up into me, his strong arms wrapped around me, holding me firmly, and the sex was no longer a distraction, rather a place of refuge for me.
Lev’s hands on my body calmed me like a prayer. He had proved time and time again that he was everything I needed.
God…I loved him so.
My body begged for release. I wanted so much to not feel numb. I wanted to feel him release inside me. Nothing satisfied me like that feeling.
His hand came around me, gripped my wrist, and then brought it down between our joined bodies. “Rub your clit, baby. Nice and slow.” Then his head dipped down to take my nipple into his warm mouth. I did as he ordered and he suckled me. Within a minute, my body went rigid, my head flinging back as my pussy clamped around him, and I whimper through my orgasm. It took less than ten seconds for Lev to follow. He released my nipple with a pop and let out a long groan as his arms tightened around me, holding me in place. His cock pulsed inside me, and I felt that wonderful wet warmth drip down, out of my core.
I felt better, and I blinked sleepily at him, cupping his cheeks and taking his mouth in a tender kiss. “God, I needed that.”
“I know you did,” he said quietly as he stroked my back. “How are you feeling?” he asked, keeping us joined at our most intimate places.
I leaned my forehead onto his shoulder, accepting his embrace. “I didn’t have a brother before. I’ll be fine without one now.”
“Mina,” he started. “You must be hurt.”
I was hurt, but I wasn’t going to let it affect me. “I’ll be fine, sweetie. I promise.” But my heart ached for Alessio. “I’m just sad that he suffered like that by the hands of his—our— father. I wish he’d been there with us. I wish Mom had taken him with her.”
“You’re too kind,” he huffed out. “He was rude and obscene. He was a dickhead. You shouldn’t care about him at all. He certainly doesn’t care about you.”
“Yeah,” I muttered as I turned my neck to breathe him in. “Still, I don’t blame him for being bitter. Sins of the father and all that crap.”
His lips landed at my temple. He kissed me there and whispered, “It’s okay to feel wounded, mouse. It’s okay.”
The first sob escaped me so painfully that I felt like my chest was ripped open and my heart was falling away piece by piece. More tears followed, and as I let out my sorrow over losing the brother I’d never had, Lev kept his arms around me and his lips at my temple, holding me until there were no more tears to cry.