by Alison Aimes
All she could do was laugh. “You really are a Neanderthal.”
“And yours. All yours.” His expression turned somber. “But first Russell and I need to chat.”
“And you need to gloat?”
His laugh held an edge of pain. “Maybe a little.” His hold on her hand tightened. “But mostly I just want to fall down on my knees and thank him for taking care of you when I couldn’t, for protecting you all those years, and for marrying you and keeping safe the greatest gift I could ever have asked for.”
Her breathing hitched.
“I may never fully forgive him for what he did to Lena and Anastasia,” he continued, “but he will always have my gratitude for what he did for you.”
She slid closer, needing to be skin to skin. “Thank you for loving me, even with all the craziness in my past.”
“I don’t love you in spite of it. I love you because of it. I’ve spent my life looking for a fighter like you and I’m never letting go.”
She pressed her lips to his cheek. Alexi Kazankov was everything she’d never known she needed and everything she’d ever wanted.
Which was why—along with the fact that she was every bit as competitive as he—she leaned over her seat and whispered in his ear first, “Will you marry me?”
Epilogue
Six years later
A four-year-old’s unicorn-themed birthday party.
Alexi plunked yet another bowl of orange-tinged food on the picnic table and surveyed the scene. Children coated in purple and silver frosting streaked by hyped on sugar. A pink castle bouncy house covered a third of his no-longer-immaculate yard. Mini horses moseyed by in a circle while simultaneously chewing and shitting on his lawn.
Hardest time in the world to get laid.
And he was okay with it. Hell, he loved every damn second of it.
“Hey, baby.” The sexy scent of peaches and honey reached him first. “You good?”
He turned to watch Lily saunter toward him in a yellow sundress, their three-year-old son on her hip, that kick to the gut whenever he saw her still there.
“Very good.” Reaching over, he scooped their little guy up, humbled anew when those tiny arms wrapped around his neck, full of trust and love.
“I’m sleepy, Daddy.”
“Go ahead and close your eyes, syn moy.” My son. He hefted Luke higher. “I got ya.”
Then, with his free hand, he pulled his extraordinary wife close, skin to skin. “I got ya both.”
“I know it.” Resting her head on his shoulder, she wrapped her arm around him, too.
She was busier than ever with the company and a board who, in his opinion, had only gotten more annoying since embracing her as CEO, but she was happy—and that was all that mattered.
If someone had told him seven years ago this would be his life, he would have laughed in their face and then kicked them in the nuts. Now, he just wanted to fall to his knees and give thanks for every person and every action that had led to this moment.
He’d once thought business always came first.
That guy was an idiot.
This…this was everything.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his oldest son tear around the bouncy house. At six, he was already a mini-Alexi according to his wife, taller and broader than most kids twice his age thanks to his Cossack genes.
Max was laughing manically as he ran, handfuls of cake in each hand. Not surprisingly, Eaton was in hot pursuit. When the two of them were together, there was barely enough food for anyone else.
The two stooges barely managed to avoid crashing into Jim, who was sitting in the shade cradling their youngest, Delilah, in his arms.
Sure, Alexi had been lukewarm on Jim at first, but he’d changed his tune as the years passed—especially once he realized how willing the man was to babysit. It helped, too, that his wife adored the man, and so did his kids. And now, yes, he wasn’t ashamed to admit Russell’s youngest had become one of his favorite people.
Morales was easy to spot, too. Currently, he was standing at the edge of the yard, glaring at the press and keeping them at bay. Soon enough, though, Jessie would find him and the real fireworks would begin.
The two of them bickered every chance they got, which made sense. Morales was a cranky, growly bear while Jessie was a free spirit, take-no-prisoners kind of woman. She might have moved up the ladder to become Lily’s vice president, but she still wore crazy-ass streaks in her hair and sported a new tattoo every few months. She and his head of security could not have been less alike. Which was probably why a couple weeks ago he’d caught them sneaking out of a conference room looking like they’d survived a hurricane, smeared in lipstick and stubble burn, respectively.
He wasn’t sure it would last. Lily disagreed.
Yes, these people, these moments, they were what made life worthwhile.
Though Lena had died years ago, he liked to imagine she would have been proud of the legacy he and Lily were leaving behind. Not just with Anastasia’s birthright and the business, but in terms of family.
No child of theirs would ever feel less than enough.
And when one of his kids used a Russian saying Lena had once told him or yelled out “bullshit” during a family card game, he got the strangest sense of peace, like he really was forgiven.
“I’ve got an idea.”
His wife’s suggestive tone slapped him right back to the present. “I like the sound of that.”
“Since Luke’s fallen asleep, why don’t you and I go put him down in his bed…and see if anyone notices we’re gone?”
“Hell, yes.” He was pulling her through the house in the next breath.
Then suddenly he wasn’t, as she turned the tables and sped by, unencumbered by a child, her chin tipped upward, a challenging look in her eye. “Try to keep up, Neanderthal.”
His smile widened. “Challenge accepted, Armageddon.”
She’d knocked him sideways at first look, challenged him at every turn, blown apart his lies, exposed his stupidity, and given him a reason to not just survive, but truly live.
He would love her forever—because that was business as usual.
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Acknowledgments
This book is the product of much love and encouragement. A special shout-out to:
My sexy, sweet husband, Kurosh, whose support means more than I can say and who always serves as the best of inspirations.
My mom, Barbara. Every book I write is better thanks to your keen insights and encouragement—and, frankly, so am I.
My dad, Sid. Don’t think I don’t know how lucky I am to have a dad who tells me he’s proud of what I do and cheers me on every day.
My kids, Zack and Ella. It means a lot that you always offer support and encouragement, even if you never read a word.
My library ladies, Monique and Lynne. You make writing days fun—and push me on with your awesome work ethic.
My amazing friends, Karen and Phyllis. Your unwavering backing and oh-so-kind willingness to listen to me whine means so much.
And finally, but far from least, the whole creative, hardworking Entangled crew, including my clever, funny, uplifting editor, Candace Havens. You guys are truly amazing.
Thank you all for everything!
xoxo,
Alison
About the Author
Alison Aimes is the award-winning author of the sexy, sci-fi romance Condemned series, as well as the sizzling, contemporary romance Billionaire’s Revenge series. A romance fanatic with a PhD in modern history, she’s an all-over-the-map kind of woman with a love for dramatic stories and great books, no matter the era. Now she’s creating her own stories full of intrigue and passion, but always with a happy-ever-after ending. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two kids, and dog. When not in front of the computer, she
can be found hanging with family and friends, hiking, trying to turn herself into a pretzel through yoga, or last but not least, sitting on the couch imagining her characters’ next great adventures.
Alison can be found at www.alisonaimes.com.
Visit her website for a bonus wedding scene from Besting the Billionaire!
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