by Kat Mizera
“As most of you know, my mom found out she was pregnant after she and my dad weren’t together anymore. She made the decision to keep me without telling him, so he didn’t know I existed until the night before I was born. But he got on a plane and made it in time to be there when I came into the world, and even though he’s always lived far away, he was always there for me. I had a great stepdad, but I also had my real dad. He wasn’t there on the first day of kindergarten, and he wasn’t the one who sat up all night when I had a fever, but he was always just a phone call away, always ready to drop anything if I said I needed him.
“Every summer, either he came to Dallas or he took me somewhere so we could hang out. Every single time he played in Dallas, he would take a day off to spend time with me, even if it got him in trouble with his coaches. He never forgot a birthday or Christmas or when report cards came home. He taught me how to skate and eventually how to play hockey. He taught me how to speak Russian and even though I’m really bad at it—” He paused as everyone laughed. “I can still cuss like a native.” There was more laughter and Anton had to stop for a moment as he smiled at his father. “And then last fall I took a shot to the head that fractured my skull. My dad walked into that hospital room eight hours after he got the call, and there was this hot little blonde next to him.” Another snicker went around the room. “I thought, oh God, Dad’s dating some puck bunny.” He glanced at Tessa. “And I couldn’t have been more wrong.
“I couldn’t talk very well that day, and she stood there acting like I didn’t sound like I had a wad of cotton in my mouth. She was smart, funny, and really nice. For the first time in my life, I saw something I’d never seen before: My dad was in love. And I kind of fell a little bit in love with her too—she never makes me feel like I’m intruding on her time with him. She never gets mad when Dad and I hang out or make a mess in the living room playing Xbox. And she makes my dad so happy. I can see it every time I look at him.
“I can only hope that someday I find a woman who makes me look like he does when he looks at her. Congratulations, Dad, Tessa.” He smiled, lifting his glass. Everyone followed suit except Toli, who crossed the room in three long steps and embraced his son tightly.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too, Dad.”
After that, more friends got up to talk. They made both jokes and somber speeches, causing tears and laughter, especially when Erin spoke. She’d saved innumerable lives the night of the wedding and Toli still shook his head every time he saw her. Then, despite lying in a hospital bed recovering from a gunshot wound, she’d stepped up to help him handle the mess he’d made in Russia. There were very few people who could do what she’d done, and even fewer who knew about it, so Toli believed he owed her his life twice now.
When Tessa saw the cake, she started to cry and even Toli looked a little misty-eyed.
“You guys shouldn’t have,” she whispered to Tiff and Kate.
“This is very special,” Toli added, his arm around Tessa. “We’re grateful to have friends like you.”
“We’re grateful to have friends like you,” Tiff said firmly.
“Okay, enough of this sappy shit,” Zakk said. “It’s time for the groom to get the garter.”
“The garter?” Tessa looked blank.
“The garter.” Tiff pulled it out of her pocket and swung it around her finger.
“Where did you get that?!” Tessa shrieked, laughing.
“Some things are secrets,” Tiff said. “Now put it on and get over there in that chair.” She gave her a little nudge.
“Yeah, Toli may have to use his teeth since his arm isn’t working so well!” Dom called out.
“Toli’s arm is fine,” Toli chuckled. “But I can use my teeth also.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Sitting in the chair, Tessa laughed heartily as Toli pulled the garter off her leg with his teeth, pausing to briefly bury his head under her short skirt and causing the guys to hoot and cheer loudly.
“Since I don’t want my house broken in pieces,” Tiff said, “all the gentlemen need to go out to the yard so Toli can toss the garter!”
The single men gathered on the far side of the pool and Toli made a big production out of getting ready to throw it.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Toli!” Molly yelled at him. “Throw the damn thing!”
“Just keep your pants on!” he groused in a heavily accented voice, making her laugh. “Toli has to prepare!”
He finally tossed it in the air and the guys made a huge show of fighting for it. In the end, it was Vlad who came out on top, a look of shock on his face.
“Who’s the lucky girl?!” Toli demanded, laughing.
“I am single!” Vlad protested, staring at the piece of lace in his hand as if it might bite him.
“Not for long!” Zakk grinned. “These things are magic.”
Vlad stuffed it in his pocket and walked away muttering under his breath.
“Hey, time to cut the cake!” Tiff called out.
It was a memorable evening, filled with music, dancing, good food, good friends and a lot of laughter—almost as much fun as the reception would have been. When Toli and Tessa danced their first dance together, nearly everyone in the room recorded it and put it on the internet. Within 24 hours it had gone viral and people all over the world watched Mr. and Mrs. Anatoli Petrov dance for the first time as husband and wife.
“When we get married,” Tiff whispered to Zakk. “Can we dance to my song?”
“To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees?” he asked. That had become their song over the summer and although he didn’t like oldies much, it had started to grow on him.
She nodded.
“I’ll dance to anything you want,” he whispered. He pressed his lips to hers and thanked God she was his. He was never, ever going to let her go.
“I love you, Zakk Cloutier.”
“I love you, Tiffany Marcus-Cloutier.”
She cocked her head. “You want me to hyphenate?”
“I was thinking we all could.”
“We all could what?”
“Hyphenate.”
“What do you mean?” She was confused.
“We can legally change the boys’ names to Marcus-Cloutier. I would change mine as well. That way, we’d all have the same last name.”
“What about our other children?” she asked, putting her hand on her stomach.
“All of us will be Marcus-Cloutier. That way, Dave stays with his children, but his children also become my children and my children are linked back to him.” His eyes softened as he looked at her. “I think I loved you the second I met you, but I never once wished I could take you from him. Dave was one of my mentors and my friend. Now that he’s gone, I want to carry on his legacy since his biological children are too idiotic to do it.”
She would have laughed if there weren’t tears pooled in her eyes. “You are the greatest human being in the whole world,” she whispered. “Thank you for loving us.”
“Thank you for loving me.”
With their friends in the room and magic in the air, she moved into his arms and they danced alongside Toli and Tessa. Slowly, the others joined them; Dom and Molly, Karl and Kate, Cody and Suze, Brad and Andra, and several others. Drake and Erin watched from the couch, where he held her against him and they swayed to the music from their seats. Being all together was the greatest feeling in the world.
Toli and Tessa had found out that she was going to have a baby boy that was due in May and they were beyond excited. Once the shock had worn off, and they fell back into their routine, it was as magical as it had been when they first got together. Tessa hadn’t been sick again, and the doctor actually thought it had been either food poisoning or stress that had brought on the attacks instead of pregnancy. She felt great now, Toli was making excellent progress in physical therapy and they would be moving into their new house in a few weeks. A lot of things had changed and Tessa was happier than she’d ever been.
Lying in her husband’s arms later that night, she looked up at him lovingly.
“What are you thinking?” he whispered against her cheek.
“That we’ve come so far in such a short time, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Not even Russia?” he asked dryly.
“Not even that,” she smiled. “Although we had a lot going on, I think ultimately it brought us closer.”
“Maybe someday, when the timing is right, we’ll go back as tourists and I’ll show you the things about my country that I love.”
“I’d like that.”
“Are you ready for the rest of our lives?”
“Absolutely.”
“Sergei called while you were getting ready for bed. I think he’s still having a rough time now that he joined training camp.”
“Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“Only time can heal those types of wounds.”
“How is he going to take care of Nikolai and play hockey? Did he find a nanny?”
“My mother is coming to stay with him for a couple of months, until he can find one he likes and trusts. She arrives Saturday.”
“Your mom is coming to the U.S.?” Her eyes rounded with surprise.
He smiled. “Amazing, isn’t it? And then she and my father will both come back when our baby is born.”
“Really?!”
He nodded. “I’m not sure what went on, but my father raised holy hell about Grisha being a back-stabbing bastard and if they wanted him to remain active, he needed people he could trust and some nonsense about how if his son asks for protection he’d better get it…and that it was embarrassing that the son of a lifetime government operative was shot at his own wedding!” He chuckled. “Leave it to my father to make this all about him! Somehow, he made a big enough stink about Anton’s kidnapping and Tatiana’s being murdered by her father that they backed off completely. From what Sergei says, Papa had something up his sleeve and used it to make all of this go away.”
“It still feels like a bad movie sometimes,” she shuddered, moving closer to him. “And I never know what’s going to happen next.”
“But there’s a happy ending,” he said. “I promise. We’re going to get past this.” He put one of his big hands on her still flat stomach and whispered in her ear, “I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this adventure of ours, yes?”
She covered his hand with hers. “Oh, yes.”
******THE END******
I hope you enjoyed the continuation of Toli & Tessa’s story. The next book in the Sidewinders series will be Vladimir, but does not yet have a release date. However, you can read the complete prequel to my new series, Inferno, on the next page. Get ready to dive into something hotter, darker and less conventional…
Author’s Note: This Inferno series is darker and more erotic than my other books. Although they are all romance stories with HEA’s, there are elements of BDSM, ménage, hate crimes, vigilante justice, violence and LGBTQ relationships throughout the series. No cheating, incest or underage sex but if you worry about trigger warnings, this may not be the series for you.
INFERNO
By Kat Mizera
Dante
Dante Lamonte was the kind of man who was rarely alone. Whether he was on the baseball field, in a night club or hanging out with friends, he was always surrounded by people and they always wanted something. Tonight, however, he was actually by himself. Sitting at the bar in one of the most exclusive sex clubs in the world, he wasn’t even thinking about sex. He just wanted to get away from a life where being a professional baseball player seemed to dwarf everything. He didn’t have a lot of friends and kept it that way on purpose. Usually, that’s exactly what he wanted. But not tonight.
Tonight he was fucking lonely, and he wasn’t the kind of guy who got lonely. He’d created a persona that portrayed him as an asshole specifically to keep people away. He did this to protect himself from people who wanted something from him, so he had no business wanting to change anything or feeling sorry for himself. He probably just needed to get laid, but although he was at a sex club, he wasn’t interested in this lifestyle. A man with a dominant personality already, he didn’t feel the need to bend some poor woman over a table, strap down her hands and legs and fuck her until she succumbed to his will. Women did that for him anyway.
The bartender put another drink in front of him and Dante nodded.
“Lady over there looks as miserable as you do,” the bartender said in a conversational tone. He held up his hand when Dante started to protest. “I’m not trying to find you a sub—she’s a first-timer. Heard she works for some pro sports team and got herself on the guest list but I don’t think this is her scene. She looks overwhelmed and you look like you need to talk. Maybe you two would enjoy each other’s company.” Without another word, he ambled off and Dante couldn’t resist turning to look at the woman in question.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure who the bartender was talking about. Then he saw her; a curvy brunette in a short, sleeveless dress and high black pumps. Her dark hair was long and thick, falling down her back in soft waves. Her thighs were a little rounder than he normally liked, but her calves were toned and sexy beneath them. When she turned, he was drawn to her mouth; full and round and covered in red lipstick. He immediately pictured it wrapped around his cock and felt himself start to stiffen.
Turning away, he took a long drink and tried to keep himself from looking at her; he came here specifically to get away from clingy women. When she got up and moved towards the restrooms, he followed the sway of her round little ass until it disappeared behind closed doors.
“I’m telling you,” the bartender appeared out of nowhere. “She’s ripe for the taking.”
“I don’t need to take anyone,” Dante murmured.
“Ah, but I think you do, my friend.” He continued down the bar.
When she came out she was making her way back to her seat at the bar when her eyes locked with Dante’s. She blinked and seemed to just take him in. Dante was a little mesmerized too, staring into big, long-lashed eyes that he couldn’t discern the color of at this distance. He gave her a little nod and she quickly looked away, hurrying back to her seat and lifting her drink. He chuckled to himself, realizing they were both somewhat nervous. Maybe she was the kind of girl he could spend a few hours with tonight. Maybe the damn bartender was right?
Before he changed his mind, he picked up his drink and made his way down to her, sinking into the empty bar stool next to her.
“Hi.” He met her curious gaze with a casual smile.
“Hi.” Her fingers closed around her drink in a death grip.
“I’m guessing by the look in your eyes you don’t come here often?”
She shook her head. “Never. I’m in town on business and I got a guest pass through a friend. It’s…” She hesitated.
“Overwhelming?”
She nodded. “I don’t think this is my thing.”
“It’s not my cup of tea either, but the only time people leave me alone is when I’m in a place like this.”
“I thought that was you.” Her eyes met his and he realized they were green or blue or some other exotic color that didn’t match her dark hair and olive skin.
“Then you know my name. What’s yours?”
“Becca. Rebecca Hernandez.”
“Very nice to meet you, Becca.” He extended his hand and smiled as she shook it.
“So if you’re only here to hide, what’s the lure?”
“I’m out, having a drink, lots of beautiful women to look at…” He shrugged. “Not everything is about sex.”
She smiled for the first time and he thought she was beautiful. “Personally, I don’t have time for sex.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That’s a damn shame, Becca. A body like yours is made for sex.”
She flushed, her cheeks turning pink. “I’m a chubby Latino girl with fat thighs and a big butt. In my circles, I’
m invisible.”
“Then you’re running in the wrong circles, querida.” The Spanish word for “sweetheart” made her flush again.
“You’re Cuban, right?” She tilted her head.
“Half; my father was French. Why?”
“You’re Hispanic—you probably understand women with big asses but I’m sure the women you sleep with don’t look like me.”
“No.” He shook his head. “But they should.”
Her lips parted slightly, and once again he had a vision of that mouth on his body; anywhere on his body.
“You’re beautiful, Becca.” He reached out and touched her cheek.
“But you don’t want to sleep with me.” The look on her face was so defiant he couldn’t help but smile.
“I didn’t come here to get laid,” was all he said.
“Point taken.” She started to turn away but he caught her chin with his fingers, forcing her to look back.
“I would reconsider for you.”
Becca
Becca wasn’t the kind of girl who came to places like this. She’d only had a handful of sexual partners and those experiences had been extremely forgettable. She didn’t have a boyfriend and rarely dated. Her focus had always been on school and later her career. She was 28 years old and didn’t have a clue how to talk to, much less flirt with, a man like Dante Lamonte.
She knew who he was, of course; everyone did. Known for his antics both on and off the baseball field, he was notorious for womanizing, partying and making a nuisance of himself. He was also the sexiest guy she’d ever been this close to. Sitting beside him, she was close enough to look into his eyes, and they were mesmerizing. They were the color of melted caramel and she’d never seen lashes on a man that curled the way his did. His lips were full and perfectly shaped, set above a square jaw that oozed masculinity. His nose was long and straight—no doubt from the French side of the family—and his thick dark hair was cropped close to his head.
