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70: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Maksim wanted to go home to his wife. An assignment had never annoyed him as much as this one. Even processing the information he had received so far was slow. What he needed were the pictures, and he would be on the jet back home.
He glared at the novel in his hand, annoyed at himself for stooping this low. Pleasing his wife meant trying to share some of her interests, but he didn’t expect to be pages deep into a story about some Afghans and their wars.
This was not a romance story.
He shut the copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns. He only enjoyed her mafia romance novels when he was reading them to her, or he would have started with those. They contained lots of misinformation about the mafia, but Camilla cared more for the main leads happy ever afters so he kept shut. Maybe that was why she liked the books. They were a respite from her mafia reality.
The long-awaited call came in. His phone buzzed on the hotel bed, and he tossed the
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The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 71: Home
Maksim hid his disappointment a tad too late. Camilla had already seen it. Her face fell, and she smiled sadly. “It’s not good.”“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s fine.”“Don’t lie. Your face says it all.” He took another spoonful to show her he was fine, but that only helped him identify the issue. Salt. The problem was with the salt. “You really don’t have to pretend, Alek.”“Cam, I mean it. It’s good…”“But?”“It’s a bit salty,” he admitted.“Salty?” Camilla asked. He nodded. She scooped some from his plate, and her face wrinkled as she forced it down her throat. “Oh God. This isn’t a little salty. It’s a lot salty. Fuck. I forgot I added salt the first time.” Rising, she tried to pack his plate, but he stopped her. “You don&r
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 72: He liked her
Camilla didn’t tell Alek the exact details of the conversation with Papa because she hadn’t decided what to do. Leaving Alek should make her happy. It was her end goal. Her attempts at pregnancy was in line with it. Papa had given her a better option, a glorious alternative. Yet she didn’t want to take it.What if she told Alek about Papa’s proposal, and he asked her to leave? No, he wouldn’t. The man liked her. That much was true. But she wasn’t sure he liked her enough to want her to stay here with him. What about her? What did she feel?Her fingers wove through his hair. Very rarely did she wake up before him, but today was an exception. He was a quiet sleeper, a quiet man, who seemed to grow talkative around her. She liked it, but she wanted more from him. His secrets. His fears. Many, many things about him.Alek moaned, and her nipples roused. She was naked from yesterday’s attempted sex. When she felt h
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 73: Bible, Cam (I)
Maksim spied the time. Today was going too slow. He had a date with Camilla. A sadistic chuckle almost escaped him. Fine, he called it a date. So what? She was his wife, not a random girl he was fucking.The knob jiggled, and his office door opened. Vanya entered. Their relationship had moved from I want to murder you, Vanya, to, what the fuck do you want, since Camilla’s arrival. He had only been nice to his half-brother for Camilla’s sake, but that had become easier to do in the last days. Not enough to want Vanya around him but enough to tolerate and not kick him out of his office for not knocking first.“What’s up?”Vanya offered him a smile that lacked its usual exuberance. Another patient of his had better not died because Maksim still was unable to offer any sympathies.“I’m leaving. I have to return to work.”Maksim leaned back in his chair, his fingertips touching. He
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 74: Bible, Cam (II)
“Uh-oh,” came from the other end of the phone.“Yeah. Because Cam lost the baby,” Maksim said. Christian muttered apologies he ignored as soon as they came. He should have trusted his friend enough to tell him there was no child, but it had already happened. No use bringing it up now. “If I tell her, she might want to leave. She likes me, but does she like me enough to stay?”“Then get her pregnant. You’re the man.”Maksim groaned. “Look, that wasn’t why I called you. I’m going to do something silly very soon. When that happens, you might need to watch her for me. I trust only you.”Christian whistled. “I’m up for it, bro.”“Thanks. I’ll let you know when I have more info.” Closing his eyes, Maksim said, “Hopefully it never gets to that point.”His friend re-echoed his sentiments, and the call ended. He hadn’t d
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 75: Bright, hopeful eyes
Days had passed since the river date. They hadn’t had any new ones, and Maksim was afraid to ask his wife to another. He loved to think their relationship hadn’t changed much after it. Camilla was still treating him as good as she always did. Her patience with him was frightening. On some days, like today, he wondered if it was patience or something more. Something sinister.As he fixed his tie before leaving for a meeting at the club, he pored through their older conversations in his mind. Even in his imagination, Camilla was still an angel. An angry angel, but still one. Something dropped on his lap. Her scent announced her presence first before he looked up.“What’s on your mind?” Camilla asked. He caught his worried reflection in the mirror before she blocked the view. Standing between his legs, she nudged his hand from the tie and knotted it. “Talk to me, Alek.”“Our last date,” he replied.&n
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 1: Run
Deep breaths. Inhale and exhale.Camilla May McKenna could do it.She could handle the simple task of taking pictures of a cheating lover and prove to her best friend that Vanya, her boyfriend, was a scum. KJ, her youngest brother, always told her evidence was key. He was the same one who told her men hated shopping and never went on that adventure without a woman unless sex was involved. So, the second Vanya walked into the boutique, she had rushed to the bathroom to call her best friend Faye. If Vanya was at the boutique, then he was with someone else. Faye was in class. All she had to do was get evidence, so Faye would leave the cheat.Retrieving a tube of pink lipstick from her purse, she reapplied it and fluffed her hair. From the mirror, her hair was flat on the sides from her consistent touching. Wasting no more time in the bathroom, she smacked her lips and walked out. Vanya hadn’t met her. He wouldn’t recognise her, so there was no need for her to use a disguise. Cold air r
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Footsteps pounded behind Camilla. How the heck was he so fast? He sounded close, but she didn’t look back to confirm her suspicions. A sudden pressure on her hair made her screech to a stop. Pain spread through her scalp, and she bit into her lip to stop herself from screaming. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth. She placed both hands on her head to ease the pain.The pressure finally reduced, but the pain lingered. Vanya stopped in front of her, the ends of her long ponytail wrapped around his fist. Her breath rushed out in ragged pants. Tears pricked the back of her eyes.Camilla took one step back, but the tug on her hair reminded her she wouldn’t get far. She had always prided herself on her long hair, but now she wished it wasn’t lengthy.“Let. Go,” she whispered, her voice shaky.“The phone.”“No.”Vanya reached for her handbag, his hand tight around the strap. She tried to yank it from his grip, but it was nearly impossible. His grip was steel. They struggled, mostly he
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 3: Manwhore
Faye was already at the venue they agreed to meet when Camilla arrived in her new flat sandals. Alvin was waiting in the car for her to show up. This meeting wouldn’t last long if she had her way. It was early in the evening, and the ceiling was lighted by green and blue lanterns. Her feet ached, but not as much as it did earlier. Murmurs from the other diners in the closed garden had her rethinking her manner of approach.Her best friend wasn’t alone. Faye was at a round table of three, but one seat was empty. The other person was backing Camilla. She could bet it was Vanya. The idiot didn’t bother changing his black suit. She stormed to them, ignoring waiters and other people as she approached the table.Faye smiled as she stopped. “Hey—”Camilla interrupted by dropping her bag on the table. Vanya frowned. He was going to pretend he didn’t ransack this same bag hours ago? Alright then. She unclipped her earrings, almost stabbing him in the eyes with them.“Cam,” Faye began, but Cami
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