Dangerous Liaisons (Crimson Legion MC #1)

12. CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

D espite wanting to stay in bed the next morning, Isabella forced herself to stick to her daily routine. She rose at five to work out and take a quick dip in the pool. She showered and grabbed a cup of coffee before spending an hour working in her office. Checking the monitor to make sure Mikhail was asleep, she ventured into the kitchen. He was lost in dreams while she cooked breakfast, the rich aroma of bacon and pancakes filling the room.

“It smells great in here.”

She smiled, closing her eyes at Xavier’s hands grabbing her hips to pull her against his tall frame.

“You didn’t wake me.”

“You needed the rest.” She flipped the pancakes on the frying pan. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee ready if you want some.”

“I wouldn’t need the rest if you hadn’t kept me up so late.”

“I did no such thing!”

He grunted, kissing the side of her neck before he ventured over to the coffeepot. “I have the marks to prove it, sweetheart.”

Isabella blushed, moving the pan, and watched him move around the kitchen. It pained her how much it felt as if he belonged there, the sight of him in her home a pleasing one to witness. What once had been a home meant to be filled with memories of her family with Nikolai had long become echoing halls of emptiness.

Leaning against the marble counter, he sipped his coffee. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last night.”

“Xavier-”

“We can’t ignore this forever, Isa. I want you, and that will not change, no matter who knows about it.”

“You’re not looking at this realistically. Half of the year, I’m in Russia. I’m responsible for my family, for the Romanov empire. People answer to me, and when they cannot, I am the one that decides their fate. Can you live with that? Can you live knowing that you’ll never come first? My son means more to me than life itself, but even he must wait in line.”

Putting family first is something I understand. I do it every damn day for the club. I went to the jail for that fucking club, so don’t stand there and act like I don’t understand what I’m asking you to do.”

“And what are you asking? All I can offer you is my body.”

He hadn’t moved, his eyes locked on her. “I don’t believe you. You said you had feelings for me, and I think they’re the same ones I do for you. Explain to me what you meant. Tell me what those feelings are, Isa.”

Her mouth went dry, heart beating in her chest.

“Mamushka?”

She jerked her attention away from Xavier to her pajama-clad son standing in the kitchen doorway with ruffled brown hair, his large brown eyes eyeing Xavier. “Hello, little one. Good morning.”

“Mamochka, on kak viking iz moikh rasskazov.”

She chuckled with a shake of her head. “Net, on moy drug i bayker, moy milyy mal'chik. Come, say hello.”

He walked toward them, and she felt great pride as he extended his hand at Xavier who towered over him like a giant. “Hello,” he spoke in perfect, practiced English. “I am Mikhail. It is nice to meet you.”

Xavier lowered himself onto one knee and took his hand in a gentle hold. “I’m Xavier. It’s nice to meet you too, Mikhail.” He smiled as the boy shyly shook his hand before he glanced between her and the stove.

“Mamushka, I’m hungry.”

“Have a seat, Mishka. I’ll bring you a plate.”

He took off running for the breakfast table.

Xavier rose to his feet. “I think I need to learn Russian. What was he saying?”

“It’s not an easy language. It took me almost five years to master it.” She busied herself with placing bacon and pancakes on two of the plates, hesitating as she held the third plate in her hands. “He said you looked like a Viking from one of his stories,” she chuckled. “I told him you were my friend and you’re a biker. Sladkiy malchik means sweet boy.”

“He’s beautiful, Isa.”

“Thank you. Do you want to join us for breakfast?”

“I’d love that.”

Thankful for the distraction, she loaded up his plate, and they joined Mikhail at the table.

Ava glanced over at the sound of the door opening. Before the door could even shut behind the large man, Hunter was out of his chair and storming toward his best friend.

“You’ve got some fucking explaining to do, Zay.”

With a sigh, she leaned against the bar from her seat on her stool and propped up her chin on her hand. “Hunter...”

“Stay out of this, baby.” He didn’t look away from his VP. “You want to tell me what the fuck you’re thinking?”

Xavier frowned; confusion etched across his features. “What are you—”

“I’m talking about Isabella Romanov! How long have you been fucking her?”

Realization dawned across his face, the pieces clicking into place. “Look—”

“How long?”

Xavier bristled, a defensive edge creeping into his tone. “It’s none of your—”

“It is my business. If you’re involved with her, I need to know.”

“How’d you find out?”

“You haven’t been keeping it a secret, not with the way you’ve been disappearing after meetings every night. It wasn’t hard to find your bike at her place.” Hunter stepped closer, his tone dropping to a serious whisper. “You think this is just a casual thing? Isabella’s tied to some serious connections, Zay. You need to tread carefully. It’s not just your heart on the line here; it’s our club, too.”

Xavier clenched his jaw, grappling with the weight of his words. Concern was etched on his friend’s face, but it only fueled his desire to protect what he had with Isabella. “I know what I’m doing.”

“You think this is just another fling? This is different. She’s different. I don’t want to watch you get hurt, and I don’t want to see you caught in her mess. This could become a serious problem for us, Zay. What happens when shit falls through, or she-”

“I wouldn’t betray this club. I wouldn’t betray you. If it comes down to this club or her, you know what I would do. If you don’t, you’re not the fucking friend I thought you were.”

Hunter let out a heavy sigh, raking his hands through his hair, and his shoulders slumped. “This could blow up in our face, our deal, everything we’ve worked for could fall apart, and we’re so close.”

“I know.”

“You in love with her?”

The biker seemed to deflate as he slid down into the closest chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Yeah, Brother. I think I am.”

Hunter glanced at Ava, who was watching with a mixture of concern and understanding. He nudged his head toward the door, then focused back on Xavier. “Let’s grab a beer and talk.”

Taking that as her signal to leave, she slipped out of her chair, her heart heavy for both of them. As she made her way to the door, she paused for a moment, pressing a hand to Xavier’s shoulder in a comforting gesture before continuing to exit the building.

Hunter settled into the chair across from him. “Listen, I know this thing with her feels good, but you have to understand the risks involved. She has ties that could pull us in a million different directions if things go sideways.”

“I get that, but it feels different with her. I haven’t felt this way about a woman since Cassie died.”

Hunter leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “Caring about her doesn’t change the reality of our situation. You’re putting yourself—and her—at risk by getting involved. We’ll be dragged into something we can’t control.”

“What do you want me to do? Walk away? Pretend none of it happened?”

“I’m not saying that, but we need to tell the others about this at Church. I’ve got no other choice. They’ll want to weigh in on this. I don’t want you blindsided when it happens.”

“I can handle it.”

“And if they’re not on board with your decision? What then, Zay? ”

Xavier sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve more than proven myself to this club time and time again, but I care about Isabella too much to turn my back on her. I trust her, and you should, too.”

“It’s not about trust; it’s about the consequences.”

“What if this was Ava, and you were in my shoes? Are you telling me you’d walk away from a chance to be happy again because of the risk?”

Hunter’s face softened, the hard edge of concern still there but mingled with understanding. “You know I wouldn’t. I’d fight for her, no matter the cost. But you need to be ready for the fallout. I won’t be able to help you if it all goes wrong.”

“Then help me now figure out how to make this work. I can’t do it alone.”

The weight of the moment shifted, and his president seemed to relent, a hint of a smile breaking through. “Alright, but you have to promise me that if it gets too dangerous, you’ll listen to reason.”

“I can do that.”