Epilogue - Parker

A year later…

"Well, you've done it, little one. You're officially off to begin a residency in emergency medicine."

Lev's smile was perfection as we walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind us. It had been raining, and I shook my jacket gently, scattering raindrops before I walked to the bathroom and hung it up over the shower door.

Doing the same with his suit coat, Lev dropped his shoes off in the closet as he unbuttoned his shirt enough to pull the tie free and rolled up his sleeves. When he padded over to the bed and sat down, I laughed lightly.

I chucked the heels I'd been wearing to the side, so very glad that we were back home in the privacy of our bedroom where I could rest my feet after the long day. Unclipping my hair and shaking it loose, I kneeled on the edge of the mattress right in front of him.

"Thank you, Lev." I smiled, smoothing my fingers through the beard at his cheek. "It's been a hell of a year, and I'll admit I didn't think I'd get here some days."

Lev scoffed, rolling his eyes at me as he pulled me down onto the bed next to him. As he scooped me under his arm, he looked over at me from his seat against the headboard.

"Of course you would. What kind of talk is that?"

Laughing, I narrowed my stare at him. "Oh, yeah, because it was so easy working toward my career while helping you all not die on a regular basis. Not to mention the numerous times I had to go into the hospital on zero sleep because someone kept me up."

He just chuckled back at me. It was obvious that I wasn't truly upset, and I leaned in to kiss him as the ache in my feet slowly melted away.

"You were the one who wanted to help the men," Lev smirked.

With a playful scoff, I shoved his chest gently. "Me? You practically demanded that I ‘put those skills to good use,' But of course I wanted to help the guys who'd helped rescue me from my father."

Lev just eyed me, charming and infuriating.

"So, you're choosing a hospital to be attending while you complete your residency, correct?" Lev raised his brows like he didn't already know the answer to this question and hadn't been asking me the same thing for weeks.

"Yes, dearest. And I'll be staying right at the same hospital. They've agreed to take me on for my residency as an ER physician."

"Good, good. Just confirming. I'd hate to have the Vadim family doctor pulled away from her duties."

I rolled my eyes, smirking. "Oh, no. Can't have that. You're just lucky the guys don't need me too often. I have hours I have to put in at the hospital."

He nodded, the corners of Lev's mouth turning down, and then he raised his brows at me.

"So, you're officially Dr. Vadim now."

His smirk was all devilish charm and innuendo.

"Yes, I guess I am." I shrugged with a smile.

It was still odd to be called by a different last name. Even though I definitely didn't want anything to do with my old one. Kozlovsky was dead to me now, literally and figuratively, and putting distance between myself and that piece of shit that did nothing to help raise me was a top priority.

Still, explaining the gunshot wedding had been tricky, to say the least.

I'd eventually told the attendings and staff that I'd gotten married. Of course, they were shocked, but over time, it faded enough to be as normal as everything else was now.

Over the past few months, I'd become very acquainted with life in the mafia and had the pleasure of meeting many more members of Lev's family. Hell, I was taking dinners on the regular with Sergey, the head of the Vadim bratva mafia in all of Chicago.

Strange times indeed.

Best of all, Lev didn't shy away from any of the details of his work. While I was still trying to learn the intricacies of family rivals, I was nothing, if not a quick study, which was damn good considering just how many enemies my dear husband and his family had.

The Irish family was still under heavy scrutiny by the Vadims, thanks to their buying in with my father, and it looked like they were far from done scheming in the background. Lev had sent the Unholy Trinity to keep an eye on them, and they often reported back that the "paranoid fuckers were taking secret meetings to a new level."

The trio was still scary as fuck, but speaking to them often helped to ease some of the tension in the room whenever we had to meet with them at that restaurant.

"So," Lev's voice pulled me out of my tired, swirling thoughts, and I refocused on his face, still loving the way his eyes devoured me even months after our first meeting, "what does the future hold for you now, Dr. Parker Vadim?"

I rolled my eyes, shoving against Lev's firm chest. My fingers laced beneath the open fold of his shirt, and I traced over the thick scar on his neck from the stab wound. It had healed well, but there was little to be done for the scarring. It wasn't pretty by any stretch of the word, but I loved it all the same.

Visceral proof of what Lev had done and was still doing for me.

"More of the same, Mr. Vadim. I'll be working at the hospital, just as a resident now, and I'll be living here. With you."

Lev lowered his forehead to mine, his voice much more serious this time. "Yeah? And is there anything more you want? Anything I can give you? Kids, pets, a new wardrobe?"

"Ha!" A tickled giggle spilled from my lips. "Considering what I know about you and clothes, no the wardrobe is fine. As for pets or kids, that's a big no-thank-you. We have way too much stuff going on in our lives to be dealing with all that."

Humming thoughtfully, Lev stroked down my cheek with his thumb. "No children ever?"

I shrugged, shaking my head gently. "I don't know. That's a lot of responsibility, and I'm so focused on the hospital right now. Why? Do you really want them so much?"

"No," he answered easily, "I get all that. And my father was a piece of shit, so…I'm not sure how I would fare in that direction. it's just the idea of seeing you carrying my child, round and full. It does something to me."

"Oh, I see." I nodded, smirking at him. "Well, it's not a never but not yet. I've still got time, remember. And you have a very vivid imagination, so…just fantasize a bit."

Lev chuckled darkly, his hand sliding from my cheek to my throat as the other went for my breast.

"Hmm, I think I can do that." He squeezed hard, and I gave a small yelp. "How can we celebrate this milestone of yours?"

My eyes flickered closed as he found my nipple through my shirt, and I moaned low.

"Actually…"

Pinching, Lev nuzzled into my neck, his thumb pressing down on my trachea. "Hmm? What, sweetness?"

"I've been thinking about getting a tattoo." I struggled to open my eyes against the building pleasure. "I want something that reminds me of what we've been through. What we've survived."

Lev pulled back, his eyes alive with lust and intrigue. "Oh, I would love to be there for that."

Smiling down at him, I sucked a breath in through my nose as he dragged his hand down from my nipple to between my legs.

"Oh, would you now?"

"I know exactly how this," he cupped me over my pants, "tight, little pussy gets when you're in pain."

I was flooded with warmth and wetness. God, he was right, and the idea of him playing with me while I was getting tattooed made the arousal pool even more.

"I think I know just the person to help us out." Lev's tone was far too teasing, and I knew when it finally did happen, I'd be in for something unique. "And I think you need something that's just pretty, just for me, right here."

Lev smoothed his finger over the crook of my hip, tickling me. I laughed, but soon, the sound was eaten up as Lev crashed his lips against me, his hands working furiously to get my clothes off. I started to return the favor, unbuttoning his shirt and working on his belt.

"Hmm, two tattoos already planned out," I whispered against his lips, "I think I'm going to end up as inked as you."

Kneeling above me, our clothes now mostly gone, Lev raked his stare over my skin, eating me up hungrily.

"I'm very okay with that, little one." He slipped his hand down my stomach, stroking gently at my aroused slit. "I will always want every bit of this tasty, little body."

I moaned, my legs falling open as he teased me, his fingers never quite slipping inside. Arching up against his hand, I greedily sought contact, already so desperate for Lev to fuck me.

"Lev, please."

He laughed—deep and low—and when I looked up at him, he was smirking with downright evil glee.

"Now, now, little one." He dipped just the tip of his pointed finger between my lips before pulling it back and sucking the digit clean. "You're going to do exactly as Daddy says."

My entire being thrummed with need, heating me like a damn inferno.

"Lay back, baby," Lev slid his belt free, folding it between his hands, "and scream for me."

*****

THE END