I grinned, wondering myself. No doubt he would demand to come along, and I would have to shut him down in a heartbeat. I hated being separated from him too, but hey, a woman needed some girl time every now and again.
“Take care of him,” Irina said softly. “He’s so happy with you, Emma, and it warms my heart to see him so happy. Artem deserves to be happy.”
“And loved,” I added.
She pulled back, tears in her eyes. “And loved. Thank you, Emma, for seeing past his façade.”
I gave her a smile and she released me, giving Harvey a little wave. “See you, Harvey. Take care of yourself.”
“You too,” Harvey called out as she walked to the door. I gave her a little wave and Irina was gone, off to live her exciting life. We were going to have the best relationship.
“I should be going too,” Harvey said, standing.
“You don’t have to rush off,” I told my brother, fidgeting with my rings. I really enjoyed having him around.
He gave me a sheepish look, thrusting his hands in his pockets. “Nah, it’s time for me to figure out the rest of my life, Em, and to leave you to yours.”
I felt emotion welling in my throat. “I love you, Harvey,” I said in a rush. “And I’m glad you are my brother.”
He grinned. “I love you too, Em, or should I call you something else now? I mean, you are the wife to a powerful Russian boss. Maybe I should bow to you.”
I laughed as he joined me at the door, punching him lightly in the shoulder. “You are such an idiot.”
He pulled me into a hug, and I breathed in his scent, so happy that this had all worked out and I hadn’t lost my brother. “Take care of yourself, Em,” he whispered, hugging me tightly. “And if Artem doesn’t treat you right, we can always go live in Mexico.”
I laughed, attempting to hold back the tears that threatened to overflow. “Mexico does sound nice.”
“For who?”
We both turned to find Artem striding down the hall, looking ridiculously handsome in his long-sleeved blue dress shirt and slacks. My heart did a triple beat as his eyes lazily raked down my body, knowing that in a few hours, he would be kissing where he was looking. Harvey slung an arm over my shoulder, grinning at his brother-in-law. “Me and Em. We used to joke about it as kids.”
Artem crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I do have a house down there, on the beach.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course he did. “We were going to open up our own taco stand and live off tequila and luck.”
Artem’s smile was genuine. “Well, good thing you are filthy rich, Emma. I don’t think that Americans would be the best at making tacos in the place that they originate from.”
I returned his smile. I was filthy rich, or at least I thought I was. I mean, Artem lived in luxury, but we hadn’t exactly talked about just how much he was worth.
“How rich?”
I elbowed my brother in the side. “None of your business, Harvey.”
“Let’s just say it’s a lot more than she could spend in a lifetime,” Artem replied with a wink.
“You don’t know, Em,” Harvey laughed, rewarded with another elbow from me. “Ouch! You hit the same spot that time.”
“Quit being an asshole and I will stop,” I replied, ruffling his hair.
He shot me a look before returning my grin. “All right, I’m gone.”
“Harvey, a moment,” Artem said, joining us near the door. My mouth literally salivated as I breathed in his scent, wanting to rip his clothes off and taste the skin underneath. Would I ever not want him so badly?
I sincerely hoped not.
“If you ever want to join the bratva,” Artem was saying. “I will make it happen. You are family now.”
My heart warmed at what Artem was offering my brother. He didn’t have to, yet he knew that Harvey was the second most important person in my life, and I would want to know that he was safe.
Harvey opened and closed his mouth before clearing his throat. “Thanks, man. I think I will hold off for now, but I appreciate it.”
Artem inclined his head. “The offer will remain open for as long as I am alive.”
Harvey gave him a nod before turning back to me, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Be safe, sister, and don’t drive him too crazy.”
I laughed as the tears coursed down my cheeks, both happy and sad that I was saying goodbye to my brother. It was only temporary of course, but I was going to miss him.
Artem shook his hand and Harvey walked out of the penthouse, shutting the door behind him. “Are you all right?” Artem asked softly as I wiped my cheeks.
I nodded. “I’m fine. I am just going to miss him, that’s all.”
My husband reached for me and I pressed my face into his chest, wetting his shirt with my tears. “He’s welcome back at any time, Emma,” Artem said, rubbing my back lightly. “And he will never want for anything if he runs into trouble. I promise you.”
Oh, Artem. My husband had a heart of gold even though he pretended he didn’t. Pulling back, I met his beautiful eyes. “Are you done with work?”
“For now,” he replied, touching my nose with his. “We are all alone now. I feel like we have just seen the children off to college or something.”
“It did feel like that, didn’t it?” I admitted, holding him around the waist. Anatoly had left earlier in the week to go on some sort of mission for Artem related to the bratva, though we were had plenty of guards. I would have to get used to the fact that where my husband went, the guards were not far behind.
“You know you are filthy rich, Emma,” Artem was saying, placing a kiss on my forehead. “What is mine is yours.”
I shook my head. “I don’t care about the money, Artem. I just want you.”
He chuckled, reaching up to frame my face with his large, scarred hands. “You will care one day, love. I can’t satisfy you forever.”
Arching a brow, I covered his hands with mine. “Is that the case? I thought you would always satisfy me, husband.”
His gaze heated and I felt it all the way to my toes. “Is that a challenge, Mrs. Krylov?”
Oh God. I wanted it to be a challenge. I wanted it to be everything and more. Pulling away from him, I started toward our bedroom. “I don’t know, Mr. Krylov. Can you show me how you satisfy me?”
He growled and I took off, barely making it to the door before his arms were around me and he was carrying me to the massive bed. “I do believe that is a challenge,” he stated, placing me on the silk covers before reaching for his shirt. “And I am about to win.”