what my dad is doing now. Not the dishes, that’s for damn sure. I shudder to think of the dirty plates piling up in his sink. It’s such a wholesome, laughable, innocent thought that I’m surprised when I feel a sudden sob break loose in my chest.
I just barely manage to suppress it. I glance over my shoulder to make sure Niko, who is showing Matvei how to do a puzzle on the carpet, didn’t hear. Neither of them have looked up, thank God.
But as I’m distracted, a bit of water manages to slip beneath the wrapping around my burn, stinging like a wasp got me.
“Shit!” I whisper, jerking my hand back and tearing the glove free.
I’m fumbling around in pain while I hunt for paper towels to dab away the water, tears studding my eyes still from thoughts of my dad and how much I miss him, when suddenly, Matvei fills my vision.
He’s on me so fast it’s like he knew this was going to happen. His scent is in my nose, his hands taking my wrist gently in his grasp. So soft, so tender. I’m too frazzled to do anything but watch silently as he frees the old wrapping and carefully adds a bit of soothing cream to the burn.
I almost expect him to be rough with me by default. But he’s not—the exact opposite in fact. His fingers move carefully, spreading the cream over the burn. It provides instant relief.
My breathing slows down and I regain control of myself. When I’m not panicking anymore, he wraps gauze around it.
“Thank you,” I say, looking up to meet his eyes. He stares back with an unreadable expression. It could be annoyance just as easily as it could be compassion. I can’t quite place it, but it doesn’t strike me as immediately threatening, either.
“Nikolas got his bandage wet last night during his bath. I know what to do.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. He then heads back over to Nikolas so they can continue their contest. I’m left standing by the sink, fighting back a whole mix of emotions. It doesn’t make sense how someone as intimidating as him can be caring at the same time. Matvei Morozov is an enigma.
And it’s starting to get to me.
All day long, as I go about my tasks around the house—picking up Niko’s room, organizing things, whatever else I can find to keep myself busy—I think back to the kitchen and how Matvei cared for me. Rather than scoffing and telling me to clean myself up like he might at any other point in my employment under him, he hurried over to fix me up. It’s not something I take lightly.
Not from a mob boss, at least.
When Andrew, Matvei’s gardener, ducks inside for a cold drink later that afternoon, I decide to ask him about what Matvei is really like.
He thinks for a moment before he says, “The guy can be an asshole, but that’s because he probably deals with idiots all the time. Doesn’t have patience.”
“I get that,” I say, pouring a glass of lemonade for Andrew. “But I mean, how does he treat you and the rest of the staff? Is he oddly kind every now and then?”
“He has his moods,” Andrew shrugs. “But for the most part, if you’re loyal to him, he’s a good guy. Temper tantrums if you fuck up his roses or something, but as long as you’re decent and you keep him happy, he’s a damn good boss.”
That’s comforting to hear. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one that knows how upset Matvei can get, and it’s reassuring knowing that Andrew and the other staff have seen his blowups. “What happens when you aren’t loyal?”
Andrew whistles and lets out a nervous laugh. “Let’s just say, he’s not very nice to those that betray him. I’ve seen him have one of the gardeners beaten for going through his bedroom and taking one of his watches. Rookie mistake to think he wouldn’t notice something like that missing.”
“Oh,” I murmur, sipping from my glass of water.
“Just don’t get caught stealing or scheming behind his back and you should be alright,” Andrew grins. “Anyways, I should finish with the weeds. Thanks for the drink.”
“No problem,” I say absently. I watch Andrew leave, my thoughts running right back to Matvei. Andrew basically confirmed what I already knew: Don’t fuck with Matvei Morozov and there won’t be any problems.