affirmative

Babysitting The Mafia’s Heir

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Chapter 20: affirmative

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"You really care about him, don't you?"

He takes a breath and concedes to what he's been trying to fight since the first time he stepped into this house. It's too late to turn back now. "I care about all of you."

Jesse can see that his answer takes Ivanov off guard, the surprise there for a half a second before it's masked back into something cool. But Jesse saw it, and he wonders if he's really been that much of an asshole that it wasn't obvious until this point.

He swallows the thick, not unpleasant lump that's appeared in his throat as Ivanov steps forward, Jesse’s eyes falling to his lips for a second before darting back up. His blood is rushing behind his ears, his heartbeat almost deafening. But Ivanov’s voice breaks through it as their chests brush together.

"Even me?" He asks as he reaches up with a gentle hand and skims the pad of his thumb along Jesse’s cheek.

Jesse’s hands have somehow managed to make their own w