Lev (Shot Callers, #1)

by Belle Aurora

“A face like yours makes men stumble over themselves.” He tilted his head to look at me through a new angle. “Faces like yours are carved into statues, immortalized in stone for the world to see over the ages.” He let in a deep breath then exhaled slowly. “You…are art.”

“I’m not ashamed of who you are. And the only time I would look down on you is if I were helping you back up.”

Being alive was easy. Living, on the other hand…well, that was a little harder.

“Love,” he advised gently, “is a doing word. And sometimes the people who least deserve it are the ones who need it most.” He was right, of course. This conversation we were having was easy. Almost too easy. I was coming to recognize that Lev Leokov was an open book. I only needed to discover the language in which his pages were written.

“I don’t know what love is,” I started quietly. “But if I could love anyone…” I pressed a gentle kiss behind her ear, pulling her close. “I would love you. Very much.”

“This is Mina. She was homeless. I found her. I’m keeping her. She loves me. So we’re getting married.”