Seven

Chapter 85

LILIANNA'S POV

"What the fuck?!" I grab him by the arm of his shirt and pull him into my apartment before any of my neighbours see his bloodied state.

"What happened?" I ask as the door closes behind us.

"Well I got punched in the face a couple times didn't I?" Seven answers with a roll of his eyes and smirk to his lips as if this is funny to him.

"Do you find this funny?" I fold my arms and lean a hip against the dining table, clearly displeased by what I see.

"I find it funny how worried you are. I'm fine." He insists, coming closer to rest a reassuring hand on my hip. I notice the bruising on his knuckles and the small specs of dried blood still around his nostrils.

"Are you going to tell me why you got punched in the face?" I try my best to keep up my dissatisfied facade, though I can feel it melting slightly just from his touch.

"I went to talk to Sergey." Seven steps another half step closer to me. At first the name is misplaced till my mind clicks as to where I've heard the name before. Sergey is the leader of the rival gang, the same man that sat next to me drunk at a bar talking about my mother. The man my mother originally worked for before she met my father and began working for Seven's father Ivan.

"You what?" My anger simmers. I know Seven talking to such a man is completely crazy and very, very dangerous.

"You could have gotten yourself killed!" I shove at his chest in anger and his purpled knuckles lock around my wrists, holding them to his chest.

"But I didn't. I'm fine, Lil. It was just some rookie that hit me, I'm okay." He insists.

"A rookie?" I look between his eyes, confused by the term.

"Yeah. The guy got three punches in and still didn't manage to break my nose. Rookie." He shrugs like it's no big deal, the smugness clear in the way he sets his lips, trying not to smirk.

"Ugh!" I groan and remove my wrist from his grip, annoyed at how nonchalant he's being about this. I hate that he's here with those marks on his face. I don't like it, not one bit. I turn away from him and walk to the couch, running a stressed hand over my hair the same way Seven does.

"Hey, don't walk away from me." Seven requests gently, only needing a long stride to reach for me, bringing me back to face him, our chests almost touching.

"I had to go see him baby. I need his help, I can't take over from Victor without the support and I need Sergey on my side when I take over." Seven's voice is soft and gentle as his large hands press into my lower back, bringing me closer so our hips push against one another. I feel my anger dissolve by the millisecond.

"I don't like seeing you like this." My voice comes out in a pathetic whine over his shoulder as he dips his head.

"I know baby." Seven coos into my neck, his voice husked and my mind clouds at the feeling of his lips brushing gently against my already heating skin.

God he's good.

I blink away the trance he's attempting to put me under and take a step away from him. His closeness is distracting, I need to get my point across.

What was my point again?

"Just... Stop putting yourself in deliberate danger." I utter out. I have no idea if that's what my point was or if I even had one in the first place. He's somehow managed to get me all flustered and forget my train of thought.

"I'm sorry to have worried you. But it needed to be done. I want to make sure I do everything I can to make this plan work. And to make sure you're protected and safe when it happens." His hands brush through the sides of my hair, taking hold of my face to plant a single kiss to my lips when he finishes.