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“Thank you,” she concedes. “I’ll look into it.”
I relax a little when she eats. It’s in my nature to pamper women, I can’t help it. Even if I’m on a date and it’s just about sex, I still want her to feel as though she’s important.
With Imogen, this has already gone way past sex, but I don’t want to come on too strong.
“So, tell me about this asshole ex-boyfriend of yours.”
She wrinkles her nose. “Really? You want me to talk about my ex?”
“Well, we established what an asshole he is already, so that’s out of the way. I want to know if he’s bothering you?”
She shakes her head. “He’s not bothering me, but he was texting quite a bit a few weeks ago.”
“Why? Can he not take the hint?”
Maybe I need to pay him a visit. I don’t want to scare Imogen, but the other side of my family is the mafia in Boston. Aleksi Petrov is an underworld figure and the Bratva don. We’re not that close, but if I needed his help, he would be there.
Not that I’m suggesting Imogen’s ex needs taking out. Not yet, anyway.
“I guess not. He wanted to sow his wild oats I guess, and when that wasn’t so appealing anymore, he decided he liked the grass over on my side again.” She smiles softly. “I’m the safe bet, always have been. But imagining him with other women, and then coming back to me was too much. I still have my pride, even if my heart was a pile of mush.”
I don’t like the sound of that. Of this asshole hurting her like that and spilling tears over him.
I stare at her, unamused. “There’s nothing wrong with being honest, Imogen. Being a safe bet is great for him, but not so much for you. I can tell you’re a smart woman. Loyal. Probably faultless to a tee, but you have to start putting yourself first. Nobody else. If you put yourself first, ultimately, all the things you want will come to you.”
“You make that sound easy.”
I shrug. “It is. Tell me, have you honestly ever just pleased yourself? Threw caution to the wind and said fuck it? Taking control of your life is liberating.”
Her big blue eyes meet mine and I’m lost in them. “Once. Just recently.”
I can’t help the acceleration of my heart beat. “When?”
She looks down at her plate. “Friday.” Her voice is small.
I like that. I like the idea that I was the one to experience that with her. That I had a hand in breaking her out of her shell, and maybe lower that guard just a little bit.
A warm, smoldering feeling of deep protection comes over me. I thought I was an impasse of sorts, but now I’m not so sure. Now a whole range of possibilities floods through my mind of what we could be.
She looks back up at me, waiting for my reaction, as if she can’t see it already on my face.
I want her.
I know that much.
Maybe right now, that’s all there is to know.
Chapter Thirteen
Imogen
“What happened Friday?” he prods.
I tuck the loose strands behind my ears, even though I feel them burning.
Khristian Petrov makes me nervous. I’ve never felt anything so strong before.
What I thought I had with Nate was just puppy love compared to this.
