“I do.”
“Can you take me?—”
“Yes,” he said, cutting me off. “I take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Thank you.” I bowed my head. “We can talk about it once I can get the fuck away from him, okay? I—god. I can’t take this anymore.”
Vanya’s hand moved into my hair, gripping it tightly. It stung, but it was also grounding, and I let out a soft moan. How did any kind of pain create such pleasure? I didn’t know what to do with myself.
Or with him.
But we couldn’t do this here, as much as I didwant Vanya to stake his claim on me right in front of Hunter. It wasn’t going to stop him. Vanya was right. I couldn’t keep going like this.
Something had to be done.
I pulled away slightly, until his hand fell away. “I feel like I’m gonna fall on my face. Can you guide me?”
“Anything you need,” he said, like it was the most solemn vow he’d ever taken. His muscles were tense under my grasp, and I could feel him roll his shoulders back like he was puffing his chest out. I fought the urge to touch him and see for myself. “I’m not far. Come. I—oh.”
I stiffened as he took an aborted step toward the curb. “What?”
“He turn the headlights on. I—” His words were cut off when the SUV’s engine started. I didn’t want to believe Hunter would be foolish enough to try anything like running us over, but I also didn’t trust that he wouldn’t.
His behavior was escalating.
“He’s angry.”
I swallowed thickly. “Can you see him?”
“Yes,” Vanya said darkly. “He’s watching. His face look very blank. I know guys like that. Dangerous guys.”
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“It’s okay. Hang on. I will try something.” He detached himself from my grasp, but before I could panic, I felt him turn, and then his hands were on my shoulders, moving to cup around the sides of myneck. My fingernails dug into the rubber of my cane handle. “Okay?” he asked softly.
“What are you doing?”
“Blocking view. He can’t see your face now. He will think your big Russian boyfriend will punch him in the face until he looks like bowl of dal tadka if he tries anything.”
I burst into laughter. I couldn’t help it. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Mm, but it helps, yes? He cannot see you? Now he can think you’re kissing me.” I felt him lean in, felt his breath on my cheeks. He smelled minty—the harsh kind of mints, like Altoids.
It was oddly calming.
“Vanya,” I whispered. “You know this is a bad idea.”
“Yes, but is also very good idea,” Vanya murmured. “But do not worry. We won’t kiss. Just let him think so.”
I didn’t want that. I wanted the real fucking thing, but before I could tell him that, I heard tires on the pavement. They were moving slowly.
Very, very slowly.
Vanya leaned in until our foreheads were touching, and he was shifting us in a slow half circle. I realized he was still trying to hide our faces. One of his hands moved into my hair, and I groaned softly, my arms going firmly around him.
Fuck, I loved that he was so big. So…thick, like a wall of muscle, but soft in the most unexpected places. He was fleshy over his ribs, and he was also not wearing anything except a thin long-sleeve Henley. My fingers played over the little waffled texture.
“What color is your shirt?”
