“Thank you for dinner.”
Then she slips into the car before I say something that would make her stay.
I stand there until the taillights disappear beyond the gates. Only then do I take out my phone and call Luka. He answers on the second ring.
“Boss?”
“Double the rotation around Second Chance Savannah by morning.”
He pauses, then, “Done.”
“And Luka?” I release a deep breath. “If Enzo’s men come near her again, I want bodies before names.”
Silence follows briefly before Luka answers quietly. “Understood.”
I lower the phone and stare at the closed gates. Maggie thinks my house is dangerous for her. She’s wrong. The danger has already followed her back into the world.
10
MAGGIE
The white comforter is tangled around my legs, and gold stripes of morning light spill across the bed. The ceiling fan spins slowly overhead while the city begins to wake up outside my window.
Last night’s memory swirls in my mind, warm and frustrating all at once. I remember standing by the car, the river breeze moving through the trees, and the driveway lights glowing on the front steps. Alexei kissed me so hard my knees went weak, then pulled away, leaving me reeling.
I groan, staring at the ceiling, and pull the comforter over my face. The most irritating part isn’t how he kissed me. It’s that some stubborn, disappointed part of me wished he’d asked me to stay. I wanted him to pull me back inside instead of watching me leave.
Lord above.
That man is gonna be the reason I lose every last ounce of good sense I’ve got.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand, the sound jolting me. I grab it quickly, then instantly hate that my heart jumped at the thought it could be him.
Instead, the screen lights up with:FLASH SALE!! 40% OFF OATMEAL LAVENDER DOG SHAMPOO! Because your pup deserves luxury, too!
I toss the phone onto the mattress and fall back against the pillow, groaning.
“Yep,” I mutter to the ceiling. “That feels a whole lot more on brand for my life.”
Unfortunately, my brain ignores the dog shampoo message entirely and circles right back to Alexei. Which is exactly the problem.
The thought slips into my head fast enough to make my stomach flip. The truly unfair part isn’t that he’s powerful or intimidating or tied to things I probably don’t want to know about. It’s that somewhere between Ivy feeding treats to shelter puppies and Alexei kissing me by the car last night, I stopped wanting to keep my distance from him.
I shake my head while reaching for my toothbrush.
Bossy. Completely unreasonable. Unfortunately, very sexy.
My phone dings again, and another message appears. The screen lights up with his name, and warmth rushes straight into my chest before I can stop it.
Alexei: Eat breakfast today, Maggie.
A low laugh slips out while I stare at the message.
So bossy.
Alexei: And coffee is not breakfast.
I stare at the screen.
