“I reasoned as much when you shared his name with me.”
Bowing my head, I consider those moments when my mind spaced out, when it seemed as if I were floating on another level, watching the world from high above.
When Maxim seats himself beside me, I falter. “I smell. I’m gross. I don’t know how I didn’t…”
I can’t admit that I almost peed myself out loud.
He grunts and before I know it, I’m sitting on his lap again.
A hand settles in between my shoulder blades and he tucks me into him.
Tension runs up and down my spine like a livewire, but he doesn’t argue with me or chide me or soothe me. He just holds me there.And it’s exactly what I needed without having to utter a word.
“I’m furious.”
Clucking his tongue, he continues stroking me, passing me the ladybug hair pin when he nears it and untangles it from the hive my updo evolved into.
“I’m not a dog.”
He ignores me.
“I want to kill him.”
“You will have his head, his hands, and his dick,pchelka.”
For the first time, I sag. I hide my face in his throat, gladder still when he draws me closer, holds me tighter.
“He will only know pain because of his dealings with you.”
That he switches to Russian has me relaxing further, but his statement of intent provides the ultimate comfort.
“Don’t kill him. Let his life be filled with suffering.”
When he kisses my temple, I grimace—vanity rearing its ugly head. But he doesn’t seem to care.
He just embraces me as I practically vibrate in his arms.
“I want to watch.”
He clucks his tongue.
“I do!”
“You might be in class.”
“Then I’ll give you my schedule and you can book his torture around it!”
His lips quirk against my skin. “You are mine.”
“I know. It’s time the rest of the world did too.”
“Kotik, you cannot say such things and not expect a reaction. I’m just warning you because?—”
“I’m not a frightened little girl, Maxim. I’m a grown-assed woman and I wantmy man.I’m not scared. I’m livid. I told Bordeau that my husband would make him regret touching me and you will. But he didn’t know who my husband was. Why would he?”
“When you came to me with this madcap scheme, I should have insisted we marry then and there.” He ruminates, “My mistake. I forgot about how you attract danger when you don’t willingly invite it into your life.”
“They set me up to fail.”
