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She pulled me into a tight hug, and I returned it with a fierce squeeze. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” she promised. “We’ve got your back.” She disengaged and joined the others in the limo. After the door closed, they rolled down the window so they could wave at me as they pulled away. I heard the distinctive pop of a champagne cork, and Davis let out a whoop of excitement.
My heart tugged toward them, but my smile stayed in place as I waved after them. Isabel understood. I needed to talk to my dad if I wanted to maintain my freedom.
Even if that freedom did come along with a dark stalker.
The phantom feel of Max’s strong arms closing around me as he pulled me out of the way of the oncoming car drew a shiver to the surface of my skin.
He’s not stalking me anymore, I reminded myself. I hadn’t seen so much as a glimpse of him since he’d walked away from me three days ago, returning to his sister for verbal torment.
My chest squeezed. No matter how unstable he was, Max didn’t deserve her cruelty. Those caustic remarks about his accident probably were a contributing factor to his madness. I still couldn’t understand why he would risk kidnapping me for her sake. He must be very close with his father.
His father, the infamous mobster who’d been sent to prison by my dad.
Sometimes love is hard, but blood is everything. The memory of his tragic declaration made my heart twist. Love shouldn’t be hard.
“Are you cold?” I jolted at the close proximity of the deep, masculine voice. A large, warm hand touched my shoulder, steadying me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I realized I’d hugged my arms close to my aching chest while I’d been thinking about Max and his awful family. And I recognized the heat of that casual touch.
Nikolai Ivanov stood just at the edge of my personal space: a respectful but intimate distance. I had to crane my neck back to meet his eyes. His sheer size and that striking blue gaze stunned me all over again.
“Here,” he offered, unbuttoning his jacket. “If you’re waiting for you dad, there’s no need for you to stand here shivering.” He draped the garment over my shoulders before I could formulate a coherent sentence. It was warm from his body heat, and it smelled like his intoxicating cologne.
“You don’t have to do that, Nikolai,” I protested, even though he was already withdrawing those big, masculine hands, leaving me huddled in his huge jacket.
The midnight breeze was barely chilly on this summer night, and I really hadn’t been cold.
His sensual lips twisted in a cocky smile. “It’s Niko. And I know I didn’t have to. But it gives me an excuse to talk to you. Now, you can’t try to run away again.” He fingered the lapel, just over my collarbone. “Not unless you want to steal my jacket, which would be a shame.”
I gaped at him, my brain scrambled by that smile.
Was this flirting? I didn’t know how to do it. Maybe he was just being nice.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask you out before your friend came and stole you away,” he remarked, trailing long fingers down my arm as he pulled away. The silky glide of his jacket beneath his fingertips teased my skin, and my senses jumped to attention. Something quivered in my belly, and I barely resisted the urge to squirm beneath his intense stare. His pale eyes glittered, and that tilted smile was sharp enough to cut through all my rational thoughts.
Before I could formulate a response, something massive and dark burst from the shadows and collided with Niko.
“Get away from her.” My stomach dropped at the familiar, rough growl.
Max. Oh my god, Max was here. And he’d shoved Niko away from me.
He stood between us, his massive shoulders rippling beneath his tight black shirt. I couldn’t see his face, but the memory of his fearsome, twisted snarl as he’d interrogated me flashed across my mind.
Niko’s handsome face was blank for a moment, his cocky smile knocked away by shock. Then, his brows drew low over those stunning eyes, and his white teeth flashed in a snarl of his own. “Back off if you know what’s good for you.” He took a threatening step toward us, and Max’s body swelled with barely leashed violence.
“Stop!” I gasped, the plea popping out before my mind could fully process what was happening. Instinctively, I knew that two predators were about to rip into each other, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. “Max, stop!”
He stiffened, his entire body seizing up as thought I’d hit him with a bolt of electricity. He didn’t turn to face me, but he didn’t advance on Niko, either.
“Get out of here, Bambi,” he ordered, his voice deep and fierce.
