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“Uh, excuse me?”
I glare up at the waiter, who’s standing awkwardly off to the side. “What?” I snap, glaring daggers at him.
“Mr. Antonov, as you may know, we greatly appreciate your family’s patronage, but…” The waiter clears his throat, shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. “You’re more than welcome to come back another time when you would like to dine with us, but, uh… this isn’t really the place to—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble, standing up quickly and lifting Dani with me. She squeaks, clinging to me in surprise.
“Put me down, Luka.”
My hold around her waist tightens. Like hell. Just because we’re being kicked out doesn’t mean the party is over. “Put it on my brother’s card,” I tell the waiter.
“Which one, sir?”
“Pyotr’s.”
“Are you sure, Mr. Antonov?”
“Trust me. He owes me. They all do.” I kiss Dani again, adoring the way she melts into me. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, hm?”
She licks her swollen lips and nods. “Yes, please.”
Chapter 9
Dani
Iwake up with the hangover of the century.
My head pounds like someone’s taken a jackhammer to my skull. My eyes are so dry and scratchy I can hear myself blink. My skin burns against the bed sheets, and the awful sound of construction and the room’s unfortunately loud air conditioning unit sours my mood further.
“Fuck, how much did I drink?”
I shoot up in bed, clutching the sheets to my body. My heart races as I look around, frantic. This isn’t my room. Oh,God,this isn’t my room!I hastily lift the sheets, breathing the hugest sigh of relief to find I’m still fully clothed.
“Good morning.”
I yelp, nearly jumping out of my skin when I find Luka seated in the opposite corner of the room. His hair is a mess and flat on one side. He’s also wearing the same clothes he was wearing last night, save for the fact he’s stripped out of his sweater to reveal the tight black shirt underneath. The fabric hugs his lean body. He isn’t a mass of muscles, but he’s slender like a swimmer with impressive arms and a wide chest. His arms are covered in a collage of tattoos—a geometric pattern of repeating triangles and parallel lines that mesmerizes me.
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “Did we… We didn’t…”
He shakes his head, picking up my meaning. “No, we didn’t.”
“Are you sure?” I ask skeptically.
Luka frowns, lip curling slightly in disgust. “I’m notthatmuch an asshole. We made out a little bit, and then I put you straight to bed. That’s it.”
I know Luka Antonov has a questionable background and could very well be a criminal, and I honestly have no reason to believe a thing coming out of his mouth, but Idobelieve him when he tells me this.
“Right,” I mumble. I look around, taking in my surroundings. “Is this… a hotel?”
“You were too out of it to tell me your address, so I couldn't take you home.”
Relief floods my veins. I’m grateful Drunk Dani didn’t tell Luka where I live; otherwise, I’d be exposing not only myself, but Tabitha as well.
“Why didn’t you take me back to your place?” I ask, curious. I notice the Advil and glass of water waiting for me on the bedside table. I take them both gratefully. Luka’s thought of everything.
“I figured that would only freak you out more,” Luka says simply. “Besides, this joint was closer.”
It makes sense, but I won’t deny I’m a little disappointed. At least if he’d taken me back to his place, I’d be able to set up a proper surveillance team to watch his comings and goings.
