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His lips crashed into mine. He reached over and stopped the elevator, pulling me tightly against him. His kiss was unrelenting, like he was desperate for me. Just when I thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, he stopped with his lips still close to mine, his breath coming heavy. His eyes were closed, like he was trying to gain control of himself. I placed my hands on either side of his face, kissing him gently once more.
Without a word, he reached over and started the elevator again. He pulled me back to him, his thumbs tracing circles on my back as he held me close. I rested my head against his chest. We rode the rest of the way to his penthouse in silence, him holding me close.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sephie
The next day went by fast as I had more to do during the day to keep myself busy. I spent time with Ms. Jackson, along with Andrei, much to her amusement. I also got to spend time with Adrik in the middle of the day when he had a break in his schedule. I could get used to this kind of day.
When he was done for the day, he asked, “Would you like to go see your friend Max tonight? Is he working? We can go to the restaurant.”
“Really? You would go there with me?”
“Of course. You haven’t seen him in a week. You should go to see him.”
“Oh, thank you! He’s going to be so surprised!” I said, hugging his neck.
We walked into the restaurant, with Viktor and Andrei in front, Adrik and I in the middle, and Ivan, Misha, and Stephen bringing up the rear. Max looked up from the bar when Viktor and Andrei stepped inside the door, vaguely recognizing them but not seeing me behind them yet. When Adrik and I stepped forward, Max saw me and literally jumped over the bar to run to me.
Out of habit, all five bodyguards stepped closer, essentially boxing us in, using their bodies as shields. I laughed and tapped Viktor on the shoulder. “It’s Max. He won’t hurt me.”
“Sorry, sestrichka. Habit,” he said, stepping aside.
I stretched up and kissed his cheek. “No need to be sorry. Thank you for being so damn good at your job,” I said as I stepped around him to get to Max. He hugged me tight, exclaiming, “I missed you SO much!”
Once he released me, Adrik caught my arm, whispering in my ear. “We’ll be right over here. Go, catch up.” They all turned to sit at a table close to the door, where they could clearly see the bar and the front door.
I walked with Max back to the bar, so he could get back to work. I got plenty of looks from his fan club as we came back. They had all witnessed Max jumping over the bar to get to me. He pulled me behind the bar, so he could talk to me as he kept working.
“Where have you been, gingersnap?”
“Um, somewhere safe. I’m not far from here now, though, so we can hang out again.”
He turned his back to the customers at the bar, so they wouldn’t hear him. “Are you okay? Like for real? They didn’t kidnap you or anything?”
I laughed. “I mean, it depends on your definition of kidnap, I guess. I’m fine, Maximus. More than fine. I’m great.”
He looked at me, skeptically at first, but he could see the happiness on my face, so he relaxed. “Okay, well, give me the safe word at any point if you need to.”
“Max, I don’t think I’ll be saying ‘Saskatchewan’ anytime soon.”
“You just said it! You’re in trouble, I knew it!”
I laughed, pushing him away from me. As he went back to making drinks, I stepped beside him, leaning into his shoulder. “I missed you, Max.”
“It’s because of my face, isn’t it?” He slammed an ice cube into a glass. “Dammit, these devastatingly good looks are a curse!”
My cheeks were beginning to hurt from laughing so much after just a short time with Max. I would periodically glance to Adrik. He was always watching me with his sexy smirk on his face. I watched one of the waitresses try desperately to get his attention a few times. She would lean over the table, giving him a full view down her shirt. He never took his eyes off me. He would respond to her with what looked like one-word answers, but he wouldn’t look at her. She finally turned so I could see her face. I recognized her.
“Hey, that’s Kim working the front of house tonight, right?” I asked Max.
“Yes. And let me tell you, I’m still mad at you for not being here because I’ve had to work with that in your absence.”
“That good, huh? She’s throwing herself at my boyfriend currently. I can’t imagine what you’ve had to go through.”
“Oh, she’s a piece of work for sure. I told her that she needed to take wingman lessons from you. She’s cock-blocked me so many times I lost count.”
“Ouch. How are you handling the dry spell? Do you need me to find you a deserving chick tonight?”
