Chapter 12 #2
His words are supposed to make her feel better, but Sav pales at them. Proving she’s the best friend a girl could ask for, she points her fork at the man she knows damn good and well is capable of murder and says, “I swear I will find a way to kill you if you hurt my friend.”
I look up at Sasha. He’s studying Sav, and he’s not giving her his scary look, but it’s not a friendly one either. Niki puts his hand over the fork she’s still holding onto and gently lowers her hand back to the table.
“I really wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he tells her.
“I’m not scared of him,” she insists.
“You should be,” he tells her.
“It’s okay,” Sasha says while caressing my thigh with his thumb. “I’ll forgive the death threat because, let’s be honest, it’s not much of a threat, is it?”
Sav looks like she wants to argue, but Sasha keeps going.
“And because you said it to protect Cyn. I could never be mad at you for wanting to keep her safe, and I can promise you she’s safe with me.
I will never allow any harm to come to her, including from myself, so you can let go of the death grip you have on that fork before you accidentally stab yourself with it. ”
I see Sav’s fingers tighten before she finally sighs and lets it drop and clatter on the table. “I really want to be pissed at you right now,” she tells him, “but I know you’re right. There’s no way in hell I could ever hurt a guy like you.”
“Don’t feel bad,” Niki tells her. “No one could.”
Sav looks over at him. “Not even you?”
Niki laughs, not even bothering to put on some tough, macho-guy bullshit.
I have no doubt Sasha’s cousin could do some serious damage and hold his own in a fight, and I can see the respect in Sav’s eyes when she sees that he’s not trying to inflate his ego, something the Alpha guys on campus are all too quick to do.
“Hell no,” Niki tells her. “Sasha’s in a league of his own. I wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”
Sasha’s quiet as they talk about him, his thumb still stroking my thigh, and when he slides his hand higher, I bite back a smile and rest my hand on top of his.
Sav thinks about what he’s said while she takes a drink. Putting the bottle of Mexican Coke down, she looks from me to Sasha and just smiles at the two of us. “Well, it’s pretty obvious that you two are already inseparable, so I’m willing to trust you until you give me a reason not to.”
“Which I’ll never do,” Sasha tells her, and then he adds, “By the way, she’s moved in with me.”
“Wait, what?” Sav’s blue eyes widen as they land on mine. “You moved in with him? Already?”
I shrug and reach for a chip. “It felt right, and he’s promised to not wake me up at the crack of dawn in a cheerleading outfit.”
Niki laughs and asks, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“My roommate at the dorms is a very energetic cheerleader, especially at sunrise. I’ll be happy to get away from her, and I’m excited to live with a dog. Chort’s so sweet, Sav. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“Chort?” Niki asks, his tone making it clear he thinks I’ve lost my mind. “Chort is sweet?”
Sasha grins at his cousin. “He fucking loves her, man. Licks her on the cheek and everything.”
Niki shakes his head. “I don’t believe it.”
“You know I’d never lie to you,” Sasha tells him. “I was just as stunned by it as you are. He’s never once tried to bite her.”
“I’m a little jealous,” Niki admits. “He’s only ever tried to kill me.”
“Can’t wait to meet him,” Sav says with about as much enthusiasm as she’d show for a dentist appointment.
“He’s a sweetheart,” I say, sticking up for the dog I love.
Sasha’s large hand squeezes my inner thigh, and I smile up at him.
I think he loves that I’m protective of his dog.
I’m still grinning up at him when another cramp hits me hard.
I try to hide it, but judging by the way he narrows his eyes in worry, I’m not doing a very good job of it.
While Sav and Niki both reach for the last taco, Sasha slips a hand in his pocket and pulls out a couple of pills and puts them in my palm.
I immediately recognize the blue pills, and when I roll them over and see Midol written along the capsule, I know with absolute certainty that I love this man.
Not only did he bring along a knife, but he also planned ahead and tossed a couple of Midol in his pocket just in case I needed them.
“Thanks, Sasha,” I tell him before quickly putting them in my mouth and taking a drink.
“I’ll always take care of you, krovinka.” His fingers brush my cheek, forcing an involuntary response of me leaning in for more while simultaneously closing my eyes and feeling the all-too familiar ache bloom between my legs. “In every way imaginable.”
My cheeks heat up along with the rest of my body, and when I look over, Niki and Sav are both staring at us.
Niki looks stunned, making it clear that Sasha’s never acted this way with anyone else, and even though I already knew this, it’s still nice to be reminded of it.
Sav is looking at me with big lovey-dovey eyes, nothing but pure happiness shooting out of her right now at seeing me in love.
“This is going to take some getting used to,” Niki says, using his chip to point between the two of us. “My brain is having a really hard time with this.”
“What?” Sav asks. “He’s not usually this sweet.”
Niki laughs. “He’s a lot like his dog. It’s not really safe for him to be around others, and no one is stupid enough to try and get close.”
“Well, my dog and I both fell hard,” Sasha says. He gives his cousin a wicked-looking grin. “But don’t worry, nothing else has changed.”
“So she didn’t tame everything?” Niki asks.
“There’s no taming that, I’m afraid,” Sasha tells him, “but Cyn is proof that I’m human.”
I lean my head against his shoulder, loving the feel of him next to me, the strength that emanates from his body even when he’s just sitting down. I love it, and when he wraps his arm around me and kisses the top of my head, I know he loves it, too.
Before anyone can say anything else, Niki checks his phone and then shoots a quick look to Sasha. He tells him something in Russian that makes Sasha laugh, the deep sound vibrating up his chest while Niki looks stunned and I swear a shade paler than he was a second ago.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
Niki types out a quick response before putting his phone away and saying, “Yeah, I need to get going, though. Apparently, I’m getting my nose pierced tonight.”
Sav laughs. “What?”
“I made a bet with Sasha’s younger sister. I honestly didn’t think she’d win, but I gave my word, so a nose piercing it is.” He looks over at me and says, “It was nice to meet you, Cindy. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon. After all, you still need to meet the rest of us.”
I’m already feeling nervous about it, and Niki must see the worry written all over my face, because he says, “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.”
He stands up and adjusts his messenger bag before switching to Russian so he and Sasha can have a conversation without us.
Being around them is a great motivator to study harder because I’m tired of being left out.
He smacks Sasha on the shoulder, but before he turns to leave, he looks back at Sav and says, “It was good meeting you, Van. If you ever want me to take a look at that computer of yours, just let Sasha know.”
I’ve never seen my friend look so flummoxed, but she manages to tamp down her huge smile enough to say, “Thanks, and it was nice meeting you too.”
He’s gone before the blush can leave her cheeks, and when she turns to me, she looks lit up from the inside, like someone shoved a sparkler up her ass. I don’t ask her flat-out if he’s passed the Pride and Prejudice test, but I do hold up my pinkie finger and give it a wiggle while raising a brow.
She knows I’m asking if she felt any fireworks, and she quickly shakes her head and says, “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
Sasha’s kind enough to not ask what’s going on, but I’m pretty sure he’s already got the gist of it.
He’s observant enough to pick up on the obvious attraction, and, well, Sav’s having a hard time hiding anything right now.
I’m guessing she’s never been so happy to have shitty computer skills.
It gives her the perfect excuse to see him again.
“So, do you want dessert, Van?” I ask, unable to resist calling attention to the nickname Niki had given her.
She tries to not smile and fails miserably. “You know I can’t leave here without the sopapilla.” Her eyes lift up to Sasha. “That’s how she got me to try this place. She bribed me with dessert.”
I grin and shrug. “It worked.”
“Like a charm,” Sav admits.
After we’ve eaten our fill of dessert, I’m so stuffed I can barely move. Cinnamon sugar and honey still coat my tongue, and I don’t regret a single bite I’ve taken.
“Damn, that was good,” Sasha admits as he pushes the empty plate aside.
“The best,” Sav agrees. Looking at her phone, she checks the time and says, “I need to head back. I’ve got a huge paper to write this weekend, and tomorrow is our volunteer day with the Alphas.”
Her tone makes it clear she’s not looking forward to it, and Sasha surprises me by asking, “You don’t like the frat guys?”
“God, no,” Sav says. “I wouldn’t even be doing this whole sorority thing if it didn’t mean so much to my mom. It’s kind of tradition, and I didn’t want to be the one to break it, but those guys are assholes.”
“How so?” he asks.
Sav shrugs and tosses her phone in her purse. “Just the usual, I guess. They’re pushy, arrogant, and always looking to get laid. It gets old fast.”
I get the feeling Sasha wants to ask more, but he lets it go and instead says, “Well, I’m glad you approve of me being with Cyn, especially since there’s no way I can let her go.”
Sav gives him a warm smile. “I love her like a sister, so don’t make me regret it.”