Chapter 11
Evie
“Feel better?”
I look up at Valeri’s smiling face as he opens the library door for me.
“Yes, lots.” We walk out into the cool, dark night, hand in hand.
Jerry had been thrilled to hear that I no longer needed my job, and had insisted that I just quit on the spot instead of putting in my notice.
He said they had plenty of applicants and they’d have a new hire in no time.
As happy as I am to no longer have to do the janitorial job, I’ll never forget the good memories associated with it, the quiet nights, the yummy desserts that Betty would sometimes slip in for me, the pride I’d felt when I got my first paycheck, and, of course, the night with Valeri when he came to visit me.
“We really need to get our schedules fixed,” he says with a laugh.
I give the lion’s ass one last pat and rub his smooth nose. “We do,” I agree. “I’m looking forward to seeing the sun. Maybe we can go to the beach again.”
He wraps an arm around me, pulling me closer. “We can go anytime you want.”
“You still owe me hamburgers and ice cream,” I remind him.
“I do, don’t I?” He looks across the street at the crowd outside Inferno before turning his head to scan the rest of the street.
“Have you ever been to McGinty’s Pub?” he asks, pointing to a small place at the end of a row of buildings.
The outside is lit up with fairy lights in the colors of the Irish flag.
“No.”
“Perfect.” He tightens his grip on my hand and leads me down the concrete stairs to the sidewalk. “I’ve never been there either. We can experience it for the first time together.”
As we get closer, I can hear the traditional Irish music filtering out from the pub and see the crowd of people inside. We cross the street at the light and when we step inside the dark interior, we’re greeted by a smiling hostess wearing a short, plaid skirt and a big smile on her face.
She eyes Valeri, and even in the dim lighting I can see the light flush that creeps up her cheeks.
I can’t blame her for the reaction. The man is gorgeous, and he’s always going to have an effect on women, but when he wraps both his arms around me from behind and leans down to kiss my cheek, she takes the hint and turns her smiling face to me instead.
“Table for two or do you want the bar?”
“Table,” I tell her, and then follow her as she leads us through the crowded bar section and to a quieter area with tables and booths.
The music isn’t annoyingly loud, just enough to add to the atmosphere, and the catchy, upbeat tune has me wanting to tap my foot to the beat.
She stops in front of a booth in the corner and lays the menus down.
“Your waitress will be right with you.”
I tell her thanks and am about to scoot into the booth when Valeri puts his hand on my waist and stops me, guiding me to the other seat before sliding in next to me instead of on the opposite side.
He’s chosen the side that’s facing the rest of the pub so our backs aren’t to anyone, and he’s taken the aisle seat so I’m safely cocooned in the corner.
I watch his eyes scan the crowd. Outwardly, he appears calm, but I know he’s taking in every detail of the place and watching the crowd for any signs of danger.
Had he not just told me about the Bratva, I would’ve never known he was doing it.
“Are you always on high alert?”
When he’s satisfied with what he sees, he turns his face to mine. “Yes, especially when you’re with me.”
“Do you carry weapons and stuff?”
He laughs and slips his hand under the table, resting it on my thigh. “Yes, baby. Always.”
“How come I’ve never noticed?”
The wink he gives me has me sucking in a quick breath. “Because I didn’t want you to.” Noticing the hitch in my breathing, he smiles and hands me one of the menus. “Pick out what you want, baby. You haven’t eaten enough today.”
I smile at how overprotective he is and take the menu. I’m still studying it when the waitress comes over. She also eyes Valeri with obvious interest, but he doesn’t even glance at her. He’s too busy looking at me. God, a girl could get used to this.
We order a couple of cheeseburgers with fries, and when she leaves to get our drinks, Valeri cups my face and pulls me in for a kiss.
It’s slow and sweet, and it leaves me wanting more.
A few of the other tables are filled, but no one pays us any attention, especially with the way his body is hiding mine from view.
Most of the crowd is at the bar where there are several TVs playing various sports.
The crowd is a bit rowdy and loud, especially when someone scores a goal or fails to block one, but the place has a laidback feel to it that I like.
The waitress drops off our drinks, but Valeri never takes his eyes off mine.
He hooks his hand under my knee and lifts my leg, hiking it over his so my thighs are spread.
Dragging his fingers up my inner thigh, I grip the table and whisper his name while my eyes dart to the couple who’s being seated near us.
He squeezes my inner thigh. “Eyes on me, lapochka.” When I meet his green eyes, he smiles and says, “Good girl. Now unbutton your jeans for me and unzip them.”
“Valeri,” I whisper, my eyes darting away from his before he makes a tsk-tsk noise at my disobedience.
I quickly turn back to him, and the wicked grin he’s giving me has me quickly reaching for the button of my jeans.
I watch him scoop out a small ice cube from his drink before putting it in his mouth.
He sucks it clean and then pinches it between his fingers.
“Eyes on me,” he says again, bringing the ice cube to the top of my pants.
I keep my eyes locked on his as he traces a line with the ice along the top of my panties before slowly dipping inside.
His lips quirk up when he slides the ice lower before letting it go.
The cool, wet cube slides down my pussy, landing right against my clit.
He laughs at the sharp gasp I give. When I try to wiggle and bring my hand between my legs, he says, “Don’t you fucking dare.
That stays right where it’s at, and when it melts, you’re getting another one. ”
I’m about to argue, but I see the waitress coming towards us with our food, and the ice on my clit is making it damn near impossible to think about anything other than the stinging cold on my sensitive skin.
“Did you just take your eyes off me again, sweetheart?”
“Shit,” I whisper, making him laugh.
The waitress drops off our plates while Valeri keeps a hand firmly on my thigh and I try to keep my breathing even. My cheeks are burning hot and my clit is ice-fucking-cold. I avoid looking directly at the waitress, so she turns her focus to Valeri.
“Can I get you anything else?”
Valeri turns to me with a very amused grin. “Do you need anything else, baby?”
“No, I’m good.” I try like hell to appear normal and give the waitress a smile. “Thank you.”
She leaves a bottle of ketchup and walks off while I turn my eyes back to Valeri. “Oh my god, that’s so fucking cold!” I whisper-shout at him.
“I know, and you’re about to get another.
” He sucks another ice cube clean and angles his body so I’m completely hidden before slipping his hand into my panties.
This time he doesn’t just let it go. He keeps the ice pressed tightly between his fingers and my skin and slowly drags it lower. “Eyes on me,” he reminds me.
I lock onto the familiar green, almond-shaped eyes, using him as my anchor while he slides the ice lower and circles it around my clit. I gasp and grip the table, but I don’t break eye contact.
“That’s my good girl,” he praises. “Fucking take it, sweetheart.” He presses the ice harder against me, and I can’t help but squirm beneath his ice-cold touch.
It feels like too much, like I have no choice but to fight against it, but when he moves the ice just enough to run the pad of one finger over my poor abused clit, it sends a spark of pleasure through me that has my eyes widening and my mouth dropping open.
The cocky smirk he gives me says it all.
The man is way too fucking good with his hands.
He keeps rimming me with the ice and occasionally brushing his finger over my clit until I’m panting and begging him with my eyes to end this torture.
I rock my hips as best I can, trying to get myself off, but he knows what I’m doing and pinches my clit in warning.
“You think I should let you come now?” he asks, leaning closer and brushing the thumb of his other hand over my parted lips.
“Yes,” I whisper. “You definitely should.”
He smiles and swipes the ice over my bundle of nerves before replacing it with the pad of his finger. “Let’s see how quiet you can be while you come for me. Soak my hand, baby, and melt this ice with your hot little cunt.”
“Fuck,” I whimper as he works me harder, sliding his finger lower and dipping into my slit while keeping the ice cube pinned against my clit. The mix of sensations makes it hard to breathe. He runs his finger over my mouth, pushing past my lips.
“Suck me, sweetheart,” he groans.
Watching his green eyes, I run my tongue over his finger before slowly sucking it in.
It’s not easy to tell with the dim lighting, but I see his pupils dilate, turning his eyes dark as his jaw tenses.
He mirrors my movements, sliding his finger into my pussy at the same speed as I’m sucking him into my mouth.
When both are buried inside me, he groans and works my pussy while I keep a tight grip on the finger in my mouth, trailing my tongue and teeth over him until his eyes are heavy-lidded and his breaths are coming faster.
Right as I start to come, he whispers, “That’s my good fucking girl.”