Chapter 16 #2
I narrow my eyes. Then I get out of the car.
Raindrops hit my face as I walk toward them. Kelly spots me, his eyes going wide.
The other guy turns around and looks me up and down. His gaze travels from my face to my shoes and back up like he’s sizing me up. I already don’t like him. If he’s said something to Kelly that upset him, I’m going to need his full name.
I wrap my hand around Kelly’s neck, pulling him into me. He lands with a soft sound against my chest. Zero self-control when it comes to him. None.
He glances up at me, then looks over at the man. “That’s Brady. One of the other veterinarians working here.”
I don’t take my eyes off Brady. Still deciding if he gets to keep all his teeth.
Brady extends his hand with a friendly smile. “Hey, nice to meet you.”
I don’t take his hand. He frowns, dropping it awkwardly.
I grab Kelly’s chin, tilt it up, and crush my mouth to his. He gasps, caught completely off guard. I shove my tongue in before my brain catches up, then pull back.
Stupid. I’m so fucking stupid.
I can’t be seen in public with him, let alone kissing him in front of other people. I never think straight when he’s involved.
“Sorry I’m late. Ready to go?” I ask, keeping my voice flat.
He gawks at me with wide green eyes, pink creeping up his neck, his mouth still parted and lips wet from my kiss.
Perfect.
“Your timing’s perfect actually. I would’ve forgotten the paperwork I need if you’d been on time. Camilla went to grab it.” he says. “Brady was just keeping me company.”
Keeping him company. Right.
My head snaps over to Brady who’s rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.
Good. He should be uncomfortable. I wonder if he’s a screamer or if he’d try to play tough.
Would he bite his tongue, clench his jaw while I start cutting off his fingers one by one until he realizes this isn’t an interrogation—it’s entertainment. For me, anyway.
The clinic door opens. A woman with dark brown skin and braids twisted up in a bun steps out. I recognize her. The one Mikhail brought home from Ozero before ditching her when Daniil had a meltdown.
She stops when she sees me. Brady takes that as his cue to fuck off.
“See you tomorrow, Kelly. Have a good night.”
Dead fucking man walking.
I lift Kelly’s bike and load it into the back of the SUV carefully, making sure the frame doesn’t scrape against anything, then close the trunk and move to the passenger side.
I lean against the door with my arms crossed while they finish their conversation.
She says something, puts her hand on his shoulder, then glances over at me but keeps the conversation going. I can’t hear what she’s saying but whatever it is makes him rub the back of his neck and nod along nervously.
Eventually they both walk over. The look she gives me is full of suspicion, but she sticks out her hand anyway. “Hey, I’m Camilla. He told me you guys met at Ozero and are friends.”
“Alexei.” I shake her hand briefly.
Kelly shoots me this tight little smile. “She’s still kind of weirded out about that night. Some guy took her home and then ditched her.”
I keep my face completely blank. “Sounds unstable. Lucky he left when he did, probably a serial killer.”
Kelly coughs and elbows me into my stomach. “Um, or maybe just a weird person. Not necessarily a killer.”
“Oh my god, yeah.” She nods seriously. “He kind of did give off those vibes, now that I think about it.”
I bite back the smirk.
“So … Kelly has told me you work for your family? Some office thing?”
I shrug. “Da. Bookkeeping. Handle the accounts for my father.”
Kelly looks at me with that expression that says play it cool, so I add, “Spreadsheets all day. Very tedious.”
I watch her look over at Kelly and then at me with confusion. “You don’t really look like someone who would do that kind of work, but okay. I just want the best for Kelly. I’m protective when it comes to him, just so you know.”
“That’s good. He deserves people who look out for him.”
“Yes, he does. And will you? Take good care of him?”
I like her. I respect that she’s protective of him, the same way I am. Kelly needs people who care about him, who’ll call out anyone who doesn’t treat him right. Having someone like her in his corner, so he won’t be completely alone if something happens to me.
Kelly interrupts before I can answer. “I think we should probably go home now, it’s freezing.”
They start bickering about something pointless, and I excuse myself, walking back to the car to wait while they finish up.
Kelly lets out a breath as soon as we step into his apartment building.
His ass bounces in those navy scrubs as he heads for the stairs, and I grab his shoulders, stopping him mid-step.
I scoop him up before he can protest, one arm under his knees, the other supporting his back.
He wraps his arms around my neck and grins at me.
I love carrying him. His smaller frame fits perfectly in my arms. He’s had a long day, and I want to make it better.
I set him down at the door just long enough to unlock it. The second we’re inside, I don’t give him time to settle. I shove him against the wall, fist his scrubs, and kiss him like I’m trying to burrow inside his chest.
My tongue pushes past his lips, greedy and desperate. His hair’s damp and curling slightly from the rain. He’s already flushed, so beautiful and completely mine.
I’m fucking starved for him. I drop to my knees, hands grabbing his hips. I need his cock in my mouth right fucking now.
He grabs my wrists. “Wait.”
I freeze and glance at him. His lip’s caught between his teeth.
“I’m going to take a shower,” he says. “Then I want you to fuck me.”
“Da,” I breathe. “I’ll make it good for you.”
He has no idea what he does to me.
I keep telling him he’s mine, but the truth is so much darker than that.
He owns me—completely. Controls me like a dog on a leash, and I’d let him tighten it until I couldn’t breathe.
I would do anything for him. Anything he asked.
Anything he needed. Things he’d never think to ask for because he doesn’t understand what he has.
I’ve never been on my knees for anyone but him. Never wanted to be. Never will be again.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m devoted to him, fully, whether he understands that or not.