Chapter Eighteen #2
“But you haven’t explained why that matters to you. I’m the witness in the case against you. If anything, you want me to—”
“No,” I cut her off, gripping her upper arms as I stepped closer to her so that only an inch separated our chests. “I want you safe. I don’t give a shit about your testimony as long as you tell the truth.”
As I said those words, I knew they were true.
I had little faith in the justice system, but I trusted Viktor.
It was all circumstantial evidence against me, the defense may raise concerns about my involvement in organized crime, but there was nothing to connect me or my men to the murder of Sarah’s boss.
I needed to know what she’d say on the stand, and of course, it would be much better for me if she didn’t lie about seeing me kill her boss, but I wouldn’t trade her safety for my own freedom.
I just didn’t know how to explain that to her because I didn’t understand it myself.
“I’m going to have a drink,” I said, changing the subject. I turned and started toward the kitchen. “Do you want anything?”
She didn’t respond right away, and I looked back to see her still standing by the couch, watching me like I was a puzzle she was trying to solve. I thought she might push for a real answer to her question, but after a moment, she shook her head and followed me into the kitchen.
“Do you have any wine?” she asked.
“There’s a bottle of white that Ronnie opened a couple of days ago to use in a sauce or something.”
Sarah smiled as she leaned an elbow on the kitchen island and watched me pull the wine out of the refrigerator and pour her a glass.
“I like Ronnie. She seems like a good person.”
“She’s one of the few people I fully trust,” I said, pouring myself a drink.
Sarah wrinkled her nose as she looked at my glass of whiskey.
I grinned. “You don’t like whiskey?”
“Even though we met in a bar, I’m not really a big drinker.” She lifted her wine glass and swirled the liquid around. “The occasional wine or a mixed drink is good enough for me.”
I remembered her asking the bartender for something fruity and sweet in the bar four years ago. That was the first time I heard her voice, the soft tone of it punching me in the chest and making me take notice of her.
I took a sip of my drink, getting lost in the memories of that night. My erection ached as it pressed against the front of my pants, and I watched her over the rim of my glass. Sarah fiddled with a necklace hanging around her neck, an emerald pendant that matched her eyes.
“I should probably let you know I have to go somewhere tomorrow,” she said. Her voice was strong and her eyes defiant, as if she were daring me to try to argue with her. “I take a spin class every Sunday.”
I considered that as I took another sip of my drink. My reflex was to forbid her to go anywhere until I figured out a way to deal with the Italians. They were obviously following her if they ambushed her outside of the grocery store, which meant that they probably knew her routine.
But Sarah stared right into my eyes, spine straight and chin jutted out in defiance.
She wasn’t going to take it well if I told her she couldn’t go.
I might have been able to force her to stay here by locking her in and posting a guard outside, but I didn’t want to do that.
I also didn’t want to take the risk that she’d find a way to defy me anyway.
My woman was a spitfire.
My woman?
This was the second time I thought of her like that, and it felt so natural, but I knew it wasn’t true. No matter how badly I wanted her, she wasn’t mine. Sleeping together once and feeling a strange possessiveness over her didn’t change that.
“You’ll take one of my men with you to the gym.”
Sarah cringed. “A big Russian guy like you? No way. It’ll freak out everyone at the gym if I have a scary guy shadowing me like that.”
“Would you rather by cornered in the parking lot by men in masks again?”
Sarah’s face drained of color, and I felt like a complete asshole, but I needed to get my point across.
If those men were watching her, they would know that she was with me, and they might hurt her next time.
I couldn’t let that happen, and I didn’t give a shit if having someone follow her around freaked out everyone at the gym or not.
Sarah’s shoulders slumped. “Okay, fine. But I want whoever you have watching over us to prioritize Alexis.”
I blinked, having trouble processing that request. “What?”
“The gym I go to has a childcare center. That’s where Alexis will be, and I want the bodyguard to watch over her.”
“He’ll watch over both of you,” I said, feeling a swell of affection for her over the way she prioritized her daughter.
“Good.” She took another sip of her wine, then set it down and tilted her head to the side. “You never did tell me how you know about what happened to me at the grocery store.”
“I suspected you might be in danger,” I said, deciding I might as well come clean. It had to be obvious by now that I was having her watched. “So, I sent my brother to watch you.”
She frowned. “I knew it. I saw that guy from the courthouse in the store right before I left.”
“Maxim saw what happened. That’s why I came to get you last night.”
Running the tip of her finger over the rim of her wine glass, Sarah bit her bottom lip. “That’s… well, it’s creepy. You had someone stalking me?”
“Not stalking, following. Protecting.”
“I don’t think the police would see the difference.”
I shrugged, unbothered. “I don’t care.”
She studied me for a moment before something softened in her expression. “You really don’t, do you? You’re actually trying to help me.”
I came around the kitchen island, and she turned to face me, tilting her head back as I tucked a strand of silky brown hair behind her ear. Her eyes grew darker as I watched, and the air between us became thick with sexual tension.
I slowly brought my mouth to hers, just lightly brushing our lips together. Desire sizzled under my skin. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, swallowing her moan. My hands went to the small of her back, pulling her flush against me, and I knew she could feel my erection pressing into her stomach.
Our tongues tangled until she slid her hands up my chest and suddenly pushed me away. I was far too big to be moved by her if I didn’t want to be, but I broke the kiss and moved back a step.
We were both breathing heavy, and Sarah’s face was flushed.
“I… I better go to bed,” she said, breaking eye contact.
I clenched my fists at my sides to keep myself from pulling her back into my arms. She looked just as turned on as I was, but I wouldn’t force her to keep going. I did some morally questionable shit in my life, but I’d never forced a woman, and I never would.
But she didn’t turn away immediately. There was a moment, as brief as the blink of an eye, when she hesitated. I knew then that she was conflicted about her feelings. She was pulling away, but she wasn’t sure what she really wanted.
That was enough for me, for now.
So, I let her go, hoping that the passage of a little time would make her see that there was nothing to be conflicted about. She needed to be in my bed again. The chemistry between us was too strong to ignore.
I was a patient man, but as I watched her leave the kitchen, my cock tenting the front of my pants, I hoped she wouldn’t take too long to come around.
I poured myself another drink and headed to my library to sit in my chair by the fire. But as I walked into the room, the golden glow of the lamp illuminated Marshmallow, Sarah’s long-haired cat, curled up in my chair. I sighed, not thrilled at the thought of white cat hair on my seat.
But I sat my drink down and lifted Marshmallow out of the chair, placing her on the floor, where she curled up on the rug.
I didn’t think much of agreeing to let Sarah bring the cat here, but now I realized it was another aspect of having her around that I’d have to get used to.
Just a few days ago, I never would have thought I’d be okay with an animal in my house, but now, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make to have Sarah and Alexis here.
At this point, I was wondering if there was anything I wouldn’t do for those two.
I barely recognized myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to give a damn about that. As I settled into my chair with my drink and that cat at my feet, I was content with the knowledge that Sarah and Alexis were safely in bed, where it felt like they belonged.