“I’m going to biteyou,” She threatens. “You guys said I wasn’t allowed back here.”
“You’re wrapped around me, Valerie. Do you want me to let you go?”
She considers that as we walk inside. Finally, she relaxes against me, playing with my hair while grumbling about her being punished for doing a good job. Chase shouts for his father and we take Valerie to the conference room. I surrender her to Chase and he puts her on his lap. She strokes over his chest and speaks to him softly as I edge out of the room to wait for Mr. Volkov.
Even with Valerie here, I know my place and I know what’s expected of me. I glance into the room and see Chase kissing Valerie, stroking down her back, and pulling her closer greedily. I want her back against me. Her legs around my hips as she teases me with every inch of her warm body.
But Mr. Volkov looks to me and arches an eyebrow. “I did not call a meeting, Lief.”
“Your sons have.”
He snorts. “I do not obey their whims.”
But he walks into the office and sees Valerie rubbing Chase’s chest and adjusting his tie. He comes to a stop, looks at me, and grits his teeth. “Why is she involved?”
“She can speak for herself,” Valerie says simply.
“Then, by all means, speak.”
“Stefan is a problem. He wants to kill your sons and you and take over,” Valerie hums. I have a feeling Chase and Hunter are keeping her calm.
“Excuse me?”
“He’s terrible,” Valerie grumbles. “Hurting Hunter, threatening Chase. And now talking knowing that he’s just a working man and willing to take you all out.” Her eyes flick to me. “Something should be done about him.”
“And what makes you so qualified to give this advice?”
“I read minds,” Valerie teases.
Hunter barely calms his laugh. “Dorogaya, that worked on Stefan, not my father.”
“She has no place here. I told you to take care of this problem,” Mr. Volkov snaps at me.
Valerie gets up, walks right past him, even as he drinks her in, obviously enjoying the view, then strokes my chest. “Can I have my knife back?”
“No,” I say.
She stands on her toes to kiss my neck. “Please, Viking? I promise I won’t hurt anyone. I just feel safer.”
I rub my hand over the back of her neck, keeping Mr. Volkov’s eyes. He’s furious. I know he hates losing control, much like Hunter. But Hunter himself stands. “I told you I would coordinate a meeting with Stefan to determine what he meant by truce talk. Do you think he’d actually reveal his hand to me?”
Mr. Volkov looks to Valerie again. But he doesn’t push for anything else. He’s willing to listen.
“Valerie is fierce and she was able to find his tells. She knows when he lies. And she can wrap him around her finger easily. Charming and vicious.” Hunter says warmly.
I lift Valerie’s chin. “Impossible to ignore.”
“She will be the death of you,” Mr. Volkov says in Russian. “All three of you. I won’t tolerate it. Already, she’s manipulating you. Already she is stirring war.”
“She’s not stirring war. She’s trying to prevent it,” I defend, sticking to Russian to avoid alarming her. “If she can bring Stefan to heel, or get him to slip, we can find the true leader and proceed accordingly.”
Mr. Volkov looks between us. “I don’t feel I have a say in this.”
“She is staying. We’re not forcing her to leave us,” Chase says sharply. “She is an asset, not a distraction. Just because you fail to see it, doesn’t mean that she can’t hold her weight.”
“English please.” Valerie undoes a button on my shirt. Her lusty eyes meet mine and it takes more restraint than it should to keep from kissing her. She’s steadily wrapping us tighter around her finger. What I would do to protect her. “Please.”
“You aren’t trustworthy. No woman is. You are a passing … idea. Nothing more.” Mr. Volkov growls.