Chapter Four
But she didn’t get far.
“I’m taking my car tonight.” She didn’t give Roman a chance to say anything when he stepped up beside her. “That way I can drive myself and you don’t have to play chauffeur.”
“Is that so?” He kept stride with her down the length of the short entranceway that led to the street. Several lights lined the far side and cast enough glow that she caught the humor in his eyes if she’d missed it in his tone.
She nodded and hit the unlock button on her keys, receiving a double beep in response. She tossed her purse into the passenger seat. “Yep. And the little babysitting gig is over too, by the way.”
The blue glimmer to his eye was becoming a common occurrence and she knew without a doubt he simply humored her. Otherwise, he would already be on her side of the car taking the keys from her. He was having fun.
The infuriating man leaned against her small car, elbows on the ceiling by the passenger side. “I wondered how long you would hold out. Lucian and I had a running bet you would crack inside a week before showing your claws.”
She paused with her hand on the door handle. “Really? Who won?”
“Me, of course. Lucian gave you six days. I picked three so I won.” He followed her inside just as the rain began to pelt the top of her car. It had rained more in the last three weeks than she could remember in her trips here as a kid, and she didn’t mind one bit.
“What about your car?” She hooked a thumb at the Mercedes parked behind her.
“I go where you go. Plus, I don’t want to miss the look on Sevastyan’s face when you tell him you’re dumping us. I wanna be there to tie your hands to our bed and ravish you until you submit to our demands.”
She huffed a laugh. “You act like we’re an item. The four of us. What if I walk?” She measured her words and his reaction before she pulled out onto the empty street and pointed them north.
Roman ran a steady hand down his face. “You can try to fly my little birdie but you’ll only come back to us. Sevastyan would be the first to hunt you down and the rest of us would be right there behind him.”
He took her hand and placed a kiss on her ring finger. “You think they’re going to let you go after only a taste? I’ve had a week’s worth of nights with you and I still feel I’ve not even begun to sate my hunger for you.”
She braked at a red light and turned to Roman eyes wide. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’ve let the wolves inside and they’ll not settle for anything less than all of you.”
A pang struck her heart and caught her by surprise. Roman’s phone went off and he picked up, holding her gaze.
The smirk that had been on his face for a solid ten minutes, slipped into a grimace. “Fine. I got it. We’re on our way now.” He paused and his expression turned darker. “Too late to turn back, and be prepared. She’s in a mood that might level the whole place and do our jobs for us.”
Her mouth fell open as he hung up. Her attention floated between him and the traffic. “That was Vastyan, wasn’t it? Why did you tell him that? Now my surprise attack isn’t so surprising. I thought we were friends.” She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to lessen the sudden cloud of worry that settled over them. The last thing she wanted was any of them on high alert again. She might end up with all Sevastyan’s men as bodyguards.
But would that be a bad thing? To her mission, yes. Her body and soul, too.
Roman chuckled low. “We are so much more than friends. But I’m also Sevastyan’s friend and partner. I can’t let you walk in there and deal him a blow when I can help smooth things over.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket and began the slow process of fixing his sleeves and buttoning them at the cuffs. “When we get there, pull along the back and park out of sight. You’re to go straight to Sevastyan’s office using the back staircase.”
Puzzled, she shot back, “Why?” Not that she had an objection, it was where she needed to be after all, but the order to do so was odd.
Roman turned a side-eye on her. “Do as instructed, sweetness.” And he left it at that.
The rest of the ride to Haven passed in silence from there on out. Beside her, Roman brooded about whatever Sevastyan had said. The sudden change in his mood was like flicking off a light switch.
Words jumbled into an alphabet soup of thoughts she couldn’t piece together. Feelings for her? What did Roman know that she didn’t? Sure, they lusted after one another but what happened between all of them probably wouldn’t happen again or it would have already. Right? All the men had plenty of opportunities to show their true feelings, yet nothing.
They’d been in that private box at the club several times. Each time Sevastyan had stood farther away from her. But at the same time, when any of them had looked at her she didn’t mistake the heat in their gazes. Especially the way Sevastyan stroked her curves with his eyes when he thought she was not paying attention.
Not so much as a single finger of his had grazed her body since she’d sucked him off in her apartment. Yet he made sure to keep her close.
She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. So maybe her wires were crossed. Then again, she’d been wrapped up in Roman and how to cut her addiction and ditch him.
She pulled into a dark space in the rear of Haven and Roman held an umbrella for them until they were safely inside.
They stepped into a small waiting room used for the business side of running Haven. Only a single door separated them from the main floor, and muffled music thudded past the weak barrier.