“Then you’re lucky.”
“Am I?”
“You’re a grown man who can and does make his own choices and now you have muscle times ten to back you up.” I rub his sides. “Which means you’re twice as kick-ass and twice as swoon-worthy.”
Chase chuckles and rubs my back.
I know how to make my man feel better ... when he lets me. We walk together and I scare him by climbing on the wall and being silly until he catches me and twirls me under his arm. “What would I do without you, baby doll?”
“You wouldn’t have anywhere near as much fun.”
“Is that a fact?”
I flash a naughty smile. “Take me home and I’ll prove it.”
He lights up and drags me back to the car like neither of us are more than twenty and we have the house to ourselves for the weekend. But I can’t wait that long. So I adjust in the seat and jerk his pants down the second he starts to drive, determined to enjoy him all the way home.
LIEF
Ipace the living room. The timer on the cinnamon roll cake I decided to make still has ten minutes to go. I haven’t had a million thoughts racing through my head, but I have had an uptake in restlessness. I think it’s the culmination of everything around me.
Mr. Volkov demanding that we leave Valerie or that Chase leaves her as the head of the mafia. And then there is my own epiphany. I want to marry her. All the rom coms dictate at least six months of knowing a person before proposing, but these last nearly five months have proven that Valerie is different entirely.
I inhale, smell smoke, then hear the smoke detector go off. I take care of the smoke detector and turn off the oven. Resting my hands on the warm counter, I just make myself inhale the smoke.
“Hey. Did you burn something?” Chase asks.
“Lief! Are you okay?” Valerie runs to me and checks the oven. She coughs a little but pulls the burned cake out.
“I set the heat too high,” I say simply. “a stupid mistake.”
Valerie stands on her toes and kisses my jaw. “Viking, what’s bothering you?”
I refuse to say “nothing”, but end up saying nothing at all. My eyes flick to Chase. Of course, the viper next to me doesn’t miss it. I expect her to make some demands, but she takes a deep breath and rubs my back.
“I’ll still eat it once it cools down.”
I watch her walk away with Chase. He pinches her ass and she swats at him. I’d believe she wasn’t bothered except for that questioning look back she gives. I nod to her. I hear Chase and Valerie going at it.
She doesn’t muffle her moans and the headboard banging against the wall makes me shake my head. They’re ridiculous. But restraint has barely been an option where Valerie’s concerned.
I close my eyes and picture her writhing below me, her hazy eyes focused on me as she tells me she loves me and jerks me tighter against her. A woman as determined, as wild, as strong as I am.
A one in a billion person.
She deserves more than a burnt cake.
I toss it in the garbage and start from scratch, adjusting the oven. When a door opens, I look up and see Hunter walk in. He’s frustrated, but unlike a month ago, he doesn’t kick his shoes off, aiming for whatever’s breakable, and doesn’t grumble to himself.
Valerie comes downstairs in one of Chase’s shirts and he wraps himself around her. “So, that’s the only way I’m allowed to take care of you? Lief gets to cook.”
“Do you want an apron too? I ordered him one with “kiss the cook” on it.” Valerie offers.
Chase rolls his eyes. “I’m setting up a movie. You don’t get to do homework tonight.”
“But.”
“Your choice for the movie.” Hunter says, then catches Valerie’s hand and pulls her close. “I need a taste of restraint please.”