Clearing her throat, she stammered, “Sorry, Rick.”
She put the intercom down – and found herself thinking about it.
Again.
And this time, she couldn’t stop.
Dick, dick, dick.
Holy Mother of Russia, but maybe she should quit waiting for true love and just find someone to take her V-card away.
Maybe…maybe then, she’d stop being obsessed with his—-
Seri didn’t allow herself to complete the thought.
****
I am not going to stare at his dick.
She repeated this over and over in her mind, willing herself to believe it as she finished with her shower and squeezed into a white tank top and floral printed shorts.
We are going to do it right this time, Seri told herself as she slid her feet into a pair of ballet flats. We’re going to be affectionate like before and everything will get back to normal—-
“Where’s Leech?”
It was the first thing Seri heard as she reached the foot of the stairs, and her heart threatened to jump out of her chest at the painfully familiar sound.
She quickly made an about face, intent on locking herself in her bedroom and pretending she was ill.
But before she could take another step, she heard the same voice drawl, “There you are.”
Derr’ mo.
Seri was suddenly twirled around to face six-feet-plus of perfection.
Holy Mother of Russia.
If only she was exaggerating, but…she wasn’t.
Everyone liked to say Vassi Grachyov was perfect, and unfortunately…they were right.
He wore his ash blond hair just a little bit longer these days, making him look like an angel with a decadently rebellious streak. And oh, his eyes – these days, his silvery gaze had an almost immoral glint to them, like Vassi knew exactly how to make one’s most sinful wishes come true.
Don’t look down, don’t look down—-
But it was too late, and Seri’s gaze had fallen to his body.
His body, which was—-oh, where to start?
Perfection at its most lethal, and the sight of all those tight, rippling muscles was capable of reducing every girl’s mind to a single thought.
Sex.
The moan-inducing, rough and sweaty, bad-boy—-
Vassi lifted a brow and Seri bit back another curse, realizing that he had caught her staring. She made herself raise a brow back at him, stubborn pride rooting her in place even as her mind urged her to make a run for it.
When her silence seemed to be too much for Vassi, he demanded in a half-surprised, half-teasing voice, “Are you really not going to welcome me back?”
Seri gave him her best spoiled-girl scowl. “Yes. I’m not.” She pushed past him, and as she did, the sides of their bodies brushed—-
Her eyes immediately slid down, and she saw what she was not supposed to be staring at.
B’lyad.
Fuck.
And that was exactly what she couldn’t help thinking every time she accidentally touched Vassi.
Vassi fucking her—-
Seri quickly lifted her gaze back up before he caught her staring. Even so, she couldn’t get rid of the image in her mind.
Vassi fucking her hard—-
She shuddered at the thought, but sadly it wasn’t out of disgust, and not for lack of trying.
“Seri—-”
She moved before he could reach her and quickened her steps, knowing she needed as much distance between them while she worked on getting her lungs to function again. His proximity was like a contagious disease that threatened to disable her limbs and cause her mental faculties to degenerate.
In short, she was a fucking mess.
But when Seri joined the rest of their family in the dining room, she had a smile pinned in place.
“Sorry,” Fyodor immediately apologized. “I know you were working, but I thought you’d like to join us for breakfast now that Vassi’s here.”
“You were right,” Seri lied without missing a beat.
As she bent down to kiss him on the cheek, he asked, “Are you happy we’re complete again? It’s been a long time since we were…”
Ninety-eight days to be exact, Seri thought, not that she was counting.
Before she could answer, Vassi had strolled inside to join them, drawling, “Leech doesn’t seem happy to see me back.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Stop being childish.” She moved to Sergei and kissed her oldest brother on the cheek. “Morning, Sergei.”
Like Fyodor, Sergei was dressed in a conservative dark suit, and the cynical mask on his handsome features fell away as he smiled back at her. “Morning, baby.”
She moved on to Misha next. A one-day stubble covered his jaw, and his lab coat was badly rumbled. Even so, he was still more than handsome enough to turn heads – as long as he remembered to leave his lab and join the rest of the living.
“Morning, Misha.” She fixed his tousled hair as she spoke.
He looked up, his eyes lighting up behind his glasses. “Hey, little dove.”
Seri returned to her seat, which unfortunately placed her next to Vassi.
For a few seconds, he simply gazed at her. It was unnerving, but she forced herself to pretend she didn’t notice his stare.