I could lie, but she would see right through it. After seeing Viktor fight that way, taking down those two men like it was nothing, no one could deny he is very practiced in hand-to-hand combat.
I could also be honest with Hannah and myself. Because until this point, I’ve been lying to myself, too.
The truth is, I saw Viktor take out those two men, and while I was horrified that Theo and Hannah saw him that way, and that he had put himself in danger, I also found it incredibly attractive.
Viktor’s body was strong and capable, and he overpowered two men by himself. It was barbaric and harsh and violent, and underneath my horror, was lust. A primal attraction to the strongest man in the vicinity.
That reality scares me more than anything else.
I am still trying to decide what to tell Hannah when the door to the apartment bursts open and Viktor comes charging into the kitchen. The second he sees me, he tips his head towards the hallway. “We need to talk.”
He is fuming. In the car, he was quiet and respectful. He allowed me to bandage him without complaint and talk back to him, but it is clear he is done with that now. Now, we are going to fight.
Hannah’s eyes go wide, and she disappears into the living room without a word. I follow Viktor into the hallway and towards the study on the opposite end of the apartment.
The second I close the door I spin around and start talking before he can.
“You attacked two men on a street corner in the middle of the day. What in the hell were you thinking?” I say, fighting the tremor in my voice. “You could have been killed. You were alone. Where was Petr or any other enforcer to help you? And you did it in front of Theo.”
I try to organize my anger into coherence.
“I’ve been terrified for weeks that something would happen to you or someone would break into this house and hurt me or my son or my unborn baby, but turns out, I should have been worried about you walking around and putting yourself in life and death situations. I mean, for God’s sake, Viktor, what would happen to all of us if you died on a street corner fighting off dealers? Where would we be then?”
Viktor steps forward into my space, his body close enough that I have to stop to draw in a sharp breath.
“You were supposed to tell me before you left the house,” he says, reminding me of my promise. “I had no reason to believe you or Theo or your friend would be anywhere close to that scene today.”
“Hannah. Her name is Hannah, and so much for keeping your business secret from her. She got an eyeful today.”
“Fuck Hannah,” Viktor says harshly, his neck turning red. “I’m worried about you. Why didn’t you tell me where you were? What would have happened if you’d run into those two men on your own? They recognized me, so I have every reason to believe they would have recognized you, too. You could have been hurt or kidnapped or worse.”
“We had guards,” I say, rolling my eyes as if that very scenario hadn’t already played in my mind. “Besides, that area was supposed to be Kornilov territory, right? Even if I had told you we were going there, you wouldn’t have done anything differently. Or have territories changed since the last time we spoke about it?”
“No,” he says, nostrils flaring.
“Okay, then.” I cross my arms and hold my ground. “So, if I’m not safe in territories that are supposedly ‘safe,’ then where am I safe?”
The question comes out hot and angry, but there is a current of fear beneath it.
Where are we safe?
Viktor steps forward until his chest is pressed against mine. I want to pull away from him for the simple reason that his nearness makes my head fuzzy, but I don’t. I stand firm.
He lays a hand over my bicep and drags it down until his fingers tangle with mine. “You’re safe here. With me.”
The words crack the ice around my heart, and I can feel myself melting into him. Despite everything I’ve seen today and all of the chaos happening inside my brain, Viktor’s touch has a way of slicing through all of it and getting straight to the heart of me.
I tip my head up to look at him, and his blue eyes are studying my features, outlining my every edge like he is trying to memorize me. Then, his lips are on mine.
I don’t know if I lean into it or if it’s Viktor who closes the entire distance on his own, but once his lips are on mine, I don’t care. I arch my back against him, tangle my hands in the soft hair at the base of his neck, and inhale him like my life depends on it.
Viktor’s hands are gentle on my waist for a second, and then his touch burns. It scorches. He grips my waist and molds me against his body. I wrap my legs around him instinctively, and he sits me on the edge of a small desk he bought for me to study on. I prefer the kitchen table for homework, so this is the first time I’ve used it. And I’m guessing, after we are done, I won’t be able to sit at this table and focus on anything academic ever again.
His body is warm on the inside of my thighs, but there is too much material between us. Too many layers separating our bodies. I slide my hands down the hard plane of his stomach and unbutton his pants, and Viktor stops kissing me to glance down and watch me peel his pants down to the tops of his strong thighs.
I cup the bulge in his boxers and rub the heel of my palm down his ready length. Viktor tips his head back and groans. When he looks down at me again, his eyes are dark and wild, and I can barely draw in a breath before his mouth is on mine again. His tongue swirls into my mouth, drawing mine out for a dance, and his hips roll against my hand.
“Hannah is waiting for me,” I say, hating the part of me that is being practical. I don’t want to think about anyone or anything beyond this room. Not right now. Not while his body is pressed against mine.
“Fuck Hannah,” Viktor repeats, though this time his voice is a gravelly whisper.
I slide my hand inside his boxers, and he tenses as my fingers wrap around him. “I’d prefer if you fucked me, instead.”
Viktor’s mouth tips up in a wicked smile. “Gladly.”
His mouth curls around my jawline and down my throat as I stroke him. He licks my collarbone and rolls his palm over my breasts while I smooth my thumb over his tip.
“Quieter,” he says in my ear, his teeth nipping at the lobe. I realize all at once I was moaning, and I bite my bottom lip. Viktor pulls back to look at me, and groans.
“Quiet,” I tease while teasing my hand down the length of him at the same time.
“It’s hard when you look that good biting your lip,” he admits, the words almost lost in the huskiness of his voice.
His fingers dig into my hip, and then he pulls me down off the desk and puts my feet on the floor. I reluctantly relinquish my hold on him and am immediately rewarded by Viktor dropping to his knees and unzipping my jeans.
He pushes them down and then walks his fingers up the outsides of my thighs when he returns to my panties. My knees feel weak. I have to grip the edge of the table to keep from falling over. The feeling is only compounded when he lets my panties drop to the floor and presses my knees apart.
His lips are soft on my calves, the backs of my knees, and the untouched skin of my thighs. My entire body is shaking by the time I feel his breath on my center, and I can’t stand the wait anymore. I curl my fingers in his hair just as he buries his face in me.