We laugh, and he brushes a strand of hair from my face, the humor dimming just enough to let something else through. Something heavier.
“When you’re ready, we’ll tell them. All of them. You set the pace,Ptichka.”
Ptichka.Little bird.
My heart aches and soars at the same time.
“How many nicknames are you going to give me, Maxy?”
He doesn’t answer. His mouth slams into mine.
And for a second, I let myself get lost in it. In him. When we break apart, his hand lingers on the side of my face. Gentle. Possessive. I lean into his touch, needing to feel every part of him. I want him folded into every corner of my life. The one I built while he was gone, the rush that sets my chest on fire every time I race.
All of it.
“I want to take you somewhere when I’m out of this thing,” I say, my voice softer. He arches a brow, and I suddenly feel strangely vulnerable, but hold his stare. “It’s important to me. Part of who I am. You’ll see.”
Twenty-Eight
VALENTINA
The scent of oil and metal hits me the second I step into Remi’s garage. The hood’s up, her sleeves are rolled, and she’s bent over the engine of a candy-red ’98 Supra. She glances my way once, dark hair twisted into a messy knot, a platinum strand tucked behind her ear, then goes right back to work.
“You ever sleep?” I call out, letting the door shut behind me.
Remi grunts. “Says the girl who went off grid for hours and came back looking like she got wrecked by a semi.”
I snort—close enough—and slide onto a stool, grabbing the energy drink off her workbench like it’s mine. It’s warm, disgusting, and exactly what I need.
I fucked Maksim.
The words burn the back of my teeth. I haven’t said it out loud, not even to her, and she’s the one person who gets everything. But something about this thing between us feels…untouchable. And I want to keep it mine just a little longer.
“Val, your text said you had something important to spill, and if you don’t spit it out already, I’m chucking this ratchet at your head. Stop being so goddamn suspenseful.”
“Bite me.”
“Tempting, but I’m elbow-deep in a timing belt right now.”
I crack a smile and take another swig, letting the silence sit until I can’t hold it anymore.
“I slept with him.”
The wrench clinks against metal, and she straightens in a flash, already grinning.
“You little slut.”
I bark a laugh. “Really?”
“A fucking semi indeed. Look at you. You’re glowing.”
“I am not.”
“Please. I can see it all over your face. He turned you inside out, didn’t he?”
I try to glare, but I’m smiling too hard, and my face burns as last night rushes back.
“It was...a lot.”
