We reach a chain-link fence, and I pull out a slim key and slide it into the padlock. Valentina’s brows climb as she flashes me another incredulous look.
I run deals, move product, and earn the respect of all those who work for me, but this type of job is new territory. One motivated solely by the reward of putting a smile on her face. The two grand I paid for secrecy, and this damn key was worth every penny.
God, I don’t recognize myself when it comes to her. It’s almost laughable.
Inevitable ruin.
“Success,” I say as the door swings open. I step aside and motion for her to go first.
“So what exactly are we doing here after hours? What are you getting me into?”
“So many questions, Ptichka.”
Valentina glances over her shoulder and smiles. “Almost as many as the nicknames you’ve given me.”
I close the distance, my breath brushing her ear. “You told Remi about us?”
“I did. If I were going to start somewhere, it’d be her.” She stops but doesn’t turn around, just leans back into my chest. “Did she say something?”
“No,” I say, tracing the edge of her shoulder with my gaze. “She didn’t have to. The way she looked at me, the way she let me in without a single question, told me everything I needed to know.”
“She likes you—likes us. Together.”
I step around her and close in until she has no choice but to look up at me. My hands find her face, thumbs brushing her jaw.
“Yeah?” I smile. “I have to agree.”
“Maksim, where are we going?” she whispers over my lips.
My original plan will have to wait. Because I need her now. Need to feel her, taste her, die in her arms.
“Detour.”
Before she can question me, I hook an arm under her thighs, crutches be damned, and lift her effortlessly. She squeals, clutching my shoulders as I carry her through the deserted fairgrounds. The wind catches her hair as we near the one place I know we’ll both enjoy.
The mirror maze.
Thirty-One
VALENTINA
“You’re joking. It’ll be pitch-black in there. We’ll never make it out.”
I don’t realize I’m gripping his shirt like a lifeline until he chuckles, and I feel his chest rising against my knuckles. But he doesn’t pry me off. He just gives me that infuriating grin that drives me crazy in all the best ways.
“I’ve got us covered.” He pulls out a strange-looking key. “You don’t have to be scared.”
“I’m not!” My voice comes out smaller than I’d like. Too childish. And that’s the last thing I want to sound like around Maksim.
Time to fix that.
I wriggle out of his arms and use the railing for balance, making my way toward the entrance. “Was this your plan, Maxy? Bring me here after dark,chase methrough a maze, and tell me you’ll fuck me if you catch me?”
He slides the key into the panel and turns it. Electricity hums to life, flooding the attraction in dim red and blue light. He glances up at me and grins.
“Not originally,” he says. “But now that you mention it…sounds like a good idea.”
I slip beneath the chain and steady myself on my good leg, fingers catching the hem of my shirt. In one slow motion, I pull it over my head and let it fall at my feet.
