“I have complete faith in you,” I tell her after the waitress leaves.
“I didn’t realize it would be this much food.”
“Come on, we’ll do it together.”
She picks up her fork, eyeing the bacon, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and plate of waffles on the side, clearly unsure of where to even begin.
“I like to start with the savory and end with the sweet, that way the waffles seem like a dessert,” I tell her, picking up a piece of bacon and taking a bite.
She shakes her head at my sound plan and grabs the syrup, dousing her waffles in it. “It’s all about the mix of salty and sweet,” she says, dipping her bacon in the syrup. “That’s really where the magic happens.”
When I hesitate, she laughs and says, “Just try it. You’re gonna love it.”
I smile at her enthusiasm and grab the bottle of syrup, pouring it over my waffles and then dipping my bacon in it. Holding it up, I raise a brow at her. “Only for you would I do this, Evie.”
She smiles and watches me take a bite. Her smile grows when she can tell I like it.
“Told you,” she says, drenching her own piece of bacon again and taking a big bite.
“You were right,” I admit with a laugh. “You’ve completely changed how I think about food now. I’ll never look at breakfast the same way again.”
“Just wait till you try salted caramel ice cream or a hamburger with bacon and syrup. The possibilities are endless, Valeri.”
I smile and say, “It’s a date then.”
“Huh?” she says around a mouthful of food, blushing even harder when she realizes what she’s just signed herself up for.
“That’s two more dates you owe me. One for ice cream and another for hamburgers.”
After she chews, she says, “It could just be one date for hamburgers and ice cream.”
I think about it and shake my head. “No, I like my way better. I get to see you more.”
She looks like she’s about to say something, but instead she fills her fork with eggs and takes another bite. I’m surprised by how much I enjoy just being around her. She’s nice and funny and laidback. She’s not looking around at the small diner, giving me the stink eye for not taking her to someplace more expensive, and she’s not slowly working her way through a fruit bowl with a pinched look on her face, claiming that she just doesn’t require a lot of food like other women. She’s a goddamn breath of fresh air.
When she takes her last bite, she gives me a triumphant smile and pushes her empty plate aside, piling everything onto it so it’s easier for the waitress. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
I laugh and toss my napkin onto my own empty plate. “I knew you could do it.”
She smiles and then looks at her watch, her face quickly changing from happy to worried. Her bruise is more noticeable with the light coming in, and to keep my temper in check, I think about how beautiful it’s going to sound when I break all the bones in her father’s hand. The thought cheers me up, but all that goes to shit when I look up and see Ilya and Nikolai walk in. They’ve been with the Bratva since my older brother took over after our dad was killed, and my desire to ease Evie into my lifestyle is going to be a lot harder if these two walk over. Nikolai does all our tattoos, and the man is covered in them. Ilya has about the same number as I do, but three tatted-up Russians is enough to make most people suspicious. I silence my groan when Nikolai looks over and meets my eyes. He sees Evie, and his smile grows as he elbows Ilya and nods in our direction.
When they start to walk over, I look at Evie and say, “A couple of my friends just walked in, and we’ve been spotted.”
She looks over, easily spotting the two large men who are headed our way. The scared, nervous look comes back, and when I see it, I don’t even have to think about it. I get up and scoot in next to her so Ilya and Nikolai can take the seat across from us.
Before they can even open their big mouths, I tell them in Russian, “She knows nothing about the Bratva, and it better damn well stay that way.”
They laugh and stare at Evie with open curiosity. Nikolai holds a tattooed hand out to her. “Hi, I’m Nikolai.”
She shakes it and says, “Hi, I’m Evie.” Ilya introduces himself next as the waitress comes over with a big smile on her face, turning the charm on while she takes their orders and then clears our empty plates.
“What happened to her face?” Nikolai asks me in Russian.
“Her father. Don’t worry, I’ll be having a word with him about it.”
He smiles and says, “Call me if you want some help with that.”
Switching to English, Ilya asks, “So how did you two meet?”
