Evie blushes and says, “I hit his car.”
They laugh and take the coffee the waitress drops off for them.
“You hit his brand-new Aston Martin?” Nikolai asks, making her cheeks turn an even brighter red.
“It was easy to fix,” I say, reaching over and giving her thigh a soft squeeze to let her know I’m not even slightly mad about it. I feel her body tense at my touch, but when I don’t move my hand, she slowly starts to relax. I make sure to keep my hand closer to her knee because something tells me Evie isn’t very experienced, and the last thing I want to do is scare her away. After a few minutes of Ilya chattering away about what breakfast he’s in the mood for, she slides one hand under the table and rests it on top of mine. The move leaves me grinning like an idiot. Nikolai quirks a brow at me, and the amused glint in his eyes lets me know I’m never going to hear the end of it.
I spread my fingers, and she immediately threads hers through mine. I stroke her hand with my thumb, amazed that something so small as holding hands can be so damn erotic. I can’t even remember the last time I held hands with a woman. I usually go to the club, find someone who catches my eye, and either go back to her place or mine or, hell, just find a dark corner somewhere. There isn’t any romance, no emotional attachment, at least not on my end, and when they leave, I never think about them again. It’s not that I’m trying to be an ass. I just never wanted anything more. Evie’s already changing that, though, because I feel like I’ve already become obsessed with her. If she knew I had someone dig up information on her, that I’ve already driven past her house on more than one occasion, and that I’ve changed my entire schedule so I can watch her on her way to and from work, she’d probably scream and run in the opposite direction. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I’d chase her cute ass and bring her back, but I wouldn’t fault her for trying to get away from me.
Evie convinces them both to order what we had, and after they’ve placed their orders, she turns to me and says, “I really need to get home.”
I give her hand a squeeze and finish the last of my coffee. “Dip your bacon in syrup,” I tell them. “It’ll change your life.”
Evie laughs and grabs her bag. “It was nice to meet both of you.”
“You too,” Nikolai says with a grin.
Ilya bumps Nikolai’s shoulder and points at the bench seat that Evie and I were just sitting in. “Move your ass over there. We’re not dating.” Then he looks at Evie and smiles. “I’m sure we’ll see you again soon, Evie.” In Russian he adds, “Your brothers are going to love hearing about this.”
I smack his arm and laugh. “Just for that, I’m going to let you pay for us.”
Nikolai laughs. “I’ll let you pay for me too.”
“It’s worth it just to see you smiling and holding hands under the table like some love-struck teenager,” Ilya says with a laugh.
They’re still laughing when I tell them to fuck off. Smiling, I lead Evie out of the diner with my arm around her shoulders.
“Wait, we didn’t pay,” she says, turning to go back inside.
I tighten my hand on her and laugh. “Ilya wanted to pay.”
“Oh, he didn’t have to do that. I should go back in and thank him.”
“I’ll tell him you said thanks. It’s okay, Evie.”
She clutches her bag, still looking unsure, but then glances at her watch again and decides it’s more important that she get home. I open the car door for her again, and when I get in on my side, she quickly says, “You can just drop me off in front of the library. I can take the bus home.”
“I can drive you home. It’s not a problem.”
She shakes her head. “No, please. I need to take the bus.”
Instead of arguing, I drive her back to the library, parking my car near the bus stop.
“When’s the next bus?”
“In twenty minutes.” She reaches for the handle and says, “Thanks for breakfast, Valeri. I had a really great time.”
I laugh and reach over to move her hand from the door. “I’m waiting with you. There’s no way in hell I’m driving off and leaving you at the curb. It’s bad enough I’m letting you take the bus.”
“You don’t have to wait. I’ll be fine.”
Leaning closer, I reach up to tuck a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, noticing that it’s just as soft as I imagined it would be. Her whole body stills, and I’ve never seen anyone look so damn uncomfortable. It’s like she has no idea what to do, and it embarrasses the hell out of her.
“Tell me something, Evie. Do you look so uncomfortable because you don’t want me to kiss you, or because you want it so badly it scares the hell out of you?”
“I’m not so sure this is such a good idea, Valeri,” she whispers.
“For me to kiss you?” I ask, running a finger along her unbruised cheek.
