I sigh because even though he’s joking, there’s some truth to it. We’ve always been close, and I would have told my brothers about her myself if we hadn’t been ambushed at the diner.
“She works at the downtown library. She’s a night janitor.”
“She’s a hard worker,” he says, and I can hear the approval in his voice. “Marry her, Valeri.”
I laugh, but he doesn’t join in. “I’m being fucking serious. Is she sweet?”
“Very.”
“She’s nice and willing to work a job that most women would turn their noses up at, and she’s managed to catch your eye and keep it for longer than an hour. Remember how you told me Maddie was the woman for me because she was still breathing after being in my company for more than a day?”
“Yes,” I say with a laugh. “I still stand by that.”
“Yeah, well it’s the same thing with Evie. Women don’t make an impression on you. They never have. You fuck them and forget them. It’s been that way since your fucking balls dropped. This girl has, though. That means something.”
“Yeah, I know,” I tell him, opening the car door. “I’m going to go sneak into her work and see her.”
He laughs and drives off with a wave. I make a quick stop to grab a bouquet of pink roses from an all-night store and then head straight for the library. It’s surprisingly easy to sneak into, and I add that to the list of reasons of why she needs to quit this job. I’m just hitting the main area when I look over and see an older man watching me.
“You must be Jerry,” I say, giving him a friendly smile.
His eyes run over my tattoos and the roses I’m holding as he steps closer. “You must be the reason Evie is coming into work smiling.”
“I’m Valeri,” I say, holding out my hand. “And I’m glad she’s smiling.”
“Evie’s a good kid and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met,” he says, pointing a finger at me. “And you may be younger and in way better shape than me, but I promise I will find a way to kill you if you hurt her.”
I smile at him and nod my head. Jerry is the only man to threaten my life and live to tell about it, but he’ll never know that. “She’s lucky to have you as a friend, and I will never hurt her, so you don’t need to worry about trying to kill me.”
He studies me for a second before deciding I’m telling the truth. Going back to his mop, he says, “She’s on the second floor tonight.”
“Thanks, Jerry,” I say, already walking to the stairs. I take them two at a time, eager to see my girl again.
Chapter 7
Evie
Iget to a steamy part in my audiobook, but all it’s doing is making me think about Valeri and how good it had felt when he’d cupped my pussy like he owned it and then made me come so fucking easily. I finish cleaning up the last row of books and turn, nearly having a heart attack when I see Valeri leaning casually against the wall at the end of the aisle, staring at me with a heated look that has me sucking in a quick breath of air.
The pink roses in his hand are gorgeous, and when he curls his finger at me, beckoning me over, my feet start moving automatically. I have just enough time to think about how awful I must look before I’m standing right in front of him. His smile is pure sin when he drags a finger along my cheek before pulling out one of my earbuds.
“Oh wait,” I quickly say, but it’s too late. He’s already putting it in his ear, lifting a dark brow at me when he’s thrown right into the explicit sex scene.
“Aren’t you full of surprises,” he says, giving me a wink. He listens as the man in the story lays the woman down and spreads her thighs wide before burying his head between her legs. Valeri leans closer and ghosts his lips over mine. “Listen,lapochka, listen to everything he’s doing to her, because it’s exactly what I want to do to you.”
“Damn,” I whisper.
He smiles and cups the back of my head, fisting my ponytail and tilting my head back even more. Giving my bottom lip a soft suck, he lets his teeth graze over my skin, and when the man slides his tongue into the woman’s pussy, Valeri slides his tongue between my lips, pulling a moan from me as my knees grow weak. I listen to the woman climax in the story, but all I can think about is getting closer to Valeri. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hike a leg up, smiling when he immediately cups his free hand under my ass and lifts me with ease. I cling to him, not caring if it makes me look needy or desperate or whatever the fuck else. I want him. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
Pulling back, I take out my earbud and grab his too before stuffing them in my pocket. “I just want you,” I say, cupping his face and looking into the green eyes that are now so familiar to me.
He smiles and grabs the roses he brought me. “Sorry they’re a little squished, but that was one hell of a hello kiss.”
“They’re so beautiful,” I tell him, bringing them closer so I can smell them. “No one’s ever bought me flowers.”
“I’ve never bought anyone flowers, so it’s a first for me too.”
“Good,” I say, making him laugh. I know I’m going to get very few firsts with a man like Valeri, so I’m going to cherish every single one of them. When I tighten my legs around his waist and lean closer so I can run my tongue over his top lip, he lets out a groan and squeezes my ass.
