“Nope.”
Maddie watches us, trying to figure out what we’re talking about. “What’s the shortened form for Valeri?” she finally asks.
“Usually it’s Lera or Valya, but I’m just sticking to Valeri here. You guys have a hard enough time with the name as is. Everyone wants to call me Valerie.”
She laughs when he rolls his eyes, and I ask him in Russian, “What the fuck are you up to?”
He laughs and leans back in the barstool, casually drinking his coffee. “Nothing. I just came to say hi, and then your beautiful new housekeeper asked if I’d like some breakfast. She’s very sweet, by the way. I can see why you were reluctant to let her go.”
“I wasn’t reluctant to let her go,” I say, even though I was and I am and we both know it. “This just allows me to keep an eye on her. She did see me kill someone. I can’t let her go until I know I can trust her.”
“You keep telling yourself that.” He switches to English without giving me a chance to respond. “It smells amazing, Maddie. I’m so glad you’re here to cook for my brother. It’s nice to know it won’t just be him and the dogs here.”
“Fucking watch yourself,” I growl at him in Russian. He ignores my warning, just like he always did when we were little. He’s always been a stubborn little smartass.
He gives Maddie a huge smile and thanks her when she hands him a plate full of pancakes and sausage. She sets mine down next and then starts to fix her own plate. It’s hard to stay irritated when my mouth is full of the most delicious fucking pancakes I’ve ever tasted.
Valeri gives a sigh of appreciation and says in Russian, “Please don’t let her go. I’d love to have a sister-in-law who can cook like this. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nina to pieces, but the girl can’t cook like this.”
“Try not to start planning the wedding just yet, brother. I haven’t even known her for forty-eight fucking hours yet.”
He forks more pancake and tries to appear sage-like. “When you meet your soulmate, you just know it, Volodya. You don’t need months to figure it out. It’s obvious from the second you meet them.”
“Oh, we’re soulmates now?” I ask him.
He raises a brow at me and looks at Maddie, who has no fucking clue what we’re talking about. “This will be her third night here, and she’s still breathing. She is most definitely your soulmate.”
“You’ve been in America too long. Already believing in fairytales and happily-ever-afters.” I finish my bite and ask, “Have you been to the cabin yet?”
I watch Maddie, looking around, trying to decide if she should sit in here or just leave. I press my boot against the stool next to me, pushing it out like I did yesterday and letting her know where I want her. She’s trying like hell to fight a smile and failing adorably. I ignore the little smirk Valeri gives when Maddie sits down next to me.
Still speaking in Russian, he says, “I went there before I came here. God, she’s a pain in the ass. I feel bad for Oleg and Viktor. Even in shifts, she’s got to be grating on their last nerve.”
“I’m giving them each a bonus.”
“They deserve it,” he says, giving a soft laugh. “We’ve definitely caught Scott’s attention with this, though. He’s not happy that his sister hasn’t returned home yet.”
“Good. The fucker needs to think long and hard about his current life choices. He’s in over his head, and now he knows it.”
Valeri finishes his last bite. “We could just kill him.”
“I want his supplier first, and I like knowing how scared he is right now.” My lip lifts a bit at the thought of a terrified Scott. He’s probably too upset to even jack off to all the porn he has. Seriously, does the guy do anything else?
When my knee bumps Maddie’s leg, I feel her whole body stiffen in response. I can feel the tension rolling off her, and she’s not the only one feeling it. Every cell in my body is on high alert. My body’s reaction to her is insane, and I don’t understand it. I’ve been attracted to women before, but I’ve never felt anything like this. I keep my leg where it is, waiting to see if she’ll move. She doesn’t. Instead, she presses her leg even harder against mine, parting her thighs the tiniest bit, making my fingers tighten around my fork. Images of putting her on the counter and burying my head between her legs fills my head until I swear I can hear her moaning my name and taste her sweet pussy on my tongue.
“You know how you can walk into a room and you just immediately know that someone’s just fucked in it?” Valeri asks, his Russian cutting through my lust-filled brain. “It’s not so much that you can smell the arousal, although that is part of it, but it’s just some primal part of your brain that picks up on the sex vibe. That’s exactly how your kitchen feels right now, and I gotta tell you, it’s weird as fuck, and I’m going to leave now.”
“See you later, Valeri,” I tell him, laughing as he puts his plate in the sink.
“It was nice to meet you, Maddie, and thanks for the breakfast. It was delicious.” He gives her another one of his killer smiles. “I’m sure I’ll see you again very soon.”
“It was nice to meet you, too,” she tells him. “I’m glad you liked it.”
Once he leaves, I turn my head, running my eyes over her flushed skin and blown pupils. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who’s miserable. I’m guessing she’s wet again, and the thought of her having to go all day with wet panties makes me very happy. I hope she’s miserable. I hope it chafes her little pussy so that every step she takes forces her to think about me and how badly she wants me to spread her wide and make her feel better.
Pulling my thigh back, I give a soft laugh at the frustrated look that flashes across her face before she gets it under control. Dragging a finger along her chin, I allow us both this brief touch before I stand and break contact.
“I need to take care of a few things,” I tell her, putting my dishes in the sink. “Thanks for breakfast,kiska.”
