“Then what’s the p-problem?”
“I didn’t get enough cupcakes.”
“I’ll send Oleg for more,” Maksim suggested.
“Really?”
He nodded. “You call ahead and place the order.”
I creased my brows in worry at the thought. “But is it safe for him to go back into the territory? Especially without you?”
“I’ll text D-Desmond just in case.”
“You’re my hero,” I teased.
Maksim grinned. “That’s a change from what you usually call me.”
“Ha, ha,” I replied as I pulled my phone out of my bag.
While I started to call O’Brien’s, Maksim headed outside to talk to Oleg. He barely got out the front door before he was overtaken by the girls. Shrieks and squeals assaulted my eardrums. It wasn’t every day that they saw a man who looked like a superhero, and they were enjoying the view.
The fact that Maksim whipped his head around with a panicked expression and fear blazing in his eyes sent me into a fit of laughter. Of course, that fact earned me an exasperated look from Maksim. “Sarah,” he muttered through gritted teeth.
I decided to put him out of his misery. Clapping my hands, I quickly got their attention. “Hey girls, this is my friend, Maksim.”
A chorus of giggly “Hi Maksim” echoed around us. “He’s going to have dinner with us tonight if that’s okay.”
After more squeals and giggles, I said, “So, let’s give him some room and be respectful of his personal space, okay?”
“Okay!” came the response.
They then scattered to go talk to the boys, who at the moment were looking less enthused about Maksim’s visit. The moment he was free, Maksim darted out onto the porch. I had to hurry to catch up to him.
“T-That was intense.”
“Says the man who has faced actual danger from scary men.”
He loosened his tie. “But I’m t-trained for that.” Slowly, he shook his head from side to side. “I was fucking clueless b-back there.”
“You have two sisters.”
With a scowl, he countered, “They d-d-on’t act feral like t-that around me.”
“Surely you’ve had girls swoon around you before.”
“Not swarming me like a pack of hungry dogs ready to devour me.”
“Oh no, did you just feel objectified?”
“Sarah,” Maksim growled.
I held up my hands. “Okay, okay.”
Oleg, who had gotten out of the SUV at the sight of Maksim, had been volleying back and forth between the two of us. “Did you need something, sir?”
“Something I’m ashamed to ask you.”
Frowning, Oleg asked, “What is it?”
