“Please excuse us,” he murmurs to her, his voice low and rough. “We’ll pick this up some other time.”
Sorry to disappoint, but you’ll be dead soon.
She opens her mouth to protest, but he silences her with a look. She slides off the couch, shooting me a venomous glare as she slinks past.
I barely notice. My eyes are locked on his; my heart’s about to beat right out of my ribcage.
Those eyes…?
He steps closer, his gaze roaming over me. It hits me like a real touch.
“Well, well,” he says, a slow smile spreading across his face. “If it isn’t Little Red, all grown up.”
I lift my chin, meeting his stare head-on. “Hello, Leonid. Just swinging by to say hi—like the good old days.”
twenty-four
Leonid
Suka!If there’s a god, he’s outdone himself crafting this woman. It’s her—the same mysterious Red from five years ago. The one who vanished, leaving nothing but a mask and memories.
So many women, yet none erased the itch she left.
Why am I sure?
Because my cock’s going wild, straining against my pants just from her damn presence.Blyat, she still gets to me.
She walks into the room like she owns it, confidence rolling off her in waves.
The years haven’t touched her one bit.
Zaebis’,if anything, they’ve only made her more irresistible. That gold dress hugs her hourglass figure like it was painted on, every curve more pronounced, more womanly. I let my gazeroam over her shamelessly, taking in the swell of her breasts, the outline of her nipples that pierces through her bra and dress, the dip of her waist, the flare of her hips. A fucking masterpiece.
She catches me staring, a smirk playing on those crimson lips. “See something you like,Pakhan?”
Her eyes meet mine, a spark of recognition flaring up. Does she feel this, too? This electric, maddening pull that tightens my chest and sends my mind racing? I keep my face neutral, my training holding back the storm inside me.
I lean back, spreading my arms along the back of the couch. “Just admiring the view, Red. Wondering if the rest of you has aged under that mask.”
“Whiskey?” She places one of the glasses on the table, the amber liquid catching the dim light of the room.
I tilt my head, curiosity piqued. “Why don’t you start with your name? Since it’s unfair that you know mine and I don’t know yours.”
She laughs, the sound low and throaty. “Now, where’s the fun in that,Pakhan? A little mystery never hurt anyone.”
I lean forward, elbows on my knees, my eyes never leaving hers. “Mystery is one thing, Red. But I don’t like playing games unless I know the rules.”
“Cheers.” She takes a sip of her whiskey, her tongue darting out to catch a stray drop on her lower lip.
Blyat, the things I want to do to that mouth.
“Who says we’re playing a game, Leonid? Maybe I just wanted to share a drink with an old… friend.”
The way she says “friend” is like a fucking caress and a slap all at once. I feel my control slipping, the need to taste her, to claim her, rising like a tidal wave in my blood.
But I didn’t survive this long in my world by giving in to every impulse. So I force myself to lean back, to pick up the glass she’soffered. I swirl the liquid, watching the light play off the cuts in the crystal.
“Friend, huh?” Fingers tracing the rim, I put the whiskey down. “Is that what you call a man you fuck and run from?”
