I flush. “You heard that one, too?”
He nodded, smiling. He’d been out there watching me for a long longer than I thought.
“It was a team effort, I guess,” I chuckle nervously. “I know it’s ridiculous, but it kind of fits him, though I suppose it’s not as charming as a literary name.”
Viktor shrugs. “The Three Musketeersis one of my favorite books.”
“You like to read?” I hazard a guess.
“When I have time,” he replies, “which isn't often.”
“So you're one of those guys with bespoke suits who actually works for a living instead of living off a trust fund?”
This time, there is no laughter, but there is a gleam in the older man’s eyes that I have no idea how to interpret.
“I suppose you could call me a workaholic. I prefer a personal, hands-on approach to my work.”
The words form on my lips: “What kind of work do you do?” But they die there, too. I think about the look in his eyes and the warning bells still going off somewhere in the back of mymind, and I decide against asking. It’s not essential knowledge, anyway. I’ll probably never see this guy again after today. Who cares what he does?
“Oh, crap!” I’ve enjoyed myself so much, I completely lost track of time, and the numbers on my phone surprise me.
One of Viktor’s eyebrows rises. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry to run, but I have a lot of work to catch up on.”
“Oh, of course,” Viktor says smoothly, standing as I do and gallantly gesturing for me to precede him out.
As I lead Benji out, I have the strangest feeling that I didn't want to leave; I don’t want our time together to end. The guy is magnetic, and I’m sure he's used to getting whatever woman he wants. He’s too smooth and too polished, and I should be wary.
But as unsettling as it is to have those blue eyes focused entirely on me, it also felt nice in a way I haven’t felt in a very long time.
We chat during the short walk back to Suzie’s, and I make Benji sit and stay before I turn to Viktor—I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.
“Thank you for the coffee, and everything else,” I add hastily.
“It was nice to meet you, Leah,” he says.
I glance at Benji and laugh quietly. “Even considering the circumstances?”
“Including the circumstances.” Something is sparking in Viktor’s eyes when he says the words that makes me swallow. Hard. Something predatory, smoldering, and dangerous.
So why does it send a flush of heat through me I haven’t felt in years?
“It was nice to meet you, too, Viktor.”
I almost ask for his number, almost ask to see him again, but instead, I turn and flee up the steps to Suzie’s front door, dragging Benji with me.
I give him water and see him settled, which gives me time to get my heart rate and my hormones under control. Then I give him a goodbye kiss and tell him he won’t be alone long because the dog sitter is on her way.
It’s time to get over this odd little daydream of a day and get back to real life. I lock the door and hurry down the stoop... only to nearly run smack into Viktor still waiting at the bottom. I barely manage to stop myself from crashing into him on the last step, and his hand darts out to steady me—big, strong, warm.
“I want to see you tonight,” he says, and it’s not a question.
“My daughter is home tonight.”
“Then I'll pay whatever extra is needed for a babysitter.”
“No, that's not necessary. I'll ask our neighbor. I'm sure she’ll be up for it.”
