Anatoly was ever patient and she appreciated that, even if she wasn’t ready to end the conversation. He didn’t push her to look at him or do anything more than stand near her, holding her hands. “Izvinite, I do not mean to command you. Only to caution and keep you safe. Vampires and werewolves have contentious past. Is possible to be evenly matched in fight, but fighting is not strong suit for me…”
She nodded, listening to everything he said and knowing he was right to caution her. At the same time, she was torn by her duty. It’s not like she wanted to face down a criminal werewolf. At the same time if he had information on her case, she had to figure out how to compel him to share it.
“Maybe there’s another way…” she mumbled, more to herself than to Anatoly. “He said come back with a warrant. What if we do that? I could have that place crawling with cops and it’s not like he’s gonna reveal himself as a werewolf under those conditions, right?”
He blinked, then opened his mouth and instantly shut it again. She’d rendered him speechless, it seemed, and that made Maggie smirk. He was rarely unable to think of something to say, she had to enjoy the moment while it lasted.
Sure enough, a second later he had found his voice.
“Is only question of how angry that will make him,” Anatoly replied sensibly. “If Markov considers you big enough threat, he may act in hostile manner after fact. But… Perhaps I can smooth feathers. If you can get warrant, I will try.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Maggie’s eyes snapped to his the instant the words came out of his mouth. Her delight was palpable and despite the tension that had grown between them, Anatoly found himself smiling back at her.
She was beautiful. Her cheeks glowed with a soft blush, and he was reminded that she had referred to him as her boyfriend. It made his chest grow tight and his grin widen to think of it.
The urge to lean down and kiss her was overwhelming. Just as it had been in the kitchen when she licked his fingers clean. The memory was enough to stir all sorts of emotions up in him, but Anatoly maintained control, even though it was exceedingly difficult.
“I’ll get the warrant then,” Maggie was saying, drawing him back to the moment. “Until then… I should probably clean this shit up.”
“Or…” he purposefully trailed off, keeping a firm grip on her hands even as she tried to pull away, signaling that he wasn’t done. “Perhaps we take break?”
She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “And do what exactly?”
“I thought, since you have night off, I might take you on proper date tonight,” he answered, unable to keep the sly twinkle out of his eye. He’d been planning this since promising her a date and he was hoping she would still be open to it given their disagreement.
Her nose wrinkled, but he could tell she was being playful by the smirk that followed the gesture. “Eww, like a surprise?”
“Maggie Boone,” he mock-scolded. “Do not be quick to dismiss good surprise, especially from boyfriend.” He put emphasis on the word, playfully teasing her for using it earlier even though he rather enjoyed having the title. It was thrilling, to be claimed in such a manner by someone, especially someone he cared so deeply for.
The way she giggled and glanced away, her cheeks rosy again, was irresistible.
Anatoly couldn’t hold back any longer. He pulled her to his chest and held her tenderly, his hand raising to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. Maggie let out a startled little gasp even as her body melted in his embrace. He could hear the thrum of her blood, the quickening of her heartbeat as she gazed up at him with eyes that were begging him to kiss her.
Heart aching with affection, Anatoly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The words were still difficult to coax free, but this was as natural as breathing had been in life.
As she returned the kiss, the vampire once again found himself fighting his own nature. His body and his inner beast were strangely in agreement, chanting in the back of his mind that he needed to lay claim to Maggie in a carnal sense, but Anatoly wasn’t ready. He wasn’t sure she was ready either, and the last thing he wanted, was to rush either of them into something they would regret.
But the desire remained and only his good sense allowed him to pull away from her before there was no going back.
By that point, Maggie seemed breathless and swaying on her feet. Anatoly continued to hold her steady, even as she tried to pull him back into the kiss. Oh, how he was tempted by her, but he didn’t dare continue.
“What’s wrong?” she finally asked, when he had made it clear they would be going no further in that direction.
Before he could form what felt like an adequate response, there was an annoyed pounding at the door that startled both of them. “Maggie, it’s your mother, open up!”
“Shit,” Maggie swore under her breath as she began to gather the scattered paperwork. Anatoly realized what she was trying to do and helped, trying not to jumble them up too much in the process.
Meanwhile, Patricia continued to shout her daughter’s name through the door until Maggie growled an annoyed, “I’m coming!” Then she handed her share of the papers to Anatoly with a hushed, “put them in my room,” before stepping toward the door.
Anatoly obeyed without hesitation, hurrying to lay the jumbled-up papers on Maggie’s bed where the cat was curled up asleep. Gremlin trilled quizzically and stretched, but otherwise didn’t seem to mind the intrusion.
When the vampire made it back into the living room, Patricia was making the rounds, inspecting every corner with a critical eye. Maggie stood behind her, arms crossed, glowering.
“Why are you here, Mother?”
Patricia tutted. “Must I have a reason to visit my only child?”
