“I hate to say this because he’s my cousin, but I bet Dima’s packing too, and he’s not going to be able to resist you for much longer. Especially once you put your plan in place.”
The grin she gives me almost has me feeling sorry for Dima. That man has no idea what’s headed his way.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to just sneak into his bed naked or anything. Although,” she says, pausing while she thinks about it, “that’s not a bad idea. It’s not going to be my first move, though. Now that I’ve had some time to calm down a bit, I feel more in control. This is a long game. I’m in it for more than justone night with him. I know him well enough to know that if he starts to feel cornered, he’ll just fight me all the harder.”
“So what’s the plan?” I ask, following her lead and standing up.
Before we leave her room, she says, “I’m going to drive him crazy until he has no choice but to give in and give me what I want. Baby steps, though. He can be as stubborn as a mule.”
“He’s not the only one,” I tell her.
She just grins and says, “Well, I’m winning this one, no matter how long it takes.”
“I don’t doubt it for a second.”
We find her mom in the kitchen with her grandma, the two of them laughing about something while they put together a lunch that looks far too big for just the four of us. Allie and I grab a couple of drinks and sit at the island.
“You two slept the day away,” Svetlana says before batting her daughter’s hand away when she tries to steal a handful of carrots. “Stop grabbing. Talia invited us over for lunch. These are for everyone.”
“Talia?” I ask, instantly perking up. I’d been wondering when I’d get to see Damien again, but I didn’t realize it would be this quickly.
Allie’s mom grins at me. “Yeah, she heard you stayed over and wanted to visit.”
“Who else is going to be there?” Allie asks in the kind of nonchalant way that she knows I’d never be able to pull off right now.
Her mom shrugs and turns to take a casserole out of the oven while her grandma gives us a wink and passes us a plate of cookies. When Svetlana sees it, she looks at all of us and says, “Really? You can’t wait twenty minutes?”
“Sorry, Mom,” Allie says. “I’m really hungry.”
“Me too,” I say before shoving the rest of the cookie in my mouth.
Svetlana gives up and grabs one for herself before answering the question. “I think it’s just Talia and Lyra. Max is working. I guess maybe Damien and Ev are there. I don’t know. She didn’t say.”
Needing to show my excitement, I put it all on Lyra and gush about how cute she is. It’s not a lie. She is adorable and I love on her every chance I get, but the real reason I’m feeling so giddy is the thought of seeing Damien again.
“Well, we’d better get ready,” Allie says. “I don’t want to show up in my pajamas.”
“I’ll see you girls later,” her grandma says.
“You’re not coming?” Allie asks while she gives her a hug.
“Not today.” She smiles and gives me a hug too. “Your Grandma Tatiana and I need to get our steps in.”
I return her hug and say, “Tell her I’ll be over to visit soon. If you take the path by Tyoma’s, you can see all the wildflowers coming in. I passed it the other day when I was on my bike. The foxglove is really pretty this year.”
She pats my cheek before turning to leave. I look down at the hot pink sneakers with the velcro straps she’s wearing, knowing my grandma has an identical pair in a neon green. They decided a couple of years ago that they were going to start walking to keep in shape. Our dads worried about them falling on the uneven terrain, so they had several paved walking trails added in. They rarely miss a day, and if they ever did go off the trail and get lost, their bright shoes would be like beacons leading us right to them.
After she’s left, I race through a quick shower. I hate to wash all traces of Damien off me, but I’m hoping he’ll dirty me up again real soon. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve tee, I resist the urge to grab his hoodie. I can’t start wearing itevery single day. Someone’s going to notice and the last thing I want is my family connecting it to Damien. I don’t know how we’re going to convince them of our relationship, but it’s not something I want to worry about right now.
Before we leave, Allie leans in and whispers, “Don’t worry, if I pick up on any sexual tension between you two, I’ll let you know.”
“I can play it cool,” I tell her.
Her laughter isn’t much of a confidence booster, but I’m fairly certain I can face Damien and not make it obvious I just saw the man naked, or that he very recently came all over me after giving me the best orgasms of my life.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can pull that off.
It’s such a pretty day that we decide to walk, and I know my grandma would be thrilled that we’ll be getting our steps in too. Allie and I carry insulated bags of food while her mom walks beside us.
