Well, I finally got some words, although they weren’t the ones I hoped to hear. I ran a hand through my hair, resisting the urge to step closer, to grab his face and force him tolookat me properly. To make him say what was actually going on in that head of his, but I didn’t because my phone buzzed again in my hand.
Morozov.
Defying him wasn’t an option. Not now. Not ever. Not when everything I had—everything Iwas—was tied to that man.
Still, I didn’t answer his call.
“I mean it,” I said, my voice quieter now. “I’ll come back. We should talk about this and what it means.”
Leo’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers tightened slightly against his arm. “It was sex. No need to make more out of it.”
“Call it what you want, Leo, but the next time your cock’s in my mouth, it’s not going to be with latex on. I’ll have my blood drawn, and my doctor will send you my results.”
“That’s hardly necessary.”
“It is.” I cupped his chin in my hand. “To be blunt with you, my experience has been limited to transactional sex.”
“You sleep with prostitutes?” His eyes widened, and his lips fell apart.
“Yes, because they’ve been easy, and I’ve never wanted to get tangled up with anyone. You’re the most difficult thing I have had to deal with, Leo, and for that reason, I should quit you…but I can’t. And I don’t want to either.”
He opened his mouth, but I placed my finger over his lips. “Don’t worry, I’m not a fool. I know I’m chasing a pipe dream. I know that you’ll fight me tooth and nail in this thing, but I’m a fighter. Always have been.”
I removed my finger and replaced it with my lips. At first, he tried to pull away, but I cupped the back of his head and held him in place. He needed a little reminder that the power he had over me was only because I chose to give it to him.
He made a sound of protest at the back of the throat but leaned into the kiss and grabbed my shoulder with one hand and my hip with the other. Then it wasn’t just me kissing him. His tongue plunged into my mouth, and his hand teased the flesh just beneath my shirt.
The phone in my hand vibrated again. “Fucking hell.” I stepped back from Leo and opened the front door. “Go back to bed, Leo. I’ll see you later.”
The door closed behind me as I jogged toward my truck. I hopped inside and started the engine. I looked at the house, wishing he would open the door and wave goodbye. Knowing better than to expect it didn’t mean I wasn’t thoroughly disappointed when it didn’t happen.
I still tooted my horn for him as I pulled out of the driveway. Only then did I return Maxim’s call.
“Where the hell are you?” he snapped.
“I’m on my way. What’s up?”
“We’re not going to discuss it over the phone. You need to get here already, Sergei, and see the fucking mess you let happen when you abandoned your job.”
Fuck, that sounded bad, but Maxim hung up before I could say anything.
It was just after ten when I pulled into the club’s parking lot. I barely had the truck parked and the ignition off before I was out, slamming the door behind me and heading straight for the entrance. The sooner I took care of business here, I could get back to my personal business.
The place seemed empty at first, but Maxim’s car was parked outside, along with two others, so I knew he was there. The first person I saw was Nik, standing near the shadowed side of the bar, one hand braced against the counter, the other dragging through his hair. When he saw me, his expression shifted to relief.
“What the hell happened?” I asked as I approached.
Nik huffed out a breath, shaking his head. “Man…” He looked me over like he didn’t quite know where to start. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch it in time.”
“Sorry for what?” I said just as Maxim rounded the corner,Darius hot on his heels as they made a clear path toward me. How bad could it be? Most things were fixable.
“Where the hell have you been while your club has been made into a goddamn crime scene?”
A crime scene? Fuck. Why did it have to happen the night I’d ditched the club early to be with Leo?
“I had a situation,” I said evenly. “A friend was in an accident, and I had to make sure he was okay.”
Maxim’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And that was more important than your responsibilities here?”
