Page 116 of Sexting His Assistant

“My brother is coming.”

“I read.”

“You have to go.”

His brow lifts. “If I don’t?”

I stare at him. “Then my brother will kill you.”

Luka looks almost amused. “He can try.”

“No.” I point at him. “I can’t deal with this right now. This is not the time for you two to test friendship through attempted murder in my living room.”

He sits back against the pillows, looking far too comfortable for a man who is half naked in the apartment of his best friend’s little sister while said best friend is apparently on his way.

“You’re panicking,” he says.

“Yes, Luka, I’m panicking. Because unlike you, I’m not emotionally prepared to explain why you’re in my bed before breakfast.”

His gaze moves over me, slow and shameless. “Technically, after breakfast.”

I grab a pillow and hit his good side with it.

He catches it, laughing under his breath, then winces because apparently even laughter offends his bullet wound.

“See?” I snap. “You can’t even laugh without suffering. Get dressed.”

“You are ordering me out.”

“Yes.”

“After everything.”

“Especially after everything.”

His amusement fades a little. So does mine.

For one second, the joke drops, and we’re looking at each other in my messy bed, both knowing this is not really funny.

Luka reaches for my hand.

I let him take it.

His thumb moves over my knuckles once. “You’re still leaving?”

My throat tightens. “My apartment? No. You are.”

His eyes hold mine. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know.”

I don’t answer the real question. Not now. Not with Misha on his way and my heart already halfway up my throat.

Luka sees that too. He always sees too much.

Instead of pushing, he gets out of bed carefully, which is how I know the situation is serious. I help him with his shirt, trying very hard not to think about the fact that I’m buttoning the same man I was undressing hours ago.

He gets his trousers on with only mild profanity in Russian, which I pretend not to hear because I’m generous under crisis. I find his coat from the back of the chair and hold it out.