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***
Barely an hour later, my lover is pulling me into his arms in the doorway of my apartment.
I laugh, the sound muffled by his lips on mine. “Is this you trying to set a better example?”
“Just in case you had forgotten what it feels like, Lancaster.”
“You need to make up for going AWOL for five days… so you’ll have to be convincing.”
“That can be arranged.”
His strong arms lift me up and throw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then, he strides to the bedroom. I laugh even harder when he tosses me onto the bed and lands on top of me.
A few heated kisses later, Vadim pulls away from our embrace. His phone has just vibrated. He glances at it, then rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling, looking worried.
“Bad news?”
“It’s going nowhere.”
“Dimitri Monkov?”
“What else?”
I feel him tense up, so I move closer and wrap myself around him.
“I need to be patient, but it’s torture, Alma,” he confides in me. “My men are watching him day and night, yet the guy doesn’t make a single mistake.”
“Is he still in Paris?”
“Yes, but not for much longer, according to my sources.”
“Are you planning to follow him to L.A.?”
“I don’t know… I’ll have to keep a low profile, if I don’t want to screw everything up.”
His deep voice falls silent, and something I can’t quite put my finger on flickers in his gray eyes. He studies me for a few seconds, probably sensing my relief.
“Alma, I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. But I’m not going to abandon you just to chase after him.”
I smile at him, and he makes a point of adding, “I’m here, with you, and it’s the only place I want to be.”
He rolls onto his side and presses his warm lips to mine.
“I don’t want to be selfish,” I whisper. “I understand that this investigation is your priority.”
“No, that’s not the case anymore. I’m slowly learning to put things in perspective. Dr. Bloom has really helped me.”
“Dr. Bloom?”
“Elizabeth, my therapist. I’ve been seeing her regularly since I arrived in Paris.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about her?”
“Maybe because I’m ashamed I need her help…” he admits in a hollow voice.
I feel something crack inside me.
“More secrets, Vadim? Didn’t we say we’d tell each other everything?”
