A second later, I hear a man shouting. The voice deep, velvet, familiar. It’s Viktor. He stalks across the street and within seconds, he’s laying his fist into the reporter’s face, over and over until blood is everywhere.
With a murderous scowl, his shoulders widen as he looks down at the reporter now crab walking backward further into the alley. “You come near either of these women again, I’ll kill you,” he growls. “Brain on the fucking sidewalk kill you. Do you understand?”
The man stands and runs, tripping over a stuffed trash bag on his way out.
Viktor turns toward Lucy and I. “Are you two okay? Did he hurt you?”
We nod, and I wonder if she’s seeing it too. The immense power of this man. The wide shoulders, his clenched fists, his set jaw. He’s perfection, almost too perfect, inhumanly perfect.
I shake my head. “I’m okay. Are you?”
Lucy shakes hers as well, her gaze on Viktor like she’s noticing what I am.Good.At least I’m not alone. Maybe I was right about that extra pheromone thing.
“Knight in shining armor,” Lucy says, her voice soft and seductive. I’ve heard that sound a million times. It’s her go to tone after a few drinks when she sees a hottie she wants to take home.
Viktor nods, and gazes back at me with intent, his gaze warm and locked with mine. His redolence is so primal that I’m dizzy, drugged, at his mercy.
“I’m going to get going,” Lucy says. “It looks like you two have some things to talk about.”
I glance toward her, raising my hand as to hold her up. “Wait, I think we’re good here.”
“Actually, I would like to talk,” Viktor says deeply.
Lucy winks at me and squeezes my hand. “I’ll text you when I get to the car. It’s only a few steps from here. You can watch me.”
I nod and kiss her cheek, hugging her tight before she walks away, no worse for the wear. “We have a story to tell now. That’s all this is… just a story to tell.” She’s being reassuring. It’s a tactic she’s used on me since the thing with Max happened. She doesn’t want me to let one thing have too much credence. The reminder is always timely and I appreciate it, especially now.
“She takes good care of you,” Viktor says, as we watch her jog back to her car.
“We’ve been friends since we were in grade school. She’s like a sister. We spent most of third grade holed up in the cafeteria protesting breakfast for lunch. We bonded quickly.”
He laughs. “You protested breakfast for lunch? Who doesn’t want that?”
“We didn’t! It’s ridiculous. You have breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for dinner, but not for lunch.” I can’t help but laugh at myself for the idiocrasy of it all. “We were in third grade, we needed something to rage against. Breakfast for lunch did the trick. The point is, I don’t know how I’d have gotten through the last three years without her and Ryan.”
“Ryan,” Viktor repeats. “Did you tell him what I asked you?”
My heart pounds and my throat tightens, but my legs… I swear they spread further apart.
“You asked me a question?” I play dumb but we both know what he asked.
His voice grows husky. “I like you.”
“I know. I assume you followed me here today, otherwise, I’m not sure why you’d be on this end of town.”
He nods toward the bakery across the street. “I like donuts, the lemon filled kind.”
I scan his body up and down. “Now I know you’re lying.”
He leans in, his breath heavy on mine. “I don’t deprive myself of anything I want.”
Fuck, this guy is going to kill me. He’s going to straight up, heart attack, panty soak, kill me. I’m sure of it.
“I’m flattered,” I say, swallowing hard. “You’re obviously incredibly attractive, but I’m not sure this is going to work.”
“And why not?”
“Well, first you’re following me everywhere and creeping me out. Second, you look a hell of a lot like my ex, which should be two separate things but I’m taking it easy on you. And third… you’re my professor. I’m sure that’s crossing all kinds of lines, don’t you think?” I’m sweating as I speak, and my heart is thumping so fast and hard that I’m afraid I might be forcing an actual hole through my chest. I glance down, just to check.
