Only it wasn’t to him because the food started around and once that happened she was focused on eating in that full tilt way she had.
He wasn’t sure if she was ignoring him extra hard as she did, but it felt that way and he realized how much he’d come to love—and expect—her attention.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Since we were together most of it, you should know.”
Oh. She’d never given him the cold shoulder like this before. He didn’t much like it.
“You can’t be mad at me because Rada sat next to me for less than a minute,” he muttered into her ear.
“I can be mad at whatever I want to be mad at, just so you know,” she told him. “But if you think I’m mad for that reason, you’re a dumbass.”
He couldn’t help smiling. Christ, there he was actually getting a hard-on because she was mad and giving him grief in that prim voice.
Because she trusted him to give him grief. Trusted him to be vulnerable. A flash of heat seared through him, making him clamp down on his desire to bend and take a long sniff at the base of her neck where she’d be so warm and smell so damned spicy. And it was a spot that made her weak for him when he nuzzled it.
She and Rachel started talking about the plans they had for their backyard the coming summer with his uncle adding helpful tips. Cris and Seth shared the name of their landscape company. His aunt kept nudging people, adding things to their plates, topping off glasses.
Irena was totally in her element, satisfied her family was there under her roof. She’d told him once how happy it made her to have the life she did, with her loved ones close enough to see all the time.
She’d opened her arms a little wider to make room for Rachel and Maybe. Treated them like family. Ordered them around, called them out if they were too slow, made sure to bring over soup when they had a fever so it wasn’t all bad. It was simply part of being family.
Before very long they’d relaxed, still eating but at a much slower pace. His arm rested against the top of Maybe’s chair and she leaned against his side from time to time.
Trusted him too, not to run off when she showed him her teeth.
It told him a great deal about how far she’d let him in when he’d learned more about her over the last month than he had in the two years he’d known her. He’d known her coffee preference and what she liked on her pizza, but he hadn’t known the depth of the pain she carried around when it came to her parents.
Each new thing she let him see, every story she shared gave him a picture that filled him with helpless anger.
“Alyosha, butter me some bread. You know how I like it,” Rada called out, breaking into his thoughts.
He turned his head in Rada’s direction, annoyed by her little game.
Evie said something under her breath, clearly meant to rein her friend in.
“If she wants him, she has to fight for him. Otherwise she’s just a doormat. She won’t last five minutes,” Rada said back in Russian.
Maybe stiffened as everyone around them pretended not to be eavesdropping. Then she turned to Alexsei with one brow raised.
He held his hands up. “I didn’t.”
“This talking about the only people in the room who don’t speak Russian is really rude.” She said it loud enough to be heard by everyone at the table.
“I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you said that already.”
“Let’s go outside and finish this discussion,” he said quietly.
She leaned in. “How about no? I’m having a nice dinner. Just use some fucking manners. It’s not that difficult,” she hissed into his ear.
“Why be angry at me? It’s her. She’s just playing with you for sport,” he asked again.
Then her head did that thing women sometimes did to indicate they were about to strike.
God help him, but his cock got even harder.
“I wasn’t doing it. I wasn’t going to butter her bread. I wasn’t speaking Russian. She’s the one being rude.”
“I know it’s not cool. She knows it’s not cool. So the only person who refuses to see that is you. You, Alexsei. You’re my Lyosha, not her Alyosha. You get me?”
He totally did. Moreover, since it was said and done, he’d needed her to make that claim. And she’d made it openly, in front of his whole family.
Risking life and limb, Alexsei kissed the tip of her nose. He hugged her close. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Wow. You’re being very agreeable.”
He loved how suspicious she was, though he didn’t care to examine it very closely.
“You called me out, rightfully. If I’m wrong I’ll apologize. Usually.” And he didn’t want her uncomfortable around his family either.
The volume of conversation at the table rose once more but Alexsei didn’t miss the approving look his uncle sent. This would only make them love her more.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“CAN I STAY OVER?” he asked, pulling her close just outside her front door.
She doubted Alexsei asked for too many things. The man seemed to just demand his due or ride people until they gave him what he wanted and normally she did the asking though they both knew he wanted to.
But with her he showed a restraint she hadn’t known she’d need until he’d given it. A restraint that settled her when he edged near some of her buttons.
That weakness was something Maybe hated. The idea that her father had messed with her so much, or that she was so weak that whatever he’d done to her, she’d allowed to affect her.
She’d gotten away, hadn’t she? Then why did it still have the power to make her feel anything at all?
He tapped her temple gently, dragging her back to him. Away from thoughts better left alone.
“You’re having a very serious argument with yourself. It’s not necessary because you can tell me and then if you need an argument I can give you one. Then we can work out our differences with makeup sex. We haven’t had that yet.”
Charmed and no doubt interested in some of that makeup sex stuff, she reached out to open the door and tipped her chin. “Go on then.”
Rachel was in the kitchen with Vic, who’d carried the leftovers Irena had sent home with them.
As they put things away, Vic watched her sister and listened—truly listened—to whatever Rachel was saying. Rachel probably hadn’t even noticed how comfortable she’d gotten around him. She let him close. Didn’t subtly give herself more space like she did when others stood nearer than she preferred, or made her uncomfortable in some other way.
“He looks at her the way she deserves to be looked at,” she said softly.
Alexsei fit himself to her back, holding her with an arm banded around her shoulders and chest.
“All night long all I could think of was sniffing you right here,” he murmured against her skin. A cascade of delight rode over her from the epicenter, where neck and shoulder met.
Maybe leaned back into him. Into an embrace that came with a really bossy man. And he came with a big family that included his ex-fiancée. Ugh.
But she made no move to leave his hold.
“He’s as close as a brother. I’m not unbiased. Despite his tendency to stir trouble for amusement at times, he needs someone like her.”
Maybe wanted to hear more about that, but in private, once they’d gone to her room for the night. Much like the way his flattened palm cupped her shoulder and shifted just slightly down.
She stepped away, turning to face him. “Do you want to watch a movie or something?”
Dark, slumberous eyes met hers. “No.”
He put so much sex into just one word and a look. Maybe gulped before shoving her hands in her pockets. “Oh. Okay.”
“I’ll meet you in the bedroom.” He leaned in, kissed her and then sauntered away
.
She always fell for it. And how could she not? She wasn’t a freaking wizard after all and he was like, final-boss-level seductive and hot.
Maybe headed into the kitchen to fill a pitcher with water and say good-night. She wouldn’t leave until Rachel was comfortable and if that meant not until Vic left, so be it.
“I was just telling Vic about your upcoming show,” Rachel said.
She and the band were doing a show at Ink Sisters the following week. Finley and Cora had arranged for the proceeds to go to a cool shelter for women and kids.
“It’s for a good cause. I’m sure I’ll come along with Alexsei that night.” Vic closed the fridge after putting away the rest of the food.
“Great! Thanks.” And it would give them more time with one another.
He headed to the door. “I’m going to get moving. I’m far enough up the chain I don’t have to be up at three for the first shift at the bakery, but five is still pretty early.”
He waved, not pressuring Rachel by seeking a hug, and was gone. Rachel locked up and set the alarm.
“I’m headed to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” Rachel said firmly. In other words, she didn’t want to talk about Vic just then. “Things are okay between you two, right?” she asked, pausing.
“Yes. I imagine we’ll talk about it. Argue some. But he promised makeup sex. So there’s that.”
“Makeup sex makes it worth the fighting sometimes,” Rachel said on her way out of the room.
The door was open and Maybe could see he’d cleared a place on her dresser for the water he knew she’d bring in.
She put the stuff down and neither of them spoke as she changed into flannel pants and a T-shirt, along with some thick socks.
She settled on top of the bedding and gave him a glare.
He sighed but stripped totally naked before draping himself on the bed to show off a little.
“Don’t think that just because you look good you’re immune from having this discussion,” she told him after wrestling a laugh back into place.
He sighed again. So very put-upon and innocent. “Let me remind you I apologized already.”
“Yeah, yeah. You didn’t actually even know what you were apologizing for but I’ll give you points anyway. But we didn’t talk about the why. Not really.”
“Then tell me. I’m not a fan of the idea that because we’re together I should simply know what’s wrong every time. Sometimes I need to have it pointed out. I’m not perfect and I can’t read minds.”
She frowned, unaccustomed to someone like him. He didn’t try to make excuses for whatever he’d done. He wanted to know and he wasn’t embarrassed about asking for clarification.
That was sort of badass in its own way. And it made it impossible for her not to be as open in return.
“It’s not just that she spoke Russian in front of me. You guys do it all the time. But that’s usually because it’s second nature. Now, I just started a Russian for beginners course at the community center, but come on! It’s a whole new alphabet and you can’t expect me to be able to know what she’s saying when it’s done—on purpose—to talk about me in a way I can’t understand.”
It kept her apart. Emphasized she wasn’t one of them.
Knowing settled in. That was exactly why it bothered her so much. Now that she understood it she could deal with it better.
“You’re taking a Russian class?” he asked, his voice soft, features that stopped her annoyance in its tracks.
“Yes. But that’s not the point.” But the way he looked at her just then made her stutter just a little.
He sat up, smiling and getting right up in her space to kiss her senseless.
The kiss was a thing of beauty. A devastating attack of tongue, lips and teeth all working to stroke every damned sweet spot she never knew she had.
Her fingers tunneled through his hair, holding on as he swallowed her moan and then snarled. Like it was so good, damn it, give me more.
He broke off at last, leaving her tingling and flushed, her lips swollen against the fingers she pressed there.
“Thank you. I’m touched that you’d learn a new language for me. I can help if you like,” he told her.
She gave him a wary look. “Your idea of teaching is mean sometimes. My teacher at the community center brings chocolate and no one has cried a single time.”
He rolled his eyes. “I never made you cry.”
“True. But there have been those you did. Remember when you tried to help Tom’s skills? He lasted two months. And there were lots of tears.”
He sneered. “Tom was lazy and he made excuses. As I’ve told you, standards, Maybe. It’s good to have them in all things. You are too strong to wrap up in cotton to protect you from breaking. No matter how much I want to.” He said the last very softly.
Suddenly she found herself swallowing back tears so she took a few moments to fuss over him, making sure his cock was covered up so neither of them got sidetracked again. He uncovered it—twice—with a haughty look.
“Back to the point,” she said once she’d gotten herself back under control. “The problem is Rada used something to emphasize that I wasn’t one of you. And that’s bullshit. She can’t just break up with you and then get all pissy when you move on so she tries to drive me away or make your family dislike me. That’s underhanded. She doesn’t even want you back. She just doesn’t want me to be with you.”
He cocked his head as he thought that over awhile. “I can see that. And I’m sorry I didn’t before you pointed it out. And you’re right that she doesn’t want me back. Which is good as I’m not interested. And I have moved on. To you.”
Maybe hated it just a tiny bit that she liked that he underlined that he was with her. It kept her off balance to find herself so invested in not only Alexsei, but his family as well.
They’d accepted her. Made room in their lives, especially since Maybe had started dating Alexsei. It meant a lot and she didn’t want to spend all her time involved in drama that involved them in any way. She belonged. With them. To them.
She didn’t want them to think she was petty or mean.
Rada was one of them. A known quantity. She’d broken up with Alexsei but remained part of the Orlov extended family and had been long before Maybe moved to Seattle. Maybe understood that and respected the place Rada had in their lives and community.
But.
There was no way Rada was going to take that from Maybe. Not without a fight. She didn’t have a whole lot of people she thought of as family. But over the time Maybe and Rachel had lived next door to the Orlovs they’d become that to her. And this thing she shared with Alexsei was too good to just let some jealous wanker screw it up. Heaven knew between the two of them, Maybe and Alexsei would have plenty to mess up on their own.
Rada seemed to underestimate Maybe. A lot of people did. Enough that over her life it had become some sort of personal crusade to prove them wrong. Rada was soft, but Maybe was anything but.
“I don’t want you worried about that,” he said. “I hate when you’re upset.”
He shoved the hair from his forehead and his biceps got ripply.
Damn, his skin was so taut over muscles. He had chest hair, which she especially liked. A lot of men didn’t, or got rid of it. He had just enough to be hot but not so much she had to pretend it away.
“You automatically respond to her requests. That bugs me. Stop it. Don’t make me tell you again because I think it should be pretty self-evident.” She’d been going for stern, but as she’d been drooling over his body, that undercut the effect.
“I’m sorry. I’ll work harder to be aware of that and stop. I’m your Lyosha and I know it.”
That was nice. He was nice.
His belly was really, really nice too.
“You’re objectifying my body. I’m
appalled.”
She burst out laughing, jumping on him. Knowing this was a side of him very few people saw. Knowing too that he did it for her.
He laughed too until he managed to flip her over and pin her with his lower body.
“It’s habit. One I’ll endeavor to stop,” she said, breathless.
He kissed her. “No need to stop. You’re on the list of people who are allowed to objectify my body. It’s a short list of one, so don’t get that face,” he told her with a smug look.
The tension of the discussion had eased. He’d listened and owned his stuff. And she believed he would try hard to change his behavior with Rada.
How freaking weird was it that she sort of dug it pretty hard that they’d just had a fight and it was normal and over?
“Oh are we getting near the makeup sex portion of this evening’s schedule?” she asked before taking his bottom lip between her teeth.
“My answer when it comes to you and sex is usually going to be yes.”
“Oh my God, you’re so easy.”
“It’s something I work very hard on.”
Maybe snickered and then gasped when he nibbled down her neck.
Alexsei muttered to himself as he managed to peel her shirt off and expose her breasts to his touch. “I never realized just how sexy a piercing could be until you came into my life,” he told her, twisting the bar through her nipple until she hissed with delight.
“I’m pleased you think so,” she managed to say.
“I do. But all your parts are sexy.” He smiled quick before ducking his head to replace his fingers with his mouth, sending her off the bed, into his touch.
He got her pajama pants off and before a few breaths more, their legs were tangled as he kissed and caressed her upper body.
* * *
THE IDEA THAT she believed herself to be anything less than everything to him battered at his heart.
As did his inability not to see until just a few minutes before that this whole reaction to Rada was about his ex trying to get between Maybe and the relationship she was building with his family.