Ultimate Vengeance (Wanted Men Book 4)(56)

“Fuck you. That is what happened.”

He went from zero to sixty in less than a second. “If you tell me that once more, I’ll drag you into the nearest empty room, and I’ll do just that. I’ll fuck the ever loving hell out of you. Maybe if I give you a couple of orgasms, you’ll be pliant enough to shut your mouth and allow me to vindicate myself.”

They weren’t dancing anymore but standing there staring at each other. Her expression was a beautiful combination of fury and desire because he’d made sure to speak in Russian so she’d understand every fucking word.

“Excuse me. May I cut in?”

They both turned to see Sheppard next to them, collected and full of all that control Alek seemed to have forgotten existed. Sacha tried to withdraw from his arms, but he held fast. He refrained from landing a crippling left to the lawyer’s square jaw only because he wouldn’t embarrass Sacha. And Eva, by association.

“No,” he said bluntly. “I’m not finished with her yet, Sheppard. Go back and schmooze with your pals. If she absolutely insists, I’ll return her. Though that will be for her peace of mind only. I know she wouldn’t appreciate what people might say if she arrived here with one man but left with another.”

He danced them away.

“A-lek-zan-der! That was so rude,” she whispered fiercely, still in Russian. Why? So if they were overheard no one would know she was scolding him?

Amazingly, he felt a spark of humor at that, and at how she’d stressed each syllable of his name. “He’s lucky I didn’t shoot him in the face for his gall.”

Her jaw went slack as she gaped at him.

“Nervy asshole. Who the fuck does he think he is to interrupt us?”

“He is my b-boyfriend!”

His fingers clawed into her hip involuntarily. “Really? That was your implication earlier today, but you couldn’t quite get the words out. Now I see why. They didn’t sound at all convincing. Do you love him? Does he worship you the way I do? Do you look into his eyes while he’s buried deep in your body and know you’re where you belong? Does he spread you wide, open you up, and watch with utter fascination as you come apart for him? Does he celebrate that brief moment of complete satisfaction, and then take his time putting you back together again? Has he convinced you yet that you’re the reason his heart beats?”

Her golden gaze became luminous. “How can you be such an awful person?” she whispered. “I do not understand how you can stand here and say these things to me? You should feel such shame. I am ashamed for you, Alekzander.” She pulled clean out of his arms and left him in the middle of the dance floor, where he was left to wonder what was so shameful about the way he loved her.

He stood there and watched her disappear into the crowd. Hated that she was capable of leaving him. That it didn’t pain her, cripple her, to walk away. As it would have him.

He barely reacted when his arms were suddenly full of female again. He looked down into his cousin’s concerned sapphire eyes.

“Dance with us?” Eva said, her tone as kind as her smile.

He looked around for Gabriel, the hair on his nape tingling with a whole lot of I-don’t-think-so. Was his friend so concerned for him that he would…?

The big Italian was at the edge of the crowd, drink in hand, Quan and Jak at his sides. His eyes were hooded, trying not to show the sympathy he was feeling.

Alek appreciated that. “You meant you and the baby.”

Eva laughed, sounding a little breathless. “Yes. Gabriel isn’t overly concerned about what others think of him, but even he would have a problem with something like that.”

“No shit.”

She grew serious as they began moving in a slow circle. “Would you like a woman’s point of view?” she asked before clearing her throat and pulling in a slow breath. She flashed a quick smile as she drew in another lungful.

Figuring it was the pregnancy and dancing combo, he gave her a helpless shrug. Across the way, Markus caught his eye with a thumbs up. He nodded and looked around for Sacha. She was back at Sheppard’s side. Anton, Alek was pleased to see, was ten feet away from them. He nodded at Alek as if to say “she’s covered.” Guy needed a raise.

“I should have waited until Markus found a private room before I approached her. I didn’t because when she saw me, she looked as if she was happy to see me. Couldn’t resist dancing with her. But once I got her out here, shit, she was hating on me worse than ever.”

“She’s probably struggling because she loves you but hates what she thinks you did.” Eva blinked and shook her head in a manner that had Alek narrowing his eyes on her. He might have thought she was tossing her hair over her shoulder, but the dark mass was up in a twist of some sort. “Do you find it hot in here? I’m hot.” She glanced around and fanned herself for a second, smiling when she saw he was watching her. The expression seemed strained. And was it him, or was she leaning more heavily on him than she’d been a second ago? “You know, I thought I hated Gabriel a time or two before it became apparent I couldn’t live without him.”