Page 62 of Seduction (Wicked Vows)

“Ah.”

I close the door behind me and remember what he told me last night. I remember his promise.

I swallow hard.

When your work is over. . . we’ll have a talk.

My work is over. . . what will that talk entail, and why does my heart threaten to leap out of my chest?

“Here,” Markov says, handing me my phone. “Before you and I pick up where we left off, call your mother.”

Gah. Whyyyyy did he do that to me?

“Markov,” I choke out.

“What?”

“Why did you say that before I called my mother?”

A corner of his lips quirks up, and he shrugs. “Because I know exactly how you’ll respond, and I want you to remember who you belong to.”

“Even when I’m on the phone with my mother?”

“Especially when you’re on the phone with your mother. Your mother will praise you and tell you what an accomplished woman you are. And while that praise is well deserved, you were the one who told me you like the idea of putting things down for a while. That you don’t always want to be the strong, powerful, in-charge woman.”

I swallow. “Right.” I dial my mother. It’ll be lunchtime back home. Nostalgia hits me in the chest with a wave of homesickness.

She answers on the first ring.

“Vera?”

“Mom! How are you?”

“Oh, it is so good to hear your voice. I know you’re busy, but I miss you so much. Thankfully, Markov’s been keeping me updated, so I don’t have to bug you too much.” She laughs.

I stare at Markov. “Markov’s been keeping you updated?”

What?

“Oh, yes. He texts me every day just to tell me how things are going. He said you were on the verge of a breakthrough. Something to do with. . . I could only follow so much. . . using crops or something to prevent. . . something.”

I smile and shake my head at him. “Yes, exactly, and Mom, it’s big news.” My voice gets a little husky again because this is so monumental for me. “We did it. We figured it out.”

Her whoop is so loud in my ear I have to hold the phone at a distance until she settles down. Markov and I grin at each other.

“Oh, Vera, I knew you could do it. Knew it! Markov did, too. He said he had total faith that you would persist until you figured it out.”

I swallow. “He. . . did? Oh.”

For the first time in my life. . . I have a little circle of support. I’m not even sure how to handle the surge of emotion.

“Tell me everything,” Mom says. I’m grateful for the chance to pull myself into facts and out of the emotions that threaten to choke me.

I tell her everything, and while she probably only understands about twenty percent of what I say, as usual, she’s attentive and curious.

“Oh, Vera,” she says. “Your grandma and I are so, so proud of you. You’re going places, sweetheart. You watch and see.”

Heh. I try not to think about the fact that the next place I’m going is probably right over Markov’s lap.

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