Page 35 of Tangled Vows

Walking down the stairs, I revel in the lingering hunger in his gaze. The admiration in his eyes is palpable. The heat emanating from his body tempts me to ruin his plan in a different way. Why not just... bend down in front of him? Roll off these shorts and parade around the living room to flaunt my legs?

Oh my God. Stop it, idiot. Just play nice.

“Are you that happy we’re going out?”

Red heat flushes my cheeks at his question. My smile must have given me away. I regret my dirty thoughts, offering my hand to him. “Something like that.” I give him the only answer I can. He can have his secrets, and I can have mine. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?

As it turns out, our destination isn’t far from the safe house.

In less than ten minutes, his car rolls into one of the parking lots around Surfside Beach. I can smell the salt in the air. Wave after wave rolls in and splashes on the sand before the water subsides. I take in the moon’s silver reflection on the surface, watching the ripples of waves as a breeze blows tufts of my hair back. I glance right and left, wondering if there are more people around.

To my surprise, there’s nobody else here. There are two boats to the right, several hundred yards from the beach itself. There are also several piles of stones near the wave breaker separating the beach from the pier.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Ivan remarks, the two of us walking into the sand. “If you don’t like it, we can—”

“I love it,” I interrupt him. “Of course I love it. I mean, we have the beach all to ourselves. Is that why we’re here? Because you knew we’d be alone?”

He laughs, throwing a quick, sideways glance down at me. “That, too.”

“I’m waiting to hear the other reason. Or reasons.” I assume a sweet tone. “Please?”

“There’s been a development, Clare,” he informs, his smile evaporating. “I won’t lie to you—I don’t like it. I doubt anyone else in the Bratva will be thrilled to know about it, either.”

“Why? What happened?” I keep my attention on him. “You’re scaring me.”

“It was a little too...” He pauses. “Unexpected. Let’s leave it at that. I can’t

talk about it yet. Let’s just enjoy our night, okay?”

“Ivan, if this affects me in any way, I need to know,” I insist, a touch of discomfort in my tone.

“It doesn’t,” he assures, his voice softer as he turns his head to face me. “All you need to know right now is that you’ll be kept safe until we resolve this. No one’s going to lay a hand on you, Clare—unless they have a death wish.”

My sandals sink into wet sand as I stop and face him. His eyes are a shade of silver in the moonlight. I can tell he’s exhausted. His slow blinking speaks volumes. I gaze up at his curly eyelashes, the scent of the sea getting stronger in my nostrils.

“I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this,” I confess, my voice just a little more than a whisper. “I feel protected. Cared for. Important. My God...” I heave a sigh, my gaze dropping to his lips before shooting back up to his eyes. “I’ve never felt more important in my whole life.”

“You are,” he declares, intensifying his stare.

I cup the sides of his waist and lean in. A gust tosses my hair about, some strands whipping the base of his neck. He leans in, angling his lips as I savor the sound of those waves. Our lips lock, his long arms snaking around my lower back. I am trapped in his warm embrace, his words replaying in my mind.

“No one is going to lay a hand on you.”

In truth, he didn’t have to utter them. I know. I’ve known for a while how determined he and Leonid are to protect me. However, hearing him say this is just... precious. I matter to them. They would destroy just about anybody if it ensured my safety.

He twists my body and rolls me around before pushing me down on the sand. I bend my knees, my back making contact with the cool sand as his fingers travel down my dress. Reaching the hem, they ease it up. I wrap my arm around his neck and pull him down, feeling his warm hand on my outer thigh. His idea was wonderful. I’ll gladly surrender to him, right here and now. He’ll take care of me and consider my needs. That’s what he does. And God, he does it so well that it takes my breath away...

Chapter Seventeen

Leonid

Sometimes, Ivan and I discuss what it would be like to be a Pakhan.

The boss of everything and everyone in an area as vast as North Miami or even larger.

We consider the numerous perks, like the millions every month from gun trading, prostitution and other enterprises. The dozens—if not hundreds—of women we could have at the snap of our fingers. Most of all, the huge respect from pretty much every crime syndicate around the area. A Pakhan is like a king without a crown.

This morning is different. A lot different.

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