Page 22 of Saint

They seemed to be waiting for her to say something, so she repeated Nik’s words. “To our meeting.”

They clinked their glasses against hers and tossed the vodka back. Not wanting to look out of place or ungrateful, Mia did the same. Oh, hell, it was strong. Smooth, yet fiery as it streamed down the back of her throat. She plunked the glass back down on the table a little harder than she’d intended and saw Nik’s mouth edge up in approval.

“Dimitri and Lev will take you to the safehouse and make sure you have what you need,” Nadia said, and they all stood up. Then she circled the table, walked straight up to Nik and planted her lips directly on his, giving him a full-on smacker of a kiss. Hell, she was practically making out with him.

Mia narrowed her eyes at the completely unnecessary gesture. When Nik stepped back, swiping a hand over his mouth, Nadia frowned slightly then glanced over at Mia. Understanding flashed through her intelligent, cat-like eyes.

“Nikolai can’t give you forever, but he can give you a night you’ll never forget. Take advantage of”—her gaze dipped down his body suggestively—“all that. You won’t be disappointed.”

She wiped her smudged lipstick, and Mia felt a hot streak of jealousy mixed with embarrassment. Letting out a breath, she didn’t comment. But, she had a very good feeling Nadia was correct. Nik Valentine was the kind of man who could rock her world, but he’d never hand over his heart. If he even had one.

They walked to the door and Nik opened it, letting in a strong gust of wind.

“The weather is starting to look bad,” he said.

“A snowstorm is coming,” Nadia said. “Lev, take your truck and give Nikolai the snowmobile in the back.”

Lev inclined his head.

“Thanks,” Nik said. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Be careful,” Nadia murmured.

Nik gave a nod and placed a hand on Mia’s back, guiding her out into the frozen evening. It was already getting darker and colder. And they were right—the sky above was churning and looked ready to dump a lot of freaking snow.

The vodka had warmed her up a bit more, but Mia hoped wherever they were headed had a fireplace. She planned to plant her butt in front of it and not move all night. She also had a lot of questions, and she planned to houndNikolaifor answers.

Chapter Seven

Nik breathed a little sigh of relief as they stepped outside. Nadia was a tempestuous creature, and that had gone better than expected. He’d gathered intel, plus gotten them a safehouse, gear and a snowmobile. Granted, he now had to take a side trip to Petrov’s compound, but if he acquired Zaitsev that would be a huge win for Ex Nihilo.

Of course, the kiss had been unexpected, but she’d been testing him…and Mia. Nadia liked to do shit like that. Try to get under other people’s skin and get a reaction. He wiped a hand over his mouth again, making sure he’d gotten all the red lipstick off.

“It’s all off,” Mia said flatly, as though reading his thoughts.

He glanced over at her, but didn’t comment. Why did he feel like he’d kissed another woman in front of his girlfriend? He gave his head a shake, confused by the ridiculous thought. It made no sense. Mia wasn’t his girlfriend. He didn’t do relationships, especially not with someone ten years younger who oozed an innocence that he hadn’t possessed since…well, since he’d run away from the orphanage all those years ago.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a statue.

“The Izhevsk Bear,” he answered, motioning for her to follow him to the famous statue, and telling Lev they’d be right back. A cold wind blew in off the nearby Kama River, but thevodka had warmed his blood. Hopefully, there was more stashed at the safehouse. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

Funny, though, he hadn’t thought about smoking since before they left the airport, which was very unusual. Normally, he chainsmoked like a fiend.

They stopped in front of the statue and Nik explained, “Legend has it if you rub the bear’s nose, your wish will come true.”

“Really?” She placed her gloved hand on the bear’s nose and massaged its snout. When she briefly closed her eyes, Nik wondered what she wished for. But then she quickly pulled her hand back and smiled. “Your turn.”

“I don’t make wishes anymore,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because they don’t come true. Mine don’t, anyway.”

Instead of accepting his answer, she took his gloved hand in hers and laid it on the bear’s nose. Her hand remained on top of his, encouraging it to move in a circle. “You never know if you don’t try,” she said softly.

Unable to resist, he gave in to the moment. To her. And, for the first time since he was a scared little boy, he made a wish.

His wish surprised the hell out of him. Instead of wishing to defeat The Agency or even make it out of Russia alive, he found himself meeting Mia’s sky-blue eyes and wishing for the impossible.

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