Page 39 of Bound By Revenge

“For what it’s worth, I can assure you I’m of age. I’m all grown up where it matters.” He gives me a wink.

I can't resist laughing. He’s delightful, especially for a made man. Ready to tease him back, I lean towards him over the kitchen island, an equally flirty retort on the tip of my tongue, but he’s staring past me.

“Thanks for the update, Dmitri,” Nik says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

He looks... absolutely devastating. His freshly washed hair is still damp, curling slightly at the edges where it brushes his collar. The casual way he moves—fluid, confident—makes my pulse trip over itself.

As he brushes past me to grab a mug, I catch a faint whiff of his scent. It’s nothing extraordinary, just clean and simple, but it hits me like a wrecking ball. My stomach does this ridiculous flip, and I grip the edge of the stool to keep from toppling over. Thank God I’m sitting down; otherwise, I’d probably keel over and die of embarrassment if my knees buckled and I face-planted into the kitchen island.

When his gaze flicks to mine, the memory of him pacing outside my door seizes me, unbidden and far too vivid. My cheeks heat, and I look away fast, but it doesn’t matter. Blushing this hard is basically the same as wearing a flashing neon sign that saysI’m thinking dirty things about you.

And yet, it’s not just that. The memory of what happened in the hallway feels illicit. It’s absurd, completely ridiculous. It’s not like I did anything wrong. It’s not likehedid, either. But still, the feeling lingers, irrational and impossible to shake.

Dmitri’s voice disrupts my reverie, his smile holding no trace of remorse. “Morning, Nik.”

“I see you two have met,” Nik says, taking a seat next to me. I try to scoot away, but he holds me back by gripping my seat and pulling it towards him. He's so close, I can practically smell his shampoo and feel the warmth of his skin. I can even see his chest rise and fall as he breathes.

"I've been keeping her entertained for you," Dmitri says, winking at me.

“Is that so?” Nik asks, his tone as dry as sandpaper.

“Yep. She’s been peppering me with questions about you. Wanted to know all about the great Nikolai Stefanovich.”

“I have not,” I scoff, maybe a little too defensively.

Nik arches an eyebrow at me.

Dmitri chuckles, leaning casually against the counter. “Of course, we were also getting to know each other better. Figured it was a good idea since we’ll be seeing so much of each other. You’re okay with that, right, Nik?”

Nik’s gaze turns stern. "Dmitri…” His tone is a warning. “Don’t you have somewhere to be this morning? Last I checked, I don’t pay you to stand around and drink my coffee, bothering my guests.”

“I wasn’t bothering her. Kat was having a good time, weren’t you, Kat?” He throws another wink my way. “You don’t mind if I call you Kat, do you? ”

“Dmitri—” The chill in Nik’s voice is unmistakable—he’s one Dmitri wink away from the breaking point.

Dmitri just grins, unfazed. “See you around, Kat.” And with a final wink, he strolls out, leaving Nik to quietly seethe.

I watch Dmitri leave, taking in the view and letting my gaze linger a bit too long—just to make sure Nik notices. He stays silent beside me.

“Wow,” I say finally, breaking the silence once Dmitri is out of sight. “Just… wow.”

Nik sighs wearily. “Sorry about Dmitri. He can be a lot sometimes. I let him get away with way too much, and he knows it. I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you again.”

“No need for that,” I reply with a smile. If he can manage some civility after yesterday, then so can I. “At least not on my account. I haven’t laughed this much in a while.”

“Oh, really?” he asks, setting his coffee mug down with a hard clink.

“Yeah, I think he’s wonderful. Please don’t punish him because of me. I’d love to chat with him again, so don’t tell him to stay away from me or any nonsense like that.”

“Wonderful, huh?”

“I thought so.”

“Well,” he says, his voice dry, “I hate to disappoint you, Kat, but you and Dmitri are here to work for me, which won’t leave you much time to—how did you put it?—chat.” He gives the word a pointed emphasis. “I expect you both to focus on your jobs, so you won’t get a chance tochatanytime soon.”

The nerve of this man.

I smile even more sweetly at him. “Sounds good to me, Nik. I wouldn’t want to waste any time I could be working. After all, the sooner we finish this job, the sooner you and I can go our separate ways.”

---