Page 101 of Vulnerate

He takes my hand as soon as he’s in the car and kisses my knuckles. My mind flickers between the image of us in this position as teenagers to now. He doesn’t drive for long and I’m too busy staring at his profile to notice where we’ve stopped. This Val is perfect, and he acts like a gentleman as he opens my door for me, then places a hand on my back as he guides me into another art studio. There are glass ornaments allover the space, little trinkets that have me breaking my neck because I can’t understand how they’ve managed to make them so intricate.

His lips brush my hair as he speaks and my chest warms. “You always wanted to learn. We’ve got the space all day.”

Glass blowing was something I had put on my list at thirteen years old, something I wanted to master so I could incorporate it into the sculptures. But I’m a chicken shit and the thought of being near molten glass has always kept me away.

The owner comes out, I’ve seen him before when I’ve been creeping on the items, he’s friendly handing me safety glasses and an apron as he introduces himself. Val’s masculinity is apparently going to protect his eyes as he refuses them and stays attached to me. The childish shit snickers when Roger explains the equipment. “Once you’ve got the molten glass on the blow pipe, you can keep it warm by holding it in the glory hole.”

I’m too focused on learning that I don’t laugh at the innuendo, my maturity surpasses the idiot behind me.Smothering his laugh with his hand, he leans down whispering, “Dirty Dani, you want to put a blow pipe in a glory hole?”

Elbowing him harder doesn’t work and I step to the side, so I’m not distracted. All the equipment is heavy as fuck and I’m too slow moving between each station. Roger is kind enough not to laugh at my efforts and gets another pipe ready for me to try again. “I’ll just be over there, if you need any help let me know.” He leaves while I give my full focus to dipping the molten ball in crushed pigment.

Val holds the weight of the pipe letting me control the spin. There’s no filthy joke and he silently helps me move it around. I’m single minded in my focus to create a paperweight that doesn’t look like utter shit that I don’t realize he’s moved closer as I press my lips against the blow pipe.

The dirty fuck leans down and fits his lips next to my ear as he deepens his voice. “Keep blowing, just like that baby.”

He probably researched what glass blowing is just so he could say every dumb joke he could think of.

“Oh, you want to go back to the glory hole, get me all hot and ready to drip for you?”

I nudge him with my elbow and ignore his immature commentary, but it doesn’t make him stop as I take a deep breath to blow again.

“That’s it, keep blowing, get me nice and big.”

He frowns as I move my lips back and his hand lands on my ass without any pressure behind it.

“I was so close, you little tease.”

Setting the pipe on the holder, I turn to face him, and my smile isn’t forced. He planned it all perfectly and I move closer hugging his middle in gratitude.

We have to wait twenty-four hours for the pieces to cool and Roger agrees to send them directly to my studio as soon as they’re done. Leaning up on my toes before I get in the car I press a chaste kiss to Val’s lips in thanks. He doesn’t deepen it and cups my face with gentle hands. He stares into my eyes and fixates on the only question he has.

“Ready to be my wife yet?”

His proposals are all shit and I roll my eyes and fold into my seat.

There’s a way to life that makes sense. You meet someone, date, discuss the future, move in together, get engaged and then get married. He’s doing it all ass backwards.

His phone rings flashing the name of Viktor’s school on the display as he drives to the next stop on whatever he’s planned. I press accept before he can untangle our hands he kisses my wrist as the teacher speaks in that no nonsense tone they all have. “Your son has been involved in an altercation. We think it’s best if you come in to discuss it at length.”

My first thought is Carly. She wouldn’t go near him after Val and his brothers went to threaten her. She can’t be that stupid.

He looks at me apologetically as he ends the call. Bugging my eyes out because he hasn’t done anything wrong, I speak to him like he’s an idiot. “Turn around, you need to go to the school.”

He’s weird as fuck and grabs my face slamming his lips over mine. “You’re perfect.”

Strange idiot.

Viktor won’t be hurt, and Carly couldn’t have gotten into the school. I’m sure they have fences or some shit to stop random people walking in.

He puts his foot down racing between the other cars and his breathing escalates. It doesn’t get any better as we pull up outside of the school and he quickly gets out while I stay seated. It’s not my place to march in as much as my limbs protest staying still. Seeing that I haven’tmoved, his brows come together, and he pulls the door open holding his hand out.

“Come on Dani mine, I need you to be the calm one, so I don’t beat the shit out of one of the teachers.”

His voice lowers as he leans into the car and there’s so much fear on his face it fills his voice. “I’m struggling to breathe so move because I don’t know if he’s okay.”

I can’t say no or argue so I silently take his hand.

FORTY

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