Page 61 of Vulnerate

Her smile gets wider with each memory, and she softens telling us both new information.

“Hmm, the first time I saw him he was younger than you, I think. He had a black eye and a cut on his lip from fighting someone the day before, all the kids in the playground were scared of him.”

She’s not lying, and I know which day she’s talking about.Some little cunt was taking the piss out of Tali for his obsession with eating 24/7 and pushed him over on the first day of school. The marks on my face were premeditated so I wouldn’t get in shit with teachers and could gain their sympathy.

Len had spent three years training me and I was pissed at Vlad for breaking his promise that I wouldn’t have to fight after we’d moved when it was the second day of school, and my knuckles were red again. The first punch I threw out of my own choice.

Fucking hell. It was a lifetime ago.

TWENTY-FOUR

Daniela

Focusing on anything other than Val while Viktor goes to wash his hands, my hands become the most interesting thing in the world. He has his shirt off, all his tattoos blend together like a scrapbook calling me to study them. Handsome prick. Our truce is over, and he’s not supposed to be here, my mind was going to hold on to the image of him asleep as the last memory of him. But he’s fucking it up, and me in the process, by standing there all Val with no shirt on and going through my things. Private things. Someone’s library of debauchery are off limits, they need to be respected.

A low curse comes from behind me, closer than where he should be. “Oh fuck.”

There’s humor in it and I can hear his stupid smirk as he closes the distance and stands at my back. Electricity works up my spine as he lifts my hair away from my neck. It gets worse with his deep, low voice brushing my skin and goosebumps erupt.

“Found your porn, khudozhnik moya.”

My entire body turns red knowing what he’s looking at.

I turn to face him, snatching my book out of his hand again, but the stupid idiot is so attractive I pause. Blue is all I can see as he leans down, the same blue eyes that I’ve been painting for years are right in front of me again, and his taunt is lighthearted.

“If that’s what you read, what do you watch?”

I step back and tilt my chin in the air, pretending not to give a fuck about his proximity and find extra confidence for my voice.

“I’m a lady, I read my porn, not watch it.”

My false confidence crumbles when he looks at me.It’s his eyes, I’ve never had a favorite color. It always depends on my mood and what I’m pairing it with. But the blue mixing with faint yellow flecks is mesmerizing no matter the occasion.For years it has been those eyes giving me comfort and they’re in front of me again.

Stroking across my jaw with his thumb, he whispers, “Is that so you can imagine me when you’re reading it?”

My head moves too slowly, and his thumb doesn’t leave my skin. My voice drops turning husky without meaning to.

“No, you watch porn for release. I read it to escape.”

There’s too much honesty and I clear my throat looking away for a place to hide it before more comes out.

Clean up.

Yeah, I’ll do that.

He’s a messy person so he won’t follow me.

He smells too good, woodsy and citrus, making me lightheaded and I take deep breaths through my nose so I can get more as he follows me. He strokes his fingertips down my bare arm in a ghost of a touch and electricity travels through my skin. Every muscle relaxes and I lean back feeling his chest support me as he threads his fingers through mine, holding the back of my hand.

Instinct urges me to move without a reason why as Val’s lips brush my shoulder, they don’t press in fully as a thud hits the door, making me jump back and bringing me back to my senses. I push away from him as the savior of my sanity knocks again, dumbly announcing, “Door. I mean there’s someone at the door.”

I rush away from him, wiping my hands on my thighs and try to control my breathing before pulling the door open.

Even while we were dating I was never happier to see Sam than I am at this moment. I give him a smile he doesn’t deserve for his character and move forward to close the door behind me. He doesn’t say anything to me as he looks over my head, his eyes catching on something and frowns. Flicking back to me then whatever he’s enraptured with behind me, his lip curls up in disgust and he lets out filth.

“Didn’t take you long to fuck someone else. I shouldn’t be surprised conside?—”

He’s cut off from saying anything else as I’m pulled back inside, and Valentin forces him back with his fist against his jaw. He slams my own door in my face, but it doesn’t mute his shouts between the impact of bone on bone.

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