Page 42 of The Healing Touch

She snickered, and he wanted to spank her. Dammit, she was right. He had brought this on, and it wasn’t really all Charlene’s fault. He’d led her on.

“I’m an asshole, okay? I admit it.”

“Good. You need to understand your manwhorish ways can have serious repercussions. Like creating a stalker.”

“Fuck.” He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “You think she’s a stalker?”

“Well, she’s pretty much splashed her intentions all over your social media, and now she’s shown up here.” Becca changed the channel to country, and he snorted. He didn’t mind; it was growing on him. “I think it’s something to at least consider. Is she dangerous? I don’t think so, but she might cause some trouble. You don’t want her spreading stories about you where your fans will see it. Some will come to your defense, others will wonder if it’s true, and even more still will take up her cause.”

“Her cause?”

“Used by the self-proclaimed manwhore and tossed aside.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. You’re a romance writer who writes about happily ever afters, D. It won’t sit well with some people.”

He used the Bluetooth to call Viktor, starting to really worry.

He picked up on the third ring. “What do you want, motherfucker?”

Becca’s eyebrows made a beeline to her forehead, shocked. Dimitri laughed at her expression. “Man, watch your mouth. Becca’s in the car with me.”

“Little Becca from high school?” Viktor’s accent was so much thicker than his own. Even he had to stop and decipher it.

“Yeah, little Becca from high school. We’re on our way to set up for this signing thing.”

“Apologies, Becca.” There was a shuffling sound then Viktor telling people to get the fuck out.

“Hi, Viktor. No need to apologize. I’m friends with this one, after all. He cusses in both English and Russian on most days. If my ears haven’t burned off by now, I think you’re good.”

“I always did like you,tikhaya devushka.” Viktor laughed. “Is he behaving?”

“When has he ever?”

“Hey!” Dimitri cut them off. “I’m sitting right here, you know.”

“We know that, motherfucker…shit, sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, dammit.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Dimitri rolled his eyes.

“What doestikhaya devushkamean?” Becca asked, cutting off their argument.

“Loosely translated, it means quiet girl.”

“Huh, I guess that fits. I am quiet.”

“I almost never got you to talk to me in school. Didn’t stop me from checking in on you, though.”

“I have a question for you.” Dimitri didn’t like the wistfulness in Viktor’s voice. Becca did not belong to his brother, and if Viktor had thoughts of that kind, he’d better fucking move on from them.

“What?”

“I seem to have gained a stalker.”

That sobered his brother up. “Stalker? What makes you think so?”

Dimitri told him about Charlene and her antics. “I don’t think she’s dangerous, more pissed than anything, but Becca is worried about what she might do to cause trouble on social media and for my books.”

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