Page 17 of Viktor

Gabe laughed, and she wagged her finger at him.

“You just wait and see. If you think I’m joking, you’ve got another thing coming. My mother will feed you at her table or die trying.”

“I’d listen to the woman.” Viktor leaned against the railing. “The ladies from around here mean business.”

Sara narrowed her eyes, trying to discern if he was making fun of her or being serious. He looked a littletooinnocent. “You…”

“Need to get cleaned up,” he interrupted. “Can you show me to the bathroom before the food gets cold or your mother comes to hunt us down?”

Sara resisted the urge to snark at him. Instead of giving in to the childish urge, she turned and went inside, very aware of Viktor as he followed. He was a big man, football player big, and she could feel the sheer size of him behind her. Anyone else might have been intimidating, but not Viktor. It made her feel oddly safe to have him at her back, something she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

Gabe broke off and headed toward the kitchen, and she continued down the hall until she came to her makeshift office that would serve as Viktor and Gabe’s bedroom.

“You have your own bathroom in here.” She opened the door and stepped inside, glad she’d gotten the mess cleaned up.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

A shiver shot up her back at the soft huskiness of his voice.

“Well, I’ll just leave you to get cleaned up, then.” She turned, prepared to run from the room and the way he made her feel.

“Wait.” He reached out and gripped her arm before she could make it past him. “Are you okay?”

His fingers sent a jolt of electricity through her, and she tried to pull away from him, but he only pulled her closer. Those black of his were fathomless. She swallowed and stepped back enough so she could breathe. Viktor affected her in a way no other man ever had without even trying.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Viktor finally released her, and she sent up a prayer of thanks. The heat of his fingers felt like a branding iron.

“Gabe told me about the shit your ex pulled earlier. He said you’d been out back since your brother-in-law showed up.”

Ah.

“I’m fine.”

“No, Sara, you’re not,” Viktor rebuked. “You’re pale, shaky, and your eyes are bruised and puffy.”

“I’ll admit seeing his truck shook me a little, and then when I had to tell Benny what was going on, it brought everything back I was trying to forget. It’s been a hard day.”

“I’m sorry.”

His heartfelt apology struck a nerve in her. No one had said that to her, not even her parents, and meant it. Deep down, she wondered if they blamed her for staying so long. Hell, she blamed herself for Delia getting hurt, so why wouldn’t they?

Not trusting her voice, she nodded and started to move around him again, but his words stopped her.

“He won’t get away with pulling that shit again. I’ll make sure of it.”

She nodded again, and this time when she went to leave, he let her.

Sara fled to the kitchen where Delia was hanging out with her dad, hiding behind his legs. She still wasn’t comfortable with Gabe. It hurt her heart her baby was so cautious around men, but she hoped that would change as she got older and saw not all men were like her father.

“Viktor will be along as soon as he gets cleaned up.” She went to the stove and started helping her mother transfer food into serving dishes. They were going to eat in the dining room tonight, as the table was bigger and they’d need more than the four seats the breakfast table held.

“Viktor’s here?” Delia’s head snaked around her grandfather’s knees.

“Yup.” Sara suppressed a smile. Viktor was very quickly becoming her daughter’s favorite person. As much as she didn’t want Delia getting attached to him, she couldn’t bring herself to curb the girl’s reaction. Delia needed strong men to show her they weren’t all bastards.

“Can I go say hi?” She sidled out from behind her grandfather, her face lit up like the sun had finally fought its way out from the storm clouds.

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