Page 72 of Viktor

Who was this man, and where had her friend gone? He reminded her so much of Roger in that second, she fisted her hands at her side and inched closer to Viktor. Old fears punched her in the gut. How had she never seen this side of Dimitri?

“I never want to hear that bullshit come out of your mouth ever again, Rebecca. Do. You. Understand. Me?”

Sara glanced at Viktor, who didn’t look concerned in the least his brother was acting like a first-class asshole.

Viktor shrugged, his concerned gaze centered on her. He hadn’t missed what Dimitri’s tone did to her. “He a control freak, and he needs to make his woman understands what he’s saying.”

“You’re going to marry me, Becca. You might as well just give in.”

His tone gentled, and she looked away from him. Sara saw the indecision in her eyes. Becca loved him, but she knew him. She’d call her later. Sara knew Dimitri too, and he loved Becca more than his own life. That stupid behavior a second ago didn’t diminish the fact she was it for him. Well, she’d call once she got past what this side of Dimitri brought out in her. She was afraid of him, an emotion she’d never associated with Dimitri before.

Dimitri reached for his glass, which was close to her, and she flinched away from him. She couldn’t stop herself. It reminded her of the way Roger spoke to her right before he decided to dish out his brand of punishment.

He went completely still, and Viktor sat up, ready to help if she needed him.

“Shit, Sara, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think…fuck. I’m so sorry.”

She took a deep breath and tried to smile, but her insides were twisting. It was Becca who took her hand, and she looked up, surprised.

“Dimitri’s an asshole, but he would never hurt me. He’s all bluster. If I thought for a second he’d raise a hand against me, I wouldn’t be sitting here with his royal highness. Heisa control freak, but never at my expense. He treats me like I’m the most precious thing in the world to him.”

Sara nodded, but she couldn’t shake her mood. Viktor pulled her close, tucking her into his side, and she didn’t pull away this time. She needed the comfort.

“Fuck,” Dimitri muttered.

“It’s okay, baby doll. Just give me a minute, okay?”

“Baby doll?” Viktor glanced between her and Dimitri. He knew she’d called him that before and told him Becca was fine with it, but what the ever-loving fuck?

“It’s a nickname.” Sara explained how it came about. Becca really didn’t seem to care, but he didn’t like it. Not one little bit. He wasn’t about to forbid her to call his brother that, though. He wasn’t her asshole ex. He’d just have to learn to deal with it.

Their food arrived, giving them all a much-needed distraction. He’d been tempted to reach over and smack Dimitri when he went into his dominant mode. He understood it. Dimitri needed to make Becca understand his feelings, but at the same time, what the fuck? Sara had just come out of an abusive relationship. That shit was unacceptable around her.

He’d played it cool, watching her out of the corner of his eye. When she’d moved closer to him, he’d counted it as another win. She trusted him in her heart, even if her head was still having issues accepting it. She looked ready to break, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled her to him, and she leaned against him. It made him want to puff out his chest and crow, but he kept his cool.

Sara was a person you had to slowly sneak up on because she was conditioned to distrust people, thanks to Shit Face. He’d been working on it from the day he decided he wasn’t going to fight his feelings anymore, and his efforts were paying off.

Dimitri looked stricken that his macho crap had caused his friend to retreat from the conversation. She wasn’t even eating; her fork pushed her fries around on her plate. He needed to get her back to the hotel. Once she was calm enough, she’d forgive his brother. Deep down, she knew he wasn’t her ex and that her friendship meant the world to him. Dimitri wouldn’t have called him and offered to pay for his services for just anyone.

“You about ready to go?”

Her look of relief was telling, and Dimitri made a noise Viktor wasn’t quite sure how to define. Becca snuggled into him, and he held on to her for comfort.

Viktor reached for his wallet, but his brother waved him off. “I got this. You go take care of her.”

Viktor waited for Sara to slide out then followed her quietly out of the café. She was hunched in on herself, and he took several long strides to catch up. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

“He didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know.” She was so quiet, it worried him. He opened her door and buckled her seatbelt when she climbed into the vehicle.

“Sara?”

“I’m fine.” Her words were harsh, but he didn’t take it the wrong way. She was dealing with memories, and he understood that.

“I know you’re fine, sweetheart. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

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