Page 49 of Toxic Salvation
I wave him away and he retreats into the house, finally giving me room to think.
The timing of her text feels suspicious now that I know her name is circulating among my enemies. But then again, everything is suspicious when you’re paranoid about the woman carrying your child.
VESPER: Hey, just wondering where you’re going to be in half an hour?
KOVAN: Working. Why? Is it urgent?
VESPER: Not urgent exactly. I just thought maybe we could talk, find some common ground… For the baby’s sake. That’s all.
The mention of the baby always affects me. She knows it, and I suspect she’s using it deliberately.
KOVAN: Come to my office when you’re ready. I’ll be there most of the night.
She responds with only a thumbs up emoji.
I decide to swim a few more laps before heading inside, but the peaceful meditation I was hoping for never comes. My mind keeps cycling through worst-case scenarios involving Vesper and the people who want to hurt us.
Twenty-five minutes later, I’m in my office when she appears in the doorway, knocking tentatively on the door I deliberately left open.
She stops dead when she sees me standing behind my desk, still shirtless with damp hair from the pool. “You’re busy?”
“I just finished swimming.”
Her gaze travels down to my chest, then lower to my abs. She catches herself staring and tears her attention away, a flush creeping up her neck. “I can come back after you’ve changed.”
I should take her up on the offer, but I’m enjoying her reaction too much. There’s something deeply satisfying about the way she looks at me when she thinks I’m not paying attention.
“I’m comfortable if you are.” I study her face carefully. “Unless you’re…?”
She clears her throat and steps into the room, revealing that she’s carrying a small tray loaded with food. “No, no, of course not. I’m fine.”
She’s wearing a blue dress that skims her body without clinging, and her bare shoulders send an unwelcome surge of desire straight to my cock. Those three birthmarks on her right cheekcatch the lamplight, and I have to resist the urge to cross the room and trace them with my finger.
I settle into the armchair and gesture toward the sofa. “What do you have there?”
She places the tray on the coffee table between us like it’s laden with explosives. “I brought you dinner. I made it myself.”
“You made me dinner?” I can’t hide my surprise.
She glances at the clock on my desk. “I know it’s late, but you missed dinner with Luka tonight, and Pavel mentioned you’ve barely been eating.” Again, her gaze sweeps over my torso as if she’s conducting some kind of medical examination.
“Is this a peace offering, Vesper?”
She bites her lower lip. “Maybe. I just don’t want us to be constantly fighting. Especially not when the baby arrives. We need to learn how to coexist. More importantly, we need to learn how to co-parent.”
“Hence the sandwich and chips?”
She frowns slightly. “It’s a gesture. I’m not exactly a chef.”
I take a bite, and warm, melted cheese hits my tongue. Vesper clasps her hands together with delight. “It’s actually edible?”
I laugh at her enthusiasm. You’d think she’d just successfully performed brain surgery instead of making a basic sandwich. “More than edible. It’s delicious.”
Relief spreads across her face as she sinks back into the sofa. “Thank God. Every time I’ve cooked for Waylen, I’ve sent him running to the bathroom for hours afterward.”
I raise an eyebrow. “The night’s still young.”
She giggles. When her laughter fades, though, an awkward silence fills the space between us. The only sound is my chewing.
