Page 219 of Toxic Temptation
He sets his phone face-down on the white tablecloth, but his fingers drum against the surface. Restless energy radiates off him in waves.
“I’m being careful.”
“You’re being insane,” I correct. “The custody hearing was a week ago. You won. Luka is safe. Yana is in jail. Can we please just have one normal evening?”
“Normal doesn’t exist in my world, Vesper. You know that.”
“Then maybe we need to expand your world.”
Kovan’s jaw tightens. “Ihor isn’t going to just accept defeat and disappear. He won’t forgive and forget. He will plan. He will wait. He will strike when we’re not expecting it.”
I reach across the table and cover his hand with mine. His skin is warm, but his muscles are coiled tight. “You’ve taken every precaution. Osip, Pavel, and Waylen are all working to keep us safe. Your house has more security than Fort Knox. What exactly do you think is going to happen between now and dessert?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.” He turns his hand palm-up, threading our fingers together. “The unknown variables are what keep me awake at night.”
“Well, they’re keeping me awake, too. Because you’ve been pacing the bedroom like a caged tiger ever since the hearing.”
His mouth quirks up at one corner. “I pace?”
“Do you pace?” I laugh in his face. “Yes, you pace. You check locks. You stare out of windows. Even when you are lying down, you’re tossing and turning and muttering in your sleep.”
“Security is?—”
“Security is important. Yes, I get it. But so is living your life.” I fix him with a stern look. “So is letting Luka live his life, too. That boy spent almost nine years walking on eggshells around his mother. Do you really want him to feel the same way around you?”
My words have their intended effect. I can see it in the way Kovan’s shoulders drop, the way his grip on my hand loosens.
“Fuck. I’ve been suffocating him, haven’t I?”
“Not suffocating. Protecting. But there’s a fine line between the two.” I squeeze his fingers. “Luka needs normalcy, Kovan. He needs to go to the movies and play in parks and eat ice cream that drips on his shirt. He needs to be a kid.”
“After I deal with Ihor?—”
“When will that be? Next week? Next month? Next year?” I shake my head. “You can’t put your entire life on hold waiting for a threat that might never come.”
Kovan stares at me for a long moment, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. Finally, he picks up his glass of whiskey and drains it in one swallow.
“You’re right.” He signals the waiter for another drink. “Tonight is about us. No phones. No security updates. No business.”
“Really?”
“Really really,” he teases, stealing the call-and-response I do with Luka. He slides his chair closer to mine until our knees touch under the table. “Besides, I haven’t properly appreciated you in this dress yet.”
Desire skitters over my skin as his eyes rake over me with obvious appreciation. That look of his never fails to make my heart race.
“It’s new,” I say shyly.
“I noticed.” His hand snakes beneath the hip-high slit and settles on my bare thigh. “I also noticed you’re not wearing a bra.”
I purse my lips. “That would ruin the lines.”
“Mm. And what about underneath?”
My cheeks burn, but I hold his gaze. “Why don’t you find out?”
Without looking away, he inches higher. His fingers trace the edge of my panties, barely touching but enough to make me squirm in my seat.
“Right here?” he asks. “In front of all these nice people?”
