Page 96 of Lies He Told Me (Bratva Crime Syndicate 1)

My eyes snap open and it takes me a few seconds to grasp why: there’s someone in my room.

That someone is Gavril. Gavril, as in the man who pleasured me senseless last night and then presumably, at some point, carried me here—I think.

“How are you?” he asks.

This is not the tone of a man who just went down on me last night. But then again, with Gavril, I never know what to expect.

“Fine.” I try to make my voice sound normal. “You?”

“Likewise. You have a question.”

“I didn’t use it up?” I tease.

One morning, when he was upset with me after I asked him how he was, he claimed that was me using up my question.

“Not this time,” he chuckles, sitting down beside my bed.

“Alright.”

I swallow, sitting up taller. Do I dare ask this one? This question that I can sense Gavril’s uncertainty around? Is it going too far, or breaking the fragile truce that seems to be forming between us…?

Screw it. I’ll just blurt it out.

“Was your mother your only family?”

“No,” he says simply. I think that that’s all I’ll be getting from him when he adds, “I had a brother.”

“Oh.” Had. “I’m sorry. Was he—”

“I think that’s enough questions for this morning, don’t you agree?”

“No, but fine.” Although I wasn’t about to pry that far into Gavril’s personal life, he makes it fun to be a bit saucy with him. Usually he’ll give me a stern ‘remember-who’s-boss’ look, but this time, nothing.

“As for what’s on the agenda for today”—He’s still not looking at me. Why won’t he look at me and why do I, crazy me, even care?—“for a change, there’s nothing.”

I do a show gasp. “You sure? There must be some kind of mistake. No sick hospital patients conveniently surrounded by cameras to visit? No very worthy, very press-present charity organizations to support?”

I can hear Gavril’s smirk. “Not today.”

“Hm.”Nothing—I play with the word in my head. I decide I like it. “Could I have a say on what we do, then?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“On what you’re suggesting.”

“Not that we do yoga, thank you.” I’ve been trying to get Gavril to try out his downward dog, but that’s a battle I’ll save for another day. “How about some burgers?”

“Now?”

“No, I mean … The place I’m thinking of would probably only be open for lunch or dinner. So maybe dinner?”

“Okay.”

“It’s not, like, a nice place, though. It’s just a food truck.”

“Why there, then?” Gavril turns to face me, searching my eyes. I find myself blushing.

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