Page 64 of Paved in Fire

“Ourcar,” I correct, smiling at how fucking adorable she looks all bundled up. The pink snow hat she’s wearing has a big puffy ball on top, and the down jacket I insisted she wear has nearly swallowed her up. Add in the scarf and mittens and she looks good enough to eat.

“We’re not takingourcar?” she asks with a smile.

Grabbing her mittened hand in mine, I guide her out of our building and onto the busy street. “It’s easier this way.”

Her blue-green eyes scan the crowd, and just like I’m expecting, her brow furrows and she worries her bottom lip while her fingers tighten around mine. Over the last few days, Alina has transformed before my eyes. She laughs more, her smiles come easily, and she’s able to enjoy a level of sexual intimacy with me that I feared we’d never have again. I’m so fucking proud of her, but I can’t let us fall into the trap of thinking everything’s okay because things are getting better in the penthouse. I won’t let her get into the habit of hiding from the world. I love her too much to do that. She needs to be a part of the world, not hide from it and that’s what today’s surprise is all about.

Pulling her closer, I bring my mouth to hers, sucking her bottom lip free. “You’re safe with me,” I remind her.

She nods, but I can tell she’s still scared. Her eyes dart around, looking at all the people I couldn’t give the slightest fuck about.

“They grabbed me from a busy road,” she whispers. Her breathing picks up, and when I feel her body start to shake, I rest my forehead against hers, cupping her face in my hands so I’m all she can see.

“Breathe with me,malishka.”

Her words sound frantic when she says, “People are staring.”

“There’s just you and me, baby.” Keeping my face close to hers, I quickly pull off my gloves and shove them in the pockets of my coat. Bringing my bare palms to her skin, I cup her face again and stroke her cheek with my thumbs, letting her feel my scars.

“Take a deep breath with me.”

She keeps her focus on me, breathing in when I do and holding the breath until I slowly let mine out. She copies me until I feel her relax. I run the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip.

“You’re safe,” I repeat. “I will not leave you alone, not for one second.”

When she gives a soft nod, I smile and quickly look at the city around us. “We own this part of the city,malishka. Nothing happens here that we don’t know about.” I let go of her cheek so I can point at the black SUV parked across the street about a hundred feet ahead of us. “Do you see that?”

“Yes.”

“Those are some of our men. They’ll be keeping an eye on things because I’m not willing to take any chances when it comes to you. Anytime you step foot outside that penthouse, you will always have at least three sets of eyes on you at all times.”

When her eyes widen and she opens her mouth to say something, I gently close it and press my thumb over her lips again.

“That’s absolutely nonnegotiable. You will never be unprotected again, no matter what. You were taken once, and I’ll never forgive myself for that. I won’t allow it to happen again.”

I kiss her once more before standing back up to my full height and taking her hand back in mine.

“Come on. We’re not going far, just a few blocks.”

She nods and squeezes my hand while her other one grips my forearm, hugging me tightly against her chest. Most people are already at work for the day, but the sidewalk and streets are still busy. We walk around a group of women who are huddled over their phones, trying to figure out directions, and then wait to cross the street.

“Do you want some coffee?”

Her cheeks are pink from the wind when she looks up at me. “I thought you said we were late.”

“We are, so we might as well get some coffee.”

She smiles and nods. “Okay. It’ll help keep us warm.”

I pull her hat down even further and make sure her scarf is covering her neck before I kiss the red tip of her nose.

“I promise I’ll warm you up later.”

“You better.”

I laugh at her tone and once we’ve crossed the street, we step into the first coffee shop we see. The familiar scents of coffee and sugar envelop us along with the strong heater they have running. Alina sighs with relief as the warmth hits her face. I smile down at her, squeezing her hand while we join the short line up front.

Most of the tables are already taken, and when I scan the crowd, I see mainly college students, a few moms with strollers, and businessmen stopping in for a quick coffee on their way to the office. I don’t see anyone who makes me suspicious, but I do see a few men eyeing Alina in a way that makes me want to cut their eyes right out of their fucking heads. Bringing my hand to the nape of her neck, I pull her closer and kiss her head while making eye contact with the man who’s staring the hardest. I give a soft laugh when he quickly looks away.

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