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 The back room at Wet.
Nikolai lips settled into a grim line.  You know my policy on strip clubs.
 I do, but technically Wet is a gentlemen s club.
 If you say so, he grumbled, thinking of the very ungentlemanly clientele.  I ve made my
feelings perfectly clear on that sideline, Kostya. We don t deal in the skin trade in this family. I let
you make your money with Besian in those places because you re the most loyal man I ve ever had in
my crew, and I ve asked you to do some terrible things. I ll turn a blind eye to your involvement and
thank you not to ask me to accompany you to one of those places again.
Kostya was quiet for a few seconds.  Da. Okay.
Stretching out his legs, Nikolai sighed.  Good.
They were pulling into the driveway of the historical mansion Nikolai had painstakingly
renovated when Kostya piped up again.  She ll come around, boss.
He glanced at his friend.  To?
 The car, Kostya clarified.  She s in a strange position. You re her boss. People already
talk.
He went rigid.  What people? What are they saying?
Kostya shrugged.  Some of the other girls at the restaurant. Some of the old-timers who hang
around at lunch. Some of the men in the crews. They see what you ve done for her. They& speculate.
 Speculate? About what?
 You know.
 I don t.
Kostya seemed reluctant to say the words.  They talk about Vivian being your mistress.
Nikolai had no doubt that Kostya used a nicer word than others were throwing about.  The next
time someone says something like about Vivian, you send them to me and I ll straighten them out. She
isn t that sort of woman. She s good.
Kostya held up both hands.  I m just trying to help you understand why Vivian is so leery about
accepting the car. It s not easy for her.
 I never meant I ve only ever wanted to make life better for her, to give her things that she
deserves.
 At some point, you have to choose. You can t be her protector forever. If she falls in love with
another man, it won t work. So you had better decide what you want with her and make your move.
Otherwise& 
He understood what Kostya was saying.  It s not that simple. You know it s not that easy. My
position here is dangerous. The people close to me are the most vulnerable.
 She s already vulnerable. Her father is Romero Valero. It doesn t get much more dangerous
than that, boss.
He conceded that Kostya had a point.  It s not the right time.
 Is it ever? His friend held his gaze.  You ve seen what Vanya, Dima and Yuri have now. You
could have that with Vivian.
 I ve also seen how close my friends came to losing their women. The vision of a bound Lena
and stabbed Yuri flashed before him. He glanced at his clean hands but could see the phantom stain of
so much blood on them.  I can t risk her. She s everything to me.
 And what about what she wants?
Nikolai s gaze snapped to Kostya s face.  What do you mean?
 I mean that you haven t factored what Vivian wants into your decision. She s part of the
equation. Her opinion matters.
 She s too young to know what she wants.
Kostya snorted.  God, I want to be there when you tell her that. It will be epic.
He frowned at the cleaner.  Don t you have a poker game to attend?
 I do once you get the hell out of my SUV.
Chuckling roughly at Kostya s rude retort, Nikolai gathered his things and opened the door.  I
think I like you better when you re silent and brooding. This other you? The driver s seat
psychologist? He s fucking annoying.
Kostya laughed hard.  Get out. Go inside. Feel sorry yourself.
 I hope you lose everything at the table tonight.
Kostya shot him the finger, and Nikolai slammed the door shut. Grinning at their uncouth
behavior, he entered his house, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and moved to his library. He
kicked off his shoes, peeled out of his tie and rolled up his sleeves. Comfortable in one of the reading
chairs, he adjusted the light behind him and opened the scrapbook.
Sipping his beer, he thought of how much work Vivian had put into the gift. He let his finger
drift along the design she had drawn on a baby shower page. Her smiling face had been caught in the
snapshot as she brought out a silly diaper-shaped cake for the mother-to-be. Even with her hair in a
ponytail and wearing the rather plain-looking waitress uniform, Vivian took his breath away. His
finger circled her face.
Closing his eyes, he remembered the heat of her lips against his skin. Was Kostya right? Was it
time to ask Vivian what she wanted? Was he brave enough to bear the possible rejection? If she
wanted him unlikely as that was would she have the courage to stand at his side, or would she flee
at the first sign of danger?
Danger&
A sixth sense told him trouble was coming. Houston had been quiet for far too long. He had no
doubt that some new and violent outburst would rock the underworld. A whisper soft threat told him
he would get his answer about Vivian s courage soon enough.
As to the rest? He trusted that Vivian had been thrown into his life that muggy April night for a
reason. Whatever it was, the answer would come in time. Until then? Well. He was a patient man
and she was worth the wait.
You can read Nikolai and Vivian s story in NIKOLAI (Her Russian Protector #4) available [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]