Page 88 of Velvet Chains
Victor
AS SOON as I pull into the lobby, Laura bolts out of the car like her ass is on fire. She races into the house and straight up to our room, leaving me to park the fucking car.
I find her in the bathroom, bent over the toilet bowl, making sounds like a dying cat.
“Are you okay?” I ask, trying to keep the concern out of my voice.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she mumbles, waving me away like I’m a particularly annoying fly. “Just… just give me a minute.”
She looks like death warmed over, her skin pale and clammy, her eyes ringed with dark circles. This isn’t the first time she’s been sick like this, and it’s starting to worry me.
“You don’t look fine,” I say, folding my arms across my chest. “I’m calling Dr. Petrov. He needs to check you out.”
Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head so violently I’m surprised it doesn’t fly off her shoulders. “No! No, that’s not necessary. I’m good, I swear. I just need some food.”
She staggers to her feet, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She wobbles over to the sink, turning on the faucet and sticking her toothbrush in her mouth.
“Did you even eat breakfast?” I ask, watching as she scrubs at her teeth like she’s trying to erase the taste of her own stomach acid.
“Mmmhmm,” she mumbles around the toothbrush, foam dribbling down her chin. “Mmmad toas’ ‘nd ‘offee.”
I raise an eyebrow, trying to decipher her garbled words. “You had toast and coffee?”
She nods, spitting into the sink. “I just need some real food now. Something solid.”
She turns to face me, and I have to bite back a laugh. There’s a big glob of toothpaste foam stuck to her upper lip, making her look like a rabid chipmunk.
“You, uh… you got a little something…” I gesture to my own mouth, trying to keep a straight face.
Her brow furrows, and she swipes at her mouth, completely missing the foam. “Did I get it?”
I sigh, shaking my head. “Here, let me.”
I step closer, reaching out to wipe the foam away with my thumb. Her breath hitches as I touch her, her eyes locked on mine.
For a moment, we just stand there, frozen. My thumb lingers on her lip, the air between us charged with something I can’t quite name.
Then she clears her throat, stepping back. “Thanks. I, uh… I should probably get some food from… The kitchen.”
I nod, shoving my hands in my pockets. “Yeah. Probably.”
She gives me a tight smile, then disappears into the hallway, closing the door behind her.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, running a hand through my hair.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Getting all worked up over a little toothpaste foam?
I’m acting like a goddamn teenager with his first crush. This woman is making me soft.
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I need to focus on the task at hand, not on the way Laura’s lips felt under my thumb.
I pull out my phone, checking for any updates from Misha and Ari. They’ve been staking out the location where Vasiliev’s men are storing our stolen cargo, waiting for the right moment to strike.
There’s a new message from Misha, just two words:
It’s time.
