Page 11 of The Healing Touch

“Nice to meet you.” Dimitri tightened his hold around Becca, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Louie. The man’s eyes went cold. “You ready to go, Becca?”

“Yeah.” She frowned up at him, probably pissed with his bad manners, but fuck this. Louie liked her, and it didn’t sit well with Dimitri. Not one little bit. “Tell your mother I said hello, Louie, and to come by. I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.”

Dimitri pushed her in the car before they could say much of anything else and strode around to the driver’s side, well aware of the stares that followed him.

“What was that?” Becca demanded the minute he pulled out into traffic.

“I don’t like him. He’s a gang member, Becca.”

“He’s also really nice. He’s never brought any of that around me. I’ve known him since I moved in. There wasn’t any reason to be rude.”

“I wasn’t rude. I just wasn’t overly friendly.”

The snort that reverberated through the car was enough to tell him what she thought about that. Time to change the subject.

“So, you realize you made it outside, talked to people, and are now safely secured in my car, and all without a panic attack?”

Becca gasped. Holy shit. He’d gotten her outside. “Oh, my God, D. I’m outside!”

He grinned, and she forgot about being pissed at him. He was too gorgeous for his own good. She was never able to stay mad at him for long.

“Told you,Krasivaya. You just needed a little push. Now, let’s eat.”

She nodded and watched the landscape. So much had changed in two years. There were more buildings, more stores, more everything. When she spotted the small diner he’d told her about, she expected him to slow, but he kept cruising along.

“Where are we going? You just passed Eddie’s.”

“We are going someplace where I’m not worried about my car getting stripped down for parts.”

“You’ll be fine in this neighborhood. Louie will make sure. Can’t we please go to Eddie’s?”

Her hands started to shake, and her lungs tried to constrict on her. He’d promised they’d go somewhere without crowds. She couldn’t handle anything else right now.

“Easy, sweetheart. We’re headed to a place that’s quiet and low key.” He reached over and twined his fingers with hers. “I promise.”

She clenched his hand. He better not be lying to her.

They drove for another twenty minutes and hit the heart of downtown. Less crowded, her ass. They were in the middle of the city. He drove for another few minutes, humming, and then the GPS announced they were at their destination—The White Palace Grill. He thought this wasn’t crowded? This place was featured onDiners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It was one of those twenty-four-seven places. Great food, according to the show, but there were also a lot of people in there.

“Relax, Becca. It’s almost nine. The breakfast crowd is done, and lunch won’t be rolling in for another hour or two. It’s not that crowded.” He parked the car and got out, going around to open her door. “Come on, babe. Give me your hand.”

Becca looked back at the window and saw more people than she was comfortable with. Why was he pushing this? He’d seen what happened when a bad panic attack struck. Why would he want her to go through that again?

“No, D. I can’t. There’re too many people in there.”

He leaned down so he was looking at her. “How do you know you can’t do it if you don’t try, sweetheart? That’s all I’m asking you to do—to try. Take my hand, and if you can’t handle it, we’ll go back to the car, and I’ll take you home. We’ll order some crappy takeout and binge watch whatever show you want on Netflix. But first, I want you to try, Becca. Just take my hand andtry.”

Why did he have to make it sound so easy? And how could she ask him to go to his signing and try if she wasn’t willing to do the same thing? Damn it.

“I really hate you.”

He laughed but gently pulled her out of the car when she grasped his hand. She held on for dear life. “Come on, grumpy pants, let’s get some food in you. This place is supposed to be great. Viktor swears by it.”

She took a deep breath as they entered the building, and her nose was assaulted by the most delicious aromas. It wasn’t enough to take her mind off all the people who turned to look at them. She quickly cast her eyes down, focusing instead on her and Dimitri’s hands. He gave hers a quick squeeze and asked the hostess for a booth in the back, away from everyone.

It didn’t take long for them to be seated in a quiet corner. Dimitri ushered her into the booth facing the back wall.

“When was your brother in Chicago?” she asked to distract herself. Conversation would help her to focus.

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