Page 204 of Toxic Temptation
“I can’t get into details right now.” His eyes drift toward Charity again, who’s laughing at something Pavel said. “And it could be a completely fucked-up plan?—”
“Don’t tell me. Just do it.”
Osip stares at me. “Really? Just like that?”
“You said it would keep Luka safe?”
“I think so. Yeah.”
“Then do it. We’ll figure out the details later.”
He claps me on the back and heads for the door, but not before shooting one last look at Charity. Her face falls the moment he says his goodbyes, confirming what I’ve suspected all evening.
As I said: subtle as a brick to the face.
He might’ve met his match in that department, though.
Vesper catches my eye from across the room. She grins as she glances between Charity and the door Osip just walked through. I see I’m not the only one who’s noticed the chemistry.
“Vesper, can we go back to the bounce house?” Luka tugs at her shirt.
“Of course, birthday boy. Whatever you want.”
“Then I want Uncle Pavel and Waylen to come, too!”
Pavel, who has somehow managed to get chocolate frosting in his hair, grins. “I’m in.”
“Why don’t you join them, Charity?” Vesper’s mother appears with a plate of cake, which she offers to me. “The fresh air will do you good.”
Charity shoots me a wink, grabs a juice box from the table, and follows the others outside.
“Thank you.” I accept the cake from Annabelle. “And not just for the dessert. But for all of this.”
“I was surprised when Vesper called, but I’m glad she did.” She settles into the chair beside me. “It means I finally get to meet you and Luka. The infamous Krayev boys.”
“She told you about us?”
Annabelle grins slyly. “Waylen forced her hand, from what I understand.”
“That sounds about right. He’s protective.”
She laughs, though a melancholy edge lurks at the edge of the sound. “All big brothers are. It comes with the job description.”
I take a bite of the cake and nearly groan with pleasure. “This is incredible. Where’d you get it?”
“I made it myself.”
The second bite is just as good as the first. “This could put bakeries out of business.”
Her smile brightens. “It was my signature cake whenever the kids had birthdays. They loved it. So did all their friends. And birthdays were the only time Thomas would actually take off work. No calls. No emergency surgeries. Just family.”
“You miss him.”
The light in her eyes dims. “He was everything to me. Thirty-three years together, and it still wasn’t long enough.” She gazes out the window toward the backyard, where Luka’s laughter drifts in through the screen door. “A lot of people didn’t understand our marriage. They thought he worked too much, prioritized his career over family. But I knew what I was signing up for when I married him. Thomas was a doctor first. I never expected him to be anything else.”
“Vesper talks about him constantly. He’s her hero.”
“He’s the reason she became a doctor.” Annabelle gets quiet. “Sometimes, I think she’ll end up being better at it than he ever was.”
