Page 221 of Toxic Temptation
I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. “I love you, Kovan Krayev. All of you. The good, the bad, and the completely insane overprotective parts. I’ve loved you for a long time, I think. And in the interest of full disclosure, yes, I did try to fight it. As long and as hard as I could. But it didn’t work. Not ever. Not at all.”
His eyes gleam like emeralds. “I love you, too, Vesper Fairfax. More than I thought possible. More than is probably safe for either of us.”
“Well, lucky for me, I don’t want safe. I wantyou.”
He kisses me again, softer this time. When someone knocks on the bathroom door, we spring apart like guilty teenagers.
“Okay, maybe you were right the first time. We should go,” I whisper. “Somewhere we can do this properly.”
“Home?”
“Home.”
The drive back to Kovan’s house is charged with anticipation. I keep my hands to myself this time, but it’s so hard when the tension between us is this palpable. We don’t talk—words feel unnecessary when the air itself is humming with want.
Every so often, Kovan glances over at me, and the heat in his gaze makes my stomach flutter.
We’re five minutes from home when I see her. “Kovan, stop.”
“What?”
“Stop the car. There’s someone?—”
A woman stumbles into our headlights, blood matting her dark hair. She’s clutching something to her chest, moving with the desperate, unsteady gait of someone in shock. Kovan slams on the brakes and we come screeching to a halt just a few feet shy of smearing her across the bumper.
“Oh my God.” I’m reaching for the door handle before Kovan can respond. “She’s hurt. And she has a baby?—”
“Don’t.” Kovan’s voice cuts through my panic. “Vesper, don’t get out of the car.”
“What? Why? She needs help.”
“Look around. Do you see a crashed car? Any other vehicles?”
I scan the empty street, confusion mixing with my adrenaline. He’s right. There’s nothing here except us and the woman. But still…
“That doesn’t matter. She’s bleeding, and there’s a child?—”
“It’s a trap.” Kovan’s hand closes around my wrist. “This is exactly what I was worried about. What I’ve been trying to protect you from.”
“You’re being paranoid.”
“I’m being smart. Please, Vesper. Trust me on this.”
But I can’t. Every instinct I have as a doctor is screaming at me to help. This is what I was trained for, what I’ve dedicated my life to. I can’t just sit here and watch someone suffer.
I pull free of Kovan’s grip and throw open the door.
“Vesper, no!”
I’m already running toward the woman, my heels ringing out harsh and staccato against the asphalt. Behind me, I hear Kovan curse and the slam of his car door.
“It’s okay,” I call to the woman. “I’m a doctor. Let me help you.”
She looks up at me with wild, desperate eyes. Blood trickles from a cut on her forehead, and her clothes are torn and dirty.
“Please,” she gasps. “My baby…”
I reach for her. This is what matters. This is what I do. Save lives. Help people. Make a difference.
