Page 97 of Toxic Temptation
My breath catches. Waylen’s going rogue, and he knows it. He won’t even look at me. And since he’s too far away from me to kick in the shins, I’m left stranded here, caught between Kovan and Waylen, trying to remember what our childhood code word for “danger” was.
“Vesper…” Kovan’s tongue snakes across his bottom lip like he’s tasting my name. “My relationship with Vesper is above your pay grade.”
“Waylen—” I hope my voice carries enough warning.
He ignores me completely. “Vesper has a bleeding heart. It’s her best quality and her biggest weakness. She puts up with things she shouldn’t.”
“Way, stop?—”
“I don’t want her being used.”
“Do you think Vesper would allow herself to be used?” Kovan fires back at him, ignoring me just as thoroughly as Waylen is.
“If it means helping someone else? Absolutely. And I think you know that, Kovan.”
Kovan’s eyebrow arches. “I prefer my employees call me ‘Mr. Krayev.’”
“Enough!” I slam my hands on the table and push to my feet. “Honestly, can you two cut it out? There’s so much testosterone in this room I can barely breathe.”
Before either man can respond, Luka bounces back in carrying a globe I remember seeing in his playroom. “This is my planet, Waylen.” He bypasses Kovan entirely and climbs into the chair next to my brother. “I want to learn about…” He spins it and points. “Here.”
“Africa!” Waylen’s whole face lights up. “Funny enough, I spent a year teaching in Mozambique.”
“Really?!” Luka looks as if he’s never heard anything cooler in his whole entire life. “Did you see lions? And giraffes? And rhinos?”
“All of them. A cheetah even used the hood of my jeep as a napping spot during a safari once.”
“No way!”
“I’ll bring pictures next time.”
I gather the coffee mugs off the table, hoping this display of Luka’s genuine enthusiasm will soften Kovan’s attitude. Butwhen I turn from the sink, he’s right there, barely a foot away. And he’s radiating pissed-off energy.
He leans against the counter, arms crossed, watching Waylen and Luka with irritation that he doesn’t bother to conceal.
“George of the Jungle really knows how to show off,” he mutters.
I bite back a smile. “He’s done incredible things. Did you know he was in the Peace Corps?”
“Jesus.” Kovan runs a hand over his face.
“And he volunteered at the California School for the Blind for a year.”
“Does he walk on water, too?”
I can’t suppress the giggle that bursts from my lips. Both Waylen and Luka turn in my direction. I hide behind my cup. “It’s cute that you’re jealous.”
“‘Jealous’?” He nearly chokes on the word. “I’ve never been jealous of anyone in my life. Certainly not some arrogant pretty boy.”
“Then why hire the arrogant pretty boy?”
“Because you vouched for him.”
“Bullshit. You don’t do anything you don’t want to do.”
He glares at me. “Fine. He seems to know how to handle Luka.”
“Because he’s good at what he does.”
