Page 62 of Bound By Debt
It’s clear she’s caught the man off guard. I added the “sweetheart” more for his benefit, setting a very clear boundary. But it also felt right, and after her momentary surprise, Eva settles more decisively into my hold.
“Well, well,” DA Morris says faintly, returning Eva’s handshake, a deep line still between his eyebrows. “I would never have guessed the beast would find a beauty.”
“The beast?” Eva asks, angling her head toward me before turning her question back at the DA.
Not entirely recovered, he manages a weak smile with a nasty flash in his eyes. “That’s how he’s known in our circles. Didn’t you know?”
“Because I’m a beast to deal with.” I don’t keep it a secret that I revel in the nickname, using it to my full advantage to gain the upper hand in many circumstances.
“Oh.” The clouds lift from Eva’s face, and I nearly smile at the thought. She would have been angry if the nickname were formy scars and not the beastly side of me she’s witnessed on many occasions. Then she surprises both of us with a cheeky smile as she glances up at me. “I can’t say I don’t agree.”
DA Morris, for once, is at a loss for words, and I let a chuckle slip at his discomfort and Eva’s quip. Is he shocked she knows who and what I am? Or who and what he suspects me to be?
“Let’s go.” Eva slips from under my arm, gesturing toward the dance floor. “I want to dance. It was nice meeting you, DA Morris.”
The man manages a muddled reply that might be goodbye. Either way, we turn resolutely from him, and I place my hand on Eva’s lower back to steer her toward the designated dance floor.
“You look stunning,” I bend to murmur in her ear. Eva smiles over her shoulder, her cheeks slightly red at the compliment.
“You look pretty incredible yourself tonight,” she replies as I take her into my arms, one wrapped around her waist so she’s snuggled up against me, the other holding her hand as I start guiding her around the dance floor.
I would have thought our height difference would make dancing difficult. Instead, she fits perfectly with me, like we’re two puzzle pieces tailor-made to fit together.
“So, what’s this about being a beast?” Eva asks as we sway and step to the swells and dips of the music.
I chuckle again. “You’ve come to know who I am. Are you surprised the people I deal with in this city, the people I do business with, think I’m so beastly? You didn’t seem surprised.”
Again, Eva’s cheeks flush, and her gaze drops from my eyes.
“Eva?” I prompt, bemused by the response.
“I, um…” she starts, swallows, and takes a deep breath. “I might have called you Mr. Giant in my head the first time I was at your house.”
She chooses the words carefully, aware of how many people are around us. I also see anxiety and regret cross her face before the emotions turn into surprise as I start laughing.
“I’m glad you think that’s funny,” she mutters as she stares straight at my shirt. From my vantage point, I can see the tips of her ears are red.
“I think it’s fitting. I know who I am. And I’m grateful you know, too, and still choose to stay with me.”
Her gaze flicks up to meet mine again, surprise registering at my unflinching honesty.
“Of course I do.” Her ears are still red, her words quiet, but Eva smiles at me.
As Eva and I sway around the dance floor, the gala attendees a shifting kaleidoscope of colors around us, I realize this moment is significant. Far more significant than I thought when I asked Eva to accompany me.
I made the right decision by asking her to come. I liked showing her off, showing others that this stunning woman in my arms was mine and mine alone.
More than that, I realize I simply like being with Eva. I love and have come to rely on the way her fire warms me, the way she has brought brightness into my life that had been missing for far too long.
Even Alona, as prickly and judgmental as she is, likes her in her gruff way. Dmitri likes her, too. Vasya hasn’t said anything to me since I warned him off her, but I know the two of them get along.
I can remember life before Eva, but it’s distant and dark, a stormy place to which I do not want to return. No, I want this incredible, fiery woman in my arms and my life.
I dip my head, press my lips to her ear, and whisper, “Moya lyubimaya.”
My darling. My love.
Again, Eva stiffens, her breath catching at the same time her feet tangle. I grip her waist so she doesn’t fall, and her eyes, wide with wonder and astonishment, lock on mine. A brilliant smile stretches across her face, dazzling in its glowing happiness, and she lays her head against my chest as we continue to dance.
