Page 185 of Dance of Defiance
“‘Lilac Wine’ is another of his songs. I just…” I shrug. “Just love it.”
He smiles. “Play it for me sometime?”
“Count on it.” I meet his gaze. “What was your mom’s favorite Billy Joel tune?”
His mouth twists in a faraway smile. “Hang on.”
He turns and pulls a different album off the shelf before he walks over to the turntable. He puts the record on and turns the volume up before he walks back over to me as the piano notes begin to tinkle from the speakers.
“'Vienna'?” I grin widely. “That was your mom’s favorite Billy Joel song?”
He nods. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “She used to sing it to me when I was a kid and tell me about this trip she took to Vienna, before she met my father. She always said she wanted to take me there.”
He lifts his head, as if drinking in every note. My elbow brushes his as I slide to the floor, my back against the shelves. He joins me, and we sit there in silence, listening to the lyrics and the roll of the piano.
I wait until his mom’s song—which, by the way, I love; excellent taste, Mrs. Nikitin—ends and “Only the Good Die Young” starts before I turn to face him.
“You need to know something about tonight.”
He turns his head to look at me, then nods.
“I’m not going to go back to how it’s been,” I growl. “The hot and cold, the?—”
“No, I know.”
“I need you toreallyknow.” I lock eyes with him. “There’s two ways forward from tonight. One, this was the swan song. Good times were had, but we’re fuckingdone.”
Roman’s face pales as he shakes his head. “I—I don’t want that.”
“Good. Me neither. Door number two is, you and I are a couple.”
His lips twist into a wide grin. Then, of course, the fear sparks in his eyes.
“Val—”
“I’m not asking you to be suddenly out, Roman,” I say gently. “Not if you aren’t ready. I understand that your family and the Bratva makes it…complicated.” I put my hand on his knee. “I don’t need you to be myoutboyfriend. But unless you pick door number one, youaregoing to be my boyfriend. That means we spend time together—even if we’re not fucking, though, honestly, I’m not sure how often we could spend time togetherwithoutme fucking you.”
He grins, nodding his head.
“And it goes without saying, I hope, that option two also means youdo nottake slaggy cunts like Anna, oranyfucking girl, out on dates,” I growl.
He nods, but then his brow furrows. “What about you?”
“Please,” I grin. “I’veneverdated an Anna. Jesus.”
He glares at me. “I'm serious. If we’re together?—”
“If we’re together…” I growl, grabbing his jaw and twisting toward him. I lean closer, and he shivers when I suck his bottom lip between my teeth and nip it gently. “It means you’remine, and I’myours. That’s it.” I tighten my grip on his jaw as I level my eyes at him. “I don’t fucking share what’s mine.”
He grins. “Good. Neither do I. So I have a request, too. No more coed changing rooms at the theater.”
I snort, giving him a look. Then my brows shoot up. “Wait, you mean it?”
“Yes,” he growls. “I know all about how you get changed with the girls every so often.” His brow furrows deeply. “That ends.”
I roll my eyes. “Roman, they’re like sisters?—”
“And I don’t wantmysister, or any of them, to see you naked.”
