Page 40 of Paved in Venom

Sorry, this is taking longer than I wanted. We should be done in another hour or two.

Text me when you see this so I know you’re doing okay.

Baby, you’re killing me. I’m gonna text Matvey to come check on you.

Matvey types something on his phone and says, “He’s worrying about you.”

I hurry up and text I’m sorry. I didn’t notice the phone going off. Matvey and I are playing a racing game, and he’s kicking my ass. I’m terrible at this.

When Matvey sets his phone beside him on the couch, I look over and see the photo on his screen. I’m too stunned to look away and play it cool, so he notices, and all I can do is offer a quick apology for so obviously snooping.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s okay.” He picks his phone back up and holds it out to me. “You should know what she looks like in case you see her somewhere.”

I take his phone, knowing he’s just handed over something incredibly personal and special to him. It’s hard to believe that the smiling man in the photo is the same one that’s sitting right next to me. In the picture, he’s smiling, like eyes lit up and teeth showing smiling. He has his arms wrapped around a beautiful woman, and her face is pressed close to his. She’s smiling just as big as he is, and my throat starts to tighten when I see how obviously head-over-heels in love they are. Her green eyes stare at me from the photo, and my heart breaks for them. It fucking shatters when I think about what she’s going through right now. When I feel the tears prick the corners of my eyes, I take a breath and force them to stop.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, trying to hide how close I am to crying. That’s the last thing he needs. “She’s very beautiful. She has such pretty eyes.”

He gives a soft smile. “They were blue like yours when she was younger, and then they turned into more of a bluish green. They change sometimes, depending on what color shirt she’s wearing.”

I take one last look at their smiling faces. “You two look so happy together.”

“We were,” he says, taking his phone back. He looks at the photo, running a scarred thumb over the outline of her cheek before pocketing it again. “You don’t recognize her?”

“I don’t. I’m so sorry. I only saw the women who were auctioned with me, and then two other women who were responsible for getting me ready. I wasn’t allowed to talk to them, but they weren’t Alina.”

He doesn’t say anything, just gives a soft nod and grabs the controller again. I can feel the worry and anger radiating off him, but there’s nothing he can do, not now at least, so we both lose ourselves in the game, anything to distract us from reality. We don’t stop playing until Roman comes down looking for us.

“Hey, you guys want tacos? Emily has a craving, so I’m about to place an order.” He watches me skid off the road and laughs. “You’re terrible at this.”

“I know. You’d think I’d be a little better at it by now, but this is like the hundredth time I’ve crashed.”

“She’s not lying,” Matvey says, making me laugh.

“All right, I need in on this,” Roman says. Before he grabs a remote, he places the order for food and then sits in one of the chairs. We’re well into the next race when Emily walks in.

“Oh my god, seriously?” She laughs and walks over.

“Sorry, solnishka.” Roman reaches out and pulls her onto his lap. With his arms around her, he finishes the race, still managing to beat me by a good minute.

Emily grabs another remote and joins in. Everyone’s better than me, but I don’t care. I’m having fun, and being with Danil’s family feels good. I like them, and I like how natural it feels to be with them. I watch as Roman slows his car down, letting his wife pass him by, and when she does, she laughs and kisses his cheek.

“Thanks, babe.”

He looks at her like she’s his whole world, smiling when she crosses the finish line right behind Matvey. We keep playing until Roman gets a text that the food is here. While he runs down to get it, I check my phone, missing Danil and wishing he was here. There’s another text waiting for me.

Whatever you do, don’t play pool with Matvey. The man never loses. He kicks my ass on a regular basis. I’m glad you’re having fun. Make sure you get something to eat. Hopefully, I’ll be back soon.

I hurry up and text him back. We’re all playing the racing game. I’m the loser, like every damn time. Roman ordered tacos. Coming back soon?

His response is immediate. Not as soon as I’d like. If I were there, I’d help you kick ass in the game. We could take them for sure. I’m missing you, sladkaya, and I can’t stop thinking about that dance you gave me.

My face heats up at the memory. I miss you too.

Roman comes back with the food, so I set the phone aside. For the next couple of hours we eat and laugh and play the game. By the time we stop, I can barely keep my eyes open and Emily’s already fallen asleep in Roman’s lap. He picks her up, kissing her forehead and whispering something in her ear before he starts to carry her to their room.

I tell them all goodnight and make my way back to Danil’s room. After I wash my face and brush my teeth, I step into his closet, looking for a shirt I can wear. When I spot the clothes hamper, I know I’m on dangerous ground. Grabbing one of the T-shirts, I bring it to my face and inhale. As soon as his scent hits me, I let out a sigh and feel my heart speed up. A warmth spreads all through me, and I know the decision’s been made. Without a second thought, I strip and put his used shirt on. My plan is to just play dumb. Chances are high that he won’t even notice. It’s a plain black tee, just like the one I slept in last night. There’s no way in hell he’ll be able to tell that it’s not the same one.

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