Page 20 of Paved in Venom

“What? You want me to go back to them?” I scoot back into the corner of the couch, looking at them like they’ve lost their damn minds. Emily’s giving me a sympathetic look while Roman kisses the top of her head and pulls her closer. It’s obvious he’s completely in love with her, and she doesn’t seem like she’s here against her will, which makes me feel a little bit better about the situation. Lev raises a pierced brow at me, waiting to see what I’ll do, and Vitaly sighs and rubs a tattooed hand through his hair.

Matvey steps closer. “Please,” he says in his thick accent. “She’s been gone for over a year. You won’t have to do anything, just point them out to us, and then you’ll never have to see any of them again.”

I look up at him. The hood of his sweatshirt is pulled up, but I can see his face clearly, and there’s something in his eyes that has me nodding even as my brain is screaming at me that there’s no way in fuck I’m going anywhere near those jackasses again. I’m not sure what makes me do it, blind fear most likely, but I reach up and grab Danil’s hand. He raises a brow in surprise, but he doesn’t push me away. He wraps his long fingers around my hand and gives me a soft squeeze.

“Promise me you won’t let them get me again.”

“I promise.” He brings his other hand to our clasped ones, cocooning my hand between his. Leaning closer, he says, “You’re safe with me. I won’t ever let them touch you again.”

“We’ll all be there with you,” Lev tells her. “You won’t be alone for a second.”

“Yes, we’re all going,” Emily says, and Roman looks at her like she’s lost her mind.

“Not all of us,” he says.

Emily kisses his cheek. “Yes, babe, all of us.”

“You’re not going into that club, solnishka.”

Emily looks over at me. “If she’s going, then I’m going.”

“You’re pregnant!” The exasperated tone has Emily lifting a brow at him. He cups her face and kisses the pissed-off frown she’s wearing. “Baby, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you step foot in that goddamn club.”

“It’s okay,” I say, giving Emily a smile. “Please don’t put yourself at risk. Congratulations on the baby, by the way, but please, I’ll be fine.”

Emily looks like she wants to argue, but when she lets out a resigned sigh, Roman’s shoulders relax and he mutters something in Russian.

“Are you talking about me?” she asks him.

He lets out a soft laugh and kisses her. “Just telling them that you’re trying to give me a heart attack.”

“I think Simona and I should go in alone,” Danil says. He’s still clutching my hand in his, and I don’t try to pull it away. He runs his thumb over the back of my hand as he keeps talking. “It’s going to be weird enough that I’m coming to the club right after buying her. I can play it off as just stopping in to show her off, thank them, whatever, but it’ll be suspicious if I choose to spend my first night with her at the club with my brothers. You guys can wait in the parking lot, and if we see them in there, then I’ll text you.”

“He’s right,” Vitaly says. “No one would spend 3.5 million dollars and then go and drink at the Red Viper.”

“Great,” Emily says, “then I can wait in the SUV with you guys.”

“I think you should stay here,” Roman says.

She pats his cheek and smiles. “It’s bulletproof, and you’ll be with me.” She looks over at Danil. “Do you think I should wear a dress just in case?”

Roman stares at Danil, waiting for his answer.

“Are you trying to drive him insane?” Danil asks her.

She lets out a soft laugh. “Not really, but he’s cute when he gets all protective.”

Roman stands up, taking her with him. “You’re in so much trouble later, solnishka.”

She just smiles up at him, and I look away because I feel like I’m intruding on a private moment. My first impression of them was right. They’re very much in love, and it’s definitely not just for show.

“I need to get a dress for Simona,” Emily says.

Roman gives her another kiss before gently setting her down. Danil lets go of my hand, and I have the insane urge to grab it again. I don’t. Instead, I return Emily’s smile and let her guide me away from the others. I take one last look back, seeing Danil’s grey eyes following my every move.

“You’re going to hate what you have to wear,” Emily warns me, “but trust me when I say you’ll fit right in.”

“It can’t be any worse than the dress they had me in. It was completely see-through,” I tell her.

---