Vik (Shot Callers 2)

Nobody had ever put me first. Nobody.

It warmed my heart and gave me hope. It had me thinking for a split second that maybe—just maybe—we could figure out a way to make this work. Because a life without Vik was a life lacking, and I refused to exist in a world deficient of him.

A love that I could never have imagined began to snake and curl protectively around my heart. I was filled with it. So full, it threatened to overflow.

A soft smile threatened to break free on my lips.

“Now,” he uttered, irritated beyond belief. Putting his hands to the sides of my chair, he dragged it forward until my knees settled between his and our faces were close. He looked me deep in the eye and said, “Let’s not worry about the details, okay? I’m in a suit. You’re looking like royalty. Seems a shame to waste it, sitting at this table all night.” His warm gaze swept over my face, and he reached out to play with a lock of my hair. After a moment, he ordered gently, “Dance with me.”

The way he looked at me then was beyond compare. Like I was something precious, a rare jewel to be treasured.

“You don’t dance,” I reminded him, reaching up to fix his skewed bowtie.

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, turns out I’d do just about anything to make you happy, so—” He took my hand and folded his fingers around it, standing and taking me with him as he began to walk toward the dance floor. “—let’s dance.”

On the dance floor, we were surrounded by seniors, the music booming, but I saw none of it, heard nothing, because when Vik cloaked me in his arms, I found nothing else mattered. It was as it always had been.

Him and me.

A tug of my hand had me stumbling into him, and taking my chin between his fingers, he drew me up to meet his lips for a gentle, loving peck. As our lips continued to touch, he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. But when he pulled back to look at me, he frowned down into my face.

“What is it?” I asked carefully.

He shook his head slowly as if to clear it and began to stroke my hair. Feeling utterly cherished, I put a light hand to his chest, rested my head on his shoulder, and closed my eyes, taking in this beautiful moment.

I didn’t think anything could top it.

That was until Vik put his lips to my forehead and spoke against my skin. “I will never take you for granted.”

He ended on a tender squeeze, and I smiled into the wall of his chest, feeling lighter than I had in my entire life.

The whispered words were a vow. A promise. And I swore to return it tenfold.

10

Nastasia

Present

Sleep was very important to me. If I didn’t get enough of it, I wasn’t the easiest person to be around. And as I woke in two-hour intervals throughout the night, the woman sitting on the edge of my bed smiling serenely at my dozing form was the stuff of nightmares.

My heart hadn’t stopped racing since she first made an appearance two days ago.

And now, as I waltzed into the small café I frequented, wearing black yoga pants, an oversized sweater, and casual sneakers, my hair up in a messy ponytail, and my face covered with oversized sunglasses, I hoped no one would notice just how much of a mess I was.

I was tired. I was restless. I was irritated.

The trifecta of bitchiness.

So, when I saw him sitting at a table by himself, I stilled midstep, and my annoyance grew.

Seriously?

Why, God?

How dare he look so good when I could barely find matching shoes this morning.

He brought his espresso up to his lips as he read from the newspaper he held in his hands. I didn’t know why that got to me. Maybe because he looked so effortlessly relaxed, and my fragmented mind was being split in a flurry of puzzle pieces, none of which fit back into their original spaces.

My body rigid, my feet started moving, and they didn’t stop until I stood in front of him with a cold expression that could’ve set off the next big freeze. Before he even looked up at me, I hissed quietly, “This is my spot.”

Vik simply peered up at me with a furrowed brow. “No, it isn’t.”

Uh, excuse me? “Yes, it is. This is my spot. My café. You go get your own.”

And his grin had my heart racing with anger. “Firstly, I brought you here, so if we’re getting technical, you wouldn’t even know about this place if it weren’t for me.”

My neck flushed.

Oh, right. I’d forgotten about that.

Feeling stupid, I huffed out a short breath, threw up my hands, and said, “Fine. I’ll leave.”