better things to do than haunt me.
“Svidaniya, Otets.” Goodbye, Father.
When I get back to my hotel, I dial her number.
“Hello?” Bethanny sounds sleepy.
“Shit, the time difference.”
“Z?” There is a rustling and despite everything or maybe precisely because of it, I harden. It is a comfort to know that despite the horrors of my last few days, she is somewhere safe, in bed.
“I’m here,” she says, more alert. “What do you need?”
I rest my head against the wall, place a hand against the creamy wallpaper, and pretend it’s her skin. Impossible when it’s not soft or warm against my palm.
“Are you okay?”
“I am now.” Then I remember, yesterday was her big day. “How did everything go with your presentation?”
She giggles softly. “I don’t want to brag or anything.”
“You nailed it?”
“With a Thor-sized hammer. I got the funding.” She breaks off midlaugh. “You didn’t happen to pull any strings, did you?”
“No,” I say honestly. “This success was all you.”
“Thank you.” I know it’s gratitude for respecting her enough to know she could handle this challenge on her own.
“However, I am not entirely altruistic.”
“Oh?” Her voice dips to a husky octave.
I untuck my shirt. “What are you wearing?”
“I…um…a tank top.”
“Panties?”
“No.”
My breath hisses.
“Are you trying to phone-sex me?” she whispers, half scandalized, half intrigued.
“There is no trying,” I growl. “If I want, I will phone-sex you.”
“Wow, Mr. Romantic.”
I can hear the smile in her voice and answer with one of my own. “With you, yes.” What was it that Bran had said, how with the right girl I’d want to be romantic? He is a smart fucker. “Slide your palm to the inside of your thigh, but don’t go higher.”
“Are you serio—”
“Do it.”
“Okay, okay.” She laughs quietly. “You have quite a bossy streak, don’t you?”
“I haven’t touched a female body besides yours in almost a decade. All I want to do is get my hands on you again.” Oh, the sweet irony, to want to touch, desperately now, but to be halfway across the world. “Are you doing it?”
A soft, restless gasp. “Yes.”
“Slide up, just a little, until you graze the hair.”
“Okay.”
My mouth dries at her whimper. “Are you wet?”
“I don’t know. I’m doing what you said, not going any farther.”
I clear my throat. “Slide one finger over your skin, drag it through your folds.”
She makes a desperate sound.
“That good?” I’m so hard it hurts.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Are you wet?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Now stop.”
She gasps. “Are you serious?”
“I’ll be home tomorrow. The next time you come, I want to be there.”
“You are killing me.”
My own groan echoes hers.
“Seriously, I am a ghost over here.”
“Tomorrow,” I whisper.
“You strike a damn hard bargain—that ruthless reputation is well earned.”
I allow myself a single touch, stroking my cock once through my trousers. Shit, I almost come from that alone. “I plan to strike a harder bargain tomorrow night.”
“I’ll be ready to negotiate.” She drops her voice a sexy octave. “I hope you bring your A-game.”
“Good night, Bethanny.”
She lets out a frustrated breath. “Good night, most infuriating man in the world.”
“You love it.”
She pauses for a moment. “I really do.”
I press the phone against my heart, staring out the window at a street that could be anywhere. And in a few hours I fly from the place I once lived to a place that might actually be home.
* * *
After I land at SFO, the driver takes me straight to Zavtra Tech. I enter my office and head to the security screen. There’s a new face at the desk outside, and even though I knew this moment would come, I can’t do anything, not even breathe. Bethanny has become a vital key to my day-to-day sanity. Knowing I could look in on her whenever my heart desired was a steadying presence.
My phone buzzes. Bran must be wanting to check up already, like a pain in the ass, one I’m profoundly grateful for.
I glance to the screen and freeze.
Bethanny Jacobs: Meet me on the roof in five minutes.
My mouth slides into an inadvertent smile. So she wants to give a few orders? Can’t say I mind. Not with her.
I’m on the roof in three. The sun is out and the temperatures are high, nearly a hundred degrees. Rolling up my shirtsleeves, I glance around. She’s there, alone under a canopy on the rooftop patio in a creamy sundress, looking as fresh as a rose. I begin walking toward her, taking my time to savor her beautiful face.
How did I ever think she resembled Maryska? Perhaps they share similar features, but that is where their resemblance ends. Beth is brightness, a slash of primary color in my monochromatic world.
She chews her top lip in concentration, hands clasping her ever-present cup of coffee.
I take a seat. “You wanted a meeting, Ms. Jacobs?”
She gives me a private smile, sets down the cup, and opens a large canvas bag, pulling out two sandwiches, two apples, and two bottles of lemonade.
“Now that my app has been approved, I have more flexibility in my schedule as a product manager,” she says. “I’m not chained to my desk for an exacting taskmaster.”
“The idea of you chained to a desk isn’t a bad one,” I rumble.
Her cheeks glow. “Why, Mr. Zavtra, this is a business lunch between colleagues. One I’m hoping your new assistant will continue to schedule into your busy day. You’re a little lean, need to eat more because I like my guys with bulk.” She picks up a red apple and takes a slow, tantalizing bite. “I went to Whole Foods last night,” she says after. “My raise means I can indulge in organic produce.”
I want to devour that mouth, taste the tart fruit on her tongue. “How is Koroleva?”
She grins. “I love my new office aquarium. She was quite a surprise gift, but I think she misses you.”
“Now you are making jokes.”
“Just projecting.” She scoots closer. “I missed you, okay?”
“Very okay.” I am glad she missed me. I want her to ache as bad as I do. “Are you liking your new position?”
The glow in her eyes lights up her whole face. “Loving is a better word. I’m finally following my heart, which seems smart, seeing as how it led me to you.” She reaches out and does a thing that up until recently I thought would be impossible. She takes my hand, holds it between her own. Lifting it to her face, she kisses my knuckles. “You don’t have to fight alone anymore.” Her tongue darts out and I’m cock-hard and brain-soft in an instant. “You have me in your corner now.”
“All I want is you in my arms.” I pull her close and kiss the top of her head, inhaling the faint floral hint of her shampoo.
“Guess it’s a good thing this is my favorite place to be.”