Keep Me (Rebel Hearts Heists #2) - M. Sinclair Page 0,36
that no, the biggest danger isn’t Van Der Beck right now. The biggest danger is what the guys might do to him when they hear the disgusting terms of his attempt at blackmailing me. But I know that I have to tell them, in case the asshole decides to pursue this any further. I also don’t want any secrets between us, especially after Kaden’s secret almost destroyed us.
Us. I think, feeling warmth spread in my chest at the idea of my feelings for all the guys. They aren’t pressuring me to choose and they seem to have accepted the status quo, but I know that at some point I need to tell them how I feel. That I’m falling … Fuck, ok let’s be honest, that I’ve fallen for each of them and that letting even just one of them go, would break my heart in a million pieces. Because I know how it might sound totally crazy but each guy has my whole heart. It sounds impossible but that’s the reality.
The arrival of the waiter interrupts my musings, unfortunately it’s not our food that’s ready but he’s accompanying some other people who are here to join us for brunch. I look at the newcomers and immediately double take: is this dude for fucking real? I don’t even know where to start, really.
Two men approach our table and they would both definitely stand out in any crowd. They get introduced to us as Mr. Evgeny Kronin and his business associate Lagi. The Russian billionaire is not what I would expect when you say, ‘dangerous ex-soviet nuclear weapons trafficker’. I would place him more as an extra in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchises if it crossed over with Miami Ink. The man in front of me has bleach blond dreadlocks and piercings and tattoos everywhere. His intense blue eyes are lined with black kohl and his body is clad in what looks like a fifty grand suit but the clothes are at least two sizes too big on his tall but lanky frame. He’s standing as if his body is boneless and keeping himself upright is costing him the utmost effort. That expensive suit has its jacket sleeves folded over his tattooed forearms and rather than a classic, crisp button-down shirt, the guy is wearing a green Hawaiian shirt under it. A shirt that perfectly matches the one worn by the huge Samoan man at his side.
I immediately think that the larger man must be Kronin’s bodyguard by the way he unassumingly scans the patio with a falsely lazy gaze.
Casper Van Der Beck greets the new guests with enthusiasm, as if he were reuniting with long lost friends but that’s just what he wants the rest of the world to believe, because I see the nervous tension that has suddenly taken hold of his entire demeanor.
I store the information for future use: Van Der Beck is bossy and intimidating with those he judges beneath him but he completely changes attitude when he’s with people he fears. Yes, because the only word I can use to describe the emotion in Van Der Beck’s eyes is fear.
Which is odd because Kronin looks everything but dangerous, unless you look into his eyes for more than a few seconds. I shudder as we get formally introduced and our gazes meet: that dead, almost soulless stare reminds me of Pierce, so I immediately understand why Blaine’s future stepfather is suddenly on edge.
“Очень Приятно! (Very nice to meet you!)” The guy kisses the back of my hand in a surprisingly gallant gesture but then one of his hands shoots out to grab my chin in his grip and the tension at the table soars as all my guys tense up, no doubt ready to tear the newcomer limb from limb. Honestly, I’m tempted to hit him where the sun doesn’t shine, who the heck …
“You’re stunning! красива! (Beautiful!) You absolutely must pose for my next work, my muse! Пожалуйста дорогая! (Please, my dear!).” I’m fucking taken aback and shocked by the sudden physical contact, so I know I’m looking at Kronin with wide eyes, like the proverbial deer caught in headlights.
I haven’t always been this afraid of physical contact, it’s been this way since Pierce. Even with the guys at the beginning, any touch would make me feel on edge. But since Seattle, when I realized that the guys cared about me and would protect me rather than use me or exploit me, with