hand went to her throat and she stroked her fingers down it, just the way he often did. “He doesn’t just ask something. He makes demands. Everyone immediately complies with whatever he’s commanding. It isn’t good.”
“Is he unreasonable?” Evangeline asked.
Fortunately, a group of customers came in, their chatter sounding happy. Each time the door opened, a small bell announced more clients. This time a small cluster of five came into the shop, very clearly coming from an office close by, and behind them was a group of four men, all in suits, as well as two in jeans and tees. They’d dressed up their look with sports jackets, making them look as if they too had come from one of the many office buildings.
Evangeline and Ashe rose without a word and hurried to take their places behind the counter. Ania noticed the bodyguards blended into the room, reading from their devices, sipping at hot coffee or lattes, occasionally eating one of the pastries, but all were alert. They were spread throughout the room. Two were guards watching over Evangeline; two others kept Ashe in sight. Mitya had sent Vikenti and his brother Zinoviy. She always called Vikenti Vik and Zinoviy Zen. She didn’t really think he was Zen, but it made her want to laugh when she referred to him that way.
She sipped at her latte and wondered why neither Ashe nor Evangeline seemed resentful of their partners insisting on knowing where they were at all times. She felt like an errant child, asking permission to go to work or to the bakery. What of her street racing? Sometimes she was just so restless she needed an outlet. Racing had always been that for her. It also kept her reflexes sharp.
Ania found it strange that Mitya seemed to know when she was right at the point that she needed to grab the keys and go find a race. He appeared out of nowhere, and wherever they were, right then and there, he was wild and crazy. The sex was always unbelievable. He wrung so many orgasms out of her that sometimes she couldn’t even stand upright and would lie on the carpet naked, her breathing ragged, shocked at the way he could make her body feel. The need to race faded far into the background until she could barely remember she’d been thinking about it.
Did he know? Could he read her that easily? A suspicion came to her and she found herself frowning. Her female occasionally reached out to her, but rarely. She’d told Ania that her name was Jewel. When Ania was upset after seeing her father in the evenings, mostly because he was unresponsive then, she would murmur to her softly to comfort her. Often, Ania couldn’t even understand what the cat was conveying. She communicated in images rather than words.
Do you talk to Dymka? She knew Mitya’s leopard’s name meant “smoke” or “haze.” He’d been named that because he could move unseen among enemies. He was that stealthy.
At first, she was certain the female wasn’t going to answer. She seemed lazy, wanting to retreat back to the safety of their body. Ania didn’t think that was very fair since the leopard had gotten her noticed by Mitya in the first place.
Yes. He likes to talk to me.
A purring accompanied the images, as if Jewel was so enamored with the male leopard, she couldn’t think of him without a sensuous shiver.
It was all Ania could do not to roll her eyes, but at the same time, she understood. Mitya made her want to purr every time he touched her. Do you tell him when I’m restless? Or upset?
I do not like to see you upset.
That wasn’t an answer, and yet it was. Mitya’s leopard warned him when Ania was thinking of racing. Or maybe he didn’t know what she wanted to do, but he could guess. Was he using sex to manipulate her into doing the things he wanted her to do? She groaned and put her head down on the table.
“Ania?”
The voice was deep. Strong. Very familiar. She raised her head to find herself staring into Alessandro Caruso’s dark eyes. He was the oldest of the four Caruso brothers. She’d met him, over the years, quite a few times, but to her knowledge, she’d never noticed how good-looking he was. Her leopard, Jewel, was looking at him as well, making Ania’s heart kick into overdrive. If Jewel was interested, it meant she was looking at Alessandro because