Totally a dark knight. Practically oozing those wicked pheromones that made her girly bits overlook common sense.
But not this time.
“I don’t need you to help me down—catatonic states caused by scary dudes with knives withstanding.” She nodded toward the backyard. “That where we’re headed?”
Roman cocked his head, obviously nonplussed at her short and direct behavior. “Yes.”
“Good.” She jammed her hands in her jacket and marched around him.
It took him all of two strides to catch up and pull her to a stop with a steady tug on her elbow. “You are angry.” He made it more of a statement than a question. A very perplexed statement but a statement, nonetheless.
Maybe it was the genuine confusion in his eyes, or the open scrutiny as he studied her face, but the impact made her feel like she’d kicked a puppy. She let out a sharp sigh and the tension that had knotted up her shoulders the whole ride over dropped away with it. “Not angry, no. Unsettled, confused and nervous as hell, yes.”
“Why? I told you. You are safe. Your life will be better.”
Men.
Seriously.
They were so freaking black and white sometimes.
She reached for what little calm she’d mustered in the hour or so she’d had alone to shower and get ready and used what she hoped was a reasonable tone. “I heard what you said. But you saying it and me really grasping what it means for me are two entirely different things. You’ve got all the cards right now. I’ve got zero.
“Now granted, most of the time I’m the idiot giving my cards away to people who don’t deserve them, but this time they got plucked right out of my fingers. I’ve got no place of my own, two jobs that I can’t go to and a missing family. For a girl who’s been on her own since she was seventeen, that’s mighty uncomfortable. To say I’m feeling a bit powerless right now would be the understatement of the century—even if I do have you keeping me safe in the middle of it all.”
She was nearly panting by the time she finished her mini rant, but Roman hadn’t moved a muscle. Had just stood there and listened, his expression starting with open concern and shifting to somewhere between amusement and delight. “You think you have no cards.”
Hmm. Maybe a metaphor hadn’t been the best approach. After all, English was his second language even if he did seem to have an excellent grasp of it. “Yeah, you know—I don’t feel like I have any options. Any choice in what’s going on. Like things are happening to me without me having any say.”
His face sobered in an instant and the rich timbre of his voice grew infinitely grave. “Do not judge your present based upon your past, malen’kaya koroleva. I understand your fear. That you’ve stood alone until now.” He inched closer and palmed the side of her face. A firm, yet gentle touch that stilled every emotion and thought inside her. “But you are not alone anymore, and you have far more cards than you know.”
Cassie’s cheerful voice rang out behind Bonnie. “Oh, hey! You’re—” Footsteps scuffled against the concrete. “Never mind. We’ll just head back—”
“No,” Roman answered loud enough for Cassie to hear, but his gaze stayed locked on Bonnie. Slowly, he lowered his hand and shifted his attention in Cassie’s direction. “Please, come and spend some time with your friend. I believe she has had enough of my dictatorial nature for one day.”
Dictatorial.
Bonnie bit back a harrumph, but barely. So much for her English as a second language theory. She turned and found not just Cassie waiting for her, but Evette as well. Cassie couldn’t have had a bigger shit-eating smile on her face, and Evette’s curious look said she’d already built up a list of twenty questions about what they’d walked up on. Both of them were dressed far more casually than she’d ever seen them—Evette in red Keds, skinny jeans rolled up to her shins and a white fitted T-shirt with a Captain Marvel logo on the front, and Cassie in a white tee, long tan cardigan and jeggings.
Bonnie finally shook off her stupor and spoke. “Hey.”
Great intro, girlfriend. Way to highlight the awkward moment.
She cleared her throat and tried again, moseying their way. “Mr. Bossy Pants put the kibosh on me going to work today, so I guess I’m doing the barbecue after all.”
Evette’s eyebrows rose high and looked at Roman as though thoroughly impressed. “Mr. Bossy