Page 55 of Savage Boss
Before my hand can connect, a massive, solid presence steps between us. Pavel is in front of me, his eyes locked on mine. His hand is a casual weight on my chest, part restraint, part reminder of the boundary I’m about to cross.
“Dima.” That single word is the only warning I get.
But even that might not have been enough if Clara’s hand, warm and surprisingly strong, hadn't slid into mine. She doesn't pull me back, but her presence is instantly grounding, tethering me to the rational world.
“He is not worth it.” Her calm, commanding voice makes the red haze recede. “Don't give him what he wants. Come back to me. Don't leave me. Not now.”
Those words snap me out of it, and I realize the area around us has gone quiet, every eye trained on us.
“Thank you for your congratulations, Mr. Mikhailov.” Clara's voice is clear as she looks Andrey in the eye, as Natasha backs away.
Andrey’s eyes narrow, recognizing that he's lost the battle. “Of course,” he says, straightening his cuffs. “My apologies, Dmitri, if my comments upset you. Do enjoy the rest of your evening and your impending bundle of joy.”
He walks away, the crowd swallowing him up. I stare after him, my heart still pounding, the image of Lauren's face battling with the physical sensation of Clara's firm grip on my hand. I am shaking, the reality of the moment, of the depth of the betrayal, hitting me like a physical blow.
“Dmitri, look at me,” Clara demands softly, pulling my focus from the retreating psychopath. “You’re fine. We handled it.”
I look at her, at the strength in her hazel eyes, at the thin line of worry her mouth has become. I pull her into a tight, frantic embrace, realizing that confrontation was also an assassination attempt—an attempt on my stability, my present, and my future.
Then, just as abruptly, I shove her away. She stumbles back, and Pavel catches her, steadying her instantly.
I push past the two of them and walk out.
I don't look back.
25
CLARA
I’m out of breath by the time I find Dmitri. My feet hurt from the long, rushed walk in heels following his departure, and I’m shivering from the frigid air because I ran after him without my coat.
The old-fashioned lamps glow while the skeletal branches of the bare trees wave in the breeze. Dmitri is so still, he could be a statue against the bright lights ofJerseyon the opposite shore, caught in silence as he leans against the railing, looking out over the black water.
“Dmitri.”
The single word feels like it’s swallowed up by the cold air, my breath coming out in a thick, white puff. It might as well be, for all the response it gets.
“Dmitri, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out this way.”
“How did you want me to find out?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t figured that part out yet. I didn’t think anyone knew. I have no idea how Andrey found out. I swear I didn’t tell him.”
Silence and more stillness. I know Pavel is around here somewhere, tailing me, watching us, keeping us safe. I almost look for him to ask for some kind of guidance. But no, this is on me.
“I tried telling you the other night, after what happened at my apartment, but I didn’t think it was the right time.”
“And that’s supposed to make it okay?”
“No.”
Silence falls between us again. A boat rumbles past in the distance, the lights bobbing and dancing over the river.
“Dmitri, please. Tell me what to do. Tell me how to do this. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but this is all new to me. I’m scared. I want to be with you, yet I’m scared to be with you, and I’m scared to be without you. And now I’m pregnant, and everything has changed so much that I barely recognize my life or myself anymore. Tell me how I’m supposed to do this. Tell me who and what I’m supposed to be, for you, for this baby, for this role I’m supposed to play that I’m not in any way prepared for.”
The words tumble out in a rush on the last of my breath, a lump rising in my throat, a half gasp, half sob escaping. I’m so far out of my depth, I have no idea what to do. Everything feels like a dream, or maybe a nightmare.
“How was I supposed to tell you that I’m pregnant? When I know what your worst fear, your nightmare is?”
