Page 42 of Hidden Empire
“Between you and me,” he starts, leaning in to hide his voice from prying ears. “This is me trying to make a good impression on my future sister-in-law.”
My jaw drops open. Did he just…
No way.
“What? Who?—”
“No time to gossip, girl,” he cuts in, grinning. “Dmitri will get you to your building safely. Won’t you, Dmitri?”
“He can’t, actually,” a light, manly voice interrupts. “Business to attend to that he’s about to be late for.”
Dmitri sends a warning look to his brother, and the pair start speaking back and forth in Russian. Their words are sharp but quiet, keeping their conversation mildly private. I’m sure there are other people here who speak their language. Handsome as he is, Dmitri doesn’t look happy the more he speaks and eventually sighs.
“My brother will take you,” he tells me firmly. “I will walk you both out.”
“It’s really not a far walk, I can just?—”
“Let him take you,” Colton encourages. “Short walk or not, there’s a bunch of intoxicated people out and about tonight. Having an escort is best.”
“Right,” I say, reluctantly agreeing with him. It’s not that I don’t want Dmitri or his brother to walk me back, it’s that I don’t want them to feel obligated to.
The three of us exit together, Dmitri reluctantly leaving us with a quick goodbye. There’s definitely something he needs to deal with because he runs in the direction of whatever it is, rather than walking.
Even though we’re in a hurry, we pause while crickets sing and the air chills around us. Luckily, the silence melts away quickly.
“I’m Ivan,” he introduces himself. “Nice to meet you.”
Blushing, I offer a smile. “You too.”
“Do you feel safe with me walking you back? If not, I can grab Dustin too,” he offers. “He’d take the opportunity to leave early, believe me.”
“No, that’s okay,” I rush out. “I trust you.” He smiles, and I let out a breath. “Um, my room is just up there,” I say awkwardly, pointing to the building just ahead.
“Got it.” He nods, and we begin our short trip. “So, you and my brother, huh?”
“I hope,” I admit.
Ivan bobs his head, leading me further away from the party. “No hope needed, Jade. Just keep showing up. Dmitri is cautious, but I can tell he likes you.”
My face burns. “You can?”
“Oh yeah,” he confirms. “He’d never have volunteered for the game if he didn’t.”
Well, that’s great news!
Hell yeah, talk about a successful night.
Ivan is really sweet, getting me into the building and waiting below my window for me to give him a thumbs up that I’m safe and in the clear. Only then does he make his way back to the party house.
Rushing to change and remove any lingering smell of smoke or alcohol from my skin and clothes, I hop into the shower. I can’t take long, scrubbing fast and keeping the water hot. I put my dirty clothes under my used towel in the laundry basket and get into clothes for sleeping.
Tying my wet hair up in a spare T-shirt, I slip my feet into some loafers and leave my room, locking it behind me. Using my key to the boy’s place, I let myself in and lock the door behind me. I find Matteo’s bed immediately, knowing it’s the messy one with mismatched blankets and pillows. His little sound machine is on his side table, and I flick it onto the rain setting.
The soothing nature music helps calm my heart rate, and I let out a sigh. Climbing into Matteo’s bed, cozy in my pajamas, I snuggle deep under the covers. It doesn’t take long before I hear keys jingling and the bed dips beside me.
“I’m so tired, you have no idea,” Matteo groans, rolling onto his back. “Armani worked me to death.”
My fingers press against the side of his neck. “Nope, not dead, your heart’s still beating.”