Viktor drove quietly while I played with his radio stations in the car. I wanted to drive, but I didn’t bother asking because he wouldn’t let me, anyway. He didn’t let me before when we were together. 

“What have I done now that warrants the frown you’re wearing, Kita?” Viktor said, using that nickname, the one I both hated and cared for. 

“Must you call me that?” I complained. 

“Of course I must. I gave you that nickname, therefore I will use it.” Viktor said, stopping at the traffic lights and setting his right hand on my thigh. 

“Are you trying to get me to hit you this early in the morning?” I muttered, turning to glare out the window. 

“At least wait until your hand is properly healed. I’d like if you were going to get to hit me, that it at least counts. Who knows if you’re going to get the chance to do it again?” he chuckled, like I hadn’t threatened him with physical abuse. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, not responding. Viktor laughed again and patted my leg before pulling away when the light turned green.

“I honestly don’t understand you.” I huffed. Getting out my phone, I checked for places to eat around us. “Where are you interested in eating?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I have a place in mind,” he said, smiling, and that didn’t make me feel any better at all. If anything, it just seemed like a trap. Groaning, I let him take me wherever he wanted. I was just hungry now and wanted something to fill up my stomach before the real fighting started, because I was starving. 

He pulled into the parking lot and got out first. Coming around, he opened the door for me and closed it behind me. The place he took me looked like just a regular coffeeshop and I could smell the food as soon as I got out of the car. 

“Avoid the sausage here, unless you like spicy food.” Viktor said, leading me inside. Looking around the inside, I suppressed the urge to sigh. 

“Of all the places you take me somewhere that you launder money, sei stupido…..” (you stupid.)

“Hey, the food here is good, I promise. I wouldn’t take you here unless I was sure you would like it,” Viktor said, for once his face actually looked truthful. 

“Next time I get to pick the place we eat. You coming here makes this whole thing look shady.”

“Relax, Amore. No one knows this place is even owned by me.”

“You…. ugh. Nevermind. I’m too hungry for this right now.” I muttered and found a place to sit down. 

“I’ll order for you. Stay here.” Viktor said and draped his jacket over the back of the seat. I nodded and went to the counter, and I watched cars passing outside the window, not really even paying attention to his words. He set my drink down in front of me, and I looked up at him.  

“You looked deep in thought?”

“I was letting my mind wander.” I confessed, not exactly sure why I felt I could at that moment. This man had backstabed me and my feelings before. This would be no different, married or not. 

 He leaned in closer and I looked away, my heart pounding in my chest. He gently touched my arm, and I could feel the warmth of his fingers on my skin. I took a deep breath and looked up at him, and I found him smiling back at me. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I have to grab our food.”

He slipped into the back, and I let out a long groan. I took a deep breath and looked away from the door. I had to keep my thoughts in check. I couldn’t afford to make the same mistake twice. He truly would shatter me this time if I let him. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I yanked it out. Hitting the side button, I had a message from Lev. Opening it up. All it said was that we needed to talk as soon as possible. It was important and related to Viktor. I sent him a text back with the word ‘call?’. He was quick to respond with ‘visit.’. That meant this was something that couldn’t be spoken about where it might be tracked by any sides. 

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, Viktor reappeared, bringing two plates with him. “Breakfast, or well, brunch.”

“Thank you.”

He sat my plate down, before setting his plate down, and then set down some cutlery for us both. The food looked amazing. I could smell the tomato broth of the vegetable soup that was paired with my sandwich, which looked to be a turkey BLT. 

We ate pretty much in silence, except for some enforcers who were coming for lunch too. Viktor almost seemed annoyed for them to show up. He clicked his tongue and went to pay the bill. The enforcers showed him respect and lowered their eyes.  

Viktor nodded at them and waited for me to join him before walking out of the restaurant. I followed closely behind him, feeling mildly uncomfortable. Viktor opened my door and closed it when I got back into the car. I watched him get in and waited till he had his door closed before I spoke. 

“Lev sent me a text. He said it was important, and that we need to speak in person.”

“Let me clear my day and I can take you in an hour or two.” Viktor said, buckling up his seat belt before reaching over and doing mine, too. 

“That’s not needed, I could drive myself,”

“Your arm is still broken. I would prefer to drive you myself.”

I nodded and agreed to him driving me. I sent Lev a text letting him know Viktor would drive me, and that would be there later tonight. Viktor took his time driving to a store and made me go in with him. 

He took me to the clothing section first. “Pick out some clothing you will actually wear, Nikita.”

“Fine.” I said, going to look for things I would wear. This wasn’t like any department store I had ever seen before. Everything was name branded and stupidly priced. Viktor had twice the amount of things in the cart, no doubt for me, then I picked out.

“I found you a few things, too. I do hope you will like them. I think they will look stunning on you,” he said, his eyes shining with delight. He was certainly having far more fun with this all than I was. He smiled at me again when I looked at him.

“Let’s find you some proper haircare again, and some nicer sheets, for after we ruin the ones that are on there now,” he said low, and I stopped walking, causing Viktor to bump the back of my ankles with the cart.

“Ouch! Viktor, damn you.” I hissed. I turned and crossed my arms at him. “Running me over. Is that your game move?”

“You just stopped. I didn’t expect you to,” he said and apologized.

I walked beside the cart the entire time to the bedding section. Viktor snuck off while I was looking at the sheets and had a blanket in the cart, as well as a cover for the blanket. I raised an eyebrow at him when he covered the label and grabbed a few sets of fresh sheets. The dark green ones were beautiful, and they captivated me with their color.

“This is a beautiful shade of green. It’s got such a lovely depth.” I muttered and touched them.

“I agree, it’s a lovely colour against your skin.” Viktor hummed, and tossed them into the cart too. He filled the cart with all kinds of things, and when we got up to the checkout, he told me to go out to the car and wait. I had a pretty good feeling this was that I didn’t know the price of all the stuff he was buying.

Taking his keys, I went out to the car. Getting into the car, I reclined the seat a bit and closed my eyes for a few minutes. The sound of a cart a little later caused me to open my eyes, and Viktor was walking around the back of the car with that damn full cart. He somehow got it all to fit in the tiny trunk. He walked the cart back, and I watched him. His strides were long and powerful, hell I knew what power his legs held. I had spent sometime bouncing on them.

I watched Viktor return to the car and had yet to take my eyes off him. I watched him through lidded eyes. I was in a dangerous mood. Thinking about his strong thighs led me to think about other things that were strong on him.

“How much longer are you going to watch me like this, Nikita?”

“What makes you think I’m watching you?”

“For one, you have your bedroom eyes on, and that is not wise. And right now, Nikita. Your brother clearly needed you.”

“You clearly need me too, Viktor.”

He let out a sigh. “Nikita, I want to have sex with you, but not like this.”

“Then when the hell are you going to touch me, Viktor? The best damn thing we did together was sex, and you won’t even give that.”

“There’s a good reason for that, Nikita. Right now, Lev needs you, and you said he made it seem important. We can hash out our sexual frustrations and anger later. We need to get back to the house, drop off some stuff, and head out to see your brother and his husband. After that is over, then we can talk about all this. Until then, stop looking at me like I’m your last meal.”

“Fine.” I hissed.