Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(49)

Speaking of…after swiping the keys to his truck, Alex ventured outside, breathing in the cool air that was rapidly chilling. She wasn’t particularly dressed for the weather, but that was the last thing on her mind as she climbed into his truck and started it up. The last time she had been in a car, it hadn’t ended well for the car, but as she pulled out of the driveway, then down the long stretch of street—not really knowing where she was going—she was determined to be more careful this time.

It didn’t take long for her to realize where she was, and now that she knew, she committed the location to memory, but instead of heading back to the city, she made a stop just outside of it, pulling into the parking lot of a cluster of shops.

Alex ventured through a couple of them, glad that one of them was a furniture store. She didn’t want to guess the kind of furniture he would like but did know he could use a few bookshelves and new linens. By the time she had finished and found everything she wanted, at least for the moment, she headed back to Luka’s place, giving Loki an affectionate rub on the head since he hadn’t made a noise since they left.

Making it back, she went right back to organizing things, lugging in the two bookcases that she’d bought from the store. Without any tools, they would have to wait for later, but she was able to start fixing up what was to be his library.

That was where Luka found her many hours later. Absorbed in what she was doing, she hadn’t heard him come in or seen him hovering in the doorway.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Alex startled, turning to see Luka watching her, his face expressionless as he stood gazing at her, one hand out beside him to scratch behind Loki’s ear. Either she had been too absorbed in what she was doing, or they both had the silent movements down.

Abandoning his original question as he looked from her to what she was standing on, his frown became apparent. “And what the hell is that?”

“It’s not real,” she proclaimed in defense of the oversized sheepskin rug that she had been trying to center in his bedroom, having been moving his mattress to rest on top of it when he had come in. “And even Loki likes it.”

“Where did it come from?”

“I bought it,” she said, hurrying to add, “for you. I figured if you’d wanted a frame, then you would have bought one by now, but I thought you could at least use something to make your place feel more homey.”

“So you thought I would want a rug?”

She couldn’t tell if he was upset by the gesture or just confused…she hoped for the latter. “If you don’t like it, then I can exchange it for something else. You know, if you do actually want a frame.”

“You staying here, that wasn’t an invitation for you to move in.”

“I know, it’s just—”

He shook his head, heading back out the room. “Whatever idea you came up with, let it go. We aren’t—”

“For f*ck’s sake, I was just trying to do something nice for you.”

Of course, the one time she tried to do something without any ulterior motive, it was thrown back in her face, but what could she expect. As they always said, she was always f*cking things up. No matter what she did over the last few hours, that couldn’t erase the last thirty-six.

Grabbing her coat, cause she had stayed well past her welcome, she was ready to get out of there. She was more than ready to call a cab to take her back to the city, but Luka turned back to her suddenly, blocking her path.

It was déjà vu all over again.

“Move.”

“Your feelings hurt?”

“Do you have to be an ass all the time?” she asked, exasperated, ready to shove him out of her way.

He shrugged a shoulder, seeming to take her question seriously. “Yes.”

Tilting her head to the side, she met his gaze. “Why?”

Luka looked uncomfortable by the question, his tongue swiping over his bottom lip, his eyes darting as he contemplated an answer. “Nothing is ever freely given. Better to know what you want upfront before you throw shit at me.”

She was dying to ask him questions, finally break into his mind, but she knew she had to do this gradually because the moment she pushed too hard too fast, he would shut down. Then there would be no way she could get anything out of him.

“I know the last four days weren’t…easy for you, so I thought I could repay you by helping you fix up your house. Debt for a debt, yes?”

His eyes, softer than she had ever seen him, crinkled at the edges as the smallest and briefest of smiles curled his lips. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to.”

Because she owed him for what he had done for her, not just three days ago, but for what he had been doing for her since the moment she met him. Really, it was the least she could do, and more than that, if this allowed her to stay with him for just a while longer, without the interference of their lives back in the city, she would take it.

“It’s been a shit day for me.”

Alex returned his smile. “Is that your way of apologizing?”

He reached for the coat she was still holding, taking it and tossing it back where it’d been before she’d grabbed it. “Maybe.”

“Not good enough.”

His now empty right hand came up to rest on his chest, right above his heart, his fingers fanning out to cover the area. “Sorry.”