The Master (The Game Maker #2)(74)

“I wasn’t going to come down here,” Máxim snapped when he reached me outside the lodge’s garage later that night. He looked more pissed than I’d ever seen him. “You’re a grown woman. How much trouble could you and Jessica get into in a garage? Then I realized that I didn’t know who was in the building before one of my men followed you here.”

“I knew you had someone following me!” I was slurring. Weird. I wasn’t even that drunk!

“What the f*ck were you doing in there?”

“Had work to do,” I said breezily.

With a thunderous expression, he loomed over me. “And by work, do you mean a blond farmer? If I go in there, what will I find?”

“The limo—and sheer brilliance!” I laughed, then covered my mouth. “There went the surprise!”

Voice like ice, he said, “You’re wearing a man’s coat.”

“Jess bought it for me with most of my pin money.” I whispered, “I suspect she pocketed the money and stole it off a rack. I was coming to get you because I don’t think she should sleep in the car, but she won’t leave because someone might wash it.”

Jess’s cry sounded from the garage. I turned back. Vasili was exiting, with her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. She wore the other coat she’d “bought.”

Upside down, she yelled, “Faster! Fun!” She slapped his ass with both hands. “Run, bald Russki!”

Vasili said something in Russian that made Máxim’s meany face fade, then the bodyguard toted Jess away.

Sevastyan exhaled a gust of smoky breath. “You were shoe-polishing the limo? I didn’t expect that. You had me very worried, Katya. You didn’t answer any of my texts or calls.” He signaled someone behind me—probably more mafiya security—then started squiring me to ward the lodge.

“Jess thumped me in the boob each time I tried to text, and accused me of being dick whipped. Natalie told me it’s futile to fight her. Psst, it is.”

He opened the lodge door, ushering me inside. As warmth washed over me, I frowned. “Did I have a curfew?”

He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “No, it’s not that—”

“You believed I was sleeping with someone in the garage?” My frown deepened. “Aren’t I your date?”

“You are. I didn’t know what to think when you wouldn’t answer your phone. Worrying about my woman is uncharted territory for me. I feared I hadn’t made things clear enough to you.”

When we reached our room, I asked, “What things?”

He deflected. “Tell me about your night.”

I had to gush: “The polish is the most brilliant thing I have ever seen in my whole entire life. We shocked ourselves.” I hiccupped.

“You’ve got it all over your face and hair.”

“A small price to pay.” With a condescending pat on his chest, I said, “Máxim, I’m a very important person here. Basically the life of the wedding. But with great power comes great responsibility.” Had I said that last sentence in Spanish?

He chuckled, all his anger gone. “Very important, hmm? What graffiti did you write on the limo? Do I need to go back and take care of it?”

“We settled on ‘He offered his honor, she honored his offer; all night long, he’s on her and off her.’ ”

He laughed, pulling me into the bathroom to start the steam shower. “Come, solnyshko. Let’s get you cleaned up. Hold on to my shoulders.” After he removed my heels, he rose, turning me around. He untied the string of my blouse, saying, “Been wanting to do this all night.” He dragged the garment off and pulled me to face him, whistling low at my black see-through demi-cup bra. “I like this little number.” Then he brushed a forefinger over one nipple. “You were good for me tonight?”

“Very good.”

He carefully removed my jewelry. “Did Jess behave herself with you? Or did she hit on you?”

I cocked out a hip. “Of course she did. I’m a hot mamí! But I told her I was with you. And she and I got into a fight anyway.”

“Why would you two fight?”

“She insisted we should write stuff on the inside of the limo too. I tried to explain the law of diminishing returns, and she told me to eat a dick.”

Why did he keep laughing at me? He reached around to unzip my skirt. “And now I get to care for my drunken female. Still more uncharted territory for me.” He pulled my skirt down, leaving me in only my new lingerie set.

“Drunken? I’m fine.”

“Indeed.” His gaze roamed over my garters and hose, my demi bra and tiny thong. “If I’d known you were hiding this, we wouldn’t have made it out of the suite.” He unclasped my bra and tossed it away, giving both nipples a sweet nuzzle. Then he unfastened my garters, kneeling to roll down my hose and peel my thong to my ankles. With a groan, he pressed a heated kiss to my bare mons, inhaling my scent.

I threaded my fingers through his hair. “Umm. I love your mouth.” More slurring?

He made a sound of frustration, rising once more. “Despite your sexy garters, I’m going to give you a reprieve tonight, which means I’m a better man than I’d ever suspected. Come on, in you go.” He led me to the shower, then stripped to follow me in.