Vengeance Aside (Wanted Men 0.5)(16)
Her gracious smile didn’t falter as she nodded and turned away.
Lukas waited until she was almost even with him before stopping her. “Dale.”
A small knot formed on her fragile jaw as she paused and looked up at him. “Yes, Mr. Zavrazin?”
The arm’s length title was bothersome, but he let it go this time because he was a reasonable guy. “Why do you have a man’s name?”
No one could hear them but for Samuel, and maybe Nero, if he were straining his ears. Dale’s eyes took a spin around anyway before she pleased him by coming a half a step closer.
“Dale is a short form of my full name.”
“Which is what?”
“Magdalena.” She was looking at his tie rather than at him.
Magdalena. Well, fuck him. “Sounds both virtuous and lascivious.”
Her mouth tightened. She rubbed her nose. She bit her lower lip. But, in the end, she couldn’t stop the smile that overtook her face. “Lascivious?” she whispered, her green eyes dancing as they met his. She had a goddamn dimple. Right cheek. “Really? Who uses words like that, Lukas?” Her amused giggle reached in and stroked what felt like his heart. And the way her lips pursed when she said his name? Yeah. He liked that.
Christ. His mother had always glowed when she said his soft heart had been a trait he’d inherited from his father. But Lukas had had no idea what heart she’d been speaking of.
Until now.
“Magdalena was my grandmother’s name. She was German, and lived with us…” Her smile faded, and she looked momentarily confused. “Uh, sorry. Now isn’t the time for sharing meaningless information, is it?” She glanced from him to Samuel. “Um, let’s just say shortening my name to Dale got me teased less growing up. Having boys tell me I was named after a prostitute wasn’t fun. But only because, at the age of twelve, I thought prostitute was a different brand of salami than the one my Oma used to buy for my lunches.” That impersonal smile came back as she glided away to refill Nero’s drink.
“Beautiful,” he murmured. His father was going to love her.
“Lukas? May I have a word?”
He tore his gaze away from her to nod at Vasily, who was now standing next to Samuel.
Without asking questions, Lukas followed the Pakhan to the corner where he made a concerted effort to focus.
“When I was with your father earlier,” Vasily began without pause, “I couldn’t get him to talk to me about last night. In fact, he wouldn’t speak of anything but the girl you were bringing to meet him.” He gave Lukas a pointed look. “His happiness was undeniable.”
“I’m sure it was. He’s been waiting a long time for some grandchildren.”
Vasily’s brows came together. “And for you to find someone to spend your life with,’ he added, then asked, “Why do you and Samuel think it is acceptable behavior to bring a stranger in front of him?” He held up a hand to prevent Lukas from speaking. “I don’t know the specifics, even though Maksim was dying to explain them to me, but I am shocked you would use this girl to fool an injured man who has done nothing but protect and adore you boys your whole lives.”
Around the blatant chastisement, Lukas experienced a cleansing sense of relief when he was able to honestly explain what was now the reality of the situation. “It might have started that way, but deceiving in order to placate is no longer the case. When I introduce Magdalena to my father tomorrow, claiming she is mine, it will be one of the most definitive statements I will ever make.”
Vasily’s disapproval faded to make way for a light humor tainted with a relieved interest. “Is that so? Does this mean you are now able to identify with Kostya’s story about how he met your mother?”
Lukas didn’t hide his surprise. “He shared that with you?”
“He’s shared it with me more than once. Bragged about it, actually. He’s very proud of how they came together.”
“So was she. But she didn’t brag about it. She spoke of being grateful.”
“I imagine she did. Leane was nothing if not gracious. She would be thrilled with this turn of events. And since neither she or your father is present, and in the vein of keeping the peace, I, as your elder, will ask you to take your new lady and leave. Samuel said he was going to do the same, and I think that would be wise.”
Lukas was very close to feeling offended, but he couldn’t quite work up to it. Not only because of who was making the request, but because of how tactfully it had been made. Had he been a different kind of man, Vasily could have come out and demanded Lukas leave, and there would have been nothing he could have done about it due to Vasily’s close relationship with Kostya.
But caving immediately might make it seem as if starting his life with Dale was more important to him than his father’s wellbeing, so he made a token attempt to stay.
“With all due respect, Vasily, I am fully capable of separating business and pleasure.” A pointless attempt, he just then realized, because leaving with Dale would be something his father would encourage rather than discourage.
A quiet laugh he instinctively recognized as forced captured his attention, and turning away from a man one should never dismiss came as naturally as if God had placed his hand on Lukas’s head to spin it to the side himself.