well
past lunchtime. One peek into the lab showed the room wasn’t any
less crowded. “We’re going to have to wade through that
crowd.”
His companions eyed him
dubiously.
“ Trust me.”
Chapter 7
When they opened the storage closet
door Helena glanced around the still crowded benches and realized
this could take some time. Of course they did have organized
storage closets and cabinets, a table that didn’t give one a hernia
to move, and a secret passageway. The cherry on top was
Vlad.
On that thought, Vlad curled a hand
around her waist and gently shifted her to the side. He stepped in
front of her and forged a path through the lab coats like he was
royalty. Of course he was.
In a matter of moments, they all stood
in the hall. Jorge brushed off his shirt and sent an admiring
glance at Vlad. “That was impressive, Vladimir. I could have never
gotten us out of that lab so efficiently.” He smiled at Vlad before
wondering off toward his lunch.
Maria also stared up at him with
pride. She patted his chest. “You are impressive, my son.” Standing
on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek, ruffled his hair, and then
trailed after Jorge.
She eyed him with a lot of
brattiness.
“ If you mess up my hair,
it’s all over between us,” Vlad warned.
She rose up on her own tiptoes and
trailed her fingers through his hair, her lips mere millimeters
from his. “Are you sure?”
“ Okay, you can mess my
hair.” His arms tightened around her like bands of platinum. They
raised her another notch so that their lips were on the same level
and his took hers in a shockingly intimate kiss.
Her spine melted, and her knees
disintegrated. Yet she didn’t mind in the least. Her fingers curled
around his scalp as she pressed closer, her tongue vying for even
more attention from his. The man tasted better than anything she
had ever savored. If he stopped kissing her, bad things would
happen to him.
“ You are aware this is a
public hallway, right?” An unwanted, but thoroughly amused voice
asked right beside them. The voice was really close.
One of them, she wasn’t certain who,
said, “Go away.”
“ No. My fiancée is busy
entertaining mouldy scientists so I don’t have anything better to
do.”
With reluctance, she and Vlad
retrieved their own tongues and ended that amazing kiss. It took a
long moment before they accomplished this. She was happy his heart
wasn’t into the extricating exercise any more than hers. Both of
them turned to glare at the unimpressed and still quite amused
Aleksi.
“ Think on it this way, at
least it’s me who caught you and not Emerson. ” Aleksi rocked back on his
heels as he waited for that to penetrate.
Once it did she and Vlad
sprang apart like they had set each other on fire. In her case,
Vlad had accomplished that goal. Heat continued to speed through
her as her hormones protested, really
loudly , at the demise of that
kiss.
“ Emerson.” Vlad
groaned.
“ I’ll tell him you’re
sorry you missed him.” Aleksi looked quite pleased with
himself.
She settled her nastiest glare on him.
“I do know where you’re ticklish.”
He sniffed, not impressed at all. “I
just saved you from the biggest gossip in Rurikstan.”
“ Good, you can eat lunch
with us then.” Vlad’s smile was bland, but it still caused skitters
of excitement up her spine.
Her stomach effervesced in
anticipation as he slid his hand in hers and tugged her toward the
room where her colleagues disappeared.
Before they took two steps, Aleksi
stopped them and steered them in the direction of the palace dining
room. “Apparently Tia is otherwise occupied so you can suffer
through lunch with me.”
When Helena indicated she planned to
use the water closet, he and Aleksi waited outside for
her.
“ Have you read what’s on
that USB drive?”
Aleksi shook his head. “It’s password
protected. You haven’t thought more about what could be on
it?”
“ No.” Vlad frowned. “He
didn’t say
past lunchtime. One peek into the lab showed the room wasn’t any
less crowded. “We’re going to have to wade through that
crowd.”
His companions eyed him
dubiously.
“ Trust me.”
Chapter 7
When they opened the storage closet
door Helena glanced around the still crowded benches and realized
this could take some time. Of course they did have organized
storage closets and cabinets, a table that didn’t give one a hernia
to move, and a secret passageway. The cherry on top was
Vlad.
On that thought, Vlad curled a hand
around her waist and gently shifted her to the side. He stepped in
front of her and forged a path through the lab coats like he was
royalty. Of course he was.
In a matter of moments, they all stood
in the hall. Jorge brushed off his shirt and sent an admiring
glance at Vlad. “That was impressive, Vladimir. I could have never
gotten us out of that lab so efficiently.” He smiled at Vlad before
wondering off toward his lunch.
Maria also stared up at him with
pride. She patted his chest. “You are impressive, my son.” Standing
on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek, ruffled his hair, and then
trailed after Jorge.
She eyed him with a lot of
brattiness.
“ If you mess up my hair,
it’s all over between us,” Vlad warned.
She rose up on her own tiptoes and
trailed her fingers through his hair, her lips mere millimeters
from his. “Are you sure?”
“ Okay, you can mess my
hair.” His arms tightened around her like bands of platinum. They
raised her another notch so that their lips were on the same level
and his took hers in a shockingly intimate kiss.
Her spine melted, and her knees
disintegrated. Yet she didn’t mind in the least. Her fingers curled
around his scalp as she pressed closer, her tongue vying for even
more attention from his. The man tasted better than anything she
had ever savored. If he stopped kissing her, bad things would
happen to him.
“ You are aware this is a
public hallway, right?” An unwanted, but thoroughly amused voice
asked right beside them. The voice was really close.
One of them, she wasn’t certain who,
said, “Go away.”
“ No. My fiancée is busy
entertaining mouldy scientists so I don’t have anything better to
do.”
With reluctance, she and Vlad
retrieved their own tongues and ended that amazing kiss. It took a
long moment before they accomplished this. She was happy his heart
wasn’t into the extricating exercise any more than hers. Both of
them turned to glare at the unimpressed and still quite amused
Aleksi.
“ Think on it this way, at
least it’s me who caught you and not Emerson. ” Aleksi rocked back on his
heels as he waited for that to penetrate.
Once it did she and Vlad
sprang apart like they had set each other on fire. In her case,
Vlad had accomplished that goal. Heat continued to speed through
her as her hormones protested, really
loudly , at the demise of that
kiss.
“ Emerson.” Vlad
groaned.
“ I’ll tell him you’re
sorry you missed him.” Aleksi looked quite pleased with
himself.
She settled her nastiest glare on him.
“I do know where you’re ticklish.”
He sniffed, not impressed at all. “I
just saved you from the biggest gossip in Rurikstan.”
“ Good, you can eat lunch
with us then.” Vlad’s smile was bland, but it still caused skitters
of excitement up her spine.
Her stomach effervesced in
anticipation as he slid his hand in hers and tugged her toward the
room where her colleagues disappeared.
Before they took two steps, Aleksi
stopped them and steered them in the direction of the palace dining
room. “Apparently Tia is otherwise occupied so you can suffer
through lunch with me.”
When Helena indicated she planned to
use the water closet, he and Aleksi waited outside for
her.
“ Have you read what’s on
that USB drive?”
Aleksi shook his head. “It’s password
protected. You haven’t thought more about what could be on
it?”
“ No.” Vlad frowned. “He
didn’t say
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