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“Maybe I’m tired of it. Maybe I want to do something on my own.”
Mikhail shrugs, then moves away from the table. “Okay, my firewall fairy. Be my guest.”
I laugh. “Okay, byte boss, maybe I will!”
Guilt tries to twist through me as we banter. I know my father. He won’t physically hurt Anatoly unless he thinks, in his warped mind, he has to. Dad has always preferred psychological torment.
Walking over to the table, I bend my knees and grip the edge, preparing to pull it.
“Nah, ah,” Mikhail says, walking up behind me. “We have tolift, notdrag. Or we’ll ruin the floor. Are you sure you don’t need help?”
I look at him over my shoulder, hoping he can read how game I am. Kneeling down, I grab the pool table and start to lift.
“Whoa, easy.” He grabs my hips and pulls me away from it. “Seriously, I’m not letting you do this on your own. I’m going to get some help.”
When he leaves, I try to lift it. Yeah, there’s no chance that’s happening in a million years. My lower back, legs, and arms achejust trying. Soon, Mikhail returns with three men. I decide to make myself useful by going to my bedroom and grabbing my laptop. When I return, Mikhail is clearing away one of the desks.
“We’ll move my external storage, servers, and processors in here,” he tells me. “That’ll give us all the juice we need. You can work here.” He nods to the desk. “I’ll work over there.” He nods to the desk in the opposite corner.
We’re alone again now, but I still have to keep my voice low, just in case. “Why do I feel like you’re purposefully seating us as far away from each other as possible?”
“Busted,” he laughs, walking over to me. We’ve both been smiling like loons since we decided to do this. “Let’s face it, Mila. It’s the smart decision.”
I know exactly what he means. If we worked at side-by-side desks, there’s no way we could stop ourselves from acting on the desire pumping through us. He’d slip his hand under the desk, up my leg, and …
“Maybe you’re right,” I murmur.
“Where didyourmind just go, hmm, pixel princess?”
“You’re too good at these nicknames … binary, uh, beau?”
“I’ve never been calledbeaubefore.”
“Do you like it?”
He’s about to reply when he suddenly takes a step back. It stings me much more than it should. He looks over my shoulder at someone.
It’s Ania, wearing her skin-tight ballet stuff, making her look even thinner, sweat sticking her hair to her forehead. “What’s going on in here?” she asks.
“We’re turning the game room into our computer command center,” Mikhail says.
“Oh, wow. Can I help?”
He smiles at his little sister. “Sure, Ania. You can carry some servers. Be careful, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I won’tdropthem,” Ania huffs. “Have I got time for a quick shower?”
“Sure, there’s lots to carry and set up.”
“Okay, great.”
When she leaves the room, Mikhail looks at me with narrowed eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I murmur. “Shall we get started?”
He walks over to me, standing close. Just him being mere inches from me is enough for the lust to reactivate. It’s like anon/offswitch inside me; he switches itonanytime he gets close. “Are you lying to me, code … crusader?”
I laugh, touching his chest, loving how powerfully his heart beats against my hand. I love the feeling of making him excited and wild and savage, of being his sole focus of attention. It makes forgetting everything so much easier. “I think these nicknames are getting out of hand.”
