Page 85 of The Lies Between Lovers

“I heard you couldn’t convince your doctor to break you out of here,” he said, grinning.

With his elbow propped up on the edge of the hospital bed, and his chin resting in his hand, it was all too easy for Vera to become mesmerized by the easy way he seemed to study her right back. Looking at her, his cold gaze almost warmed. He even smiled.

“You shouldn’t eavesdrop,” she returned.

Vaslav’s gaze narrowed. “Spy, or bribe—which do you prefer?”

“Vas.”

Her playful hiss blew right over his head.

And it seemed he had better things on his mind.

Without warning, both his arms snaked up the bed and his hands circled her wrists like tight shackles she didn’t want to escape. It took him tugging her closer for Vera to lean down to give him what he wanted when his head tilted upward toward her. He didn’t purse his lips for the kiss—not even a pout.

He did, however, tell her, “Hurry up, now.”

Vera pressed two soft kisses, one after another, to his unmoving lips, and as she pulled away after the second, he didn’t let her go very far. In fact, she could feel the way the wind of his quiet sigh blew over her lips when she wet them with her tongue.

“I don’t actually have to stay,” he said. “If you don’t want me to, just say.”

“I don’t think you mean that when you say it after asking for a kiss.”

“Who asked, kisska?”

She pressed her lips in a line to suppress the smile fighting to form and failed miserably. So instead, she kissed him again. That time, he kissed her back, teasing open her mouth with slow flicks of his tongue until she gave in to the control he seemed to have over her with no effort at all.

It wasn’t so bad.

“Stay,” she whispered against his retreating kiss.

Vas yanked the chair a bit closer to the bed and resumed his previous position with his head propped up on his hand so he could watch her. “Another night in that chair won’t kill me. Much.”

Vera made a face. “Don’t say that. Where did you go, anyway?”

He brought her the vase but disappeared again.

“I had to put something in Igor’s car to take back to the house. Nothing important.”

“You got something from the hospital?”

Vaslav nodded, never missing a beat. “From the gift shop.”

“The gift shop?”

She couldn’t imagine him shopping.

He smirked. “A little hedgehog stuffy for Marrow to destroy.”

Huh.

“That’s sweet. He didn’t really seem like the kind of dog who liked toys to me, though. Maybe someone’s fingers as chew toys with the way he growls.”

“Da, me too. I always thought that’s why he destroyed them, no? It’s like he takes a personal offense to the very sight of them—hunting wild hares, it’s one snap of his jaws and the rabbit is dead. Those toys? The death lasts. It’s funny to watch.”

Vera snorted back her laughter, muttering, “That’s terrible.”

Vaslav grunted under his breath and leaned back in the chair where he could fold his arms over his broad chest. “The nurse let me know she’ll be bringing something back for you soon. Some soup, or—”