Page 38 of Scarred Angel

But with Maksim, things aren’t that simple.

There’s so much beneath the surface, so many things unsaid, feelings stuck in limbo, tension so thick I can taste it.

I hate being upset with him. It makes me want to scream, to claw my way back until everything between us feels right again. He holds this power over me, I can’t understand, and one I can’t seem to fight.

So I give him what he wants—my full attention. My…submission.

“This is new to me,” he begins. “And you’re right. You’re not the same person I left behind. Maybe that’s why I don’t know what to make of you, Valentina.” His hand lingers against my chin, anchoring me there. “But I do know this—everything you just said, about leaving and forgetting, about erasing it all likeit never happened? That’s not something I can do either. I’m sorry.”

He’s saying so much without saying anything at all.

But what do I expect? A declaration of love?

Is that even what I want? Of course not.

Maybe I just need to step back. Take a breath. Enjoy his company for what it is—and the chance to know him again.

A smile breaks across my lips, and I sigh. “Theodore is a horse.”

Maksim’s eyes narrow in disbelief. “A horse?”

“Yeah.”

“A fucking horse?” he says flatly.

I nod, grinning. “I’ve been visiting him every year since I was ten. But I don’t ride him anymore.” My laugh fades as I think of Teddy. “He’s old. He deserves to live out the rest of his life in a field, not walking endless circles with kids on his back, getting his ribs kicked.”

“How much?”

My eyes snap back to his. “What?”

“How much for the horse?”

Warmth spreads through my chest at the intention behind his question.

“His owner won’t sell. I’ve tried.”

Maksim smiles at me for the first time in days, and my heart stutters. “But I haven’t. I can be persuasive. I have my ways.”

“Oh, you mean flashing those baby blues and thatpleasant little grinyou wear all the time?”

His amusement lingers, but something in his expression darkens. “Trust me,Kolibri. I don’t get what I want by smiling.”

I know what those words mean. The quiet part he’s not saying. But all I can focus on is the way my nickname rolls off his tongue. And does the sound make me instantly wet?

Fuck, yes, it does.

So much for taking a step back.

“Come on.” I tug his arm, needing to divert my thoughts before I drown in them. “Teddy’s always near the back, by the water blaster race.”

“Isn’t that where I won you that hummingbird?” he asks, beating me to the memory before I can conjure it myself.

“You beat Uncle Silas, didn’t you? Though thinking back on it, I have my suspicions he might’ve let you win,” I say with a wink.

“That’s cold.” He presses a hand to his chest, feigning a wounded ego. “Don’t do that. Don’t ruin it for me. I was proud of myself.”

I snort, unable to hold back a laugh at his attempt at being funny. I like it—this side of him.