Page 45 of Scarred Angel

A part of me doesn’t care—because even in this short time, I’m already in too deep. But then the thought of the fallout creeps in. We’ve all been so close, and here I am, the grenade waiting to blow it all apart.

“Well…”

She snaps up. “Oh, shit, Val. You’re crushing on Maksim?”

My hands freeze on the necklace clasp. Caught. “I’m not—” I stop. Even I don’t believe it. “Okay…maybe? Is that…weird? Too soon? Is this Stockholm syndrome because he was in the car that almost killed me?”

Remi snorts. “I don’t think that’s what that means.”

“No, but you know whatImean,” I say, laughing as I turn back to the mirror.

“Okay, let’s say you wanna jump his bones. So what? He’s not blood, and we’re not kids anymore. What’s the problem?”

She throws an arm around my neck and kisses my temple. “And if there ever was the perfect woman in Aunt Leni’s eyes for her only son, it’s you.”

I squeeze her, smiling. “Bring it down a few notches. I’m not trying to marry the guy. I just?—”

“Want to take him for a test drive?” she finishes, grinning.

“Yeah, maybe.” I bite my lip and let my imagination wander to those heated moments between us, so close yet so damn far.

“Then do it. See where it goes. You’ve never been one to hold back, Val. Take what you want.”

Again, our eyes lock in the glass, indecision and uncertainty reflected in mine. “It’s not that simple.”

“He’s a man who owns a dick. You’reyou. End of story.”

“Always so eloquent.”

She shrugs and lets herself fall back onto the mattress. “I try.”

I stand, limp my way to the bed—damn crutches, damn broken leg—and sit beside her. “It’s more than that, Rem. Attraction is the easy part.Soeasy,” I say, sucking my teeth. “The man is gorgeous. All steel on the outside, but deep down, with me…he’s soft and actually pretty fucking sweet.”

“Okay…still not seeing the problem. But go on.”

I let out a deep sigh. “He has a lot of demons. And I think he’s afraid of…love. Of getting too close.”

Remi’s smirk fades. “I can see that. Maybe he has a reason to be. A lot of reasons.”

“I know.” My heart clenches as his voice echoes in my head, his confession about the water. “And then there’s my dad?—”

“Valentina, no man willeverbe good enough for you in Uncle Derek’s eyes. You won’t win that battle. So my sage advice is follow your heart, but also guard it. You just came off this thing with Cole. Maybe you’re vulnerable, and Maksim is like the shiny new toy. I don’t want you to get hurt. At the end of the day, his home is Russia.”

I grab my crutches and push to my feet. “I hate when you make sense.”

“Me too. But only because if he hurts you, shit will get ugly. And I have a crowbar in my trunk with his name on it.”

We share a laugh.

“And speak of the devil.” Remi’s voice shifts. “We’ve got a situation.”

I brace for what I already know is coming. The subject I’ve been trying to put out of my mind since leaving the hospital.

“With you out for at least another two weeks, we’re either delaying more races or forfeiting them. Neither option is great.”

My stomach knots. “Two more fucking weeks,” I repeat, like saying it again will make it sound shorter.

“Yeah. And guess who is sniffing around the gaps in our schedule?”