41 Too Comfortable Embraces

What the hell am I doing?! What am I even saying?!

I spun a whole damn fairy tale about working at a hospital. Though… I did, for a while, so it’s not a complete lie. Night shifts? Also not entirely false. And I do have a nurse outfit, so technically I do “save lives”… keeping men from dying of boredom and routine.

But when it came to the story about Kirill’s father, I really went off the rails. Without even realizing it, I dragged my own past and my relationship with Denis into it, like my pain is just begging to be let out already.

I shouldn’t have done that… I should’ve just said I made it all up so he’d back off, but no. I keep digging myself deeper into lies.

Why?

Because it’s not that easy to tell a man you’re a stripper who sometimes sleeps with clients. Sounds disgusting. And here’s the problem… around Nazar, for the first time in years, I started feeling things like shame and… embarrassment.

Me?! I’m a confident woman. I always know what I want and go after it. But around Nazar, I catch myself blushing like an idiot! I can’t hold his green gaze for long. His eyes are too alive, too tempting, like I might drown in them if I stare too long, so I look away. Or maybe I’m just ashamed that I like him.

Well… honestly, how could I not? A man like that doesn’t just not attract attention. Handsome, but not pretty-boy sweet, a bit rough, confident, insanely charismatic, and judging by his things, pretty damn well-off.

What kind of blind idiot do you have to be to leave a man like that? And not just him, but the kids too?

I’d never abandon my child. Never. And that thought stings under my ribs again. Will it ever let me go?.. Even just a little? Though I already know the answer.

Despite all my conflicting thoughts, we’ve been talking for about an hour now, and he hasn’t started irritating me. That’s a damn rarity. Most men start pissing me off after a while.

The brunette asked for my number so casually, but persistently, that I gave it to him. And even agreed to meet again. God, why?! Why couldn’t I refuse those damn Shrek-cat eyes? And now I’ve even agreed to a date tonight. Am I an idiot or what?

Still… the meeting is set, and I have to admit, I’m waiting for it with some kind of nervous thrill. I’m just curious where this could go. He can’t possibly be as perfect as he seems, right? Just curiosity. Nothing more.

And yet… I got ready for that date properly. No way I’m showing up looking like hell. So I picked the best option I had in my wardrobe for the evening.

Truth be told, I don’t go on dates often. Usually it’s much simpler. We meet, I dance, if I like him, finding a place to hook up isn’t a problem. Then we go our separate ways. No names, no dates, no obligations.

Well, okay, there were a few idiots who decided I “belonged” to them afterward and owed them something, but they were quickly sent in the appropriate direction. I don’t need that shit, and neither do most of them. But here… everything’s different. That’s why I’m a little nervous.

When I got to the place, one of the most famous restaurants in the city, I wasn’t ready for what I saw. I already knew Nazar was a striking man, but in a stylish expensive shirt and trousers, he was way beyond my expectations.

And again, my cheeks betray me with heat, my breathing changes the moment our eyes meet. Those emeralds pull me in like a moth to a flame, and I can’t do a damn thing about it. Maybe Nazar has some kind of magic. Or hypnosis. Why do I want to keep looking at him so badly?

Once we sit down, I suddenly feel ridiculously shy under his attention. He noticed my tattoo, and I had to partially explain it… partially lie. In reality, it’s a constant reminder that I have to be a predator, not prey. To put my own interests first.

Of course, Nazar mentioned his tattoos too. But I’d already seen them. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, and I couldn’t stop looking at that damn neck. Tattooed men are one of my biggest weaknesses. And one like him, sitting right across from me… yeah, things were getting a little damp between my legs.