“In the back, off the kitchen.”

“Your office, kretin,” Timur translated.

That earned him a snicker from his cousins as well. Evangeline flushed more and turned away, clearly embarrassed. He considered leaping across the room and punching his brother in the face. That would be more than satisfactory. And then he’d do the same for Gorya, Mitya and Sevastyan. His leopard stretched, liking the idea. They hadn’t seen action in a while. A good fight would take the edge off.

It would be pure sublimation, but he could live with that. He got up slowly, and instantly his brother and cousins knew his intent just by the way he moved. They spread out, Timur grinning a little bit.

“Not. In. Here.” Evangeline enunciated each word carefully. “I mean it, Alonzo, you take it outside. I’ve had enough to last me a few weeks with your shenanigans. Don’t make me angry.”

Alonzo halted in the middle of the shop. Dead center. Right in the midst of his four bodyguards. His palms itched and his fingers curled into fists to relieve the ache in his joints. His leopard wanted a fight even more than he did, if that was possible. Still, he stopped moving. Forced his body to relax, to stand down. Timur, damn him, snickered again.

“My brother needs a little lesson in manners.”

“I’m certain he does,” Evangeline agreed. She sprayed the case with glass cleaner. “But not in here. You’ll break something. Like my brand-new bulletproof-glass windows. Thank you very much, Timur.”

“You’re welcome,” Timur murmured, unrepentant. Deliberately egging Alonzo on.

“We have a cleaning crew coming in to do that,” Alonzo said. He put a hand to his neck and massaged at the tension coiled there. “Let’s go home, solnyshko moyo. I’m tired tonight.” He was tired. He hadn’t slept all night and he wanted to go to that home where it smelled like paradise and lie beside her. Maybe, if he was really, really lucky, he could seduce her.

He’d made up his mind he wouldn’t take advantage of the fact that he could seduce her with kisses. He wanted her to make the choice to give her body to his keeping. He knew she was nervous. She was inexperienced and she didn’t give herself lightly, but he could have her. He just wanted to be her choice. He didn’t blame her for being afraid. He wasn’t a good man. He couldn’t go back and change that. He could try to make up for it, but he couldn’t change what he was at his core. What his father had shaped him to be.

Evangeline’s eyes came to his. Rested there. Soft. That smile. All his. “Okay, honey,” she said, surprising him. “We’ll go home.”

She hadn’t gotten much sleep either. He wanted that for her, but more, he wanted to be inside of her where he belonged.