“I do not care who hears, West. I hid my life long enough. I will no more, not when it comes to you.”

Despite him biting his bottom lip, his smile was evident. “I… um, like that you don’t have to hide.”

“It was stupid of me to begin with since my parents are supportive. However, Russia is a very different place to here. It also helps I am no longer in the mafia.”

The waitress made an alarmed noise in the back of her throat. I had already heard her coming, another reason I mentioned the mafia. It was not something I would usually, since I had cut all ties to it, but it should not matter with one insignificant woman.

“Though I am still very connected to it,” I said and stared up at her. She gulped and placed our drinks on the table with shaky hands. West groaned and knocked the menu into his forehead a couple of times.

“A-Are you ready to order?” she asked with a curtsy.

“Nyet, give us more time.”

“Right away.” She curtsied again and quickly disappeared.

“I’m afraid you’ve scared her.”

“Good. It lets people know not to mess with us.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

I thinned my lips, concerned. “Do you not like the way I deal with things?”

He quickly shook his head and reached across the table to lay his hand on mine. “You be you and do whatever you want, because I’ll like you no matter.” He smiled and picked up the menu again. “I might act shocked, but in the end, it doesn’t faze me.”

My chest expanded once more over his words. No one had taken me for who I was. Until West.

It was his fault I was going to keep him.

“All right, I’m going to have the chicken and pumpkin risotto.” He nodded and placed his menu down on the table. “You?”

“Steak,” I replied, pushing my menu away from me. “Moya lyubov’?”

His smile was soft. “Yeah?” He picked up his glass.

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

The glass paused against his lips before he regained his thoughts and took a sip. He cleared his throat and placed the glass back on the table. “Five years?”

I nodded. “Da.”

I sensed movement beside us and glanced there. The waitress was hesitant to approach. Good. “We are ready,” I told her.

She shifted closer. “Great, what would you both like?”

After we ordered, she quickly skuttled off like a scared mouse. It was never my intention to intimidate her. I would have let slide the smiles, but when she touched West, my body burned with anger.

West cleared his throat. “Are you looking at going back to work soon?”

I raised a brow. “Do not think I have forgotten you did not answer my question.”