Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Girls Night
The chatter dies the second Vladimira and I walk back inside. It’s like someone hit mute on the whole room. Everyone’s holding a cup or a bottle, mid-drink, mid-sentence. Petia grins at me like she’s been waiting for this exact moment.
Tiana shifts out of one of the recliners and slides right into my cousin’s lap. I catch her eye and give her a silent thank you—she saved me a seat. My gaze flicks toward the kitchen opening just as Vince strolls out, beer in hand. Our eyes lock instantly, both drifting to the recliner.
He grins.
“Trouble.”
I smirk back. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gemma called him.
Matt comes around the corner behind him, slower, more relaxed.
But Vince and I? We both go for it.
We make a race out of it. He jumps, I slide, and somehow we both land on the recliner at the same time, half on top of each other. His arm comes around me automatically, like it always used to.
“I don’t want to sit next to any of your exes,” he whispers into my ear.
“Me neither,” I mutter back.
We both laugh quietly, just for a second. It feels… easy. Familiar.
Petia clears her throat loudly. “Truth or dare, Gemma?”
Gemma looks caught off guard for a fraction too long before she recovers. “Truth.”
Vince and I both choke on our beer at the same time.
Since when the fuck does Gemma pick truth?
“Best dick you’ve had?” Petia asks, not even blinking.
Gemma opens her mouth, clearly about to lie, but I cut her off.
“Don’t lie because your husband is here,” I say calmly, taking another sip.
Vince’s chest shakes behind me—he’s laughing silently.
“Fine,” she mouths a quick sorry to Alek before answering. “Sergey.”
Boris literally rolls over laughing. Gemma is blushing—actually blushing—and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this red. She glares at me before snapping, “Truth or dare.”
“Truth,” I say immediately. No fucking way I’m giving her control with a dare.
“Same question.”
Of course it is.
I roll my eyes. “You need to be more specific with me.” I take my time, letting the silence stretch. “If you’re asking rough? That’s your husband. No one hits as hard as him. If it’s kinky… Dimitri. Everything else belongs to Nick and… Ivan.”
I pause just long enough to feel the shift in the room.
“That’s kind of a lie,” I add, shrugging. “Dragon’s still up there for biggest dick. That asshole can tear it up.”
Gemma doesn’t respond. The Pavlovs elbow each other like a bunch of fucking teenagers.
“Vladimira,” I say, turning to her. “Truth or dare.”
“Dare,” she answers immediately.
“Kiss anyone you want.”
She stands, and for a split second, I think—oh fuck, don’t come near me.
But she veers at the last second, stepping toward Vince. She cups his face and kisses him.
I don’t turn, but I feel it—every pair of eyes in the room snapping to us. Vince must be kissing her back because it goes on longer than expected.
When I finally glance up, Ivan is staring at me, his jaw tight. Dimitri, on the other hand, is grinning like this is the best show he’s ever seen.
I don’t even bother looking at Sergey.
She pulls away and returns to her seat like nothing happened.
The game keeps going. Truths spill out, a few dares get tossed around. I start to zone out, letting the noise blur together. Vince gets hit with a dare from Petia—to take his shirt off—and he doesn’t hesitate. Just peels it off like it’s nothing.
“Truth or dare, Elle?” Vince asks, from behind me.
“Dare,” I say before I can stop myself.
What the fuck was I thinking?
I turn slightly, and he’s already got that mischievous grin on his face.
“Kiss the one guy in here you have feelings for.”
I sigh.
Of course.
Fine. Two can play this game.
I stand slowly, brushing my hair over my shoulder, taking one last sip of my beer before handing it back to Vince. Then I walk across the room, straight toward Miroslav.
He looks confused as hell.
Good.
I grab his face and kiss him.
Hard.
Our lips crash together, and his arm wraps around my lower back. He tastes like whiskey—sweet and smoky—but his kiss is rough in the worst way. Sloppy. Too much. Immediate fucking ick.
I pull back before his hand can slide lower.
Vince shakes his head behind me. “Again. More specific. I fucking hate him.”
I glance back at Miroslav. “Your kiss is sloppy and gross. Exactly what I expected.”
“You’re the only one to complain,” he scoffs.
Laughter breaks out across the room, but what catches me off guard is Ivan.
He’s laughing.
Hard.
Loud.
Everyone turns to look at him, and when he finally catches his breath, he looks straight at me and winks.
Fuck him.
They shift into a drinking game after that. Vladimira grabs a cup from the kitchen, but I catch her filling it with water instead of alcohol. I grab another beer.
They play a few rounds, skipping me, until Jax finally groans.
“This is fucking boring,” he says, throwing his head back. “We’re in Vegas and you idiots want to play high school games? There has to be something better to do than sit around getting drunk like we’re stuck in some small town.”
Gemma and I glance at each other.
Same thought.
I’m too drunk and too high to care anymore. I can feel it creeping in—that familiar spiral, like I’m slipping again. I wonder how many times I can claw my way back out before I just… don’t.
I lean back against Vince. He hesitates before wrapping his arm around me. Things between us cooled off hard. He sees me as Nick’s girl. The love of his friend’s life. He doesn’t want to disrespect that.
He told me that in a text, out of nowhere.
And honestly?
I respect the hell out of him for it.
“We could go to the Green Door,” I say, taking another sip.
“What’s that?” Jax asks.
“A swingers sex club,” Vince answers before I can. Then he leans in closer, his voice dropping. “You haven’t been there in a long time.”
I smirk, glancing at Jax. “Unless that’s not your speed, grandpa.”