Free When I Hurt (Vassi and Seri 2: Russian Stepbrother Romance) by Marian Tee Page A

cross the line with Seri. He was determined that she would stay a virgin until she realized that she was only infatuated with him. He had been counting on his brothers’ presence to keep him in check. But now that he knew he was going to be left alone the entire night with a sweet, kitten-like Seri?
    A stream of curses filled his mind once more.
    It was going to be a fucking long day.

Chapter Eight
    W hen Seri woke up , the world outside her window was dark and her fever was completely gone. Turning to her side as she stretched, the first thing she saw was Vassi, sleeping peacefully on a wingback chair pulled next to her bed. With his eyes closed, he finally looked more his age – someone who was just one year older than she was.
    But more often than not , she thought helplessly, he felt out of her league.
    There were dark circles under his eyes, and her chest constricted when she thought of his busy schedule. He had been juggling work with school the past few days, and yet he had still made time to look after her.
    He started to stir then, and she smiled uncertainly when his eyes drifted open.
    “You’re awake.” She loved hearing the sound of his voice when it was scratchy from sleep, knowing that she was the only girl in his world who had heard it. He was infamous for never spending the night with any woman, and it had been the same even back when he was dating Shelby. The other girl had always gone back to her room after---
    Vassi frowned when he noticed the unhappy look on Seri’s face. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting anywhere?”
    Yes, she wanted to answer. My heart hurts, just thinking about what you do with other women. But she kept the words to herself in the end, knowing that there was no point raking over the past.
    What mattered was what she could do now and for the future.
    Vassi had leaned forward and was checking her forehead. “You don’t feel hot anymore.” He yawned the last word out.
    She tried but failed to suppress a smile, knowing that this was yet another side that the other girls didn’t know about him.
    And it was all hers , she thought selfishly.
    “You think you’ll be okay if I leave you for a bit while I take a shower?”
    She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid.”
    He ignored that, saying, “Just call my name if you need me. I’ll use your shower, and I’ll leave the door open so I can hear you easily.”
    She blinked.
    Déjà vu.
    He was going to use her shower, and he was going to leave the door open.
    Vassi peered at her. “What’s wrong? You’re looking odd.”
    Not odd, she thought, flushing. The ‘odd’ look he thought he saw on her face was Seri unable to keep herself from being aroused by the thought that history was repeating itself. The realization was so embarrassing that she couldn’t help shoving his face out of her way.
    “Oooow. ” He grunted in pain but obligingly moved back to his chair. “Guess you’re feeling better alright,” he muttered under his breath, “if you’re back to your old ways.”
    “What do you mean old ways?” she demanded even as she kept her gaze on the windows, which was the opposite direction of where he was.
    “You know.”
    She frowned at his sly tone. “No, I don’t.”
    “Pretending you hate me,” Vassi said over his shoulder as he headed to Seri’s bathroom, “when we both know that you always want me close enough to kiss.”
    Gasping, she automatically grabbed a pillow to throw at him, but she was too late and Vassi had already gone inside the bathroom. Conceited jerk! She glared at the door, but soon her racing heart was beating fast for something else.
    The door was left ajar like he promised, and when she heard the blast of the shower, Seri gulped, knowing what it meant.
    Vassi was naked.
    Déjà vu, she thought again.
    And this time, the urge to ensure that history could and would repeat itself was too much to ignore. Getting up, she quietly and nervously made her way to him. She stopped when she was exactly