Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Then he takes my arms and gently pushes me away. “I mean it,” he says.
“Mean what?” My head is swimming, making it difficult to think.
“You, Lia,” he says huskily. “You’re much too good for me. Too pure.”
“Pure?” I reply. “Who said?”
“You don’t have to say. I can tell by looking at you, being with you, and tasting you…” He kisses me again. This time, I move against him, feeling my body respond so fast. He breaks it off, but his lips are still against mine. “I-I have to go.”
“Is something wrong?”
He takes a step back. “No. That’s the problem.” He walks to the door and then pauses. “You can leave this here. Or I can have it sent to your apartment. It’s your choice.”
“Do I have to hide it?”
“Nobody will touch it,” he tells me, then leaves.
I stroke my thumb along my lips, tasting him again, reliving the kiss. I remember Mom’s funeral, just me and some people from the children’s home there for support. I remember going into the bathroom and, far too young to think like this, making a promise to myself in the mirror.
“I will never rely on anybody else. I don’t need anybody. When I lose, I’ll do it on my own. When I win, the same…” I rubbed at my face, thinking of Mom, trying to get myself together. “Just me.”
Suddenly, that’s changed already. It’s like shades and colors are blending within me, making new configurations, changing me even if I don’t want to be changed. Minutes pass, and then I decide to carry on with my work. I don’t want to go home, not yet.
As I work, I think about what he said when I asked if something was wrong. No. That’s the problem. It’s as if he’s just like me: scared to be happy, afraid for things to go right.
CHAPTER 5
DIMITRI
As I drive to the compound, I try not to think about Mila waiting for me—Mila with an M, not Lia, who I can still taste on my lips. I wasn’t planning on kissing her. After visiting her neighbor last night and clarifying what would happen to him if he didn’t leave, I told myself that was it. I’d give her the painting supplies, then forget she existed.
But the kiss still lingers on my lips. How am I supposed to do my duty, save the city, and marry Mila when Dahlia is the only woman I can think about?
I feel like a different man. It’s as if the kiss somehow changed me, but I meant what I said to her. She’s too good for me. Too pure. After the kiss, her face flushed and wide-eyed, she looked even younger. She looked even more innocent.
She doesn’t even know who I am. It’s not exactly common knowledge, and we do our best to keep it out of the press. Everybody has heard the whispers about the Sokolovs, but she thinks I’m just a CEO. Would she hate me if she knew the truth?
Far too soon, I arrive at the compound. After scanning in, I make small talk with the guards for a few minutes. They’re respectful but a little distant. I’ve known these men for years, so maybe it’s the change in my position making them cautious, or perhaps it’s the fact my father told them to give the city over to Nikolai if I don’t follow his orders.
Finally, I can’t put it off any longer.
It’s not like I can stay out here all night. I make my way to the house. This time, Yuri opens the door with a short bow. I’ve tried telling him many times that he doesn’t have to treat me like this, but I think he prefers the clear line between butler and employer.
“Your brother and friend are waiting for you on the rear deck, sir.”
“Thank you, Yuri,” I say.
Mikhail’s probably pissed at having to keep Mila entertained, but it’s better than her waiting here alone. I thought Ania might spend some time with her at first, but Ania has had anxiety on and off her entire life. She finds it difficult to meet new people.
Before going to the rear deck, I head to the basement. Deep down, I know this is just a way for me to put off meeting Mila for a little longer. I don’t know what she looks like or anything about her, but I know she’s nothing compared to Lia.
In the large basement dance studio, I hear the shoes squeak against the floor. I peek through the small window in the door to see Ania spinning and leaping around the studio. She wears her AirPods and faces away, but I see her smiling in the long mirror on the wall. That’s something, at least.
Since she’s clearly in the flow, I leave without disturbing her. Mikhail meets me in the back deck kitchen. Beyond him, through the open door, I can see the back of a woman’s head as she sits poolside. Mikhail frowns at me.