“Right now,” he said, standing. Maxim tapped his glass with a silver spoon. “Everyone, I’d like to make an announcement.”
She barely heard the words he said next. Maxim offered her his hand, and Sofia awkwardly stood. He led her around the table while some guests gave them cheers of encouragement.
Sofia only looked at her new husband, staring at his hand, which remained wrapped around hers.
Lev, Sofia noticed, followed them at a discreet distance. Did he go everywhere Maxim did?
Once out of the hall and in the hotel lobby, Sofia asked Maxim, “Your brother won’t be present in our suite, I assume?”
He laughed as Lev squeezed himself in the elevator to join them.
“Lev will stand guard outside. He has my, no, our best interests at heart. Right, brother?” Maxim asked.
Lev only grunted. Sofia nervously watched the numbers on the panel. It felt like an eternity before they reached the top floor. The elevator doors opened. Lev seemed to have called ahead because two of Maxim’s men waited for them in the corridor.
“Is all this security necessary?” Sofia asked Maxim.
“After the shooting at the church? Absolutely. We still do not know who the shooter’s actual target was,” Maxim answered.
He placed a possessive hand on Sofia’s upper back, guiding her to the room at the end of the corridor. There were four suites on this floor, she remembered.
“What if the presence of your men disturbs the other guests?” Sofia asked Maxim.
She was delaying the inevitable task, and the knowing glint in Maxim’s eyes told her that he knew what she was doing.
“What guests?” Maxim chuckled. “Sweet Sofia, this entire floor is ours.”
“You booked the entire floor?” Sofia asked, immediately hating how surprised she sounded.
“Of course. To ensure we would not be bothered,” Maxim said in a dismissive tone.
They reached their room. Maxim tapped the key card on the door handle and held the door open for her.
His usual hard gray eyes held a tinge of amusement. Sofia felt like a little Red Riding Hood entering the wolf’s den, but she refused to allow Maxim to see her as prey.
Sofia stepped in and took a deep breath. Maxim closed the door behind him.
Someone had left all the curtains in the room open, letting sunlight in. A few steps to the edge of the room, and Sofia would see the rest of the city splayed before them.
The sun would set about now, she thought, but they didn’t come here to enjoy the sunset. Sofia needed to fulfill her duties as Maxim’s wife.
Hearing Maxim’s footsteps behind her, she spun, wary. Maxim moved past her. He picked up the bottle of champagne cooling in a metal bucket on the table next to her. Her husband popped the cork and poured the bubbling liquid into two wine glasses. Then he handed one to Sofia. She accepted it, fingers trembling, as Maxim watched her like a hawk.
She urged herself to relax, to treat this like—like what? A duty? Could she still call it that when she was eager to feel his devouring kisses again?
Sofia took a sip of the champagne, then another, letting the sweet liquid quench her dry throat.
“Rules,” Sofia suddenly blurted. “I want to establish boundaries between us.”
“Boundaries?” Maxim flashed her a mocking smile before setting his glass down.
She suddenly felt foolish. Why had she ever thought she had everything under control? She might have successfully fooled everyone downstairs, but standing before Maxim, she felt powerless and completely exposed.
Calling out for help would do her no good. Maxim’s men lay spread out in the corridor. None of her father’s men were present.
Sofia would’ve felt better if someone she knew, like Aldo, was nearby.Your father already gave you away, remember?
Besides, she wasn’t some frightened child, incapable of doing anything. She needed to show her new husband that he hadn’t married a docile wife who would obey his every whim.