“Yeah.”
His brows draw together and he stares up at the ceiling for a minute. “I’m not sure I’ve given it any thought.”
“What!” I raise my head to rest on one hand. “How is that possible? There must be something that interests you, that you’re passionate about.”
He chuckles and wraps a lock of my hair around his finger. “It’s different when you grow up knowing your path is set in stone. I am the Kozlov heir. There would never be another direction for me. Just ask Prince William. I mean not to put the guy down, but he graduated university with a master of arts degree in geography. He clearly wasn’t thinking about his future career options.”
I grin. “You are being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” I narrow my eyes, shooting him my best dirty look. “Fine,” he concedes. “I’d own an art gallery or something like that. Maybe a gallery showing only works by women artists, since they’re usually underrepresented in the arts.”
Shit. I did not expect him to say that. Who is this man? One part mafia tough guy, one part secret feminist… except for the stuff in bed.
“What about you?” He turns on his side to face me. “You dropped out of college.”
The familiar burn of shame wells up inside of me. I watched my friends and schoolmates move on to college, and careers, and here I am. No closer to a life of my own.
“I had to help my father,” I say, a touch defensively. “What choice did I have?”
He nods in understanding, but continues to regard me. “But what do you really want? When you imagine your life beyond this. What do you see?”
I blow out a breath. “That is as pointless as talking about your future as something other than a pakhan.”
“You’re wrong. Your life won’t be this way forever.”
His statement catches me off-guard and I don’t know why, but I’m compelled to tell him the truth. A truth I’ve never told another person, but somehow, I want to share with him.
“I’d teach art to kids. Maybe art history too.”
He nods as if I make perfect sense. “You’ll make a great art teacher someday.”
“Whatever.” I flop on my back and stare at the ceiling. I can’t think about my future right now. All I can think about is tomorrow. The day after that. Making good on my promise to Andrei. Reuniting with my father. Figuring out how to move forward.
“I have to go out of town for a few days,” he says softly. “But I have something special to show you when I’m back.”
“Special how?” I ask.
His lips tilt up at the corners as he runs a hand over my shoulder. “Good special. A surprise. You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling confused. I don’t know what’s happening here. The sex is one thing, but it doesn’t feel like this is just about sex anymore.
He sighs, and his hand comes back to my face, his fingers brushing over my skin as if he could read my mind. How can his touch alone make me feel so much?
“We have now. Until Oleg is back in play.” It seems like he wants to say something more, but he can’t find the words.
“We have now.” I echo.
Chapter25
GEORGIA
Days pass by in a blur of training and sleep—the sleep I need mostly because I’m so damn worn-out from training. Guns, fighting, acting, computer hacking. I’m learning skills I would never have dreamed I’d possess, or even need, but it’s oddly rewarding when I become a sure-shot or when I flip one of Andrei’s big burly guards on his back as he attempts to overpower me.
Natalia joins me for dinner most nights, which is strangely comforting. I sense that she’s actually joining me to make sure that I am following along with the plan, but we fall into an easy routine together, discussing my day, and barely discussing hers. I wonder where Andrei and his brothers are and what they are doing, but I don’t bother asking, knowing she won’t share anything with me.
Like everyone else in the Kozlov employ, she’s tight-lipped. Well, everyone except for Piper. Though she lives off-site, she often pops by my room in the evening and offers to do my hair. It’s pointless. I have nowhere to go, but I don’t mind the company and the feeling of being spoiled.
Piper and I talk about everything, and nothing—the weather, music, our favorite movies and TV shows. What we don’t talk about is our personal life. Occasionally she’ll reveal a snippet of her world beyond the Kozlov estate, but she’s guarded about her upbringing. That’s fine. We all have our secrets and I’m happy to avoid difficult subjects. There’s much about my own life I’d prefer not to talk about.