After Viktor finishes his daily report, we head to the car. He rides with Yuri in the front, and I get in the back, but I order them to wait.
And we do for over fifteen minutes until Sasha finally jogs toward us, her face red.
She slides in next to me, panting, but she doesn’t look at me. “Sorry I’m late. Miss Karina wanted me to remain by her side until she calmed down.”
“Go, Yuri,” I order, then I click on the button that rolls down the black isolating screen. “I have files to review, so none of you speak to me for the entire ride.”
Viktor and Yuri nod as the screen closes.
I can feel Sasha stiffening before I see it as the car leaves the driveway. When I do look at her, I’m struck by the unnatural paleness of her skin. Her face is soft and so fucking beautiful. Even her now longer hair gives her a certain glow. Maybe it’s that or the fact that I know how beautiful she actually looks beneath that unflattering suit, but she appears so feminine right now.
She stares at her linked hands in her lap as if that will miraculously make me lose interest.
“Now that you have nowhere to run to, care to explain why you disappeared this morning?”
Her head whips in my direction, and red blotches cover her skin as she hisses, “Yuri and Viktor are here.”
“They can’t hear with the screen shut. Answer my question.”
She steals a glance at the front, as if not believing my words, then murmurs, “I didn’t really disappear. I just…woke up and went to see Karina for breakfast.”
“Bullshit.” I grab her by the wrist and waist and then pull her onto my lap. Her head bumps against the roof before she settles in place, hands on my chest and eyes wide.
But there’s another look there. It’s subtle, almost undetectable, but a smidgen of excitement lurks beneath the apparent horror.
“Kirill…what are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to get you to admit to the reason behind your escape.”
“But…we’re in the car. Your men are just on the other side. They could lift the screen any second.”
“Then you better start talking, no?”
“I…”
“Yes?”
Her eyes meet mine, sharp, mostly green, and full of light. “I don’t see what the problem is. We used each other, and that’s it.”
My hand starts to tighten on her hip, but I force myself to stop before I break her bones. My tone comes out calm and light, almost nonchalant. “So we’re using each other, huh?”
“Well, isn’t that the case? It’s not like we’re in any form of a relationship. You’ve made sure it’s strictly physical.”
“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” My face gets so close to hers, my lips hover over her parted mouth. “You’re the one who’s hiding your lover from me.”
“Lover?” she asks in a low, surprised tone and I almost fall for her spectacular acting skills.
“Don’t fuck with me, Aleksandra. You shot the phone, so I couldn’t find out who he is. But mark my words, I will bring him out from whatever nook he’s hiding in.”
Fire ignites in her eyes, ferocious and deadly. It’s the angriest I’ve ever seen her. Even her expression when Nadia and Nicholas died doesn’t compare.
“If you go after him, I’ll be your enemy, Kirill. And I will kill you without giving it a second thought.”
My jaw tightens. It’s not the threat, per se, it’s the fact that she threatened me because ofhim.
“You can’t even punch me, but you think you’ll kill me?” The more I talk, the more eerily calm I become. “You seem to have a misconception about me or else you wouldn’t have said those words. I could and I would squash you as if you never existed.”
“Then why aren’t you doing it?” Her eyes brighten with an unnatural shine. “Why aren’t you getting rid of me, Kirill?”