Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
His expression is cold and empty, devoid of any feeling. “I’m not asking you, Tatiana.”
I nod, bitterness bubbling over into my chuckle. “Just like old times. I see you haven’t changed.”
“You were young. If I weren’t open about my intentions, it was because I tried to spare you the nastiness of the business.”
“No, Dante. You kept me in the dark so that you could use me.”
“Oh, darling.” He smiles that dangerous, dimpled smile and cups my cheek. “You have no idea how people look when I’ve used them. There would’ve been nothing left of you.”
I pull away from that scorching touch. “What are your plans for us?”
“For starters, we’re leaving for New York.”
“I can’t.” Grasping at straws, I hurry to say, “I have a job here. I’m in the middle of one. I’m not going to just walk out on my client.”
He tilts his head. “Is the job important to you?”
Actually… “Yes.”
I’m proud of the work I do.
He considers me. “How long do you need?”
“A week.”
“Then we’ll leave next week.”
Just like that. I expected him to deny me. “I have other clients.”
“You don’t.”
“I always get referrals.”
“One week, Tatiana.”
“And then?”
“And then we worry about the rest.”
“Noah needs stability. He’s starting school next year. I’m trying to make a home for him here.”
“You’ll make a home for him in New York City.”
“It’s not safe for us there.”
“You’re under my protection. No one is going touch you or Noah.”
Raising my voice, I make my point. “You’re going to war with my brother.”
He clicks his tongue and shakes his head as if he thinks I’m stupid. “The war is long since over, darling. All that remains is delivering the deathblow.”
He says it so heartlessly that another shiver works its way through me. “You’re a monster.”
“Not entirely.” He takes something from his pocket and hands it to me. “Or I wouldn’t have gotten you this.”
I look at the packet on my palm. It’s the morning-after pill.
Heat pushes up my neck and face. “You didn’t just run out and get this, did you?”
I want to ask if I’ve been such a foregone conclusion—again—but he spares me by saying, “I dispatched one of my men to a twenty-four hour-pharmacy. He sent the parcel up with the food.”
“Great.” My cheeks burn hotter. “Why not tell everyone what happened last night?”
“My man is discreet. He won’t say a word. As for the hotel staff, the purchase came in a non-transparent pharmacy bag.”
My reply is sarcastic. “Isn’t that a relief?”
“As we’re on the subject… Condoms or an oral contraceptive? I’ll let you choose.”
“Neither.” I lock eyes with him. “What happened last night isn’t going to happen again.”
“Then you better be prepared to give Noah a brother or a sister.” He lowers his head and brushes his lips over my ear. “Because you can count on it happening again.”
Leaving me with that promise, he walks from the room.
Chapter
Four
Dante
* * *
Noah wakes up exactly five minutes later, just as Tatiana has predicted. He walks through the door from the lobby, rubbing his eyes and holding the patched dinosaur under one arm.
“Mommy?” He glances around the lounge in alarm before fixing his gaze on me. “Where’s my mommy?”
“I’m right here,” Tatiana says behind me with a smile in her voice, exiting the study. “Are you hungry?”
Noah doesn’t look away from me. “Where are we?”
I speak before Tatiana can reply. “At a hotel. Do you like it?”
He considers the question with a serious frown. “Why is it so big? Why isn’t it tiny? Rooms at hotels are always tiny.”
I go over, sensing Tatiana as she follows on my heels. “It’s a suite, meant for a family.”
Noah stares up at me. “Are we a family?”
Tatiana makes a choking sound.
I smile. “We needed rooms for you, your mom, Jasper, and me.”
His mouth drops open as he inspects the space. “All of this? Just for us?” When he spots the big television mounted on the wall, he sprints over with a squeal and stops in front of it. “Wow. Look at the size of the TV!” Spinning around, he faces me with barely contained excitement. “Can I watch TV?”
Tatiana walks to him and strokes his hair. “It’s a weekday, Noah.”
His shoulders slump. “Will we still be here this weekend?”
I assume that means he’s only allowed to watch television on weekends.
Tatiana turns to me with worry and uncertainty in her expression, clearly not knowing how to answer that question because their fates are in my hands now. Every decision—where they sleep, what they eat, and when they do so—is mine to make, and she knows it.
I want nothing more than to switch on that television for my son. It’s such a small thing to ask for. So little. The expectation on his face is killing me. Having to say no makes me feel like the monster his mother accused me of being a few moments ago. But rules are rules, and I’m not going to undermine Tatiana’s authority.