Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
A hesitation. “You know that I do.”
“I can shower you in gifts that make that look like an embarrassing trinket. You might not have your freedom, but you’ll want for nothing as my wife.” He should just leave it there. If she had foolish romantic notions, that wasn’t his burden to bear. He’d never offered her love, never offered her anything but exactly what he intended.
But it felt too much like a lie to let things stand. “I can offer you anything money can buy. I can’t—won’t—offer you love. Sex, yes, as much as you can handle and more, but this isn’t a love match, Keira. It never will be.”
Her exhale, so world-weary and exhausted, made him shift, driven by an urge to do…something. He didn’t know. He still hadn’t figured it out when she said, “I know, Dmitri. It’s cute that you feel the need to point that out, but I’m not a teenager with stars in my eyes. I know what you are—and what this is. And, trust me, I’ll never expect love from you. Now, if you’re done with this entertaining little whatever-the-fuck-it-is, I’m tired and I’m going to bed.”
“Good night, Keira.” He hung up, still feeling off-kilter and not sure why. He hadn’t lied to her. Dishonesty was one line he didn’t cross unless he absolutely had to, and he would never do it with her. If he lied to her and tried to force her to his will, she would be more his enemy than wife. And that was unacceptable.
That’s it. That’s why it bothers me. I hurt her, even if it was the truth, and now she’s going to lash out and there will be consequences.
He put the phone in the top drawer of his desk and shut it, willing himself to focus on the next step. Tensions remained high with Alethea Eldridge, and he had to soothe her pride to ensure that she didn’t suspect anything. Irksome, but easy enough to do.
First, though…
He picked up the desk phone and pressed 1. Mikhail answered on the first ring. “Da?”
“Send Vance to my office. I have something I need to discuss with him.” Namely that his pawing through Keira’s unmentionables was a punishable offense.
And he had every intention of collecting.
Chapter Fourteen
Aiden hunted down Cillian the first chance he got. He found his brother in the library, reading to Hadley. The picture they painted, their heads bowed as his brother read a nonsense children’s book, was almost enough to make Aiden turn around and walk out, leaving the discussion for a later time.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.
Still, he waited until Cillian had finished the book to say, “We need to talk.”
“I know.” Cillian set Hadley on her feet. “Take this book to your mama. You know it’s her favorite.”
Hadley grinned and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before leaving the room, pausing only to give Aiden a brief wave. “She’s a good kid.”
“Yes, she is. She’s also not why you’re here.” Cillian stood and stretched. “This is about our parents.”
“You called them.”
Cillian laughed in his face. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why the hell would I pull a stunt like that? Did I want to talk to you about whatever plan you’ve cooked up? Hell yes. Would I endanger all of us because I’m pissed that you aren’t letting me in? No. If you think otherwise, you’re a goddamn fool.”
When his brother put it like that, it was hard to argue with him. Aiden dropped into the other chair and ran a hand over his face. He’d had such a clear sequence of events when his whole plan had been put into motion, but it seemed like every time he turned around, more threads were getting tangled. “Romanov is a threat that needed to be addressed, but if we come at him from the front, he’ll annihilate us.”
“I’m not arguing against that. What I am arguing against is using Keira as bait—because that’s what you’re doing, isn’t it?”
He didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse that Cillian was so goddamn smart. “Romanov came to me for help.”
That got his brother’s attention. “What?”
“Two weeks ago. He’s having problems with the Eldridges, and he needed someone to help him with a bait and switch to keep them occupied while he gets things in place to remove them entirely.”
Cillian whistled. “That’s quite the coup—and it would leave Romanov in control of most of New York.”
“Yes.” Something that would keep anyone with half a brain up at night. “But it’s happening whether we like it or not. I agreed to work with him because it means I’ll have some say in the fallout—and there will be fallout.”
Cillian hesitated. “I despise Dmitri. I don’t like his history with Olivia, and a year of not being a total shithead doesn’t make up for twenty-four years of leaving her to the wolves.”