Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 100416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
In the meantime, Keira would undermine him in every way possible. She wouldn’t step into outright rebellion, but she wasn’t going to make it easy, either. The terms Romanov had laid out were clear enough—as long as Keira was in his home as his wife, he would not pursue war with her family. She might like the idea of everything he loved going down in flames, but she couldn’t risk trying to make it happen without fear that it would blow back on Aiden and the others.
And then her choice would be for nothing.
But that didn’t mean that she had to play nice. She could make Dmitri’s life a living hell. Subtly. She’d be the rock in his shoe, the sliver in his palm, the itch he couldn’t quite scratch. As long as she didn’t cross the line, the worst he could do was punish her. Not Aiden. Not the O’Malleys.
Keira could take anything he doled out, and she’d come back swinging the second she hit the ground. He thought he could buy a wife and that would be the end of it, but she’d been property for too damn long. If he wasn’t going to give her the freedom she desperately needed, then she’d make him suffer until he relented.
If she enjoyed it in the meantime… well, she never pretended she was a nice girl.
She dried her hair and put on enough makeup that she didn’t look like she’d spent the last week on the verge of death, and then got dressed. A pair of jeans and a slouchy tank top that showed a bright red bra with every move completed the look—put together without appearing to try too hard. Chew on that, Romanov.
One last look in the mirror made her pause. Even with the makeup, she looked like shit. Too thin, her cheeks hollowed out, her long hair lackluster, dark roots showing. That was priority number one—get into fighting shape. Charlie had introduced her to Krav Maga, and Keira had every intention of pursuing it going forward. She’d spent too much of her life helpless, and she wasn’t about to go back to feeling like that.
The rest? It would fall into place as time went on.
But first, she had to go face the dragon and lay some ground rules.
Dmitri heard someone enter his office, but he didn’t look up from the tally of numbers before him. Whoever it was wasn’t a threat—Mikhail wouldn’t have allowed them in if they were—and it wasn’t good form to drop everything to address interruptions. He wrote down the total and capped the pen. Only then did he look up.
Keira.
She padded across the thick gray carpet and slouched into one of the chairs across the desk from him, every inch a queen despite being dressed casually. Her bare foot swung, drawing his attention. The image of a barefoot Keira wandering his home filled him with a possessive feeling that he didn’t know what to do with. “You’re awake.”
“I want to renegotiate the terms.”
Surprise flared, though he fought to keep it off his face. “We didn’t negotiate to begin with.”
“Yes, we did. Peace in exchange for me.” She straightened in the chair, bringing both feet to the floor. “I want an addendum.”
What could she possibly want that she didn’t already have? Granted, he hadn’t taken the time to walk her through her new life, but judging from the clothing she wore, she’d found the closet he’d had outfitted for her. Dmitri leaned back. “There’s an account already set up in your name. I have access to the information, but it’s yours alone. There will be money deposited on the first of every month to do with as you will.” He found himself curious as to what she’d buy when her every other need was taken care of. It would tell him a lot about the woman, and he craved the knowledge.
Her expression didn’t give an inch. “I expect nothing less.”
Brazen. So damn brazen. He shouldn’t like her arrogance, but he was drawn to it all the same. “Outline your addendum.”
“I want access to a local Krav Maga gym.”
“Consider it done—though one of my men will accompany you to and from, and I’ll choose a gym that is trustworthy.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
That had been easy enough. He’d even expected it, though not so quickly. She’d spent time at a gym in Boston with Charlie Finch, and from all the information he had gathered, she’d enjoyed it immensely. It would keep her busy and content, which was his intent. He picked up his pen. “If that’s all—”
“It’s not.” Keira crossed her legs and leaned forward, the move making her shirt slide down and revealing a lacy red bra that exposed as much as it covered. Dmitri got one breathtaking glimpse of her nipple through the lace before she sat back, shielded once more. A long look at her face revealed no manipulative intent, but she’d shown herself to be just as good as he was at masking her emotions.