Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Other men may jump in front of a bullet for Emilia, but most would hesitate. I wouldn’t.”
Bastard.
“Fine. However, I expect you to keep me apprised of these attacks and before you put your neck on the line again, I’m going to warn you that I rarely feel as generous as I’ve already been with you.”
“Mr. Petrova—”
“I need to know what is going on in Emilia’s head if I am to protect her. Nothing can get in the way of her security. Am I clear?”
“Are you only planning on safeguarding her physically or…”
“Nothing about my relationship with Emilia is your business. That’s nonnegotiable. I will tell you that her happiness is foremost on my agenda but that’s where our discussion ends. I will demand a weekly update on Emilia, and I trust in these meetings that I won’t have to deal with your resistance again.”
“We’ll talk in our next meeting,” he responds, not really giving me an answer about him withholding information. I frown.
I guess it is possible to hate and like a man at the same time.
CHAPTER 16
Emilia
“Can you sit still?” Zoe reprimands as she combs her fingers through my hair that she’s just put loose curls in. She’s doing her best to make sure I look pretty tonight. I’m resisting all her efforts. The truth is, I don’t want to look good. I don’t even want to go. It has been three years since I became strangely engaged. I say strangely because I knew it, everyone knew it, but nothing really changed. I’ve barely seen Niko. We go to some public dinners together. Other than that, nothing truly changed… until last night.
I’m still reeling over the kiss that Niko and I shared. I haven’t told Zoe yet. I’m not sure I want to. She keeps trying to get me to make moves on Niko to see if there’s something there to build on. She knows I’m attracted to him and in Zoe’s world, that should be enough. Until Niko kissed me, I would have told her that she’s crazy. Now, my brain is mush. I’m so nervous about tonight. I can barely contain it. I’ve struggled trying to keep myself calm, but as time ticks away, the harder it is for me to focus.
“I can’t. I’m a mess. I don’t want to do this. I’d rather spend the entire night with my annoying cousins and even Dante than go to dinner with Niko tonight,” I lie. Panic is laced in my words. Zoe will think it’s over the fact I’ll be spending time with Niko. The truth is that for three years, I’ve resigned myself to trying to find a way out of this marriage. Now, all I want is more time with the man—more of his lips on mine and his hands on my body.
“Is that why you’re making me join you?” Zoe asks, pulling me from my thoughts—which is probably a good thing.
“Yes! I need you. I never know what to say around Niko. My brain cells just die, and words refuse to come out—at least ones that make sense.”
“Oh, my Lord! You better learn how to talk to the man. You’re going to be married to him in less than a year. You’ll have to be alone with him at some point, you know.”
She wiggles her eyebrows at me, and I blush because I’ve already been thinking about that. Heck, last night I spent time dreaming about that very thing. That’s the real reason I’m dreading tonight. What if Niko can somehow tell that I’ve fanaticized about him making love to me? That I got off to thoughts of him touching me before I went to sleep last night?
I don’t want to tell Zoe any of that. Not right now. I’m just not ready. It’s too personal and I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with all the changes in my thoughts about Niko. So, instead I decide to continue to let her think I just want to end any connection with Niko. That seems safer.
“It’s not like I have a say in anything. He didn’t even ask me to marry him. My father showed me the contract one day, and it took me a year to even see Niko after that. We have the occasional dinner and talk at business luncheons or parties, but that’s it. I have no idea why he signed the contract to marry me. I assume it’s to climb the ladder in the family. I’m so tired of being part of ‘the family’.” I want Niko to want me like I want him… I don’t tell her that. “Other than my father and Dante, I don’t think any of my family likes me,” I finally add, hoping to divert her attention from Niko. I should have known that wouldn’t work.
“I doubt that’s it. Niko doesn’t seem that type,” she argues. “If that was a reason, he would get married to someone like Alexandra Rochester. Her father has a little more power than yours, right?”