Alexei stands at the side of the front room, watching with an unreadable expression, holding a bottle of wine. We all sober. How much did he hear?


    “Hi.” I clear my throat. My face is so hot my freckles are probably sizzling off. “Can we help you?”


    Slowly, holding my eyes with a funny, knowing spark, he walks over, sets the wine on the coffee table, before he leans down and, in front of everyone, kisses me. I hear someone’s sharp intake of breath but Alexei steals my focus with his gentle but firm mouth, clean scent, and hand on the back of my head.


    “Having fun?” he murmurs against my lips, like all of my friends aren’t watching and listening to every word.


    I nod, holding his eyes, smiling.


    “Good.” He drops another quick kiss on my lips and my heart flips over.


    The room is very silent, very tense, and very still until he leaves, when everyone’s heads whip toward me.


    “What?” My voice goes too high as I fiddle with Damon’s ear, smoothing it down, not meeting their gazes.


    “Someone say it.” Jordan lifts her eyebrows.


    Darcy raises her hand. “I volunteer as tribute. He loves you.”


    My heart drops through the floor. I keep my eyes on Damon. “No, he doesn’t.”


    “Yes, he does.” Hazel nods. “He so does.”


    “Let’s take a vote,” Jordan says.


    “No.” My eyes go wide. “No voting.”


    “All those who think—” Her gaze cuts to the direction Alexei came from. “—Volkov is in love with Georgia, raise your hand.”


    I’m staring at my bunny but in my periphery, four hands go up. My heart does a somersault of delight. Fuck.


    Jordan reaches out and lifts Stefan’s paw. Darcy giggles, lifting Damon’s paw in myp.


    Jordan gently pokes the side of my head. “It’s unanimous.”


    “Okay,” Hayden bursts into the room like a golden retriever, carrying two tes of something chocte, “enoughzing around,dies. Eating, round two, is about to begin.” He tries to sit in Darcy’sp while she dissolves intoughter, trying to push him off, and the other guys wander in.


    “I’ll help.” I get up fast and hurry out of the room, eager to get the hell away from their knowing gazes.


    In the kitchen, I find Alexei ting more of the dessert. I was hoping for a pile of dishes to distract myself, but the kitchen is spotless.


    “What is this?” I ask, leaning on the counter, folding my arms over my stomach. I don’t want to go back into the front room, with everyone and their knowing nces, so I linger.


    “Raspberry chocte torte.”


    He focuses on cutting perfect slices. Like everything else about him, his sharp focus is hot.


    “You know what I just realized?” he asks after a moment, eyes on the raspberry stuff he’s drizzling over each slice.


    “What?” Please don’t say anything about whatever he might have overheard in the other room, I pray.


    His gaze swings to mine, hot with teasing. “I never got you back for the team dinner.”


    When I smeared cake in his face. Up his nose. My pulse picks up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”


    He tilts his head, eyes on me like a predator, and augh bubbles up my throat.


    “You don’t remember smearing cake all over my face?”


    “Alexei.” I start to back away, and he follows, gaze locked on mine. “No.”


    “It’s only fair.” His eyes re with amusement. It’s a good look on him.


    “Alexei,” I put my hands up, “I’m serious. This dress is silk.”


    “I’m rich. I’ll buy you a new one.”


    I swallow, trying not to smile so hard. “I’m smiling but it’s because I’m nervous.”


    “Good.” His expression turns wolfish. He’s enjoying this, the sick fuck. “You should be.”


    I bump up against the counter. He braces a hand behind me, blocking me in.


    “You ready to beg, Hellfire?”


    I start giggling helplessly. “Never.”


    “Maybe you just need some encouragement.” He dips his hand into the bowl and Iugh harder, pushing against his arm to scramble away, but it’s like trying to move a steel bar.


    His arm loops around my waist and I shriek withughter as he smears raspberry sauce across my mouth, trying to fight him off butughing too hard to seed.


    “Oh my god, get away from me,” Iugh as he tries to kiss my mouth. “If you’re going to cover me in dessert, at least fuck me after.”


    Hends a kiss and grins down at me. My heart jolts hard, racing, spinning, careening through me like I’ve never felt before. I’m smiling up at him, swooning and dizzy.


    Deep in my mind, I’m aware that this is one of those moments I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Every time I see a piece of chocte cake, I’m going to think about standing in his kitchen, covered in raspberry sauce, breathless withughter as I gaze up at my pretend husband.


    I don’t want to be married, but maybe I could be married to someone like Alexei.


    Someone clears their throat and we freeze. Everyone is standing at the edge of the kitchen, watching us with a mix of amused and knowing expressions.


    “We heard a scream,” Rory says, grinning.


    My face starts to go red. I feel like I’ve been caught with my skirt tucked into my underwear. I try to move away, wiping at my face, but Alexei keeps me close.


    “We’re fine.” I can’t meet anyone’s eyes.


    I excuse myself to go clean up, he lets me go, and when I return to the front room, Alexei pulls me onto hisp. Thankfully, Jordan, Darcy, Hazel, and Pippa take mercy on me and don’t give the told you so eyes.