Mychest ached, but I seviled anyway.


    had no idea why Lexpected anything different. Of course Niki’s father would greet his son and act like I didn’t exist. The man barely nced my <b>way</b>, even as stood there beside his son. I could feel the stiffness of my spine as I smiled through it–like I wasn’t entirely invisible.


    We moved on, Niki pressing a kiss to the side of my temple, his fingers curling tighter around mine, and I knew he’d noticed. He noticed everything His hand hovered at the small of my back as we passed other guests, but i shook my head before he could ask.


    “I’m Gee,” I murmured, my voice tight. “It’s okay”


    He didn’t believe me. I could see it in the furrow of his brow, the way his jaw ticked, but he didn’t argue. Not here. Not now.


    People looked at me like I didn’t belong. Like I was <b>a </b>charity case <b>in </b><b>a </b>glittering red gown, desperately trying to <b>y </b>princess. Some of the women smiled too wide. Some of the men didn’t bother hiding their confusion. I was nothing more than a curiosity. A scandalous footnote to a bigger story–The woman who was supposed to marry Dmitri, but ended up with his older richer brother


    I thought I could handle it. I really thought I could. But my skin was beginning to crawl


    Then one man–old, slick hair, the kind of leathery tan that came from yachts and ego–walked straight up to us. His gaze was bold, unapologetic, crawling all over me with a lear that made my stomach twist.


    “he said, eyes still fixed to my chest. “Now it makes sense. I always thought it was strange–engaged to Dmitri, and then suddenly the wife of his brother. Buttow see. You’re even beautiful in person.”


    Heughed, loud and gross. And I knew he hadn’t meant beautiful in any other way but degrading.


    Every eye within earshot turned to us


    Niki didn’t say a word at first. But I felt his hand on my waist clench–tight. Possessive. Dangerous.


    Then he spoke, voice quiet but ginting with ice. “I don’t appreciate you disrespecting my wife like that Phillipe. You should go back to your own. She seems to be looking over here…”


    The man gave a hollow chuckle, like he’d been <b>caught </b>but thought it was funny anyway. “Touchy. Come on, Niki, I was j


    s just-


    “I wasn’t joking.” Niki said tly. “You don’t <b>want </b>to push me right now.”


    The man muttered something and walked off, still chuckling to himself <b>like </b>he hadn’t just been warned by someone capable of breaking his spine in half


    But the damage was


    My stomach folt hollow. I hated the way I felt–small, disgusting, exposed. I hated the way people were still looking at me, and most of all, I hated that I was letting it get to me. This wasn’t me. I’d always been confident<b>, </b>even if I didn’t always have much. So why was I letting them make me feel like this?


    I forced a tight smile <b>up </b>at Niki. “I need the bathroom,” I said quickly. “I’ll be back in a minute.”


    “T” he reached for me<b>, </b><b>but </b>I pulled gently away.


    I’m fine.


    Heally


    He didn’t believe that either.


    The hallway was quiet as I slipped away, my heels clicking against the marble floor, The bathroom <b>had </b>a line, so I kept walking toward the private suites at the end of the corridor. I just wanted to breathe, to hide for a second. Maybe even change.


    Aber what felt like Korver, I stepped out again, wiping beneath my eyes just in case. I didn’t cry–but I’d felt close. Too close


    metae and walked thraight into someone


    The scrot hit me first. Familiar Leather, Smoky cologne and cigarettes, abination of scents I’d known too well once. I felt my chest jolt and my heart.


    Great Just what I needed.


    His gaze locked onto mine, intense. There was no unile. No remorse, Just heat- and something else. Something darker.


    “Excuse me.” i muttered, trying to move past him


    But his hand caught my shoulder.


    Hard


    “Let go,” I snapped, yanking back, I winced as he shoved me back a step, pushing me against the wall. My spine mmed into it, and I gasped at the


    What the heli-?


    Dmith was strong (dnever noticed before. He’d never been this rough. Not with me. And after seeing his ass get beat by Niki, I had started assuming he just wasn’t that tough.


    “Get off me,” hissed, my voice rising<b>. </b>


    His eyes roamed over me like he owned me. “You really think Niki’s some kind of knight in shining armor? His voice was low, mocking. “You think he


    you because he loves you?”


    married


    I didn’t answer


    “Do you really think he’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart?” He leaned in closer, his breath brushing my cheek. “There’s something in it for him. There’s always something”


    I stared at him. My stomach twisted.


    knew that. Of course I knew that


    ce. He was weirdly affectionate. He asked questions. He listened. He


    But Niki was different. Or at least, he acted different. He liked being or


    cared in his own gruft, twisted way. That wasn’t part of the contract.


    “You made a mistake, Elena Dmitri went on.“<b>You </b>think he can love you the way I <b>did</b><b>?</b><b>” </b>


    I scoffed. “You didn’t love me”


    Hejas tanched,


    I you loved me.” I continued, “you wouldn’t have cheated


    That shut him <b>up</b>.


    Whatever spell he’d been under cracked, just slightly, But I wasn’t done


    “You den 1 get to do this,” Thissed. “You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to talk to me. You don’t get to act like I belong to you. Because I don’t. Not


    Ishoved him hard–and he stumbled back. Hisally gained a semnce of control over myself.


    “Nis may be a lot of things,” I said, my voice sharp, “but at least he’s not a goddamn liar,” and I realized that I trusted him way more than ever trusted Dimits. Because Niki? He’d always been upfront. He didn’t hide the fact that he was interested in me, nor did he hide the fact that once he fucked me enough, he’d get over me. He didn’t hide anything and he didn’t betray me. That was enough. More than enough to prove he was more believable than


    Then 1 fumed, giving him onest re as I walked away, without looking back


    When I returned to the ball, Niki was scanning the crowd. His eyes lit up the second he saw me, but the relief was quickly reced by worry as


    “Eleta?” His hand reached out instantly, resting gently on my waist.


    “I’m fine.” I murmured, leaning to him a little more than I meant to. I didn’t want to <b>talk </b>about it–not here, not now.


    <b>We </b>didn’t stay long, though. Niki brought me over to greet and congratte a few of his partners and investors


    The CEO and person who were hosting this banquet were definitely more inviting than the guests I’d seen earlier. Maybe it was because they had a good rtionship with Nik, but they didn’t treat me like air<b>, </b>nor did they <b>take </b>me for <b>a </b><b>hired </b>escort and leer at me.


    Dimmer was polite. Tense. As soon as thest course was <b>cleared</b>, Niki made our excuses and ushered me back to the limo,


    The silence inside was thick.


    He waited until we were halfway to the hotel before speaking


    “Tm sorry,” he said. His voice was quiet. Raw “About my father. About everything”


    I nced at him. He looked tired–angry in that quiet way of his


    “‘s not your fault,” I whispered.


    “is” heplied. “He knows what he’s doing so do the rest of them”


    I mached for his hand, twining our fingers. “It’s okay”


    It wasn’t. But he needed to hear it


    Back at the hotel, we slipped into the suite we’d checked into earlier that morning before we’d gone to attend the opening ceremony of one of Niki’s store branches.


    We were both obviously exhausted after the tense <b>day</b>.


    Niki moved into the bathroom <b>without </b>a word, the door clicking shut behind him. I heard the shower start moments Later


    I stood in the center of the <b>room</b>, pulling off my earrings. The rhinestones on the dress shimmered <b>as </b>I moved, catching the light, hugging curves. My skin still burned from Dmitri’s touch. My chest still ached from the things he said.


    And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about Niki, The way he’d stood up for me in front of Phillipe. The way he’d looked at me when I returned, like I was the only thing that mattered.


    Maybe this wasn’t just about the contract


    Maybe – maybe he actually liked me


    13-12 Fri, 25 Jul G


    G


    resuldn’t trust that hope: Life’t whet ta fut it was there, anyway, fl


    fluttering in my chest like some desperate thing trying to escape


    Before I could talk myself out of it. I crossed the room and walked to the bathroom door. <b>I </b>raised my hand and knocked.


    Then his vence, muffied through the sound of water. “Yeah!”


    Irwallowed “C can join you?”


    heard footsteps. The door yanked open faster than I could breathe,


    Miki stood there,pletely naked, hair wet and sticking to his forehead, water dripping down his chest.


    His eyes more gleaming


    I ever say no to that question,” he murmured, pulling me inside, “you best believe I’ve gone insane.”


    Then he pinned me against the shower door and kissed me like he’d been <b>waiting </b>his entire life to do it.