Gregory picked up his glass and swirled the amber liquid.“A good thing.She will need her steel to deal with your grandfather, Clarice, and other friends.”
“Yes,” Mikhail agreed.“I need to research music teachers.”
Ivan’s thick black brows arched.“What sort of teachers?Singing?”
Mikhail scowled because he hadn’t asked.“I’ll check with Edwina.Are either of you acquainted with music teachers?I’ll need to take care with my choice.”
“You mean you don’t want a sexy young man to run off with your new wife,” Ivan teased.
His tiger released a possessive growl that surprised him as much as his friends.
Gregory’s mouth opened, amusement sliding across his features.
“I don’t want to hear whatever smart quip you intend to push past your lips,” Mikhail said.
Instead of cowering, his friends cackled.
“Respect,” Mikhail snapped.
They laughed even louder.
He rolled his eyes, not replying since Rissa arrived with Edwina’s glass of wine and a plate of canapes.
“Are you sitting here?”Rissa asked, sounding surprised.
“No,” Mikhail said.“Please set the wine with my glass of whisky.”
Rissa brushed past, close enough for him to receive a blast of spicy Oriental perfume.He stepped back, and she made a moue of disappointment.But she was smart enough to understand and not push him a third time.
“I’m sorry,” she said.“I won’t do that again.Your wife is a lucky woman.”
Interesting.She’d assumed his marriage changed nothing, and his rejection had shown otherwise.
“Any word from home?”Mikhail asked before he retreated with Edwina’s glass of wine.
“No,” Ivan said.
Excellent.It would be best if his grandfather didn’t gather a hint of his plans.Ideally, he’d settle Edwina in his home before his mother demanded a meeting.
Edwina opened the bedroom door and appeared wearing a set of navy sweats.They swallowed her, but at least they’d be warmer and more comfortable.She backed up to allow him entrance to the bedroom.
“Here’s your glass of white wine,” he said, switching to English and gesturing with his hand.He placed the plate of canapes on a side table.“Are you tired?”
“A little.”
“You can sleep soon.”
“How long is the flight?Can I contact my friends to tell them my location?I should’ve done that before, but I was…” She hesitated before finishing, “Off-balance.”
“You’re not a prisoner,” he said.
Not quite the truth because her life wasn’t hers to do as she pleased until he had what he needed.Once the year was up, he wasn’t sure how his grandfather might act, so he’d need to consider strategies.A sliver of guilt flickered through him because, if necessary, he’d make her stay in the marriage longer.His conscience had no place in his decisions.
Her brows rose.“Aren’t I?Weren’t you protecting your interests by forcing me to marry you?”
“You went through with the marriage without coercion.”
Her brows rose higher still, but she didn’t argue.Instead, she sipped her wine.Mikhail pressed his lips together, nonplussed by her mature response.By saying nothing, she’d told him quite a lot.
