Nadia extended her arm in front of the woman, blocking her entrance. “Impeccabletiming, as always.”
“I see you still haven’t dropped your accent,” she muttered, ducking below Nadia’s arm and sauntering inside. Before Prince realized it, the woman plucked the bottle from his hand and turned it around to read the label. “Yummy.”
“Katarina, I have a guest. Is there somewhere you can go until—”
“Nope.” Katarina held the bottle to her mouth, biting the end in what looked like an attempt to open it.
Prince grew agitated. The thought of this woman breaking her teeth on a nine-hundred-dollar bottle of wine made him wince. He took it away from her. “It’s sealed with a cork.”
“Ah,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “I should have known. Nadia likes the fancy stuff that doesn’t come with a screw top. Don’t you, Nads?”
“Don’t call me that,” Nadia bit out, slamming the door. “What sewer did you crawl out of today?”
“Hey, is that any way to greet your long-lost—”
Nadia cleared her throat. “Shall I just get my wallet?”
The woman raked her fingers through her hair and turned around. “Now I’m insulted. I only borrowed moneyonce, and I paid it back the next day.”
When she faced Prince, he took a step back. Confusion swam in his eyes as he gripped the arch dividing the living room and front entrance.
“What’s the matter, never seen a carbon copy before?”
His eyes darted between Nadia and Katarina—the resemblance was uncanny. They were identical twins. Same warm eyes, same flawless skin and heart-shaped face, same attractive figure. The main difference was that Katarina had dyed her hair black, and it looked like the only thing that brushed it was the wind. When Nadia approached her sister, they registered at the same height, and yet the differences in personality between the two were striking. Katarina wore leather pants and a black shirt that revealed an inch of midriff. Her black boots were scuffed, and she didn’t paint her nails or wear makeup that he could see. Not that she needed any; her skin was luminous.
Prince had always been fascinated by the way a person’s body language spoke before they did. Each woman had a confident stance, but in different ways. Katarina’s pose was smug and nonchalant, whereas Nadia seemed ever-aware of her ladylike posture.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Katarina said with a snort. She slung her right arm around Nadia’s shoulder, waiting for Prince to respond.
Nadia stiffly gazed at Prince with an apologetic look in her eyes.
Prince bowed slightly. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Katarina Kozlov.”
“Kat.”
He flicked his glance up.
She jutted her hip to the side and smiled softly. “Everyone calls me Kat. Well, everyone except my own flesh and blood, but she’s excused.”
“I apologize,” Nadia said to Prince. “We can do this another time.”
Prince slid her a reassuring smile. “If you didn’t prepare enough for three, we can always share a bottle of wine.”
“Sounds perfect!” Kat exclaimed.
A flutter of amusement rolled through Prince, but he concealed his smile. She didn’t have an accent like Nadia, and her personality was a force to be reckoned with.
Nadia frowned and looked toward the kitchen. “I only baked two quails.”
Kat wrinkled her nose. “Quail? No, thanks. Why don’t you two gobble that up and I’ll just order a pizza.”
“Andwhowill pay?” Nadia asked.
Prince quickly spoke up. “I’ll cover the expense.”
“Swell!” Kat said jauntily, walking past him. “I left my credit cards behind, and I’m low on cash.” She suddenly whirled around and held up her index finger. “I want the largest pizza they sell that has three kinds of meat. Extra everything. Oh, and a two-liter bottle of soda with a side order of garlic breadsticks.” She nibbled on the tip of her thumb. “And if they have anything sweet, I’ll take it. Cinnamon sticks, brownies, whatever.”
“What if I just order it all?” Prince suggested.
