“That could actually work,” I laugh, suddenly feeling high as I stare at the small flecks of black in her brown eyes. For the first time since this insane marriage began, it feels like we’re not enemies or strangers. We solved a problem together, and the rush of that teamwork hits me like a hit of crack.
Something shifts between us in that moment. A subtle change in the air. Not only am I impressed by her mind, but for the first time since I brought her here, we're starting to resemble a team. A unit. A marriage.
I'm sitting close enough to catch the faint scent of her shampoo. Close enough to see the light dusting of freckles acrossher nose that I've never noticed before. Close enough that if I leaned down just slightly...
“Well, thank you anyway, Gela Jones,” my voice comes out husky.
“You're welcome,” she whispers back. “Consider it my good deed for the day.”
I let my eyes drag over her, enjoying the flush creeping into her cheeks. “Careful, Gela. Keep showing off that brain, and I’ll start keeping you around for more than your pretty face.”
Her breath stutters and her eyes flick up to mine, and for a second, I think I see a flash of heat. Her lips part slightly, and I watch her throat move as she swallows.
“Don’t,” she snaps then, suddenly wheeling back from me. “Don’t mistake me for being on your side.”
I straighten up, clearing my throat. “You do think like me, though. Maybe better, even.”
“Yeah, well, maybe we need to stop spending time together because the last thing I need is you rubbing off on me,” she snaps back.
I hold back a smile. I know I didn’t imagine that heat on her face, that stammer in her voice, the breathlessness when we sat knee to knee.
“Too late for that. Mi office es su office.”
“Fuck me,” she mumbles under her breath as she turns back to her computer, and that’s when I let myself have a small smile.
Chapter 10 - Gela
Valentin’s in some kind of broody mood today, and for some reason, that makes it hard for me to focus. Ever since I started working in this office a week ago, we’ve established a routine that allows us to coexist without getting in each other’s way.
Usually.
But day by day, the lines of our work are blurring, and I sometimes find myself watching him, wondering what’s going on in his part of the world. I don’t mean to get sucked in, but he’s always there, and I’m right across.
“I don't care what excuse he gave you,” Valentin bellows into the phone. “This was supposed to be handled yesterday.”
His voice drops to an octave of aggression that, for some reason, sends shivers down my spine. I try to focus on my analytics report, but my eyes keep wandering back to him, as if he has his own magnetic pull.
“No. That's not acceptable.” He starts to pace the floor now. “You tell him he either delivers by tonight or the deal is off. Permanently.”
When Valentin’s brows furrow, I notice the lines around his eyes crinkle even further. It’s strange how outside these walls, I never truly think about his age. Yet, in his office, his magnetic presence echoes the wisdom of age.
He didn’t survive to be a powerful Bratva leader at forty-one by sitting back and staying mute. Everything he does is lethal, and that’s how he stays in control. I’m starting to understand that now. When he delivers orders, he leaves noroom for negotiation. This isn’t a democracy. It’s Valentin’s world, and he keeps it his by leaving nothing to chance.
Being in my mid-twenties and someone who straight-up went for the start-up world, I hadn’t seen my fair share of leaders. But Valentin’s teaching me more than he knows, just by allowing me in the same room as him.
Maybe that’s why I stare. That’s why I listen to every word he says.
I hate that I'm noticing how powerful and commanding he is, though, and admiring him for it even. I should be repulsed. This man basically kidnapped me, forced me to marry him, and has kept me here with no talk of when I can leave. And yet, I’m impressed.
He hangs up with a curse and tosses his phone onto his desk. His shoulders are tense as he has his back to me. When he runs a hand through his dark hair, messing it up deliciously, I find my body jolting awake.
I look away and clear my throat before my mind goes to places it shouldn’t. “All okay?” I turn a page on the file I’m reading, just to look busy, so he doesn’t think I’ve been watching.
He turns with a groan, and the golden hour light from the window frames his body, making the blue in his eyes shine even brighter from across the room. “It would be, if my men learned how to listen.”
“Maybe you should learn to give your orders better,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood because he looks so damn miserable, and usually, he enjoys a healthy dose of banter.
“My orders are just fine,” he snaps and shuts me down.
