I don't see Nikolai until dinner.
He’s standing by the fireplace in the dining room when I come down the stairs. He's traded the custom suit for dark dress pants and a black sweater that hugs his frame in ways that should be illegal. The polished mobster is gone, replaced by something more dangerous—a man who looks almost normal.
A man who would turn my head in the real world.
The dining room is nothing like the cavernous space where we had breakfast. This is intimate. A small table set for two beside a roaring fireplace, with flickering candles, and wine glasses that catch the firelight and throw it back in ruby sparks.
I hover in the doorway, suddenly very aware that we're about to have dinner together like this is a date instead of a hostage situation.
"Holly." Nikolai's voice is warm, his smile dangerous.
He pulls out a chair for me, and after a moment's hesitation, I sit, while he settles into the chair opposite me.
"I hope you're hungry."
I shouldn't be. I’ve been eating like I’m training for a food eating contest all day thanks to Katya.
But on the table, are two plates of beef stroganoff that smell so incredible my mouth waters instantly.
“It smells delicious,” I say. I already know it tastes delicious because Katya insisted I sample it earlier. But I don’t tell Nikolai that, or about hanging out with Katya and Andrei in the kitchen most of the day because I’m pretty sure it’s something he wouldn’t approve of.
I pick up my fork and take a bite.
“Oh my God,” the words burst out of me before I can stop them. The stroganoff tastes even better than before when Katya insisted I taste test it.
The beef is tender, the sauce is rich and creamy, and the mushrooms are perfectly seasoned. It's the kind of meal that makes you close your eyes and forget everything else exists.
When I open them again, Nikolai is watching me with an amused expression.
"Good?" he asks.
"Amazing," I admit. "Katya is a magician."
"She is." He takes a sip of his wine.
I reach for my own wine glass and take a sip and—sweet baby Jesus, the wine is out of this world. Smooth and full-bodied, with notes of dark cherry and something earthy that makes my taste buds sing.
I put down my glass and try not to act like I’ve just tasted heaven.
Instead, I focus on the stroganoff and try not to make assumptions in my head of what happens next.
We eat in silence for a few minutes, before Nikolai speaks. "Did you enjoy spending time with Katya and Andrei?"
My fork pauses halfway to my mouth. "How did you?—"
"My house. I know everything that happens here."
He probably has cameras everywhere.
"They're wonderful. Warm. Kind." I stab a mushroom with more force than necessary. "Shame about their boss."
His eyes gleam with amusement. "Is that so?"
"Don't worry, they only had nice things to say about you. Which is strange, considering."
"Considering I'm a monster."
"Exactly."
