“The Romanov family is Eastern Orthodox. We’reCatholic. They might not seem that different to an outsider, but they are—and neither family will be happy about compromise.”
Charlie didn’t look any more convinced. “You’re not actually planning on letting Keira marry that piece of shit, so why does it matter?”
He glanced around, but there was no one particularly close. That didn’t stop him from hooking a hand under her chair and towing her over to his side, the move putting her half in his lap. “What is it with people wanting to discuss state secrets while we’re in a room with fifty other fucking people.”
“That’s the best time to discuss secrets,” she murmured.
To anyone looking on, they were a couple in love—or at least in lust—so entwined with each other that the rest of the room didn’t matter. With Charlie’s citrus scent teasing him, it wasn’t a hard part to play. He kissed her neck. “Romanov is many things—a fool isn’t one of them. If I don’t fight and argue and bitch the same way I would in reality, he’ll know something is up. Ultimately, it’s Keira’s choice, but until she makes it, we have to proceed accordingly.”Until the deal with the Eldridges is done and she knows she has a choice at all.
“Makes sense.” She inhaled sharply as he nipped her shoulder.
“You going to tell me what the fuck was up with that game you were playing with Mae?”
“Now’s not the time.”
He growled, which only seemed to amuse the infuriating woman. She grinned at him. “But I’m more than willing to be persuaded.”
“Oh, bright eyes, I’ll persuade the fuck out of you.”
***
Charlie did her best to focus, but it was a lost cause. All she could feel was Aiden’s attention heavy on her, the promise ofpersuasionin her future. There was no mistaking what that meant—not when he’d spelled it out in the car earlier. Sex. He’d made her beg, something she’d thought was impossible. Charlie was hardly a virgin, but she liked her sex like she liked everything else since her life had gone down the shitter—without fuss. Why bother with romance when the only thing both partners were after was a pair of mutually satisfying orgasms?
Not that she could call what had happened between them in his bedromantic.
“Charlie.”
She turned, her breath coming a little too short to be totally at ease. Seeing how smug Aiden looked made her want to set him on his ass. That was her problem, though. Not his. He’d been mostly consistent up to this point.Shewas the one who was in danger of changing the rules.Hard to take the high ground when I don’t have a ledge to stand on.“What?”
“It’s time.”
She looked around, a little panicked at the realization that the room had emptied while she was obsessing over the thought of having sex with Aiden.You’re trained better than that, distracted to high hell or not.She tried for a smile and failed miserably. “Great.” All she wanted to do was get the hell away from here. The night had left her feeling raw and exposed in a way that had nothing to do with the physical.
She’d thought she was prepared for everything that working with Aiden would entail.
She was wrong.
She brushed past him and headed for the doors they’d come in through. She could feel him at her back, but Aiden didn’t say anything as they climbed into the waiting town car and then rode back to the O’Malley house. She stared through the window, not feeling any more welcome than she had the first time. This wasn’t her place. She’d be worse than a fool to believe otherwise, even for a second.
Aiden took her hand at the front door, the contact shocking her out of her funk. It hadn’t skipped her notice that he barely touched her unless he was looking to prove a point or there were orgasms involved. And he hadn’t come close to kissing her. Not once.That’s veryPretty Womanof him.The joke fell flat, even in her head. She knew better than to get caught up in this bullshit. She did.
But she still followed him into his room and shut the door behind her.
And her traitorous body was still primed and aching for him.
It didn’t seem to matter that she wasn’t even sure shelikedAiden—how could she when the only parts of him she knew were the ones he allowed her to see?
She wanted him despite that.
For now, that was enough.
“Take off your dress.”
She unzipped the side and let the heavy fabric fall to her feet. The only thing she wore beneath it was her panties, and she wasted no time sliding those off as well. Only then did she dare look at Aiden.
He’d taken a seat on the edge of the bed, and he watched her with an unreadable expression on his face. “How are you doing?”
“What?” She’d expected more games, or at least some kind of command. She hadn’t anticipated him asking her a frank question that she didn’t have an answer to.
