Keira stretched her arms over her head, and her entire body turned into a beautiful arch as she stretched.The move had the sheet sliding off her hips and her breasts practically begging for his mouth.He dragged his gaze away through sheer force of will, but there was no missing the laughter in her voice.“I suppose that means I shouldn’t suggest showering together to save time.”
I shouldn’t…
The thought didn’t have a chance to properly form before he rounded the bed and scooped her into his arms.“All in the name of saving time, of course.”
“Of course.”
The fact that Keira wasn’t walking funny defied the laws of logic.They fucked again in the shower, her braced against the built-in shelf of the tiled wall while Dmitri took her from behind.Her entire body was sore in the most gloriousway possible, and she still wanted to spend the next week locked in their bedroom with him.First, vengeance, then honeymoon fucking.
Keira took her time getting ready.Her usual outfit of jeans and a tank top didn’t fit the image she wanted to project, and so she dug through the closet to find something that screamed Queen Bitch.She had to start taking this shit seriously, and as much as she liked the grunge look, maybe it was time to grow up a little.She found a color-blocked pencil skirt in black and gray, and a matching black lacy tank top.After the slightest consideration, she delved into the lingerie drawer for a garter belt and thigh-high black stockings.When Dmitri came back from wherever it was he’d gone, she’d give him a little surprise.It was silly to miss him when he’d been inside her less than an hour ago, but she swore the house felt emptier without him in it.She sighed and got dressed, throwing a slim-cut gray blazer over the top to tone down the sexiness of the lace.
One last check in the mirror gave her pause.The woman staring back at her looked only vaguely familiar.They had the same wavy hair, the same hazel eyes.But there was nothing of the self-loathing she’d borne like the weight of the world on her shoulders for years.Her hands didn’t shake from needing whatever drug she could get her hands on.Her mood wasn’t dark and tipping into despair.
She didn’t look like a pawn.
She looked like a motherfucking queen.
She grinned at her reflection and headed downstairs to grab a quick bite to eat.Claudia wouldn’t arrive for another hour or so, but Keira wanted to go over the plans with Pavel again to make sure they’d anticipated every option.They’d need to go through it a third time with Dmitri tomorrow, but she wanted it as foolproof as it could get.
A quick bite later and she cornered Pavel in the secondary office the men used throughout the day.He saw her come through the door and shot straight up.“Mrs.Romanov.”
“O’Malley-Romanov.”
He hesitated like he wanted to contradict her but nodded.“Mrs.O’Malley-Romanov.”
Good boy.She noted that he very carefully kept his gaze on her face, and almost laughed.She’d obviously traumatized the poor man last night, but it was just as well.There was wisdom in not allowing any of the men to become too familiar with her.Right now, they weren’t quite sure where she fit in with the overall hierarchy, and they weren’t willing to do anything to piss her off.That suited her purposes just fine—for now.Once they were past this mess with the Eldridges, Keira had every intention of ironing out all sorts of shit within the household.
She gave him a tight smile.“Let’s go through it once more.”
“Gladly.”He didn’t hesitate this time, leading her to the table they’d set up with blueprints of the house.She had to wonder why Pavel didn’t seem too worried that she might use the information to sneak out or maybe smuggle it to her brother, but that was something to address later.
Right now, she had a bitch to catch.
They went over the placement of the men and how they would ensure no one uninvited got past them.With Keira’s family attending, most of the power players in Boston would be in one place.It was practically inviting their enemies to attack, but her siblings and their spouses couldn’tskip attending any more than Keira and Dmitri could skip making the invitation in the first place.Power was a funny thing.They only had it as long as they had the perception of it.Sometimes that meant taking reckless risks instead of bunkering down to hunt their enemies to the ends of the earth.
If the people in their respective territories thought the Romanovs were afraid of the Eldridges, the people bold enough to attack would multiply.
She got it.She just thought it was silly.
Dmitri thought Alethea was going to try to leverage an invitation to the party.The more Keira thought about it, the less sense it made.Alethea might have the utmost faith in Dmitri’s word—and rightfully so—butAidenhadn’t made any promises about her safety.If given half a chance, Keira’s brother would put a bullet into both Eldridge women if only to save Charlie a future of uncertainty.Keira didn’t blame him for that, and Dmitri likely wouldn’t, either.
So, no, Alethea had something else up her sleeve.The question waswhat.
Keira tapped a finger to her lip.“Pavel, I have a question for you.”
“Da?”
“Did Dmitri assign you to me because you’re being punished or rewarded?”She’d seen no indication that Dmitri operated his householdthatmuch differently from her brother, which meant that his men shared a lot of the duties.Keira knew for a fact that they rotated through whose turn it was to leave the house for various reasons.Pavel had been designated her personal bodyguard for a reason, and she wanted to know why.
For all his talk, is he still looking at me as a possession to be protected?
She hated how the thought grated.So much so, she almost missed Pavel’s hesitation.Keira zeroed in on him.“Don’t even think about lying to me.It won’t go over well, and I’ll find out the truth regardless.”
He took a slow breath.“My father was Mr.Romanov’s father’s second in command.I grew up in this business, and he’s known me since I was a child.He trusts me.”
Which meant he didn’t trust someone else.Anyoneelse.She nodded, and the relief on Pavel’s face would have made her laugh under other circumstances.As it was, she was too busy thinking about the implications of Dmitri not trusting his men.From what she understood, many of them had been with him for years, and he wasn’t the type to keep people under his roof—and give them access to Keira—if he didn’t trust them beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The only reason she could think that hewoulddo that was if he didn’t knowwhohe could trust and who he couldn’t.
