“That’s an odd question.” What was she getting at? Was she testing me to see if I had the decorum to behave properly if I was seeing her sister?
“And you refuse to answer it. Which makes me nervous, doctor.”
“I’m not refusing to answer it, I’m just…really, could I just put a shirt on?”
She arched an eyebrow as she stalked to my bag, rummaging through it before she pulled my med school t-shirt from within. She tossed it at me, and I caught it mid-air, slipping it on before I threw back the covers.
“Now,” she said as she hovered right in front of me when I swung my legs over the bed, “are you capable of answering the question?”
I ran a shaky hand through my hair. “Uhh, I…would like to think I’m a man of appropriate action. I mean, I’m a surgeon. I’ve worked the emergency room for a few years. I know how to quickly assess things and devise a course of action.”
“Appropriate action,” she repeated with a bob of her head. “So, you would never say…do something illegal or…unethical?”
I swallowed hard. Was this some sort of test? I hadn’t exactly been squeaky clean in the past. If I answered yes, would she call me out on my past behavior? But if I answered no, would that stop me from any sort of relationship with Nattie?
This was a no-win situation.
“How do you expect me to answer that?” I retorted, a little annoyed by the position she was putting me in.
“Honestly,” she answered. “I want honesty, doctor. I need to know what I’m dealing with here.”
I rose, pushing past her as I crossed to the other side of the room. “Look, I get it, okay? I’m not exactly royal material. You don’t want your sister with some commoner who has a colorful past. I can’t change that, though, so if that’s what you’re here to say, then just say it. Stop asking me these cryptic questions.”
I wagged a finger at her. “Although, I will warn you that I plan to fight for her.”
She arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. “Well, right to point. I like that.”
I set my hands on my hips, trying to look imposing, though I was certain I was failing. The leather-clad woman across the room with the gun strapped to her thigh was way more commanding than I was.
“And I’m not here to vet your qualifications to court my sister.”
I narrowed my eyes, shrugging. “Then what’s with all the questions?”
She stalked closer, invading my personal space. I tried to back away, but she backed me right into the wall, barring my escape when she slammed a hand against the wall. “I am here to protect my sister from any threats. Threats like the one coming from my illustrious brother, Nikolai.”
She leaned a little closer, her breath hot against my cheek. “So, I have but one more question, and I demand a direct answer. Are you in league with my brother?”
My head hurt as I pressed it hard against the wall, trying to carve out a tiny space for myself. “No.”
She squinted at me before she suddenly stepped back. My stiff muscles relaxed a little.
“I would swear on a bible if you needed me to. She told me he was trying to kill her, but I’d never do anything to hurt Nattie,” I followed up, trying to make my case. “I’d do anything to keep her safe.”
Nadia crossed to my door, her fingers lingering on the doorknob as she shot me a glance over her shoulder. “That had better be true, doctor.”
With that, she swung the door open and disappeared through it.
I collapsed against the wall, sliding my eyes closed as I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief. Whatever was going on here was intense. And while I was certain I could handle it, I wasn’t certain I could handle losing Nattie or even knowingthat there was a question that we couldn’t be together because of some stuffy rule or protocol.
I wondered if I’d passed the background check. Would I get any additional information from Nattie?
My eyes slid open, shifting to the panel she’d disappeared through yesterday. Could I find the trigger and make my way to wherever she’d come from?
I winced, what I ended up in the middle of the dining room or some other place where there were people I didn’t want to see?
As I wrestled with the question, the door popped open, startling me. I pressed a hand to my chest, gasping until I realized it was Ava.
I let out a breath, relaxing. “Ava, thank goodness.”
