How had I let myself become tangled up with someone who had no issues with violence and lawless behavior? I had started to soften toward him when he helped me during the skeet competition, but I quickly learned that he wasn’t any different from Sergei or the other men who worked for my uncle. Despite his manners, he was criminally dangerous, and I should never have involved myself with him.
It pained me that I now had to pretend to be in love with him. I desperately needed a way out of this mess I had created. It was getting to be too much. “Let’s just get through dinner. Then we can talk about how to end this without too much fuss.”
He said nothing and offered me his arm.
My uncle’s two cousins,their wives and five of their grown children were at dinner, along with my uncle, my aunt, myself and Axel. Uncle Grisha had placed Axel and me beside each other, near the head of the table, where he and my aunt sat.
My uncle spent most of the meal loudly relaying stories and jokes to his cousins, who sat further down the table but responded with equal energy. The rest of us ate in silence, an obedient audience to the three grown men.
I spent most of the meal pushing food around my plate. I had completely lost my appetite, and all I wanted to do was get away from this charade. The staff began to clear the table before dessert. My uncle chose that moment to stand up, wineglass in hand. Everyone around the table quieted, and I could tell he loved having an audience. I tried not to react when Axel casuallyput his arm on the back of my chair. He wasn’t touching me, but he was too close.
I hated how good he smelled. Subtle cologne mixed with a masculinity that you couldn’t bottle. It was intoxicating.
I glanced at his handsome profile, and he turned and gave me a look I couldn’t understand. It was intense with equal measures of heat and knowing. My body responded.
No. Not him.
I was not going to be attracted to Axel. That was unacceptable.
Grisha spoke. “I’d like to make a special announcement, one that I know everyone will be thrilled about, but I hope two people in particular will be especially pleased.”
I stared at the centerpiece on the table, counting the minutes until I could excuse myself.
Grisha looked around the room. “As you know, I broke my own rules last weekend when I allowed someone outside the family to attend one of our famous weekend trips to Zavidovo, but that was because someone was being tested.” He pointed with his wineglass toward Axel. “Not only did he pass the test, but he scored higher than my own family.”
In alarm, I glanced over at Axel, who listened with a relaxed, unreadable expression on his face.
Grisha continued. “So I’m pleased to announce that Axel has my official blessing to join the family.” He winked at Axel. “I’m sure you understand what I mean.”
Everyone started to whistle and cheer. I still hadn’t clued in to the punchline. I looked at Axel and said quietly, “I don’t understand.”
He leaned forward and whispered against my ear, “He’s telling me I have permission to propose to you.”
The entire room seemed to tilt. Had everyone gone mad?
“Propose?” I pulled my face back to look at him in shock.
What was happening?
Marriage?
A proposal?
To someone I had only really talked to a handful of times? I couldn’t marry Axel, and in that moment, I realized that I could no longer let this family control my life.
I stood up and pushed my chair back from the table, set to flee.
Axel was just as fast. He stood up beside me and then, not so gently, pulled me into a tight hug.
Panic rippled through me.
From the outside, I’m sure it looked like an emotional embrace, but he was the human seat belt that prevented me from fleeing. Against my neck, he murmured, “Just play along. We’ll sort this out later.”
I pulled back to look into his eyes, hating how long and thick his eyelashes were. He cupped my face with his hands and dropped a surprise, fast kiss on my lips, so fast I didn’t really have time to register it. But the rest of the table erupted in cheers and hollers.
Then he fixed my chair and guided me to sit back down, all the while keeping a warm hand wrapped around my wrist. To the world, it looked like the loving gesture of a considerate gentleman, but it felt like subtle coercion to stay and play.
My uncle, oblivious to the energy between us, continued speaking. “Of course, we’ll leave the timing up to the happy couple, but to pressure Axel just a little bit, you should know that Lena and I have already started discussing the guest list for this wedding, and we’ve already set a date.”
