“Are you jealous?” I ask, genuinely curious. The idea is ridiculous, yet giddiness spreads through my insides, reviving the barren soil of my chest.
His eyes bore into me, unraveling me. “What did he tell you exactly?”
It’s not lost on me that he didn’t reply. He casts such a potent spell on me that I can’t think rationally.
I gulp, the intensity overwhelming me. “I’ve known him all my life.”
His features sharpen, making him appear lethal. “Like you did me.”
Is he obtuse on purpose?No man could be him. I see only him, hear only him, smell only him—want only him. My world revolves around this man, as if I was made to be his.
“It’s not the same,” I say, not liking the anguish slipping through his stoic face.
He tips my chin up, his eyes sucking the very soul from me. “Are you interested?”
I shrug as if contemplating his offer. I guess I like to play with danger. “He hooked me up with the best agent, hoping to unfold my full potential.”
“Yeah, Tristan Kinkaid, such a selfless soul,” he grumbles.
“The King of New York on top of that.” I remind him, fully engrossed in my plan to get a reaction. If he’d only break for me. Just once.
Mika dips his head, brushes his nose along the side of my face, inhaling me. “He’s that because I keep Demyan in check.”
I am just glad I’m sitting. I know what he’s trying to do: remind me of who he is. I am not scared of him, but he should beof me. I won’t submit to his command, but he will surrender to his weakness.
I tilt my head, enjoying this game too much to stop. “Is that so?”
His fingers thread through my hair. Gathering it into a ponytail at the base of my neck, he tugs my head back. “I’d burn his kingdom down if he ever dares to take you from me.”
Gentle then rough, he sends my senses into a tizzy. I can barely string coherent thoughts together.
I bite my lip, squirming in my seat, wanting more, desperately needing more. I want him to come undone. “That’s hypocritical.”
His brows furrow as he strokes down my back, the touch flaming me up. I burn for this man at the mere touch. More and I’d go up in flames. The power he has over my body is as thrilling as it is terrifying.
“Why?” he asks, appearing genuinely intrigued.
The fire licking at my skin turns to blazing frustration. “So, no one else can have me?”
“No one from our world,” he says with finality, but I catch the crack in his mask, and I push him some more.
“Hmm, is that so?” I play for nonchalance. “Good to know,” I say, infusing more belief than I possess.
His eyes bore into mine as if to delve into the depths of my soul to find the answer he’s looking for. “Don’t play games with me.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Oh, you grump. You wouldn’t even know what playing is.”
He chuckles and then places a sweet kiss on my cheek, lingering there a moment longer. “See you tonight.”
I suck in a breath, failing to hide my desire for more. “Yeah, yeah, you have an empire to run. Must leave a legacy behind foryour future heirs.” Then I slap a palm on my forehead. “Right, you won’t have any.”
His jaw sets in a hard line. “If you let another man have what I can’t, mark my fucking words. He won’t either,” he says firmly. The resolve behind his words sounds like an oath.
He storms away, leaving my mouth hanging. I don’t know how long it takes me to recover from the shock his statement caused.
On unsteady legs, I search for my mother and find her quickly. She’s in her favorite room, overlooking the garden. In her lap, a picture of her and my father rests between the pages of a book.
Avoiding looking at my father, I take the seat next to her, wanting to be there for her. She’s the first one to speak. “Loving a man in our world comes with a ‘no judging’ stipulation. But I notice it in your eyes. Do you think he’s a better man than your father?”
