“Is that right?”
“I love my husband very much,” I said quickly. “In fact, I should be getting back to him. He will be wondering where I am.”
“He isn’t,” Kristoff said slowly. I paused to stare at him, and he met my look with a cold calculated one. “But I think you know that already, don’t you, Amy?”
I froze.
“I’ve been looking into your background.”
“I don’t think that’s legal.”
He shot me a look that said I was a fool, and I bit my lip.
“Alexei isn’t in love with you, and you don’t look like you are in love with him either. So what is this?” His eyes searched my face.
“Of course, I love—” I cleared my throat. “Excuse me, I’m cold.” I tried to move around him and escape back inside.
Reaching out, he caught my wrist in his hand. “Being friendless in this world is a dangerous thing, Amy. I could be your friend.”
“I don’t think I like your tone, Kristoff. Please let go of my arm before I call for my husband.”
“He won’t come.” He didn’t let go. If anything, his fingers tightened. “I am not looking to fuck you, Amy. As pretty as you are, I like my women more polished.” There was a flash of white teeth as he smiled. “As does your husband. We always have had very similar tastes.”
My stomach twisted at his words.
“But I can be an ally to you. Believe me, you are going to need them.”
“Any friend of Alexei is, of course, a friend of mine,” I said quietly.
Throwing back his head, Kristoff guffawed a laugh. “Friends? Is that what you think Alexei and I are? Oh, sweetheart, we hate each other.”
“But—” confused. I tried to yank my arm back from him, and his grip grew painfully tight, crushing my skin into the bone. He pulled me further into the shadows.
“Oh, you have so much to learn, Amy. I could teach you. We could share information.”
Share information? My eyebrows slammed down. Was he asking me to spy for him?
“I don’t know anything.”
“But it would be easy for you to find out. He wouldn’t—”
Behind us, the sliding door opened.
“Amy.” Alexei’s voice was low and menacing. “It’s time for our guests to leave, and Gabriella would like to say goodbye.” He stepped out, his eyes fixed on the hand Kristoff wrapped around my wrist.
I tugged my arm away and hurried to stand at his side.
This was bad, really bad. I could see from the look on his face that he was jumping to all the wrong conclusions.
But what were the right ones?
Nothing about the situation was good.
“This isn’t what it looked like,” I whispered.
In answer, he entwined our fingers and drew the back of my hand up to his lips in a kiss that was the total opposite of sweet or romantic. His eyes bored down into mine with so much anger that I was suddenly breathless.
“Isn’t it?” he asked in a whisper meant only for my ears. “Don’t worry, you will get to explain yourself in detail later.”
