I feel disappointed.
Kaz’s eyes hold mine. There is something unreadable there, and I wonder if he sees it too. It’s a tiny flicker of something I don’t want to examine too closely.
I sign the documents with an unsteady hand; the pen leaving a faint wobble in my name.
Later, I’m alone again, and the weight of it all presses down on me. The quiet is too loud, and the room too still. When a knock comes at my door, I’m not sure whether to dread or welcome it.
Kaz stands there when I open it, his gaze dropping instinctively before he catches himself.
I’m wrapped in a robe and my hair is damp from my shower. My skin is still flushed from the heat of the water and steam. Suddenly, I feel too visible, too soft. He’s all dark shadows except for the silver in his hair. It’s down now, framing his face and masculine jawline. His eyes are bottomless as they take me in.
“I wanted to check on you,” he says quietly.
“I’m fine,” I reply. The lie is automatic, and my arms crossed.
His eyes linger, assessing, and his mouth tightens. “You’ll need to stand differently.”
“What?” I ask, startled.
“To play my fiancée,” he continues calmly. “People will expect strength. Confidence.”
I let out a short, broken laugh. “You’re joking.”
He steps closer, close enough that I can smell him: clean, sharp, and unmistakably male. “I’m not.”
“People don’t find women like me attractive,” I say before I can stop myself, the old script spilling out. “Not really.”
Something flashes in his eyes then, fierce and determined, and for a heartbeat, I forget how to breathe.
“They will,” he says firmly. “I’ll make sure of it.”
The words hang between us, heavy with promise. My heart is racing. I’m in deeper than I ever wanted to be with the Bratva boss.
Chapter 13
Kazimir
I should not still be standing here.
That is the first absolute truth that presents itself.
So I step just inside the threshold of Alyona’s room and shut the door quietly behind me. It feels like sealing my fate.
The sound far too final for something that was never supposed to happen at all. I told Liev I would not touch her. I told myself that restraint would be enough, that proximity without contact would not undo me. That having her, even just for pretend, would be enough to get her out of my system.
The room smells faintly of soap and steamy air. The awareness of her presence settles into me with immediate, dangerous clarity.
Aly stands near the edge of the rug, wrapped in the robe she pulled on too quickly. The fabric does nothing to disguise the softness of her body or the curve of her hips. She holds herself like she expects the world to judge her before she even speaks. Her damp hair curls slightly at the ends, and the sight of it makes my jaw tighten.
I came here to reassure her.
That is the lie I allow myself to keep.
“You should be sleeping,” I say, my voice steady, although every instinct in me is alert and keyed in on her.
She lifts her chin stubbornly, but her arms are still wrapped around her body. “You came anyway.”
“I was making sure you were okay,” I reply.
