I swallowed to hold back my laugh, lest I insult him. Besides, I had my brother to worry about and the only reason I was tolerating this façade. “Can I see my brother again?”
“You will.”
I calmed my raging heart, reminding myself what was at stake. “When?”
“Soon.”
Cool fingers of distrust traced a path down my spine. “Soon,” I repeated, studying him, looking for that crack in his polite demeanor. “Meaning?”
He smiled again, perfectly polite, practiced. “I just need time to,” he paused, glancing at his phone he withdrew from his pants pocket. “Arrange things.” He stood abruptly, setting the cup down on the coffee table. There it was the first real flaw. “In the meantime, I hope we can get to know each other.”
My heartbeat stumbled and I rose. “What if I’m not ready for marriage?”
He stepped closer, not invading my space, just near enough that I could smell the faint scent of cedar and citrus on him. “Our families are connected, Ishika.” His voice lowered. “Whether we like it or not, this marriage will go ahead, it was decided long before you and I could understand life.”
My pulse spiked, hatred returning with a fervor I was trying hard to restrain. “So, I don’t have a choice?”
“We don’t have to rush anything. Not if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Discomfort wasn’t the word to describe what I felt. Something was wrong. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I had the feeling they were hiding something from me, that there was more to this marriage than tradition. Why else would they use Kai as leverage?
“Shall we start over?” Ajay offered me a hand. I didn’t take it. Although his smile didn’t falter, something cold flickered in those dark eyes before he quickly hid it. “We’ll try again next time.” He chuckled. “I’m a patient man.”
“So am I,” I lied, my insides on fire, desperate to scorch this entire home to the ground.
As I left the room, I glanced back. Ajay was still standing where I left him, hands in his pants pockets, watching me with that calm, cultured countenance. Suddenly I understood why my skin crawled the moment I stepped into the room. Not because he was cruel or angry or seemed sinister but because he looked safe.
And safety when extended by the wrong hands was the most dangerous threat of all.
forty-seven
. . .
Remo– 36 years old
“You’re leaving?” Alessia looked up from her coffee as I entered the dining room, her beautiful face marred by a scowl.
“Got things to do.”
“Not even time for breakfast?” She gestured to the table laden with fruit, yoghurt, some weird green stuff that looked more like the chef offloaded the garden into the bowl and coffee.
“What the fuck is this shit?”
She rolled her eyes. “Healthier than that poison you put into your body?” She tipped her chin at my cigarette I hadn’t lit yet. I shrugged. “So, still not going to tell me why you showed up here out of the blue looking like you were running from something.”
Five days ago, I dropped Ishika off in front of the hospital after the best fucking lay in years. Didn’t matter I thought the same about Koro, they were related, so it didn’t count. Ten minutes later, I was still sitting there staring at the door she’d disappeared through when the security guard approached me to ask if I was waiting for someone.
Another minute and I was hightailing the fuck out of there. I’d never been that distracted before and I wasn’t about to let ithappen again. So when I arrived at Alessia’s estate, she was just as surprised to find me there as I was and I made up some stupid excuse about being in the area.
Training with her provided the perfect reprieve, the girl was intent on beating my ass and pretty much closer to doing so.
“Would really like to meet the woman that’s got Remo Rossi’s balls in a crunch?” she teased.
Fuck, she was way too observant. Unfortunately, I made her that way. “Fuck off.” I cursed turning my back on her soft laugh.
“Bring her over sometime,” she called out.
Shaking my head, I left. Outside, the engine purred to light, bringing with it the lingering scent of Ishika’s perfume and shampoo. Cursing, I opened the window and floored the gas pedal all the way home.
