I glanced at Bogdan and Tikhon.
They were both suddenly deeply interested in the ceiling.
The elevator lurched to a halt. Iskra turned to find her exit and noticed them properly for the first time.
“Oh. Hi,” she said, and then began to giggle.“I didn’t see you there.”
A drunk Iskra was a playful one.
The doors opened and I nudged her out before the situation deteriorated further.
“Wait at the end of the hall,” I told them.
There was no way I would let Bogdan gossip about what I was about to do to my wife.
She got distracted by the artwork on the walls before we had made it ten feet and I had to keep steering her forward.
I finally reached the office door and she ran off to look out of the window.
“The city looks so alive,” she exclaimed, pressing her hands to the glass.
I swiftly unlocked the door then went to retrieve her.
“There’s a better view in my office,” I said, tugging her back toward the door.
I could hear Bogdan and Tikhon snickering from the far end of the corridor.
I got her inside and kicked the door shut, snapping the lock into place.
Alone at last.
Chapter 22
Iskra
This office was so him. Dark everything—dark wood, dark walls, dark leather, the kind of room that had been put together by someone who considered lightness a personality flaw.
“How many offices do you have?” I said, trailing my finger along the dark polished surface of the desk.
“Many,” he said, moving around the table to unlock a drawer.
The shimmer of the city caught my eye and I drifted toward the tall windows.
Damn. The view was better from up here.
I pressed my nose to the glass. You could see most of Chernograd from this angle—the river dark and moving in the distance, the cathedral spire just visible, the lights of the city laid out below like something that belonged to someone.
It belonged to him, of course.
Hands moved behind me, lifting my dress.
A curse.
I chuckled.
“I’m still on my period,” I murmured, as his hands moved around to my front.
It was his turn to laugh. A throaty sound, low and genuine, different from the usual controlled chuckle. I glanced over my shoulder.
