“Read the name, you imbecile.”
Ed lets go of the box and wipes his palms on his side. “Fine, take it. Clearly it has nothing to do with Moncrief business.”
Katarina arches an eyebrow. “You think not?”
“Was there anything else I could help you with, Miss Barkov?” he asks.
She drops her prize into her oversized purse and shoots a glare at him. She waits.
“He’s busy.”
Katarina prowls around Ed’s desk. Despite his bravado, he wheels his chair away from her.
A predatory smile tugs at Katarina’s red lips, but she reaches across the desk for Ed’s mouse not his neck. Before he can react, she turns his computer screen to face her.
“Katarina…”
“Quiet!” she hisses as she pulls up Duke’s calendar.
I’m six feet away, but even I can see the highlighted pink row that blocks off Duke’s first hour every morning. And it has my name on it. Fuck.
I take a silent step backwards and mouth goodbye to Ed, but before I can turn, Katarina’s head snaps up. She either caught Ed acknowledging my bid to escape, or she heard me creeping away. Either way, I don’t like how unnervingly perceptive she is. Her eyes zero in on me.
“Have we met before?” she asks.
As she straightens up, her head tilts. It’s as if she’s looking into my soul. My throat constricts and I almost choke on the single word that’s not exactly a lie. I can say with complete honesty that we’ve never been introduced. “No.”
Now I understand why Duke didn’t want to put me in a position where I’d have to lie about sleeping with him. Talking about the things we want to do to each other doesn’t count. Does it? Beads of sweat prick my brow.
Katarina stalks towards me, arm extended. “I’m Katarina Barkov, Duke’s fiancée. And you must be Grace Hamel.”
I only manage a nod this time as she looms over me.
I’m expecting her grip to be cold, but there’s actual blood in her veins. “Have you finished with my fiancé?” she asks.
Heat floods my cheeks. “I… Umm…”
I’m supposed to be better prepared than this. She might be breathtakingly beautiful, but she’s only keeping hold of Duke through coercion. And all he was trying to do was help her. Bitch. If Ed can stand up to her, so can I.
I lift my chin. “Yes, I’ve finished with him,” I say, surprising myself and the man who’s appeared at his office door. His quiet presence makes me that little bit braver, and I add, “For now.”
It’s a challenge, and one Katarina doesn’t shy away from. She taps a fingertip against her chin, absorbing every detail of my face. “You know, I think I have seen you before,” she says, then casts her gaze towards Duke. “Can you think when I would have bumped into Grace, baby?”
Duke is better than I am at schooling his expression. “If I was with you, kitten, I can’t imagine noticing anyone else,” he says, opening his arms as she slinks towards him.
His words are false. I know they’re false, but the pain that stabs at my heart is too damn real. What if they’re closer than he’s led me to believe? He’s a man with needs. And Katarina’s the kind of woman it would be hard to say no to. Cameron wouldn’t have said no. And he would have assured me there was nothing going on in exactly the same ways that Duke has.
My gut tells me my faith in Duke is justified. My suspicion is unwarranted, but there’s a replica of someone’s cock in her purse, and Katarina seemed pretty pleased to receive it. Was it intended for her? Ed wouldn’t have handed it over otherwise.
As Katarina wraps an arm around Duke’s neck, he glances in my direction. Her bodyguards can see his face too, so I have to imagine the apology he can’t show. It’s harder than it should be.
The pain in my chest intensifies as Katarina’shand cups the back of Duke’s head and she pulls him in for a kiss. His arms wrap around her waist and he closes his eyes. Coward. Bastard. Stupid, stupid idiot! That last curse is aimed at myself. He’d sworn it wasn’t a real relationship, but it looks fucking real from here.
“Come on,” Katarina croons, taking Duke’s hand and pulling him into his office. “We have a wedding to plan.”
When the office door closes, I’m aware that Katarina’s goons are watching me. I can’t cry, but the look of sympathy on Ed’s face is almost my undoing. I steel myself as I return to his desk. Wordlessly, I pick up the delivery note and read Katarina’s name.
I heave out a sigh. Have I been fooled all this time? Was that mold a little engagement gift from Duke to his fiancée?
