Her mouth tips up. “When you’re with a man like him, yes.”
“But we’re not together.”
She shakes her head and gives me another laugh. “Have you told him that? Because that man is crazy about you, and considering he’s never brought another woman here, I would say you matter more than you think.”
She disappears, leaving me alone to wonder what to do with what she just said.
I push away the thought, get dressed, and step back out front. By the time I’m done, I have an entire wardrobe. Day clothes, night clothes, shoes stacked in boxes higher than my hips, and a small velvet tray of jewelry that Kirill approved with a nod and a quiet, “She will need those.”
I lose track of the numbers as the manager lists them off, but I catch the total when she says it to him, and my brain just stalls.
$765,427.85.
Almost a million dollars. On me.
Kirill doesn’t even blink. He simply hands her a card.
This is insane.
When we’re done, he loads the car with our purchases, and once we’re all settled, he gets back on the road.
“Did you have fun?” His palm lands on my knee, massaging it gently.
“Yes, thank you.” A blush creeps up my neck. “I felt like a princess.”
“Good.” He glances at me, his hand still on my knee. “But you’re no princess.”
I swallow, my throat suddenly too tight.
“You’re a queen.”
A slow burn climbs my spine. His words mean more than he realizes.
Minutes tick by, and I expect us to be heading home…but instead, he pulls into a car dealership. A winged B logo and the wordBentleysit on the front of a wide one-story building.
“Are you…buying a new car?” I ask as we step out, Lev rushing up to hold both our hands.
“Yes,” he says simply, leading us into the showroom.
Rows of vehicles gleam under bright lights, each one more intimidating than the last. We walk past them, and I can’t help staring, admiring each one.
“If you could choose any car here for yourself, which would it be?”
The question catches me off guard. I can’t even imagine owning something like this.
A huff of a laugh leaves me. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m more of a ‘whatever doesn’t die on the highway’ kind of girl.”
A hint of amusement crosses his face. “Humor me. Look around.”
“Okay.”
What’s the harm in that, right? I let go of Lev’s hand and wander down the row, passing over the sleek sports cars, stopping at the glossy SUVs. One in particular catches my eye: a medium-sized navy SUV.
“This one.” I run my hand over the shiny paint.
Kirill comes up beside me, following my gaze. “Why that?”
“It’s a good size.” My cheeks burn like I’m on a job interview. “Practical. Higher off the ground. I’d feel safer in something like this. And…I don’t know. It looks like it could handle snow and potholes without falling apart.”
