Page 99 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

He looks at me, his dark eyes intense. "We'll figure it out, Kiera. I promise."

I want to believe him. I want to trust that he can keep me safe and find whoever's behind this before they try again.

But the fear is still there, coiled tight in my chest.

After dinner, we walk back upstairs together. When we reach my door, he stops.

"About the wedding," he says.

"What about it?"

He hesitates, and I see something flicker across his face. Uncertainty, maybe. Or doubt.

"We should talk about the details. The guest list, the ceremony⁠—"

"I thought the wedding planner was handling all that."

"She is. But there are decisions that need to be made."

I cross my arms, studying him. "You've been avoiding this conversation."

"I've been busy."

"You're always busy."

He runs a hand through his hair, a gesture I've come to recognize as frustration. "It's complicated."

"What's complicated about planning a wedding?"

"Everything." He looks at me, and there's something in his eyes that makes my breath catch. "Kiera, I need to ask you something."

"Okay."

He takes a step closer, and I can smell his cologne, feel the heat radiating from his body. "Would you want to go back to your old life? Not get married?"

38

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Idon't know what the hell comes over me to ask that question.

The words are out before I can stop them, hanging in the air between us like a loaded gun. Would she want to go back to her old life? Forget we ever met? Call off the wedding and walk away?

I'd been thinking about it. After the shooting at the club, after seeing her terrified and covered in my blood, the thought had crept into my mind like poison. Maybe the best way to protect her is to let her go. Send her somewhere safe, somewhere far from my world of violence and death.

But I dismissed it almost immediately. Letting her go wouldn't guarantee her safety. Someone's already tried to kill her twice. They know who she is now, know she's connected to me. Releasing her would make her more vulnerable, not less. She'd be out there alone, unprotected, an easy target for anyone who wants to hurt me.

And beyond the logic, beyond the tactical reasoning, there's the simple truth I don't want to admit.

I don't want to let her go.

Kiera stares at me, her blue eyes wide with surprise. She opens her mouth, then closes it again. The silence stretches between us, heavy and uncomfortable.

I find myself holding my breath, waiting for her answer. My heart pounds hard and relentlessly against my chest. What if she says yes? What if she tells me she wants out, wants to go back to her simple life?

"I…" She stops, looking down at her hands. "That's a strange question."

"Is it?"