Page 26 of Dark King Daddy

“How recently?”

“Twenty-two minutes ago.”

She considered me.

“Would you like to inspect it yourself?” I asked. “I can offer you a magnifying glass? A kit to dust for prints?”

“Would that offend you?”

“No.”

“That’s disappointing.”

“Do you usually try to offend your hosts before dinner?”

“Not always. Only on special occasions.”

Heat tightened low in my body.

Mikhail looked between us. He saw too much. He always had.

Anton appeared less entertained.

“The security is sufficient,” I said. “More than sufficient.”

Ksenia’s brows rose. “You expect me to accept that because you said it?”

“Yes.”

A pause.

Nikita would have called it combative. Arkady would have called it foreplay and earned a broken nose.

Ksenia moved one step nearer. “That answer probably works very well for you.”

“It usually does.”

“Not with me.”

“Yes. I’m beggining to see that.”

Something changed in her eyes. Not softness. Interest.

She looked past me at the two men by the entrance, then at the camera above the doors. Her gaze tracked its range. She checked the parked vehicles and the street beyond them.

“Fine,” she said.

“Fine?”

“For now.”

“I’m relieved.”

“You don’t look relieved.”

“I try not to lose control in public.”

Color touched her cheeks.