Page 104 of Sinful Promise

“Perhaps you could tell them about the little bun you have in the oven? It would take the heat off me,” I mutter under my breath.

“Nice try, but we’re not telling anyone until we reach the twelve-week mark, just to be safe.”

There goes my one get-out-of-jail free card. Unless, of course, I decide to come clean to my family,andTom, about Danil.

My mother loves him already, and I’m sure Zara and Dimitri would be happy about us eventually. But my sister has made it perfectly clear that being a Koslov is not always easy, and I know she wants me to be safe.

But I want Danil, and if that means having a target on my back for the rest of my life, then so be it.

He’s worth the risk.

Thankfully, Tom seems to have found his voice as he starts chatting to me about his own college degree as I tuck into my food. He drones on about how he graduated a couple of years ago and landed a job at some advertising agency in the city.

I nod and smile at the right places, if only to keep him distracted from the fact that I keep looking over at Danil.

I blink when I see him glaring at Tom.

I quickly look at Tom and notice he quickly averts his gaze away from my chest to his food.

I may have worn a dress that was perhaps a little too low cut, so I can’t really blame the guy for looking. But I didn’t wear it for his benefit.

If anything, I wanted to secretly entice Danil, but it seems to have had a different effect.

From the look that Danil is giving Tom, it’s clear he’s jealous, and he’s not exactly being subtle about it.

Tom moves the fork, spearing a morsel of food. “I ended up pouring the champagne all down the waiter in front of all the investors.”

I can’t remember what he was talking about, but it’s clear from the pause that he’s waiting for me to react. So, I throw my head back and laugh and put my hand on my chest.

Tom’s eyes flick to where my hand is, and when I take my hand off and stop laughing, a faint pink tinge starts to creep along his cheeks.

Tom dives into another story, so I used the opportunity to look over at Danil and notice how tense he is. The muscle in his jaw is ticking, and his body is rigid as he glares at Tom.

Though jealous Danil is hot, he knows he doesn’t need to worry, doesn’t he? This is just a show for my parents, nothing more.

I’d much rather be talking to Danil than drowning in Tom’s cologne like I am now.

Tom drones on and on. “So then, my father ended up throwing the fish back into the lake, and we went without dinner.”

I force a smile. “Oh, that’s terrible!”

“My older brother had to drive an hour to the nearest gas station to pick us up some beef jerky and chips for dinner. It’s safe to say we never went camping again.”

I laugh, and Tom smiles at me as if he can’t quite believe I’m giving him the time of day. I feel bad for misleading him, I really do.

My mother should have known better than to set me up with someone, so if anyone is to blame here, it’s her.

By the time our main courses are being cleared away, I feel like I’m being suffocated by Tom’s cologne.

It’s clear he’s really trying to make an effort for tonight, which is sweet and all, but my heart already belongs to someone else.

And he’s sitting directly across the table from me.

Danil doesn’t need to try hard to keep my attention. All he has to do is smile and I turn into a human puddle. He’s effortlessly sexy and sitting across from him and not being able to touch him is driving me crazy.

I get to my feet. “I, uh… I need to use the ladies’ room.”

The table is too crowded, and I need some air that isn’t tainted with cheap cologne.

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