Page 71 of Sinful Promise

I sigh. “Fine. We kissed.”

“Seriously? When?” Jana looks genuinely shocked, and I’m not sure whether to be offended or not.

“The other night…”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was embarrassed.”

“Why? Was he bad?” She slyly glances in Danil’s direction.

“Far from it.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“It’s what happened after. Dimitri was about to interrupt us, and Danil practically bolted away from me, like he was embarrassed to be seen kissing me or something.”

“Emily, you know that makes no sense, right?”

“It makes perfect sense.”

Jana looks at me like I’ve just grown two heads. “Dimitri asked him to keep an eye on you, not stick his tongue down your throat.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, what would kissing you accomplish? It certainly wouldn’t get him any extra points with Dimitri, which means he did it because hewantedto.”

I hate that Jana always seems to make such good points.

“Who instigated the kiss, anyway?”

My mind floods with the image of Danil before he kissed me. The way his dark eyes heated as I teased him.

“I’m not sure.” If I had kept my mouth shut, would he have still kissed me?

The question has been plaguing my thoughts ever since it happened.

“But if I did, then he might only have kissed me back so I wouldn’t feel rejected.”

Jana uncrosses her arms and leans forward to reach for my hand.

“Seriously, Emily, you need to stop torturing yourself.”

“That’s easier said than done.” I glance over at Danil.

Everything would be so much easier if only I knew what he was really feeling.

16

DANIL

Somehow,I manage to make one whiskey last over an hour.

I’m desperate for another glass to numb myself, but I need to keep a clear head. After all, I'm keeping Emily safe, whether she likes it or not.

I wish more than anything that I could be the one sitting across from her at the table. The last time we had any real alone time was when I was babysitting the twins, and we shared that kiss in the kitchen.

Why did my brother have to come in at that exact moment? Perhaps if we hadn’t been interrupted, I could have finally told her how I really feel.

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