Page 34 of Sinful Union

He nods, reaching for my hand and squeezing it briefly before I press a kiss to his cheek.

I turn to leave, my hand already curling around the doorknob, desperate to get away from Piotr before I say something I can’t take back.

But just as I start to open the door, Piotr speaks. “Your duty is still to this family, Katerina.”

I don’t turn around. Instead, I keep my hand on the doorknob, my fingers tightening around the cool metal. Then, without looking back, I say the only thing I know for certain. “My loyalty lies with those who are loyal to me.”

Silence.

I can feel Piotr’s stare. Heavy. Assessing. Calculating. He’s deciding something, testing me.

I open the door and step out, asking myself the question I should have been asking all along:

Who is Piotrtruly loyal to?

Chapter 16

Pavel

One week later…

“Report.”

Ivan and Dima stand before me, their postures rigid. They don’t waste time with pleasantries.

“Nothing unusual,” Ivan says. “No unknown contacts, no signs of surveillance, no attempts to approach her.”

Dima nods. “She visits the Andreev home every few days, stays a few hours, then comes home.”

“Good. Keep it that way,” I order. “If anyone so much as looks in her direction, I want to know. If her routine changes in any way, I want to know. Immediately.”

“Yes, Boss,” Ivan says.

I drum my fingers against my desk, considering. “She’s not meeting with anyone outside her family?”

Dima shakes his head. “Not that we’ve seen.”

“We could learn more if you want to post us on twenty-four-hour surveillance. We could branch out—” Ivan starts.

I shake my head, putting a hand up to stop him. It’s tempting, but Kat’s the priority.

“That’s not necessary. Stay with my wife; make sure she’s safe.”

“Understood,” Ivan replies.

I nod once and turn away, dismissing them. The door closes, and I take a moment to savor the silence, allowing my mind to unspool.Kat’s keeping to a predictable routine. That should reassure me, but instead, it only fuels my curiosity. She had friends when we were together before, yet she’s not meeting with any of them. Has she lost touch?

I hardly see her these days. We haven’t been alone together in weeks. It’s driving me to near insanity.

Time keeps moving forward. She’s been in my home for over a month now, and despite the distance between us, I’ve grown fond of having her near. I’m used to waking up with her beside me, even if I don’t touch her, used to the scent of her lingering on the sheets, to hearing her voice somewhere in the penthouse. I tell myself that it’s simply habit, nothing more. But I know better.

I’m falling for her, but I don’t know where she stands.

With that thought circling my mind, I head toward her office. Our bedroom is shared, but I wanted her to have a space of her own in this place.Ourplace. I like the way that sounds, like she belongs here, like she belongs to me.

The door is slightly ajar. I step closer, pausing when I see her.

The office is unmistakably hers. The walls are lined with bookshelves filled with a mix of literature and business titles. A plush rug covers the hardwood floor, an ivory velvet couch with oversized deep green throw pillows sits in the corner.

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