Page 43 of Deceptive Vows
It wasn’t too long before she sat next to me. “I love this time of year.” She shivered. “It’s cold, but the sky is so clear.”
I got to my feet, walked to the storage closet next to the door and pulled a thick blanket from it. When I returned, I spread it over her. “I wasn’t even thinking. I should have brought you a coat.”
As she snuggled under the blanket, she shook her head. “No, I prefer a blanket. Thank you.”
For a while, the only sound was the city hum. Car horns, the L train… The one thing I was acutely aware of was Thea. I enjoyed this. Her. The feeling of not being alone. Of having a partner.
“What are you thinking about?” Her voice was soft, almost like she was fighting sleep.
“I’m enjoying your company.” I smiled as I looked at her, catching her gaze. Thestring lights reflected in her eyes, making them look like they held stars.
She met it until tension bubbled between us and then pulled away, casting her gaze to the ground.
Maybe I should have let it be, but I couldn’t. I wanted her closer.
As I swept her onto my lap, she sucked in a sharp breath. “What…?”
“You’re tired. I thought you might want somewhere to lay your head.”
Her hand flattened against my chest as she braced herself to look at me. Whatever she was about to say died on her lips because instead of arguing with me, her eyes locked with mine for a brief second before she slowly pressed herself against me.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been held.” The words were spoken so quietly, I almost didn’t hear her. A couple of deep breaths, and she was sound asleep.
I wrapped my arms around her, set my cheek against the top of her head, and for the first time in my life, felt like I was holding my future.
She’d burrowed under my skin so fast, I hadn’t even felt the sting. But now, the thought of losingher… It wasn't just a bruise waiting to happen. It'd break something in me. I didn't want to go a day without her.
But holding her has stirred something darker, more primal.
I wanted to sink my fingers into her hair, drag her head back, and taste the pulse at her throat. To breathe her in until she knew she belonged to me. To carve my name into her mind so deep she’d never forget who owned her.
But she wasn’t the kind of woman who bent—she’d bolt and then vanish. And the thought of her running from me was the only thing that kept me in check. For now.
The Kalantzis family had values. Strength. Loyalty. Maybe there was more to this alliance than survival.
And if Pasha agreed… this fake marriage wouldn’t stay fake for long.
Chapter Sixteen
THEA
The cold hit me first,sharp and biting, seeping into my fingertips and numbing the tip of my nose. My body ached, stiff from a night curled up on a rooftop lounge chair, but a stubborn warmth pressed against my back kept the chill from winning.
Nazar.
His arm draped over my waist, heavy and too comfortable. His breath was constant against my neck. I let myself linger there, wrapped in a peace I hadn’t felt since…
“Andros,we should tell her,” Lisbet said.
I jumped. I’d heard voices and wandered toward the study, and now Ma and Pa were looking at me.
My stomach dropped, fear pooling in the pit of my stomach. The vase. I thought they’d forgiven me…but my mom was like that. Saying one thing and then doing another. Ma and Pa were different, but… what if the vase was too much? For six months, I’d had a home and family. Was it about to end?
Maybe they’d let me stay just long enough to realize they didn’t want me. I was a street rat. Maybe the vase was the sign they’d been waiting for.
I charged into the study. “Please... don’t send me away.” I started strong but choked on the last word.
Lisbet’s lips parted in a gasp as she wrapped her arms around me. “Send you away?” She leaned back, tears brimming her eyes. “What are you talking about, my darling?”
