Page 56 of Her Cruel Empire
The buildings are older here, more elegant than anything in Vegas. People stroll along the sidewalks with a kind of casual sophistication I’ve never even approached myself. Everything feels like something from a movie.
“Thank you,” I say suddenly, turning to Eva.
She looks at me with raised eyebrows. “For what?”
“For this. For all of it.” I gesture toward the window, toward the city flowing past us. “I never in a million years thought I’dsee Paris. And now here I am, seeing it from the window of a limousine with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Eva’s expression shifts, becoming unreadable. “Robin?—”
“Look, I know this thing between us isn’t exactly orthodox,” I continue, needing to say this before I lose my nerve. “But this is still amazing for me. So…thank you.”
She inclines her head slightly, and I think I see something soften in her amber eyes. “You’re welcome.”
But as we pull up to a gleaming hotel, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve said too much. Revealed too much. Eva’s face has gone carefully blank, the way it does when she’s putting up walls.
Don’t get attached, I remind myself. This is a contract deal. Nothing more.
But if this isn’t happiness, then what is?
We step out of the car, and Eva’s hand briefly touches the small of my back as she guides me toward the hotel entrance. The touch is possessive, protective, and it sends a shiver through me that has nothing to do with the cool Paris air.
The hotel lobby is marble and crystal, intimidating in its grandeur, even after Castle Blacklake. But Eva moves through the foyer like she belongs here, and I try to match her confidence even though I feel completely out of my depth.
“Ms. Novak,” the concierge says, bowing slightly. “Your suite is ready.”
“Thank you. And the arrangements for tomorrow?”
“All confirmed, as requested.”
Tomorrow. I wonder what business Eva has here, what meetings she’ll disappear to while I’m left to wonder about the woman I’m falling for.
Because that’s what’s happening, isn’t it? I’m falling for her. Despite everything—the arrangement, the money, the clear boundaries she’s set, despite the fact that she blows hot and cold, despite the fact that she’s clearly an international criminal with blood on her hands…
Despite it all, I’m falling for Eva Novak.
And I have no idea what that means for either of us.
As we step into the elevator, Eva’s reflection catches my eye in the polished doors. She’s watching me with an expression I can’t read, her amber eyes thoughtful.
The elevator rises, carrying us higher into the Paris sky, and my heart soars with it, even though I know it’s dangerous. Because the higher it flies, the farther it will fall.
Because it has to fall eventually. What goes up must come down.
Right?
Chapter 20
Eva
The boardroom for the meeting overlooks the Champs-Élysées, but I’m not here for the view. I’m here to remind three very stupid men why they should never try to renegotiate a Novak Consortium contract out of season.
The meeting ends with handshakes and subtle threats wrapped in politeness. As I gather my files, I feel something odd. A warm, unexpected hum beneath my breastbone. The thought of returning to the hotel.
To Robin.
I’ve handled billion-dollar deals without breaking a sweat, negotiated with warlords and presidents with equal ease. So why does the thought of her eyes lighting up when she sees me feel more exciting than any of this?
Leon sticks close as we go back down to the street. “Meeting went well?”
