Page 62 of Love to Defy You
The sun reflects off the snowy white mountains through the window, and I raise my arm to shield my eyes from the bright onslaught. Alek is sitting on the sofa in the middle of the chaos with his phone pressed to his ear.
When I take the seat opposite him, he says something in Russian, then hangs up the phone. With a groan, he leans back against the sofa and rubs his eyes.
“Who was that?” My voice is raspy from sleep.
“My mother.” He makes a face like he just swallowed something bitter. “I’ve been avoiding her calls all week, so I just got an earful.”
“You told her Ana was here?”
“Yes,” he says with a weary sigh. “And she made me promise to send her home with her virginity still intact.”
I recoil. “Ew, seriously?”
“The Dubai suitor won’t take Ana otherwise.” He shakes his head. “But I told her I’ll increase her allowance if she calls off the engagement.”
“And?”
“She said she’ll consider it and let me know.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “But don’t say anything to Ana yet. I don’t want to get her hopes up.”
I nod. “Sure.”
Every time Alek talks with his mother, he leaves the conversation looking haggard or angry. I had a great relationship with my mother before she died, and even though things were rocky with my father for a long time, we finally got to a good place. But Alek has never had a parent who put him before their own selfish needs. To his father, he was simply a vessel to inherit his legacy, and to his mother, he’s nothing more than an ATM.
“This looks like it’s going to be some party.” I glance around the room. “Is this all for us?”
“I invited a few people. Just the usual suspects who holiday in St. Moritz every year. After being stuck in a chalet with their families for a week, they’re itching for some fun.”
I arch my eyebrows. “I thought the jet-set crowd didn’t want anything to do with your family anymore?”
“Well, none of them are Russian.” He lets out a hollow laugh. “And besides, even the wealthy have a hard time turning down free booze.” Alek pats his lap. “Come here,malishka.”
I stand up and come around the coffee table, and when I take a seat on his lap, he wraps his arms around my waist.
He burrows his face against my chest and inhales my scent. “I practically had to carry you to bed last night.”
I smooth my hand over his hair. “I don’t remember going to bed. I wanted to finish what we started yesterday.”
He chuckles. “Me too, but you were passed-out drunk.”
“Such a gentleman.” I run my finger down his chest.
“You and I both know I’m no gentleman.” Alek growls and nips at my breast over my robe, making me yelp. “Why don’t I take you upstairs right now and show you how despicable I can be?”
I rub the spot where he bit me. “As fun as that sounds, I need coffee and a super greasy breakfast in the next five minutes or I’m going to puke all over the drapes.”
“In that case, let’s get you fed.” He pats my ass to get me to stand up. “But tonight, your pussy is mine.”
Birgitta, Josie, Anastasia, and Prisha get ready for the New Year’s Eve party in my room. I’m rather sluggish the rest of the day thanks to my wine hangover, so everyone else finishes their hair and makeup before me.
“We’ll wait for you,” Prisha says.
“No, no, you guys go ahead. I’ll be down in, like, twenty minutes.”
They leave and close the door behind them, leaving me with my mild headache for company. I chug down the rest of my water bottle, take another Excedrin, and get to work on my hair. When I’m done, I drag my ass into the closet and change intomy black sequin mini dress with long sleeves. However, when I try to reach around to zip it up, I can’t get the angle of my arms right.
“Need some help?”
I gasp and spin around. Enzo stands in the doorway of the closet, blocking my path.
