Page 22 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride
He cocks his head to the side.
“It’s for your own safety, Angelika. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” he muses.
“You’ll make sure…” I say in disbelief. “This is a nightmare. This can’t be real.”
“I think what you’re trying to say is thank you?” he offers, still smiling.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I set my jaw.
He’s right. I’m angry at myself. Not at him.
He just saved me a world of trouble by covering for me when my brother asked what happened. Imagine if he found out I snuck out, went clubbing, and then ended up in bed with a total stranger. It would be a nightmare worse than anything I could imagine. When I eventually got home, they would never let me out in public again. And they would never trust me again. Ever. My life would be over.
It takes me a moment to process reality, to accept that I actually owe Diomid a great deal for what he has done, and to open my eyes and face him in a more humble state.
When I look up at him again, he’s waiting patiently, one arm reaching out and leaning against the wall. He looks casual, relaxed, and confident that he’s the one in control.
Because he is.
He has a secret about me that he could use against me at any time he chooses. But he chose not to.
“Why didn’t you tell my brother where I really was?” I ask, my tone subdued.
He shrugs.
I roll my eyes. “Well, thank you for keeping that from him. I appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem,” he says, smiling.
“I’ll stay with you till this is all over. The kidnapping commotion, the auction, and everything else. No more arguing… from me.”
“That’s good to hear. It’ll probably be a lot more pleasant around here,” he teases me.
Shaking my head, I can’t let him get away with it entirely. “You weren’t exactly in the right either, though. You should have told me who you were at the club. You kept it from me,” I huff, in an attempt to try and turn it around so it’s not all on me.
“Princess, you didn’t tell me who you were, remember. Don’t point fingers when you were doing exactly the same thing.”
Shit. He’s right again.
Diomid pushes off the wall and throws me a genuine smile. “Don’t stress any of this, Angelika. I was at the club to let loose and have a good time. I was just having some fun. You were the first girl I saw, so it just happened to be with you. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
Oh.I bite the inside of my cheek, scrunching my nose at his confession. Was that really how it went down? I thought… I thought we had a connection. I actually got the feeling that I was more than just a random choice from a crowded club. Clearly, I’m wrong, though.
It just didn’t feel random to me.
Watching his face, I read the calmness in his eyes. He means what he said. It really was just random to him.
This truth stings me, but I smile tightly to try and hide my emotions. “Good, ok, then we don’t need to talk about it again,” I nod.
“Sure,” he agrees. “What do you want for dinner? I’ve been craving pizza. I’ll get one of the guards to stop at the shops for us and grab us some ingredients.”
“Sure, I like bacon and mushrooms and feta. Avocado, if they have. Definitely spinach. No pineapple, though. Oh, I like a sprinkle of almond nut slices too. It adds a nice crunch.”
“No pineapple?” he says, pressing his hand to his chest and throwing me a look of horror.
“Don’t tell me you eat pineapple on pizza. It’s so wrong. It’s way too sweet,” I argue. “If you like pineapple, we can maybe put it on half the pizza? Or maybe we should just make something else for dinner?” I blabber on.
“I’m kidding. I hate pineapple on pizza,” he grins, then winks at me.
