Page 96 of Beautiful Villain

CHAPTER18

Candy

Four days later

Quiet.

The condo was far too quiet as far as I was concerned. While I’d had everything I’d needed to recover, including the best medical care, Kirill had purposely stayed away most of the time. But I’d felt him at night, watching over me, making certain I was okay. He’d kept his promise, able to save Michael seconds before his car exploded, but that was almost the only thing Kirill had told me.

Then it was as if he’d retreated from my life. I couldn’t understand if I’d done something wrong or if becoming my savior on two occasions had forced him into an ugly realization that I was nothing more than an anchor around his neck.

Maybe I shouldn’t care, but all I could do was think about him.

Him, the monster, savior, sinner, and saint.

And the man I loved.

I remained in the bedroom, the first one I’d stayed in, only because I didn’t feel comfortable anywhere else. Seeing him was wonderful, but when he’d walk away, it broke my heart every time. I heard a light rap on the door and brightened, my stomach lurching.

“Ms. Lancaster. Señor Sabatin told me to bring you this. He said to change and meet him in the foyer in one hour.”

I was immediately saddened, slumping against the wall. Another dress. Another occasion. I hated to admit it to myself, but I was fearful of seeing whatever he’d purchased for me. Maybe it was a wedding dress for all I knew. Then I’d be imprisoned for the rest of my life. Would that be so bad? No, except I wanted to be the one to make the choice. And it was something I wasn’t prepared to do. I also knew all the passion we’d shared was gone by his choice.

“Thank you, Desiree. I appreciate it.”

“Si, señorita,” she said, smiling for the first time since I’d been here. I remained standing at the window, allowing my thoughts to shift to all the fond memories I had of Kirill. At least they were enough, but a part of me wanted more of the man. His passion. His dominance. Sighing, I finally found whatever courage I had left to take the bag off the dress.

For some reason, it wasn’t what I’d expected. It was beautiful, but sequins seemed an odd choice. Maybe he was taking me to another show.

“Stop it.”

He’d thought of shoes and lingerie. Laughing, I gathered the items, moving into the bathroom. Something was very strange, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I took my time getting ready, styling my hair for the first time since the accident. Accident. What a ridiculous thing to call it. The people had tried to murder us and almost succeeded. Shivering, I stood back glancing at my reflection. I felt like a big band singer from a long time before, but I had to say, the dress was absolutely perfect for my figure, the deep emerald color highlighting my eyes.

The man had exquisite taste.

After gathering my purse, I stood in the room, trying to calm my nerves. Maybe I was making him wait just a little longer as well. Laughing, I finally headed down the stairs. The man was pacing, glaring at his watch.

When he heard me, he jerked up his head. “You’re late.”

“Just by a few minutes. I was… teasing you.” I could tell he was angry, frustrated with me. Even stranger, while he was dressed nicely in his usual dark suit and shirt, he wasn’t even wearing a tie. What the hell was going on?

“Come. We need to hurry.”

“Why are you being this way?” I asked. No, I was demanding.

He shifted his gaze and while I didn’t know him but so well, I could swear he had a smirk on his face, like he was hiding something from me. As usual, he remained quiet on the short elevator ride, pressing his hand against my back and guiding me into the garage. There was no limo, but there was a waiting SUV, the windows blacked out.

As soon as we approached, one of his men jumped out of the passenger seat, opening the door and allowing Kirill to usher me inside. This time, there was no conversation between the men, Kirill easing in beside me. There was no champagne, only bottled water and he remained rigid as the driver headed out of the garage.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

He handed me one of the bottles. “Drink this. And it’s a surprise.”

“O-kay.” I did as I was told, remaining jumpy as hell. Was he selling me off to the highest bidder? At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past him. I hated thinking that way, but with the lack of conversation, my imagination had gone wild. I could tell he wasn’t going to say a damn thing to me. Not a single word.

I crushed myself against the seat, sipping water, longing for champagne or wine, anything to make this a celebration.

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