Page 36 of Ruby Malice

“You know where I live,” he says.

“Yeah, but I don’t know where you work.”

“I work wherever I want.”

That makes sense considering he has homes in New York and California and God knows where else. “Okay, but what do you actually do?”

He hesitates. It’s a small thing, but it’s there. And I notice. “I’m a… businessman. Money, bottom lines, overhead. It’s boring.”

“So you’re a killer for hire. Got it.”

“Not quite.”

I shake my head. “If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re doing a bad job. I’m now ninety percent sure you’re a criminal.”

Kirill looks over at me, his green eyes dancing. “Would that scare you,printsessa?”

It’s not hard to imagine Kirill being capable of some pretty horrible things. He’s handsome and charming, but there’s something sharp just under the surface. “Watching you snap that guard’s leg like a toothpick last night was scary. But…”

“But?”

“You promised not to hurt me. Several times. I almost kinda sorta believe you.”

He turns off the main road, driving down a curving residential street that takes us through a subdivision. “Shortcut,” he says, sensing my nerves. “No need to be afraid.”

“You don’t make any sense to me,” I blurt. “You are—Or, you could be charming. You could have any woman you wanted if you tried. But you are engaged to—” Kirill growls, and I correct myself. “Fine. You’rearrangedto Viktoria. It doesn’t make any sense.”

His hands adjust on the steering wheel, his long fingers drumming in the silence. “I didn’t choose Viktoria. She is just… around.”

“You’re saying you picked her because she was available?”

He grunts wordlessly.

I take it as a yes and wrinkle my nose. “That’s disgusting. You sleep with her because she’s available. You don’t even like her.”

On the surface, there’s disgust. But even worse, underneath it, is relief. If he doesn’t like her, then who does he like?

It doesn’t matter!the rational part of my brain shrieks.There’s still time to roll out of this moving car. Go! Go! Go!

“Is liking someone a prerequisite for you?” he asks.

“Yes! Obviously! Why else would you sleep with someone?”

“To burn excess energy.” He lets a hand hover over his chest, his fingers splayed. “Don’t you get that tightness in your chest? That need to release?”

Well, now that he mentions it, my chest is feeling tight right now.

“I’m a busy man,” he continues. “I don’t want a relationship. What I want is sex. And Viktoria has fulfilled that need for a while.”

“And what happens when she wants you to fulfill your end of the deal? What happens when she wants to get married?”

He shakes his head. “She’ll find some other poor sucker to marry. Viktoria will put up with a lot of bullshit, but she’ll reach her end eventually.”

“And when she does?” I ask. “What will you do?”

“I’ll move on.”

“How romantic,” I drone. “You know, lots of people are busy. That doesn’t mean they treat other people like sex dolls. You could have a relationship if you wanted to.”

---