Page 82 of Falling for the Enemy

Turning my attention to the brooding kingpin next to me, the very one who is close to totally holding my beating heart in the palm of his hand, I grasp his chin and turn his face to mine.

“And you,” I start, his cheek twitching with what I know is restrained fury over the things Casper just said. “Stop with the pissing contest, da?”

“I’m not him.” Raw and gravelly, his voice is rougher than I’ve ever heard it. It’s unfair for someone else’s sins to taint our relationship, but given the situation, it can’t be helped. We aren’t a normal couple. If one of us corrupts our shared bond, it will lead to the other’s demise. That in itself warrants caution. “And I never will be.”

“I know.” It’s the truth. If there was a remote possibility my present was in danger of becoming a repeat of my past, I would eliminate the threat—him—before it was too late. Just as I considered doing many times. “If I thought there was such a chance, you wouldn’t be sitting at my table, less than six feet from my entire world.”

Anna smiles, sitting up straight.

“I better be included as part of your whole world,” she teases, holding a strawberry less than an inch from her lips. “I mean, I know I walked in on Mr. Tall, Dark, and Scary au naturel this morning, but—”

“What?”

I sigh in exasperation when Casper snaps his head in his little sister’s direction, his face reddening in two-seconds flat.

“Listen,” she starts, dropping the fruit and raising her hands in a placating gesture as Mina lowers her gaze to her lap, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Despite the circumstances, I grin.

At least someone finds this funny.

“It was an accident, Ogre, so don’t you snap and growl at me.” Her eyes narrow. “You do, and I’ll stab you with a fish fork.”

A fish fork?

“Everyone else may fear you, but I don’t. Why should I? Even when I’m hopscotching all over your last nerve, you love me too much to kill me; therefore, I’m safe.” Although she knows her brother would never dream of hurting her, she shrugs, her dramatics on full display. It’s a daily occurrence where she’s concerned. “Besides, you mess with me, and Ari will shoot you.”

She wields the truth as a weapon.

“You,” Casper starts, pointing at her, just as I did him a minute ago, “stay out of Ari’s suite before you see something you shouldn’t.”

Another shrug. “We’ll see.”

“Jesucristo.” Running his palms down his face, Alejandro chuckles. “Now I see why she and my niece are friends. They’re practically twins.”

He has a point.

“I mean it, Myshka. If you—”

Casper’s words dissipate when my enforcer enters the dining room, carrying a wooden crate in his arms and wearing an eye-crinkling smile, the latter a rarity. “I finished the gifts you requested.” He drops the box to my left, jarring the table and nearly knocking my mimosa over. “I even designed and constructed a special one.”

My interest is piqued.

Along with my horror.

“Nikolai,” I whisper, hoping no one but he can hear me. “Tell me you didn’t just carry three bombs into my home.”

Brushing off my concern, the maniac points from one black box to the other, all three identical in shape and design before lifting a red perfume bottle, one that once belonged to me, from the crate.

Clearly, he’s proud of himself.

But me? I may shoot him.

That’s if I live long enough to do so.

“Casper,” I say, standing, Alejandro matching my every move. “Remove Mina and Anna from the mansion, please.” My gaze meets his. “Quickly.”

With haste, he does as I command.

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