Page 19 of Ruthless Reign

A knot forms in my chest. Everyone knows Liza is with Anatoly for his deep pockets. But maybe there's more to the story than I originally thought. Not that it changes anything. Because she still wears his ring, and in a month's time, she'll walk down the aisle towards him.

Beside me, Kira is quiet for a minute. When she finally speaks, there’s a lighter note in her voice. “I’m going to show her the time of her fucking life in London. If this is her last hurrah, I'm going to make it worth her damn while.”

I smile over at Kira. "Shit. Maybe we should've taken more guards with us."

When I pull into the Ivanovs’ circular front drive, there’s no staff waiting outside to announce our arrival, but I do spot Anatoly’s Aston Martin Valkyrie parked off to the side.

“I’ll just be a second.” I leave the engine of the Land Rover running.

As I head towards the house, I slip a key between my fingers and press it into the pristine paint job of Anatoly’s limited-edition sports car. I look back and take in the jagged, uneven line spanning the length of the vehicle and, suddenly, I feel a whole lot lighter inside.

CHAPTER TEN

ROMAN

Liza is completely in her element—hearts-in-her-eyes happy, with a huge smile on her face. She’s practically skipping through the aisles, touching everything she sees, and we’re not in Prada, Jimmy Choo, or any other designer store. We're in a quaint second-hand bookstore in Notting Hill, and she's glowing in a way that's damn near contagious.

I shouldn’t notice every little thing about her, but I do. I notice how her eyes pop when she wears forest green, or how she hums to herself when she’s happy. How her lips tighten the moment her impending wedding is mentioned, or how she furrows her brow in confusion at thick British accents.

It doesn't help that I haven't taken my eyes off her since we touched down in London two days ago. Sure, it’s my job to be observant, but my attention is way beyond professional. Maybe it’s just me wanting what I can’t have. Either way, this attraction is highly inconvenient and a distraction I can’t afford. The only thing it does is mess with my head and cause blood to rush to my dick.

I crack my neck and take out my phone to check the time.

Since we were able to shut down the store to the public, I told Bogdan and Feliks to grab lunch. Now I regret that decision; I hadn't realized how captivating it would be to watch Liza shop for books

“Check this one out,” Liza says to Kira, waving another book about child rearing.

Kira takes it from Liza and flips through the pages. “This is from twenty years ago. I really hope things have changed when it comes to raising a baby.”

Liza giggles. Christ, that’s my favorite new sound.

She's laughed more on this trip than in the entire time I’ve known her. Maybe it’s being around Kira, or being away from her family and fiancé, but it seems this break is exactly what she needed.

Liza shrugs. “Why? I mean, making babies has been the same since the dawn of time.”

Kira grimaces as she scans a page. “Oh my God. It says here that you need to wake up every few hours to feed the baby in the first few weeks. That can't be true, can it?" For some reason, Kira's eyes dart to where I’m standing a few feet away.

“Are you actually asking me for baby advice?" I blurt out.

“I know. What was I thinking?” Kira grumbles. “You're, like, the last person who’d know.”

I shrug. “Isn't that what nannies are for? All those rich society women talk about having night nannies, day nannies, afternoon nannies… cocktail-hour nannies.”

Kira rolls her eyes. “Well, I don't mind getting a little help, but we won't be hiring nannies for everything.”

“I’ll help you,” Liza offers. “Okay, maybe not in the middle of the night, but what else do I have to do? I remember when Sofiya was a baby. I was a kid myself, but I swear I did more for her than my parents did.”

Kira sighs. “You're going to be a newlywed by the time this little one comes along. You’ll be busy attending galas and lunching at the tennis club.”

Liza shudders. “God no. Are you trying to scare me? I’ll always make time for you.”

“Life is going to change,” Kira adds softly.

Liza’s expression falls, but she can’t exactly argue the point.

Kira claps her hands. “I’m going to relax in that armchair and read this baby book. You hunt for that first edition of Jane Eyre I know you’ve had your eye on.”

Liza nods and smiles, but I don’t miss the crease between her brows as Kira walks away. I want to take my thumb and smooth it out.

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