Page 26 of Ruthless Reign

“Wait, dinner with who?" I demand.

“I don't know. Some guys he’s in business with. It was a long night. I'm just tired.” Her words are slightly slurred.

Alarm bells ring in my head. Something’s off. “Sofiya, have you been drinking?” I ask, dreading the answer.

There's a pause. "Anatoly let me try some wine ... and maybe a shot of vodka. It was nothing. We were just having fun.”

My stomach drops, horror washing over me. “It’s not nothing,” I insist, but I try to sound calm, not wanting to upset her. “Drink a glass of water and try to get some rest, okay? Take an aspirin in the morning if you have a headache. It'll help.”

“Sure, Lizka. Sorry I forgot to charge my phone.”

“It’s okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Get some sleep. And Sofiya?”

“Yes,” she replies with a yawn.

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Heart in my throat, I slide down the terrace wall, hugging my knees.

Dinner with associates? Alcohol? What reason could he possibly have to drag her out later with a bunch of men?

My chest tightens, a crushing weight pressing down on my lungs.

The terrace door slides open and Roman appears, kneeling beside me. “Whoa, just breathe.” He takes my face in his hands.

I can’t speak yet; I’m too messed up to even put my thoughts into words.

As if he knows, Roman’s eyes lock on mine, concern evident in his features. Whatever he sees in my expression causes him to pull me toward him until my face is buried in his hard chest.

His fingers brush through my hair, and I tip my head up to breathe him in. Roman smells perfect, like the woods and a lingering smoky scent. He’s only trying to comfort me, but my body reacts as if he's flipping a switch, igniting an electric energy inside me.

“Tell me what happened,” he says after a minute.

I pull away and try to compose myself. “It’s Sofiya. She just called. She’s okay, just forgot to charge her phone.”

“That’s good. I called her school and woke up some very confused nun.” He smiles. “And I have a guard on the way to her school. He’ll keep an eye on her dorm.”

Tears sting my eyes. He may be a killer, he may live in a cold and dangerous world, but he’s got a kernel of something good inside of him.

“What’s wrong? This is good news.” He runs a hand over the pulse point at my neck, and I have to bite my lip to keep from releasing a little moan. His calloused hand feels so good on my bare skin.

“Just overwhelmed, that’s all.”

He makes a noise in his throat and pulls back, tipping up my chin to make me look at him. “You’d tell me if things weren’t okay, right?”

I lick my lips and force a small smile onto my face.

It’s then that everything comes into focus: how close we are—his face only inches from mine—how hard his chest is, and how good he smells. Seconds tick by, and neither of us moves.

Is he going to kiss me? It would take nothing for him to lean forward and press his lips against mine. His gaze flicks from my eyes to my mouth and back again, and I'm thankful for the cover of darkness hiding my blush. I’m no expert on the matter, but the hungry way his eyes slide down my throat suggests he's feeling it too.

I want him to kiss me more than I want my next breath.

But a kiss is dangerous. How could I stop at just a taste?

“I should probably go to sleep,” I say, moving away, needing to pull out of his magnetic orbit.

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