Page 98 of Emerald Malice

I raise my hand to stop her. “Oh, don’t thank me just yet. I have one caveat for our friendship.”

Mila arches a brow and waits for me to finish.

“Katya. She’s my best friend. We’re a package deal.”

“Does she hate Viktor as much as I do?” Mila asks.

“My money is on her hating him more than you do.”

She laughs. “Then we’ll get along famously.”

34

ANDREY

As Natalia steps out onto the pavement, sheathed in shadow from the Sunshield logo above, her eyes fall on my vehicle. The scowl that settles over her face is actually quite amusing.

I’d worry she’d run, but considering those pretty heels she’s wearing, she has no choice but to skulk to the car and buckle herself into the passenger seat, all the while avoiding my eyes.

“Did you have a good day?”

She mumbles something unintelligible under her breath. I decide not to press her for a clarification, because I’m fairly certain it involved sticking several unpleasantly sharp objects in certain orifices of mine.

“Is there a reason you’re picking me up today?” she demands.

“I have something to show you.”

“It’s not another gift, is it?” she asks. “Because I already told you, I’m not going to accept any more?—”

“How about you keep your panties unbunched until after you see what it is?” I suggest.

Her mouth snaps shut and she crosses her arms over her chest. I don’t mind in the slightest—I much prefer this snappy, feisty version of Natalia to the quiet, sad iteration I’ve seen too often recently.

“Whatever it is, I don’t want it.”

“Now, now, don’t say that. You’ll hurt his feelings.”

“His feelings?”

I just smile, enjoying the way her teeth grind together.

The silence grows as I navigate out of after-work traffic and head for home. “You didn’t bring me a man, did you?” she blurts out of nowhere.

I almost swerve us off the damn road. It takes everything in me to stay between the lines. “Excuse me?”

She shrugs. “You know. Like, a gigolo.”

My disgusted expression only deepens.

“A male prostit?—”

“I know what a gigolo is,” I snap.

She throws up her hands in defeat. “Just asking. Jeez. You did send me a box of sex toys not so long ago.”

“Self-pleasure is a far cry from paid sex. And just so we’re clear—” I take my eyes off the road just so she understands how serious I am. “—I’m not about to spend my money so you can get off with another man.”

Is it my imagination or is she actually fighting a smile?

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