Page 18 of Raven

“Do you now?”

“No violence.”

She decides to focus on that of all things?

I’m surprised. Quite a bit, in fact. She didn’t even flinch at my proposal, and that means Maddy is not a prude. But she is a businesswoman, all right. “Fair enough. I’m not a violent man.”

She raises her brow.

“With women,” I clarify and give her a controlled smile. “I have no intention of hurting you. I want to spend time with you. You might enjoy this arrangement more than me.”

A flicker of mockery dances in her eyes. “No forcing me into anything. I agree to the deal, but everything has to be completely consensual.”

Con-sen-sual. And why do I love the sound of that word on her lips?

I nod.

“One more thing,” she says. “No kissing.”

That’s an odd request. Not that I care. It’s a small thing. For a second, it makes me want to argue because I feel like kissing her right now to show her that she will play by my rules. I’d like to push her buttons, but I can do that later.

“We are not dating,” she says as if she is trying to explain herself. “It’s not an affair. Just a deal.”

“Works for me. I promise to be very respectful.” I cock a brow.

“Is that all?” she asks coolly.

I’m amused. She is acting like this is a real business deal. No fury. No awkwardness. She is calm like the ocean on a sunny day.

But then my eyes pause on her chest. Her arms are still crossed. She hasn’t moved an inch since she took that pose. And I notice that her breaths are too slow and shallow. Her neck and shoulders are too tense. It turns out that sweet Maddy is very nervous.

I hold back a smile.

It’s all right. There will come a time when she will be welcoming and looking forward to being around me. I’ll make sure of it.

“That is all,” I say, deliberately letting my eyes linger on her body.

“And you will keep your mouth shut about me.” There’s miscalculated sharpness in her voice as she tries to project bitterness. “And… about us.”

My loyalty is not cheap. She knows that it jeopardizes Zion and, more importantly, Ayana. If Archer finds out about this, he will lose his shit. He will probably contact Tsariuk right away and make a deal. And then Maddy—or Milena, whatever—will be gone, whisked away to Mother Russian or some other country that wasn’t involved in the nuclear war. She will probably be married off right away to some rich asshole.

In my mind, that scenario is not so bad, really. Instead, Maddy chooses to play this game with me, and I respect her flexibility. Sure, there’s gotta be a number of reasons for her wanting to stay, and I’ll get down to the bottom of it soon.

“Yes, Maddy,” I agree to her demands and push off the wall.

I’m almost ready to walk away, letting this conversation sink in, when she speaks again.

“How long?”

I halt. I didn’t think about it. She’s a smart one. Maddy is truly thinking about every aspect of this arrangement. It must be Daddy’s business skills.

“Two months,” I say on a whim. “Until we can figure out what to do with you, beautiful girl.”

Her hazel eyes are beautiful, especially when they lose that hostility momentarily, and she looks at me unblinkingly and forgets herself.

“That guy,” I say, making sure these eyes belong only to me from now on, “what’s going on with him?”

That feigned indifference on her face is back. “What guy?”

---