Page 154 of Bitter Secrets

She froze with the glass halfway to her lips and turned. He was right behind her. All she had to do was reach out to touch him.

“Excuse me?”

Midnight eyes raked over her face. “Your clothes are wet. You should get out of them.”

“That’s what I have this for.”

She toasted him before she sipped. She wasn’t sure whether it was the Scotch or his unwavering focus that made her want to cough, but that worry disappeared as her taste buds registered the flavor. Her eyelids fluttered and almost closed completely before she got a hold of herself.

“This was my father’s favorite drink,” she said.

“I know.”

When she shivered, he picked up a remote and pointed it at the wall. Seconds later, a line of flames appeared. She gave Roth a sidelong glance as he undid the top button of his shirt. She walked toward the linear fireplace and watched the flames dance over obsidian glass and birchwood.

As she was suffused with comforting heat, she had the sudden urge to stretch out on the couch and smoke a cigar, but a glance at Roth killed that desire. While the Scotch mellowed her out, it seemed to have the opposite effect on him. There was no trace of fatigue on his face, not even the hint of a bloodshot eye to prove he was human. He was a machine, hardwired for battle. He never let his guard down, which meant she couldn’t either.

“You’ve never mentioned Grayson before,” she said.

“Why would I?”

She cocked her hip. “Hmm, I don’t know. You were working with him the first time we were married. It would have been an interesting tidbit to mention that you befriended a royal.”

“We’re not friends.”

She blinked. “You have other colleagues who’d wait in the lobby at this time of night to meet your wife?”

It took great effort not to roll her eyes at his perplexed expression. He was beyond clueless.

“It seems,” she drawled, “that despite your best efforts, you managed to make a friend and powerful ally.”

Roth frowned at the flames as he nursed his drink.

“You work closely enough that whatever changes you’re making are affecting him too.” She sipped her drink and was rewarded with another wave of warmth. “What changes, Roth?”

“You already know.”

She raised her brows in polite inquiry.

“I’m making adjustments, so I don’t have to travel as much.”

“How does that affect Grayson?”

He hesitated, weighing his words before he said, “If he wants to maintain his gains, he’s going to have to be more involved than he’s been in the past.”

“You managed things for him?”

Roth was no saint. He didn’t do favors for anyone, yet he had taken on a massive responsibility for Grayson. Why?

“Maximus used every contact he had to make it impossible for me to gain any traction here. He let it be known that anyone who worked with me would be considered an enemy.” He tipped his tumbler, rocking the amber liquid back and forth. “But he overlooked young Grayson, who just inherited his fortune.”

Her stomach clenched. She tried to loosen the knots by taking a healthy gulp of Scotch.

“Grayson had no interest in business, but he allowed me to invest his money.” His eyes flicked from her to the penthouse. “We struck gold. By the time Maximus found out, it was too late. He threatened Grayson and tried to make things difficult for him, but he found out the hard way that Grayson’s lineage trumped his connections.” His lips quirked into a sardonic smile. “Maximus wasn’t too happy about that.”

Which explained the ice behind Grayson’s angelic smile. “And I’m included in his disdain for my dad?”

Roth considered her for a moment, eyes moving over her face before resting on her hair. She resisted the urge to smooth it down.

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