Page 32 of Cashmere Cruelty

“That’s a relief,” he says sarcastically. “Now. You asked for protection, did you not?”

Fuck me, I did.“Is this the part where you tell me it’ll cost me my soul? Because, fair warning, I’ve been working customer service for a while. I don’t think there’s much left.”

Matvey gives me an amused smirk. For a brief second, I wonder if it’d be so bad to kiss it off his face. Just to see his flawless appearance ruffled, for once. I blame my hormones for that—always thinking of inopportune things, especially in this man’s presence.

But then he lowers his eyes to my stomach, and suddenly, I can’t look away, either.

I watch with rapt attention as he strokes my belly, his stormy gaze captivated by what’s inside. His child.

Ourchild.

“This is my price,” he declares.

Suddenly, my head goes light. “You want the baby?” I ask, filled with hurt.

“No, April. Believe it or not, I’m not a monster. I wouldn’t take a baby away from their mother.”

Relief washes over me, but only for a moment. “What, then?”

“I want to be a part of their life,” Matvey states matter-of-factly. “As any father should.”

“Oh.” I frown. That’s… surprisingly reasonable.

But part of me still rebels. Doing this… It would mean leaving my current life. My home, my family. To move in, however temporarily, in this man’s space.

This man. The devil himself.

“In exchange for that,” Matvey continues, offering me his hand like a businessman closing a deal, “I’ll search for your kidnappers. I’ll identify whoever wants to harm you and the child, take them out of the picture, and keep you safe. That’s the deal.”

I take a long, deep breath. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, isn’t it? Being involved with Matvey Groza. Being swallowed into his life, whatever that entails.

But I guess that ship has sailed.

I look at the broken handcuffs, still locked around my wrists. At Matvey’s face, determined and quietly hopeful.

Then I look at my belly, with our child growing inside it.

And I realize that I don’t have a choice.

“Okay,” I exhale, shaking his hand and feeling like I just signed away my entire life. “Okay. But I have one condition.”

He waits patiently, one eyebrow arched high on his head.

“I get to bring my cat.”

10

APRIL

“What do you mean, he won’t let you take Buttons?!”

I sigh. Of all things to be outraged about, I had a feeling June would pick this one. “The hotel has a no-pet policy. He said he can get it changed, but it’ll take until the next board meeting.”

“I don’t get it,” June harrumphs, crossing her arms. “I thought he owned the place. Can’t he just do whatever he wants?”

Oh, he does.If the way he behaved in my shop is anything to go by, Matvey Groza is the kind of man who only learns the rules so he can better break them. But it didn’t feel like a hill worth dying on—sorry, Mr. Buttons—so I didn’t.

This is just for a few weeks, anyway.

---