Page 114 of Cashmere Ruin

I put on my best puppy eyes. “I’ll lend it to you for free?”

“Fine,” she huffs. “But I have one condition.”

“Which one?”

She points at my tequila. “Chug.”

“‘One shot,’ huh?”

I hide my face in Matvey’s chest. I should’ve known it would end up like this. Tipsy April has absolutely no filters—and no shame.

Which is how I ended up jumping him the second I stumbled through the door. “Maybe it was two,” I mumble against his skin.

“Mhmm.”

“I’m serious!”

“I’m sure you are.”

I roll on my side and pout. Unfortunately, I’m wrapped in blankets and nothing else, so it doesn’t come across as particularly convincing. “Ask your wife. She’ll tell you.”

“She already told me. Texted me to give you plenty of water.”

“Great. Now, I’m a houseplant.”

Matvey pushes me on my back, rolling over on top of me. “You’re mine,” he rasps with that low voice of his, the one that never fails to send chills down my spine. “And I’d rather not talk about my wife when I have you like this.”

I feel my body respond like it’s the first time. I can’t help it: whenever Matvey’s this close, I turn sinfully greedy. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I bare my neck to his kisses. It’s slow, deep—like being eaten whole one bite at a time. But before I can surrender completely, I remember. “Oh! I have to ask you something.”

Matvey groans. “Right now?”

Yes. Otherwise, you’ll make me forget.“I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Fine. Ask away.”

“Did Yuri seem weird to you lately?”

He blinks, caught off-guard. “Where’s this coming from?”

I bite my lip. I’m sure how much I’m allowed to say. Eventually, though, I cave. “Petra. I asked her how it was going with Yuri, and she mentioned he felt… distant. Like he’s keeping something from her. Do you have any idea if there’s anything going on?”

Matvey rolls off me, face suddenly conflicted. He seems to be struggling with himself—torn between speaking and keeping everything to himself.

But in the end, he caves, too. “You can’t tell Petra what I’m about to tell you.”

“Okay.”

“It’s about Vlad. I put Yuri on his tail. We think he might be working with the enemy.”

I frown. “‘Vlad’… That’s her father?”

“Indeed. The devil himself.”

I let it sink in. Petra’s dad might be a mole, and Yuri’s been tasked with finding out the truth. No wonder things might have turned awkward between them. I can only imagine what it must be like, not being able to tell the one you love the truth. Being forced to smile and nod, all the while knowing you have to work against them. Against their family.

---