Page 64 of Taming Mika

She types something out quickly and turns her phone for me to see.Come upstairs with me. Alfie says I can dress you up for the evening.

A combination of trepidation and giddy nerves pools in my stomach, but before I can object, Nina grasps my hand and pulls meinside the house. I bite my lip, anxious over what she might have in mind because I’m not one of those girls who wears makeup and fancy dresses. But I’m grateful Nina’s not going to let me attend dinner in jeans when she’s wearing such a beautiful dress and matching heels. The tall shoes rap smartly against the white marble floors.

My eyes scan the open space, the sheer, clean whiteness of their impressive home, and even though Ididchange out of my barn clothes, I still feel anxious that I could get something dirty just by trudging in after a day at the barn. The entry has a wrought-iron banister staircase curving up to the second floor with intricate vines twisted into the metalwork. It’s so open and light that even with the sun setting outside, I feel like I’m surrounded by warm daytime somehow.

It’s nice, refreshing, even if it’s far too immaculate for a barn girl like me. But I don’t have time to overthink about it as Nina leads me up the sweeping staircase to the high-ceilinged second floor. The decor is crisp and modern, with splashes of color on the wall from abstract paintings. We enter her room, and it smells of lavender and eucalyptus—a favorite calming smell combined with one that reminds me of Alfie.

Speaking of which, where the hell is he?I haven’t heard from him since he left for the city to “deal with the Russians,” and I’m anxious to know what happened. I shudder at the wide range of possibilities that have crossed my mind today, everything from a bloody showdown to Alfie leaving a horse head at the foot of Nikolai’s bed as a message has passed through my brain. I’m sure Alfie wouldn’t do the latter—if for no other reason than because he knows I would never forgive him—but I still really want to know how he resolved the threat—if he resolved it.

Nina eyes me up and down speculatively, then turns and vanishes into what looks like a room inside her room. The lights flick on as I follow her, and I gasp at the size of her closet. It literally has a rolling ladder so she can reach the clothes on the higher rack. I could easily get lost in the labyrinth of clothes, but she seems to know right whereshe’s going, and she grabs a tea-length navy-blue dress before climbing back down and handing it to me.

“You want me to putthison?” I ask skeptically, lifting it to take in the open back and gauzy fabric.

Nina rolls her eyes and twists her wrist to indicate I should get a move on. Laughing, I concede. Clearly, I don’t have a choice in the matter, and even if I’m not a girly girl, the idea of dressing up is kind of fun. I just hope she—and Alfie—don’t expect me to transform into some fairy-tale princess or porcelain doll now that I’m seeing Alfie.

Alfie’s sister gives me a nod of approval as soon as I step out of the bathroom to show her the dress. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she grabs my shoulders and pushes me into the chair before her vanity. My hair is freshly washed and tied up in its usual messy bun. I did try to tame it a little before giving up and stashing it on top of my head, but Nina seems up for the challenge as she takes it down. Pulling out the drawers at her station, she finds a tube of cream and squeezes a generous portion into her palm. Then, she spreads it evenly between her hands and works it methodically through my curls. To my astonishment, the wild locks slowly transform into soft, coiling ringlets. I need whatever product that is because, even though my curls are still there in full force, each lock is smooth and silky, almost tame yet full of bounce.

“What is that stuff?” I demand in awe.

She must catch my lips in the mirror, because she hands me the bottle, then gestures for me to keep it.

“Are you serious?” My heart squeezes at her easy generosity.

Nina nods with a smile, and as she turns her attention to the box of makeup on the vanity’s surface, my genuine appreciation for Alfie’s sister grows. Unlike my disinterest in most people, I find I actuallylikeher. It feels like we could quickly become friends. I kind of hope we do, which is rare for me. Normally, it takes years of good interactions for me to let down my guard with someone. It would seem both Bonetti siblings have a similar disarming effect on me.

Looking at me intently with hazel eyes that remind me of her brother’s, Nina bends to study closely at my face. She picks up a thinpaintbrush and gestures for me to close my eyes. I obey, though I’m not used to wearing makeup of any kind, and cool liquid brushes across my eyelids a moment later, making me twitch. Nina laughs—no doubt over my dramatic reaction—and I join her.

Thankfully, she doesn’t spend long on my cosmetics, applying each detail with a light hand, and when she turns me back toward the mirror, I gasp. With just a bit of dark liner and mascara around my eyes and a red-tinged gloss on my lips, she’s transformed me into a version of myself that I don’t recognize—but that I find I don’t mind, either. I’m not a stunning fashion statement like Alfie’s ex-fiancée, but I actually look beautiful. Color stains my cheeks as they flood with warmth, and I’m unexpectedly touched by Nina’s effort to doll me up. It gives me a new level of confidence I never would have anticipated—even if I’m wearing a dress and showing off more skin than I ever have in public. My tan lines are readily available for the eye, and I worry my lip as I wonder if they won’t be a turnoff. But they’re part of who I am. It comes with the job, and I won’t apologize for that.

As the last touch, Nina passes me a pair of shoes, and relief floods me when they’re flats. I honestly don’t know that I could walk in heels, and I don’t want to make a complete fool of myself now that I’m finally willing to see where things go with Alfie.

“Thank you.” I grasp Nina’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

She pulls me in for another hug, and my chest tightens. Unexpected as it might be, I think Alfie’s sister and I might already be friends, and that fills me with a sense of belonging that brings tears to my eyes. It’s the same kind of deep, unspoken connection I feel with my horses, and it’s nice to have that bond with another woman, someone who I can hold an intelligent conversation with.

Taking my hand, Nina heads back toward the stairs without a word, and my heart skips a beat as I prepare for the unexpected. She links arms with me as we start to descend, and I catch sight of Alfie for the first time. He looks as dashing as ever in a charcoal gray suit, his hair styled to perfection, his five-o’clock shadow darkening his masculine jaw. My pulse starts to race as I watch him standing at the foot of the stairs, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. Hishead turns when he hears Nina’s heels on the marble floor. Then his striking hazel eyes find mine, and his lips part as he smiles. How I ever considered that smile anything but pure warmth and genuine charm, I don’t know. But it steals the air from my lungs, and I suddenly find it hard to breathe.

“You look beautiful,” he says with both his voice and hands as he signs to include his sister in the conversation—even though he’s looking at me. His eyes trail appreciatively over my dress before returning to my face.

Warmth floods my cheeks as we come to a stop on the bottom step. “Thanks. It’s all Nina’s doing.”

Nina slips her arm out of mine to step past her brother, but I stand frozen in front of him, my chest tight with nerves. I feel so much more confident when I’m dressed in jeans and covered in a layer of barn dust than I do now, and my stomach quivers with the sense of vulnerability from wearing such a feminine dress.

“She might have dressed you up, but you’re a natural beauty.”

His low voice drips with promise as he runs his fingers along my jaw, making my stomach clench, and my temperature rise. My breath catches, and my heart flutters as electricity crackles between our skin.

“So.” I lick my lips nervously, trying to rein in my emotions. “What is this dinner exactly? Your invitation was rather vague.”

Alfie chuckles. “You don’t like surprises, do you?”

I cock an eyebrow pointedly. “I work with horses. Of course, I don’t.”

He laughs more openly now, the warm sound ringing through the entry. It makes me hopeful that his meeting with the Kapranovs went well today. Alfie takes my hand, and a giddy thrill rushes through me as he interlaces our fingers and ushers Nina and me through the open-concept entryway and past the enormous living room. I’m shocked when we step into an intimate dining room that looks about the size of one that I could find in a normal-sized home. The table is just big enough for six people, but only three places are set.

“It’s just us?” I ask, confusion lacing my tone.

“Were you hoping for a party?” Alfie glances at me from the corner of his eye, his lips twitching into a smirk.

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