Page 38 of Broken Saint

15

Nova

Istepped off the elevator and hesitated in the hallway. The day had been one of the longest this week, and every one of my muscles ached. And these ridiculous heels were not helping. Bending over, I unfastened the straps and removed the three-inch heels. I normally took a ridiculous amount of pride in how easily I got around in these things. It had taken months to get used to them and lots of time in the gym for my feet and legs to adjust.

I hooked them on my fingers and headed in the direction of my suite. I needed a glass of wine and a hot bath. Maybe even a book. Although I was so tired, I wasn't sure even a great story could keep me awake. I'd decided at the last minute to include some of the sketches I completed the other night in the upcoming show. Which meant a mad dash to make the new designs in time.

My stomach growled as I reached for the card that gave me entry into my temporary home. When was the last time I'd eaten? I remembered the late-night dinner with Rock, but everything after that was a blur. God, I hoped there were leftovers from that in my fridge because otherwise I'd have to wait for room service. I closed the door behind me and slid the extra locks in place.

At my request, Gabe had beefed up my private space security when I'd moved in, and for the most part, that made me feel a little bit safer.

"About time you showed up."

I screamed at the disembodied voice coming from the dark recess of my living room. The blinds were closed and no lights were on so I couldn't see a thing.

"Jesus Christ, Nova. Is that necessary?"

"Is it necessary for you to break into my apartment and scare the hell out of me, Ronin?" I deadpanned.

The light next to one of the plush club chairs clicked on and the light fell perfectly across his face and shoulders. The man was so darkly beautiful it almost hurt to look at him. Even the light seemed to caress him. "I thought you'd be used to finding strange men in your suite late at night by now."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked still clutching my shoes to my chest. The only man who ever came here was Rock, and I didn't see how Ronin could possibly know that. Rock Reed took great pains to make sure he wasn't seen.

"Exactly what you think."

Of course. He was going to make me play games about any information he may or may not have. Too bad I was too tired to bite. He could take his games and go play them somewhere else.

"What do you want?" I finally asked, dropping my bag and shoes on the table before heading to the wine cabinet to retrieve the red wine I'd been dreaming about since I left my studio.

Ronin's grin crossed his face, nice and slow, as if he wanted to savor the moment before he struck with whatever he planned to say next. Sadly, I was too exhausted to brace for it.

"I came to talk about our wedding."

"There's not going to be a wedding." I froze as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

"Excuse me?"

At least his smug grin had disappeared. I didn't like the feeling I got when he used that look of superiority on me. It made me defensive, and apparently, reckless.

"I'm sorry. That came out wrong." I tried to backpedal, even though Ronin was not the kind of man to just let this go."It has been a really long day, and I'm not thinking straight."

Ronin rose from the chair like a fallen dark angel. His perfectly fitted black suit, black tie, black shoes drew my eye from the floor to the top of his head. If I didn't already have someone in my life, I might have considered this marriage arrangement. Well, maybe. I wasn't sure I was cut out to play mafia wife. Being away from my family for five years had given me perspective. And I had a feeling Ronin was more like the scary devil hiding in plain sight than an angel. To be married to him would not be an easy thing.

"Somehow I doubt that was a Freudian slip." He paced in my direction and I forced myself not to back away from him. If nothing else, I had to stand my ground or there would be no hope of negotiation. Cowards never got anywhere with men like him.

"Maybe not. But I am exhausted. Tonight is probably not the best for this discussion."

"I beg to differ. Maybe you are ready to be honest. You can play the game, and you actually do it well, but something tells me there is more going on with you than you let on. I have a signed, lucrative contract from your father that doesn't activate until we are married. Are you telling me that contract is worth less than the paper it is written on?"

I shook my head. How had I gotten myself into this quicksand, so quickly? This shouldn't have happened. But it did, so I was going to have to follow through. "I'm sure it's quite valuable. But is this really what you want? To marry me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Clearly, he was going to make me spell it out. "You don't strike me as the kind of man who is ready to settle down."

"You don't know me, Nova. Don't presume to know my mind."

"You're right, I don't. And you don't know me. That's exactly my point. This arbitrary and outdated method of marrying the families together is absurd. It may create a truce or even a temporary alliance, but more often than not it's simply smoke and mirrors. It's all bullshit."

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