Page 87 of Dirty Damage

He doesn’t answer, but I can see it in his eyes well enough. I feel a strange, slightly unfamiliar pang.

A twinge of sadness for his lost sister.

A twinge of jealousy for his lost love.

“Who do you usually talk about them with?”

His brows draw together. “What do you mean?”

“You said you don’t talk about them often, but when you do, it’s out here. I’m wondering who you share these memories with.”

“Myself, mostly.”

Without thinking, I reach out to touch his face. He allows it, which feels like its own kind of miracle.

“You’re the first person I’ve told in a long time.”

I bite my lip to keep it from trembling. “I’m glad you shared this with me. I’m good with stuff like this… talking, emotions, past traumas.”

“Are you now?”

I blush under his unblinking gaze. “What I’m not good at is… what we just did.”

“Sex?”

I nod, feeling oddly vulnerable given everything we just shared.

“I have proof that’s not true. It was—” He clears his throat. “It was good for me.”

“It was— Er— Yeah,” I splutter. “Me, too. I just… I’m usually too in my head about it. Overthinking everything.”

His eyebrow arches. “But not just now?”

“No. It was different with you.” It takes all my courage to get the words out. I wait with bated breath for his reaction.

But apart from a slight softening of his eyes, he gives nothing away.

“Then it’s a good thing you signed my contract,” he says at last.

I lean back against his chest, watching the shoreline grow closer.

I don’t respond. There’s nothing left to say.

Besides, he’s right. For all my regrets in life—and there are many—signing that contract isn’t one of them.

Not anymore.

25

OLEG

I’ve never been particularly patient when it comes to women. They rarely dare to make me wait. I simply leave if they do.

It’s thirty minutes past when we should’ve left, and there’s still no sign of Sutton. The door to her guest room is closed, and she doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.

Probably because she knows I can’t leave without her.

Showing up to my own engagement part without my fiancée isn’t the tone I want to set for this marriage.

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