Page 7 of Vendetta Vows

Then his golden gaze locks with mine.

The corner of his mouth curls into a knowing smile. And suddenly, my mind is flooded with the image of gazing up at him on my knees.

Fuck!

I should look away. I need to look away. But all I do is meet his intense gaze and feel the rest of the world melt away around me.

Hannah's fingernails dig painfully into my forearm, bringing me back to reality for just a split second.

"Oh. My. God." Her entire body is practically vibrating. "Aurora! He's looking right at you! Youhaveto go talk to him after this. And then you need to climb him like a goddamn tree."

I want to shush her, but my vocal cords have stopped functioning.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for joining me to celebrate the kick off of what I'm confident will be a great production."

Ruslan's baritone voice rolls through the room, simultaneously smooth and commanding.

But all I feel is a delicious tremor through my body that pools between my legs.

"I usually stay out of the creative stuff. But tonight, someone gave me a fresh perspective on our project." He smiles. "And I have to admit, I liked what I heard."

Hannah gasps beside me, her grip on my arm tightening to tourniquet levels.

I should be plotting my escape route. Instead, I'm enthralled by how the stage lights catch the gold in his eyes, how a single errant curl plays at his neat eyebrows, and how he's staring at me andonlyme.

"I was told—quite passionately, I might add—that our script could benefit from some adjustments to make the characters' motivations more believable."

His eyes are drilling into mine. But I don't want him to just stare. I want to feel his fingers threading through my hair. I want to feel the command of his hand on the back of my head.

Whoa! Where the fuck didthatcome from?

But now that the thought is in my head, I can't push it away.

Ruslan smiles a little wider, as if he can read my mind.

"I believe the exact phrase was," he continues, "Trauma doesn't just vanish because someone's attractive. Unfortunately for my nephew Mikhail, it means that he's going to have to step up his acting game instead of just brooding prettily at the camera."

While the rest of the production laughs in agreement at what they assume is a joke, blood rushes to my face so fast that I feel dizzy.

He's quoting me verbatim.

"I found this feedback refreshingly honest," he says, his eyes never leaving mine. "And I'm inclined to agree."

A nervous laugh escapes my throat before I can stop it. Hannah is practically hyperventilating beside me.

"So please take the rest of the night to enjoy the launch party and mingle with each other. Hopefully, by the end of the night, we'll all gain some more fresh perspectives that will elevate this production from a great one to an extraordinary one."

By now, my face must be the color of a fire truck. Every word from Ruslan feels like it's meant only for me, a private conversation happening in a room full of people.

"After all," Ruslan concludes as his eyes burrow into mine and send my stomach somersaulting. "The best insight can come from the last place you'd ever expect, like a chance encounter on a gust of wind."

3

AURORA

"I'm fucked,"I drum my fingers against the polished wood of the bar, waiting on the second espresso martini. "Totally, completely, irreversibly fucked."

My pulse hasn't slowed since that speech.

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