Page 84 of Wicked Proposal
“You are so?—!”
“Done,” she interrupts.
I stand up and walk to the mirror.
My jaw falls.
It’s nothing like when I do it. The hues blend seamlessly together, complementing my skin without looking gaudy. Even though Kallie used bold colors to match Yulian’s choice, including a purple lipstick I haven’t worn since my goth phase, I look…
“Beautiful,” she whispers. “You look beautiful, Mimi.”
I turn to Kallie. My best friend, my ride-or-die, the one who’s always there for me. Who’s been there for me ever since we were ragtag roommates in a moldy shoebox apartment, one pregnant, the other orphaned.
We’ve been clinging to each other for so long, I can’t even think about how painful it would be to let go. How cold it would feel.
“Thank you,” I rasp. “It’s incredible.”
“You’reincredible.” She smiles sweetly. “And if he doesn’t wanna bang you after this, I can introduce him to Reese.”
“Kallie!”
Then the doorbell rings. It’s Boris, warning me to come down if I don’t want to be held in contempt for Criminal Lateness.
I hug Kallie goodbye. “Text me if anything comes up, okay? Anything at all.”
“Don’t worry,” she says. “The most adventurous thing that can happen tonight is aSkyfallrewatch. With popcorn, if we’re feeling daring.”
“Popcorn?” Eli pokes his head in from where he was playing in the hallway. “Can we have it, Aunt Kallie? Please, pleeease?”
I kiss Eli goodnight, grab my new purse, and run like the wind.
26
MIA
When I get downstairs, Yulian is already there, leaning against his sleek Maybach. His eyes widen as he sees me, but he schools it quickly.
“You’re late.”
I glance at the Cartier watch he sent me. I haven’t checked how much it’s worth—I’d be too tempted to sell it. “By two minutes?”
“Time is money,” he says flatly. “Especially my time.”
I roll my eyes and head to the car. Yulian’s gaze doesn’t leave me for a second, a gray storm I can’t decipher. Hot, cold, and everything in between.
Then, as I’m about to open the door, I hear it.
“Mommy!” Eli comes hurtling like a bullet into the empty street, waving his hand wildly. “You forgot your phone!”
From the staircase windows, I can see Kallie wheeze, struggling to keep up.
Shit.
Until now, I’ve done everything I could to keep my two lives separate. Everything to prevent the darkness of Yulian’s world from tainting Eli’s innocence.
Now, I can do nothing but watch them clash.
Yulian sees Eli. His gray eyes, stormy and intense until moments ago, go wide.
