Page 6 of Dragon Bodyguard
He’d deliver them to their rooms and then he’d be gone.
And it was for the best. Of course, it was.
She would settle in, explore the house, enjoy the trip, and not think she’d even see him again. And though the thought chaffed annoyingly, she welcomed it. There was peace in it. His role as welcoming party was about to be over, and once it was, then it was finished. No matter if he still affected her or not.
She tried to ignore the fact that his presence was like a radiator pressed along her back, making her acutely aware of how he was walking behind her. No more than a few steps away. If she stopped, he’d probably walk right into her. Or perhaps his reflexes were too good for that. She felt like putting them to the test, but because Aleksander was walking next to him, she snuffed out the impulse.
She didn’t want to give her half-brother any reason to begin asking her a bunch of questions and, knowing him the way she did, if she behaved even remotely interested in Misha, there would be more than a bunch. And he wouldn’t leave it alone either. They’d never really discussed why or how it ended between her and Misha; possibly because Aleksander had seen her heartbreak and recognized she’d never quite been able to put words to it.
She occupied her mind by looking at the beautiful artwork hanging at even intervals along the hallway, the gorgeous carpeting, the exquisite carvings in the wood panelled walls. Dmitri didn’t seem to want to throw his status in the face of his visitors, but even with the deliberately understated décor—there was a shocking lack of gilt detailing—the house exuded the sort of confidence that only came with true wealth.
“Okay, I have to show you this,” Misha said to Aleksander and, out of pure reflex, she turned around to see what he was talking about.
Getting caught out showing interest, Aleksander motioned for her to follow him and Misha as they disappeared through the doorway of a room. She sighed. For a handful of seconds, she remained where she was, hesitating, but finally she relented—her curiosity getting the better of her. She walked up to the doorway and leaned inside to have a peek into the room.
Misha and Aleksander were standing by the fireplace, Aleksander’s eyes wide at whatever revelation that Misha was affording him was occurring.
“What is it?” she asked, still unwilling to wholly commit to partaking.
“Come here,” Aleksander waved her over.
Her gaze met Misha’s for a brief moment, and she thoughtno, I shouldn’t go there… I should go somewhere else.But again, in spite of her own better judgment, she moved forward, crossing the room to join the other two by the hearth. When she drew near, she could finally see that there was a hidden compartment in the marble pillar on the left side of the mantelpiece.
“And these are everywhere?” Aleksander asked.
“Not in every room and not always near the fireplace, but yes,” Misha said, smiling.
“Are there hidden passages, too? Is that why the house is so damn big?” Aleksander asked, making Misha laugh.
“I’m not at liberty to say,” Misha replied.
Aleksander tutted but didn’t push.
“Guests not allowed?” she asked, getting Misha’s attention.
“Only when invited,” he replied.
“Well, I know what my challenge for the weekend is. Clearly, I’ll have to try and find as many of these compartments as possible before Monday rolls around,” Aleksander stated.
Misha rolled his eyes while she shook her head and, for a breath, there was the familiar passing between them; they had always been rolling their eyes and shaking their heads at Aleksander whenever he did something unbefitting a future family head. He might not be set to rule the whole Kuznetsov clan—that was Dmitri’s title—but Aleksander would take over their father’s side to things and with that came a responsibility that Aleksander had never seemed entirely able to shoulder. He was too impulsive, never considered the consequences of his actions.
“Maybe don’t,” Kristina offered as a deterrent for whatever he was planning. “You’re here to spend time discussing business with Dmitri, not wasting it tearing through his home looking for hidden treasures.”
“It’s not a treasure hunt, Kris,” Aleksander said with that petulant tone he only ever used with her when she was being impossible. “It’s a test. I find all of them, and I’m pretty sure Dmitri will be impressed.”
Misha smirked, clapping a hand on Aleksander’s shoulder.
“He won’t,” Misha said. “Trust me on that.”
Aleksander gave him a look, glaring at Kristina next, then couldn’t keep a smile down. Kristina found herself returning it and when her gaze went back to Misha’s, he was smiling as well. The shared mirth made her look away from him, her smile dying. She didn’t want him to think she’d moved past the need for an apology or an explanation. She couldn’t believe that he could smile and talk to her and reveal secret things as though no time had passed, as though there was no bad blood between them.
“Let me show you to your rooms,” Misha said, leading the way back into the hallway, arm now draped over Aleksander’s shoulders in an irritatingly possessive way.
She felt excluded by it. Like she was merely an afterthought.
For someone who, seconds ago, hadn’t wanted that man to think they could turn back time or simply turn a new leaf in the present, here she was now wanting his arm around her in that overly relaxed way that he was pulling at her half-brother. It was quietly infuriating, and discombobulating, how her feelings were on a pendulum.
She also was growing aware of how she needed to make her mind up; either she spent the weekend ignoring and avoiding him, or she got him alone and told him exactly what she thought of how he’d behaved all those years ago.
