Page 56 of Caged in Desire
Sasha finally finds me just as Henry takes a call from work. Seeing that I’m in good hands, he tells Sasha not to leave me alone and kisses my temple before moving away to find a quieter spot. He crushes me into a hug, and all of my emotions seem to come at once as I realize just how much I’ve missed Sasha.
“Hey, KitKat, don’t tell meI’mthe thing that pushed you over the edge into tears today. Come on, let’s go chat in the library for a minute,” he says once he realizes I’m sniffling back tears.
Making our way quickly to the library, I see him send a quick text before turning his full attention to me.
“I’m okay, really,” I say, dabbing my eyes with the handkerchief he hands me. “I just miss you so much, and I think it all hit me when you hugged me. I’m really okay with all of this going on. You know Father and I weren’t particularly close.”
“No, you weren’t,” he agrees, eyeing me carefully. “I’m glad this gave me a chance to see you. I’ve been under my dad’s thumb all evening, which has been a nightmare. I’ve been looking for you, though. I wanted to ask you. How are things going with Mr. Sinclair?”
Blushing, I know there’s no way to hide the pink creeping up my neck to my cheeks.
“He treats me very well, and I’m happy. We’ve been getting to know each other more lately, which is nice,” I say, sipping on a bottle of water Sasha grabbed when we left the reception.
Seeing the still serious look on his face, I put my water bottle down.
“What?”
“I’m going to ask you this once, and I promise to take whatever you say seriously and never ask you again,” he says.
“Sasha, what on earth,” I begin, but he continues.
“I saw the two of you in the butler’s pantry, Kat. I was in the silver vault, uh, finishing up a call. If that’s a consensual interaction, fine, I’ll let it go. But I have to make sure he’s not taking advantage of you. He’s a lot older than us, and…”
“I promise you, Sasha, it was consensual,” I say, smiling in relief that all my cousin wants is my happiness and not to judge me. “I know the age difference is a thing, and not everyone understands it from the outside, but it works for us. We’re incredibly compatible, and he takes such good care of me.”
He breathes out a heavy sigh before laughing.
“God, that was fucking awkward to ask. And look, I know you’re compatible from when he and I collaborated before your wedding. I just had to make sure that with all the sex stuff…I wanted to make sure he loves you, KitKat. You deserve the whole world. And if that includes kinky sex stuff, I can tell you a few things that…”
“Nope! We’re good!” I say, at the same time that Henry opens the library door and joins us, before locking it behind him.
“No discussion of sex with my wife, if you please, Mr. Taranov,” he says, handing me a glass of ice water and pressing a quick kiss to my lips. He’s holding a plate of fruit and cheese balanced on another container, which looks like it has…
“Dranikis!” I exclaim, pulling the container from his hands and popping one into my mouth. The crispy potato pancake is one of my favorite childhood foods.
“I saw you eyeing them earlier and grabbed some in case you were feeling peckish,” Henry explains, laughing when I give him a dramatic kiss on the cheek and proclaim him my hero.
Sasha has been watching us quietly with a small smile, and when I turn back to him, I can see in his eyes that he feels comforted to see me safe with my husband. He gives me a wink, then winces and scratches the back of his head. As he does, I see what looks like a fresh tattoo trying to peek out below his cuff.
“Sasha, is that a new—” He quickly cuts me off and changes the subject to something much more serious.
“I didn’t necessarily want to be the one to tell you this, KitKat, but the coroner sent his final report over earlier today regarding your dad’s death. The official cause is suicide.”
I know my confusion is written all over my face, and Henry immediately sees it.
“What is it, Kitten?” he says, taking the empty draniki container from me.
“I just don’t think that’s possible. Father and I might not have been close, but if there’s anything I would ever swear to, it’s that he wouldn’t kill himself,” I explain.
Obviously tired of not touching me, Henry pulls me onto his lap.
“Sometimes people have hidden demons, Katarina. The human mind is capable of terrible things at a moment’s notice, in some cases,” he says softly. “But if you feel strongly, I certainly believe you.”
I look at Sasha. He cocks his head to the side, then nods.
“I have to agree. I don’t think Uncle Pavel would do it. He had a lot to live for and was making plans with my father right up to the last hour before they found him,” Sasha says, and I can tell he’s got something else to say.
“What else is there, Sasha?”
