Page 62 of Wicked Vow

The silence hangs heavily in the air for a moment, as I see Erik processing everything I’ve just said. He takes a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over me, and then he nods almost imperceptibly, as if he’s had a conversation with himself and comes to a conclusion.

“I don’t see why it’s impossible,” he says smoothly.

I stare at him dumbly for a moment, while the words compute in my head. “I–did you not just hear what I said?”

“You’re pregnant. Not far along, but since before you left Moscow.” He smiles. “See? I listen.”

“It’s not yours.” It’s the stupidest thing I could possibly say–we’ve only kissed, for fuck’s sake, but I can’t understand why this conversation is even still going on. It feels like there’s been some massive miscommunication, something he’s not understanding, for him not to already be leaving.

“Well, of course, it’s not mine.” Erik laughs. “As much as I would have liked to take you to bed from the very first night I met you, Natalia, you’ve been quite circumspect about that. And I’ve respected it. I didn’t want to rush you.”

“We’ve been on three dates. That’s not much time for you to think that you want to keep this relationship going even though I’m pregnant with someone else’s child.”

“Is he in the picture? You must not be together, obviously, if you were going out on dates with me. Is he a part of this?” Erik gestures towards my stomach, which I find entirely offputting. If I weren’t already ready to be finished with this conversation, I am after that.

“No, he’s not.” I don’t tell him that it’s Mikhail–that feels like more information than he needs and yet another conversation I don’t really want to have. “It’s going to be just me–although I have plenty of support. I’m not worried about that. But you can understand that I’m not really in a place to be starting a relationship. And I don’t think you want to be a father to someone else’s child.”

“I don’t care.” Erik takes a step forward and then another, closing the space between us, and he reaches for me before I can step away. His hands touch my waist, squeezing me lightly as he pulls me in, and all I can think about are Mikhail’s hands on me just like that the night before, but stronger, more demanding.

Hands that Iwantedon me.

“I want you,” he murmurs insistently, his fingers pressing into my flesh as his hands slide upwards, pulling me closer. “I wanted you the moment I was introduced to you. I just don’t think this should be goodbye–”

“It needs to be.” I push myself away from him, disentangling myself from his grasp with some effort. “I’m telling you no, Erik. This isn’t going to happen between us. I tried–but no.”

His face hardens, the change happening so quickly that it makes me take another alarmed step backward. “So that’s it? I’ve been nothing but a gentleman to you, given you all of the attention and patience that anyone could dream of, and you just decide that we’re done? This could have really been something, Natalia–”

“You’re not making mewantto give it more of a chance.” I back away a little further, feeling anxiety knot in my stomach. “I think you need to go.”

“I think we should talk about this. It should be a decision between–”

“You’re acting like we were a couple when we never were.” I press my lips together, stepping to one side so that there’s a clear path between him and the door. “We went on a few dates, Erik. I hadn’t even had a chance to tell you about the pregnancy–”

“If you were so concerned about how I’d react, shouldn’t you have said something on the very first date? At the gala, even?I’m sorry, Erik, I can’t accept because I’m pregnant with someone else’s child.”He raises his voice, mocking mine in a sing-song manner. “No, you enjoyed getting me to take you out on a few luxury dates before you decided to drop the bomb and cut things off. Oh–and after I got beaten up by your ex at a strip club. Very fucking classy, Natalia.”

“He’s not my ex,” I hiss out, gritting my teeth. “And I wanted to give it a chance, go on a few dates with you before I decided if I wanted to pursue this. I don’t owe you personal information because we went out a few times. I certainly don’t owe youanythingfor dinners and theater tickets that I could have bought a thousand times over when I was in Moscow! You weren’t squiring some poor country girl around the big city, Erik. I lived this kind of life too.”

“Not anymore, though. Now you’re dependent on others.” He smiles tightly, his eyes so cold and hard that it makes me feel fainty sick. “So I would think you ought to be grateful that I would take such an interest in you.”

“I think you ought to go,” I say each word flatly, glaring at him. “We’re finished with this conversation.”

I can see his jaw tense. I know he wants to say that we’re not, thathe’lldecide when it’s finished, like every high-handed, entitled man just like him that I’ve known before. But I can also see the moment when he remembers where he is. That he’s in Viktor’s house and that it’s not in his best interest to cause a scene.

“Good luck in Boston,” he says icily, his gaze fixed heavily on mine. “Maybe I’ll be seeing you.”

I wouldn’t count on it,I want to say. But instead, I stay silent, my jaw clenched as he hesitates a moment as if to see if I’m going to reply, and then stalks past me without another word, striding out of the room and shutting the door heavily behind him.

I sink down onto the couch, my heart beating hard in my chest. Somehow, that interaction frightened me more than some of the times I was with Mikhail. At least with Mikhail, I’d always been aware that he was a dangerous man. The change in Erik’s demeanor had been terrifying.

The door opens, and I jump a little, my heart speeding up until I turn and see that it’s Caterina walking in, her forehead creased with concern.

“Natalia? Is everything alright? Erik stormed out of here, and he looked angry–”

“The breakup didn’t go well.” I’m trying for levity, but my voice shakes a little when I speak, and Caterina walks over to me, sitting down next to me as she rubs my back gently with one hand. “As in, he wanted us to keep seeing each other and seemed to think it was a couple’s decision instead of just mine.”

“You only went on a few dates–”

“That’s what I said.” I give her a wry half-smile. “But he was very insistent. And very upset when I told him that this wasn’t going to work.”

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