Page 7 of Lethal Hearts

“I don’t know where I … wherewestand,” Harper answered honestly.

“For now, let’s have breakfast together. I’m sure you’re hungry,” Mikhail said. He stopped touching her, a pity.

Feeling bold, Harper asked,“Do you have clothes I can borrow?”

“Of course.” Mikhail exited the room and returned with a pair of jogging pants and a shirt.“These might be too big for you.”

“Doesn’t matter. They look comfortable.”

Mikhail raised one of her hands to his lips, then gave the tips of her fingers a kiss. A shiver ran down her spine.“I can’t wait to see you wearing my clothes.” With those damning words, Mikhail left the room to allow her to dress in privacy.

Harper decided to take a quick shower before donning the clothes he loaned her. Mikhail was right. They were three times too large for her. Tightening the drawstring in her jogging pants seemed to do the trick.

There were toiletries in the bathroom she could use, so Harper did her best to look halfway decent. After running a comb through her hair, she wondered if the women Mikhail invited stayed here overnight. She had a feeling Mikhail was the kind of man who preferred to sleep alone after sex.

Deciding she was putting off having breakfast with him long enough, Harper finally joined him. Seeing he wasn’t alone, she halted. Joining the table were a man and woman, both dressed in suits. Mikhail spotted her and flashed her a predatory grin.

The dark-haired, muscular man in his forties gave her a frank and curious look but the rather scary woman with a large scar bisecting half her face gave her an open look of distrust.

“John and Isabelle, two of my lieutenants,” Mikhail introduced.“This is Harper Valenti. She’s currently a guest in my home. Please treat her with every courtesy and respect.”

Isabelle scoffed and flashed her a murderous stare.“Pakhan, may I remind you that this woman tried to kill you last night?”

Mikhail waved off her concerns with a shrug. He nodded to them and the two left the table. Mikhail nodded to the spot to his right. She noticed there was a plate and cutleries lain out for her. Harper sat.

“This is all so weird,” she found herself saying.

Harper felt completely out of place in this scenario. That got a laugh out of Mikhail. The unrestrained and carefree sound caught her off-guard for a few moments.

“Eat, don’t worry, the food isn’t poisoned. How do you take your coffee?” Mikhail asked in a pleasant voice, like they were on some kind of strange date.

“With plenty of cream,” she answered.

Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t exactly had a proper dinner the night before. Harper glanced at the three plates on the table. It looked like Mikhail and his lieutenants had decimated half of breakfast.

It seemed safe enough and Harper decided she needed strength for the conversation that was to come. She piled her plate with scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Mikhail set a cup of coffee in front of her. It smelled divine.

“Is that enough cream?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered between mouthfuls of food.

Harper realized she might be eating too fast, so she forced herself to slow down. Since he didn’t have her killed the night before, Harper realized with a sinking feeling that there could only be one reason why Mikhail kept her around.

Men like Mikhail didn’t save damsels in distress or would-be assassins from the goodness of their hearts. No, he probably had another agenda in mind. Like Don Juan Garcia, Mikhail Konstantin probably wanted something from her. The question was what?

ChapterFour

Mikhail waited for Harper to finish eating before getting to the heart of the matter.

“You asked me just now where we stand,” Mikhail began. Harper sipped her coffee and nodded, looking intense and serious.“You’re a lucky lady because I’m here to make you an irresistible offer.”

Harper looked at him with open suspicion. Mikhail wasn’t all that surprised by her reaction. After all, his words seemed too good to be true. Last night, Mikhail didn’t get any sleep at all.

Not because Harper’s failed assassination attempt kept him up. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Fate or a higher power had finally granted him a boon, a woman capable of being his equal. A fierce and sexy little thing who had steel in her spine.

The women he slept with in the past meant nothing to him but in the back of his mind, Mikhail knew he couldn’t live the rest of his life a lonely bachelor. Mikhail wanted to leave behind a legacy, someone to carry on the Konstantin bloodline. What better way than to marry a woman able to challenge him?

He smiled and Harper shivered, perhaps seeing something she didn’t quite like.“Let’s hear it,” she managed to say.

---