Page 53 of Wicked Knight 2

I pressed my forehead to the wall, focusing on Belinda’s movements out in the hallway. My heart thrashed in my ears, and all I could hope was that Belinda would move on before Ivan was done in the bathroom.

After what felt like hours, Belinda stomped her foot then rushed down the stairs. I didn’t wait until she was out of sight. I opened the door and slipped out. With trembling legs, I scurried to Maxim’s suite and shut the door behind me.

That was a very stupid thing to do. Though I had to admit, the recon mission wasn’t a total loss. Now I knew for sure Papa was using Maxim for something. To add insult to injury, Papa was using Belinda to spy on Maxim. But after last night’s fiasco, I was sure telling Maxim the truth would get me nowhere.

I was back to square zero. The only way to convince Maxim to leave this place with me was to convince him he was Luca Gallo. That we had a whole life waiting for us back in New York City. Pressing my back to the door, I let my legs melt down to the floor like warm Jell-O. I sat there considering my very limited options. They all boiled down to one thing. I needed to make a phone call. If I couldn’t show Maxim the pictures of us, I needed to focus on calling my family for help.

“Okay.” I rose to my feet. “I need a plan B. What’s plan B?” I rubbed the side of my face. “The library.”

I’d survived Ivan’s suite. Why not a quick trip to the library downstairs and the only landline in the house?

As I made my way down the stairs, I thought about what I would say if I were caught in Papa’s lair, err, office—I got lost, I was looking for Maxim, I needed a word with Papa. Actually, I wouldn’t mind a few words with him. He knew about Maxim’s condition, and instead of helping, he made things worse for Maxim. What kind of psychopath would tell a man with wavering mental health that his mother was raped, and that he was the product of that assault. Fucking fucker.

I stopped in front of the library. When I was sure I was alone, I opened the door slowly and stepped inside. The minute I shut the door; I sensed his presence.

“Can I help you, Mrs. Belov?” Maxim asked from the living area, putting emphasis on the missus—as if he wanted to remind me that I was his.

He sat on the sofa with his ankle over his knee, looking like the picture of serenity. If it weren’t for the intensity of his hazel eyes, I would’ve thought he hadn’t minded the intrusion. I should be scared. But instead, all I wanted to do was climb into his lap and kiss him. He regarded me with a mix of curiosity and distrust. Oh, he knew why I was here. How could I explain that I wasn’t trying to escape. I was just going to call for help.

“I was looking for you.” I inhaled deeply. After the scare I’d had upstairs, my body still felt a little shaky. Or maybe Maxim was the reason for my sudden shortness of breath. “You left so early. I didn’t know where we left things.”

“I thought we were fairly clear. You’re not leaving.” He sat forward and braced his arms on his thighs. His gazed darted toward the phone on the other side of the library. “Or have you changed your mind again?”

“No,” I blurted out. “I made you a promise. I haven’t forgotten.”

“Is that so?” He flashed me a sexy smile as his gaze swept up and down my body. “You have all the telltale signs of someone who’s up to something. Your cheeks are flushed. You’re trembling.”

“No. Belinda startled me when I left the room. She came out of nowhere.” Telling pieces of the truth always helped with a good lie.

“Lock the door, Mrs. Belov.”

“What?” I shot a glance behind me. “Why?”

“Don’t make me ask again, Donata.”

“Oh.”

He had to be kidding. There was no way he wanted to have sex with me here where anyone could find us. My pulse raced because even if my head was still going through all the different ways this was a bad idea, my body was already on board. When he looked at me like that, as if I were the last woman on Earth, I couldn’t say no.

I pressed the wooden panel and flipped the latch. “We can’t do this here.”

“If I wait until I can get you upstairs, I will lose my resolve.”

“Resolve? I reached for the back of the sofa for support. Right now, that one piece of furniture was the only thing standing between us. “For what?”

“It is very clear to me why you’re here.” He rose to his feet. “You need to be punished. Until that happens, you will not stop trying to escape. And now more than ever, I need you here.”

“You can’t be serious.” I stepped back.

“Deadly.” He stalked toward me.

CHAPTER19

Another Day Without You

Donata

I kept my gaze zeroed in on the fireplace across from me as Maxim stalked around the sofa to cage me in with his body. “I saw the look in your eyes when you came in. You were planning to escape. I told you what that does to me.”

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