AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I give her a wry smile. “I could maybe help with that.”
Her eyes light up. “I wouldlovethat.”
I like her.
I get a good view of the house when we walk downstairs for breakfast. I’m not surprised that when I glance through large windows, I find we’re nestled in a secure location behind denserows of trees. I’d bet my last penny the security systems that surround this home are top-notch. He knows every bird that lands on his property, every car that drives by.
The home is modern and almost minimalist, built with sleek, clean lines, not a speck of dust or anything out of place. Thick carpet beneath my feet, framed prints of contemporary art. I note a few things that are a bit out of the ordinary — a control panel for the light fixtures that looks like someone lifted it straight out of a spaceship, a thermostat on the wall with an impressive display screen.
“I’m a tech girl,” Aria says when she sees me taking everything in. We walk down a small set of stairs toward the smell of bacon and coffee. “And let me tell you, Idroolwhen I come here.”
A huge, framed print is mounted over the fireplace in the living room. Takes me a minute to realize it’s the TV, though it’s framed like a picture and currently displaying artwork. We walk past that doorway and into the dining room.
My stomach clenches as the sound of talking dies down. There is indeed an entire group of men sitting at the dining room table, but no Aleksandr.
A man who looks to be in his thirties stands and walks over to me. Deep-set dark brown eyes beneath heavy brows, golden, tanned skin, and dark brown hair tinged with flecks of gold make him look almost godlike. I find myself mentally comparing him to Aleksandr’s darker, rugged good looks, and immediately give myself a mental shake.Stop.This man’s arrestingly masculine and undeniably attractive but a bit more civilized than Aleks.
He stretches his hand out to me. “Mikhail Romanov, Aleksandr’s older brother and head of the Romanov family. Welcome.” Inod mutely, unsure what the proper thing to do is in this circumstance.
“I’m Harper.” My cheeks flush. Obviously, they know who I am. Everyone’s staring at me. Fortunately, I don’t have to think on it for long, because Mikhail goes straight to Aria and puts his hand on her lower back.
“Are you alright? How are you feeling?”
“About the same as I was when I saw you fifteen minutes ago,” she says, her eyes twinkling. A stab of jealousy hits me. I woke up in bed bound and captive.
I don’t deservetenderness like that.
I don’t deserve to be loved.
Disgrace.
Disgust.
Whore.
“Come,sit. My mother will be joining us later. She’s getting things ready for tomorrow night.”
I blink. Tomorrow night. My wedding.
I nod, still mute, then notice a shadow looming from behind me. I shiver when the temperature in the room drops.
My fiancé has arrived.
While everyone else is dressed in business-casual, Aleksandr’s wearing gym shorts and a white tee. His hair’s still damp as iffrom a shower, the masculine scent of his bodywash lingering in the air. I’d bet good money he just worked out. His muscles are evident under his T-shirt, a physique born of hard work and heavy labor.
He nods coolly to me and pulls out a chair for me to sit down. It’s almost an intimate gesture but feels so fake, so rehearsed, that it doesn’t give me the warm glow I got from watching Mikhail with Aria.
“Not all of my family’s here,” he begins, as I sit down. Is he just on his best behavior for his family? “But I’ll introduce you to who is. You’ll meet most of them at the wedding.”
I nod.
“Ollie’s in Moscow, but you’ll eventually meet him. My other brothers.” He jerks his head toward the other side of the table, where a few of his brothers sit.
To his right sits a dangerous-looking man, heavily tattooed with a rugged, primal appeal to him. His large frame and menacing scowl make me want to hide. “Nikko, and next to him, Viktor.”
Viktor, a hulking, muscular man with a shaved head and a scar running down one cheek, lifts a hand.His strong, scarred features are a bit terrifying.
Polina said she had six brothers, though. Including Aleksandr, I’ve only met four and one is in Moscow.
