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“I don’t know what to say,” she mumbled into the microphone Brian held poised inches from her lips.
What do you mean you don’t know what to say?
You’re going to say no! You don’t even know this guy and he’s crazy if he thinks he’s in love with a woman he judged on a reality show.
But still, he was presenting her with a chance at a fairy-tale ending. Even more importantly, he was giving her somewhere to go, something to do, and a refuge as far away from Kingdom City and Serge as she could imagine.
They called it Outer Kartolia for a reason. Because it was outer. Waaay outer.
Not to mention that he was a beautiful man, with dark olive skin and brown eyes that shimmered with passion and kindness. He seemed like a good guy, and she knew he was a beloved king. What more could she ask for? It was clear she was horrible at choosing her own significant other. Maybe it would be smart to give love a try with someone who had chosen her for a change.
“Say yes, Katarina.” A smile stretched across the king’s face as he observed her indecision. “Give me the chance to show you how your life would be as my queen.”
“I’m sorry,” she said after another tense moment. “But I can’t. You seem wonderful, but my heart’s already spoken for.”
She wasn’t naïve enough to think that the words would change anything. Serge wasn’t interested in pursuing anything further between them, but it felt good to confess how she felt. She had never had the guts to call him her “love” in any language, though that was what he was, more than any other man, even the one she had married and nearly killed for.
“Very well then, thank you for the chance to speak my feelings.” The king took her rejection well. But why wouldn’t he? He was young, hot and a king. He’d have a million women lining up to catch him before he made it out of the building.
Before she could regain her bearings after the unexpected proposal, the show was over. The credits rolled, the theme music blared and Kat was swept away by the beautifully dressed assistant hostess.
Before she disappeared into the wings, she risked one more glance to the front row, only to find that Serge and the idiot triplet were gone, with no sign of them in the milling crowd.
He might not have even heard her. He might never know how she really felt. It shouldn’t have mattered, shouldn’t have hurt, but it did.
Kat finally let the smile slide completely from her face.
She didn’t have to pretend anymore, she only had to leave.
CHAPTER NINE
Serge
Serge waited at the door to Kat’s apartment for nearly two hours before he admitted to himself that she wasn’t coming home any time soon.
He called the gym, her favorite coffee shop, and every other place he could imagine she might be, but no one had seen her. He called the producers, the other contestants, and the crewmembers on the show, hoping that she’d gone out to celebrate with them. He had crossed his fingers that she was drinking a beer with someone he knew, who could tell her to wait for him until he got there.
But no one had seen her since she stepped into a cab headed downtown minutes after the final credits had rolled.
He hadn’t been fast enough. He had wasted precious seconds explaining to Sherry why he couldn’t see her home and why he had been wrong to take her out in the first place. Now Kat had disappeared and there was only one thing he could think of to do, one place to look for clues to where she’d gone.
The lock opened more easily than he had expected. He’d learned to pick a lock before he could ride a bicycle, his old man considering breaking and entering a vital skill no self-respecting Sokolnokov could live without. But even if he’d never popped a lock in his life, it wouldn’t have been difficult to force his way into Kat’s rundown apartment.
The thought scared him and he made a mental note to have a team out here tomorrow to beef up the safety precautions on her doors and windows. Maybe even install a security system while they were at it. If she didn’t feel ready to forgive him and move back into his place on a permanent basis, he at least wanted her to be safe.
He cursed as he flicked on the lights, the anger and fear coursing through him making him want to smash a fist through the nearest wall.
She was gone. Everything was gone.
The walls were bare and her furniture missing. Nothing remained except the faint hint of her perfume. That trace of scent made him want to break down, to cry and rage like a man who wasn’t capable of using his mind to discern what was best for him. He was a man in love, who had realized too late what an idiot he’d been.
Now he might have lost the woman who was his perfect match, the only woman he couldn’t live without. His knees hit the floor and his head fell into his hands.
Her voice sounded from the doorway a moment later. “How did you get into my apartment?”
“Katarina?” He lifted his head, eyes seeking hers.
She looked beautiful, as always, but tired. Her small frame was loaded down with two overstuffed duffel bags and she was pulling a suitcase that probably weighed more than she did.
