“Liar. Start coming up with another excuse.”
Maksim scoffs, but his lips have curved up. He’s smiling.
I look between them, incredulous.
I was gone for a week. I planned to ask Carina more about her apparent friendliness with Elena today since I was too distracted last night, enjoying her wet, naked body, but I in no way anticipated the follow-up to that conversation would be questioning her about her chumminess with my brother. Maksim is sarcastic and flippant, not cheerful and accommodating. Or sober.
“So?” Carina refocuses on me. “Are you running or coming to the gym?”
“I’ll meet you at the gym,” I say. “Just give us a minute?” I nod at Maksim.
My brother sighs, looking unfazed by the request. I’m not sure what to make of that either.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.Ko mne!” Carina continues running once the dogs obey her command.
I face my brother. “What the fuck are you playing at, Maksim?”
“You married her.”
I frown. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, you married her. She’s here because of you. I’m supposed to ignore Carina forever?”
“I—” I’m not sure how to respond.
I figured Maksim would ignore her for longer than he did. Members of my family accepting Carina never occurred to me. I thought she’d be kept on the periphery, the way that Victoria has been for the past three years. Then again, my sister-in-law has never sewn with Elena or exercised with Maksim. Were they really won over so easily?
“You took one look at her and thought with your dick for the first time in your life. I always think with my dick, so …” He smirks.
“Stay away from her, Maksim. You hear me? This isn’t a fucking game.”
“No kidding. Games are fun. You left her here. She’s bored. Lonely.”
More guilt spasms in my chest. “I didn’t hear you offering to go appease Malcolm.”
Maksim shakes his head. “You’re not fucking replaceable, Lev. You haven’t realized that yet? You brought a team to Madrid, grabbed the woman the whole Cosa Nostra was looking for without losing a single man, thenmarriedher. You get how crazy that is? No one else could have pulled that off. You embarrassed Igor, and you embarrassed Salvatore Caruso, and what could either of them do about it? Nothing. No retribution from the Italians. Igor is letting you take a two-week honeymoon with the last woman he would have picked for you. I should have been the one to go to Chicago—this week, the past nine years—but I couldn’t replace you.”
“I never meant to take that from you. I …” I rub my jaw. “I didn’t think you wanted it.”
“I didn’t. I don’t. But I thought your decision was because of business.”
“It was business?—”
“You were supposed to get back today, not last night. And you’re grumpy as shit, but you’re already out of your room.”
I think of my latest trip, how empty the city felt with no evening to look forward to. Realize something I never allowed myself to consider, much less admit before. I met Carina during my first trip to Chicago. She defined that experience for me. Long before our financial success materialized, she was what I looked forward to there. Why I refused to allow our arrangement with Malcolm to fail.
“I wanted to keep seeing her.”
Maksim grins. “Knew it.”
He sobers suddenly, reaching out, grabbing my left wrist, and glancing at the palm. My first and faintest scar is barely visible in the creases. Maksim stares for a few seconds, then relaxes his grip.
I take that to mean Carina shared parts of our past. That she deserves the credit for the most productive conversation we’ve had in a long time.
“Heard I owe you,” he comments, then continues running before I can respond.
MADE YOU LOOK
